At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing
Scripture References:
6th century Latin hymn, translated by Robert Campbell (1849)
Tune: Spanish Hymn, 7 7 7 7 D, arranged by Benjamin Carr, 1824
1 At the Lamb’s high feast we sing,
Praise to our victorious King,
Who has washed us in the tide
Flowing from his pierced side;
Praise we him whose love divine
Gives his sacred blood for wine,
Gives his body for the feast,
Christ the Victim, Christ the Priest.
2 Where the paschal blood is poured,
Death’s dark angel sheathes his sword;
Israel’s hosts triumphant go
Through the wave that drowns the foe.
Praise we Christ, whose blood was shed,
Paschal Victim, Paschal Bread;
With sincerity and love
Eat we manna from above.
3 Mighty Victim from the sky,
Pow’rs of hell beneath thee lie;
Death is conquered in the fight,
Thou has brought us life and light:
Hymns of glory and of praise,
Risen Lord, to thee we raise;
Holy Father, praise to thee,
With the Spirit, ever be.
4 Easter triumph, Easter joy,
Sin alone can this destroy;
From sin’s power do Thou set free
Souls new-born, O Lord, in Thee.
Hymns of glory and of praise,
Risen Lord, to Thee we raise;
Holy Father, praise to Thee,
With the Spirit, ever be.
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Psalm 22 “My God, My God, I Cry to Thee”
Scripture References:
Psalm 22
Tune: Germany, L.M., from William Gardiner’s Sacred Melodies, 1815
1 My God, my God, I cry to Thee;
O why has Thou forsaken me?
Afar from Me, Thou does not heed,
Though day and night for help I plead.
2 But Thou art holy in Thy ways,
Enthroned upon Thy people’s praise;
Our fathers put their trust in Thee,
Believed, and Thou did set them free.
3 They cried, and, trusting in Thy Name,
Were saved, and were not put to shame.
But in the dust My honor lies,
While all reproach and all despise.
4 My words a cause for scorn they make,
The lip they curl, the head they shake,
And, mocking, bid me trust the Lord
Till He salvation shall afford.
5 My trust on Thee I learned to rest
When I was on My mother’s breast;
From birth Thou art my God alone,
Thy care My life has ever known.
6 O let Thy strength and presence cheer,
For trouble and distress are near;
Be Thou not far away from Me,
I have no source of help but Thee.
7 Unnumbered foes would do Me wrong,
They press about Me, fierce and strong,
Like beasts of prey their rage they vent,
My courage fails, My strength is spent.
8 Down unto death Thou leadest Me,
Consumed by thirst and agony;
With cruel hate and anger fierce
My helpless hands and feet they pierce.
9 While on My wasted form they stare,
The garments torn from Me they share,
My shame and sorrow heeding not,
And for My robe they cast the lot.
10 O Lord, afar no longer stay;
O Thou my helper, haste, I pray;
From death and evil set Me free;
I live, for Thou didst answer Me.
11 I live and will declare Thy fame
Where brethren gather in Thy Name;
Where all Thy faithful people meet,
I will Thy worthy praise repeat.
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About Psalter Hymnal
The great 16th century Reformer John Calvin reminds us of the importance of singing the inspired songbook of God’s people, the Psalter, in the public worship of God:
As for public prayers, there are two kinds: the one consists simply of speech, the other of song…And indeed, we know from experience that singing has great strength and power to move and to set on fire the hearts of men in order that they may call upon God and praise him with a more vehement and more ardent zeal. It is to be remembered always that this singing should not be light or frivolous, but that it ought to have weight and majesty…Now, what Augustine says is true, namely that no one can sing anything worthy of God that he has not received from him. Therefore, even after we have carefully searched everywhere, we shall not find better or more appropriate songs to this end than the Psalms of David, inspired by the Holy Spirit. And for this reason, when we sing them, we are assured that God puts the words in our mouth, as if he himself were singing through us to exalt his glory.
As for the tunes to be used with the Psalter, Calvin was concerned that they are reverent for worship, simple enough for congregational singing, and fitted for the subject of the psalm:
Touching the melody, it has seemed best that it be moderated in the manner we have adopted to carry the weight and majesty appropriate to the subject, and even to be proper for singing in the Church….
Most of the tunes are those traditionally used for the particular metrical psalm, but extra care was also taken to substitute melodies that are easier or more familiar than the traditional tunes.
This is still a work in progress. Indices and other features will be added later.
PSALTER HYMNAL
Web Page Copyright 2003 by Nollie Malabuyo
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