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| Salvation Mountain in the California Desert If you prefer, there is an easy to read and print READER version RIGHT HERE! |
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ejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. (Phil 4:4-5)
To the Christian, rejoicing
is not a matter of choice but of nature. When we are overjoyed at the birth of
a child, it is not a reaction that we planned for – it is simply a natural
outcome of our hearts. When we have been forgiven the profligate’s life of sin
(and we were all profligates in time past), we can do no other than rejoice.
This is a general hymn of reverence and affirmation of the benefits of
salvation.
The author is Mr. Edward H.
Plumptre (in 1865). The most popular tune to which the hymn is sung is MARION
by Arthur Messiter (1883). Alternate hymn tunes are Carlisle by Charles Lockhart (1791) and Peterborough by William Monk (1868).
Rejoice Ye Pure in Heart
Rejoice ye pure
in heart;
Rejoice, give
thanks, and sing;
Your glorious
banner wave on high,
The cross of
Christ your King.
Refrain
Rejoice,
rejoice, rejoice,
Give thanks and
sing.
Bright youth
and snow crowned age,
Strong men and
maidens meek,
Raise
high your free, exultant song,
God’s wondrous
praises speak.
Refrain
With all the
angel choirs,
With all the
saints of earth,
Pour out the
strains of joy and bliss,
True rapture,
noblest mirth.
Refrain
Your clear
hosannas raise;
And alleluias
loud;
Whilst
answering echoes upward float,
Like wreaths of
incense cloud.
Refrain
Yes, on through
life’s long path,
Still chanting
as ye go;
From youth to
age, by night and day,
In gladness and
in woe.
Refrain
Still lift your
standard high,
Still march in
firm array,
As warriors
through the darkness toil,
Till dawns the
golden day.
Refrain
At last the
march shall end;
The wearied
ones shall rest;
The pilgrims
find their heavenly home,
Jerusalem the
blessed.
Refrain
Then on, ye
pure in heart!
Rejoice, give
thanks and sing!
Your glorious
banner wave on high,
The cross of
Christ your King.
Refrain
Praise Him Who
reigns on high,
The Lord Whom
we adore,
The Father, Son
and Holy Ghost,
One God
forevermore.
Refrain
Rejoice ye pure in heart; Rejoice, give thanks, and sing; Your glorious
banner wave on high, The cross of Christ your King. Many battle-flags of
history have born the ‘CROSS’ as witness of the faith of the combatant. One
such battle flag was the Battle Flag of the Southern Confederacy (the Cross of
St. Andrews embedded with the thirteen stars of the contending states). But the
Church bears a different Cross which symbolizes the sacrificial love of our
Savior who purchased our freedoms. The one who died for us has invited us to
His great Banquet beyond the Gates of Splendor. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
(Song 2:4)
Bright youth and snow crowned age, Strong men and maidens meek, Raise
high your free, exultant song, God’s wondrous praises speak” Regardless our
state in life – whether young, old, a king, or a servant – we all have the
innate joy to sing praises to our wonderful Savior. I will
declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise
unto thee. (Heb
2:12)
With all the angel choirs, With all the saints of earth, Pour out the
strains of joy and bliss, True rapture, noblest mirth. The angel choirs
sang at the early morning of Creation, and they sing continually before the
Throne of God. Our voices are privileged to join with them in singing of praises
to the Great King of Kings. The heavens
declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. (Psalm 19:1) If our hearts are attuned to the will of the Lord,
our mouths shall declare His praises. As the clerical prayer counseled before
the sermon in the Book of Common Prayer suggests, Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be
acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. (Psalms 19:14)
Your clear hosannas raise; And alleluias loud; Whilst answering echoes
upward float, Like wreaths of incense cloud. In our joyous hymns we do not
send for an uncertain sound, but one of abject joy and happiness. Our
‘alleluias’ are distinct in meaning – “praise ye Jah (the Lord).” As we have
said so many times before the Love of God is the prime source of love. Our love
is simply an echo of hearts whose nature is in accord with His. We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19)
Yes, on through life’s long path, Still chanting as ye go; From youth
to age, by night and day, In gladness and in woe. Our Lord gives us a song, even in the night. Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a
holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to
come into the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel. (Isaiah 30:29) No
matter if we are burdened with full field packs, and a heavy weapon, we think
on the things for which we fight and continue the march in joy.
Still lift your standard high, Still march in firm array, As warriors
through the darkness toil, Till dawns the golden day. There is nothing more daunting to the enemy
then to see a solid, well-ordered line of soldiers advancing in battler array.
Our standard, the Colors of the Cross, in the leading line of advance, assures
the enemy of our intent to take back the mal-appropriated ground. Many great
victories have been squandered by the failure to capitalize on the victory even
in darkness. More battles are won by fighting in the most undesirable of field
conditions than only on beautiful sunny days. Satan attacks us when the field
is miry and our lives seem to us to be in shambles. But when the dawn of a
golden day arises, we see the victory has been consolidated and our Standard
Color posted above the fallen enemy. Christians must be persevering.
At last the march shall end; The wearied ones shall rest; The pilgrims
find their heavenly home, Jerusalem the blessed. If we ‘fall out’ along the
route of march at the first sign of fatigue, we shall not be at the site of
victory. The Army of God moves unrelentingly against the hateful brigades of
Satan and his beleaguered columns. There is no glory in falling from the lines.
But at the moment of victory, what a marvelous rest we shall have! Every man,
woman, and child has a part in the coming battle between right and wrong. We cannot
accept truancies, or AWOL’s. The gleaming spires of New Jerusalem await our
triumphant entry, but if we fall by the wayside, we shall miss that glorious
march into the City.
Then on, ye pure in heart! Rejoice, give thanks and sing! Your glorious
banner wave on high, The cross of Christ your King. What a blessing to be
called the “pure in heart” if such heart we truly have, for we shall see God. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they
shall see God. (Matt
5:8) Christ is our Ensign – the
perfect upright Standard about which we rally. 3 All ye
inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up
an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. 4 For so
the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling
place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of
harvest. (Isaiah
18:3-4)
A Proper Benediction
Praise Him Who reigns on high, The Lord Whom we adore, The Father, Son and Holy Ghost, One God forevermore.
