“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” Philippians 4:4
Lyrics
Once again I am surprised at how many verses there are to a familiar hymn.
You will note in the first verse I have the word rejoice after mortals. This is what is says in our hymnal. Rejoice instead of Mortals.
Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore;
Mortals (rejoice) give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Jesus, the Savior, reigns, the God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains He took His seat above;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and Heav’n,
The keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
He sits at God’s right hand till all His foes submit,
And bow to His command, and fall beneath His feet:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
He all His foes shall quell, shall all our sins destroy,
And every bosom swell with pure seraphic joy;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Rejoice in glorious hope! Jesus the Judge shall come,
And take His servants up to their eternal home.
We soon shall hear th’archangel’s voice;
The trump of God shall sound, rejoice!
(source)
Once again I am surprised at how many verses there are to a familiar hymn.
You will note in the first verse I have the word rejoice after mortals. This is what is says in our hymnal. Rejoice instead of Mortals.
Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore;
Mortals (rejoice) give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Jesus, the Savior, reigns, the God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains He took His seat above;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and Heav’n,
The keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
He sits at God’s right hand till all His foes submit,
And bow to His command, and fall beneath His feet:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
He all His foes shall quell, shall all our sins destroy,
And every bosom swell with pure seraphic joy;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Rejoice in glorious hope! Jesus the Judge shall come,
And take His servants up to their eternal home.
We soon shall hear th’archangel’s voice;
The trump of God shall sound, rejoice!
(source)
Written by Charles Wesley it first appeared in his brother John's book Moral and Sacred Poems in 1744. In 1746, Charles published it as one of 16 selections in Hymns for Our Lord's Resurrection. It originally had six verses. (source)
As often happens with hymns, verses get dropped and such was the case with this hymn. The fourth and fifth stanzas omitted in the settings used in The UM Hymnal. Of the four stanzas used in both settings in the hymnal (numbers 715 and 716), almost nothing has been altered from the original 1746 text, a testament to the quality of Charles Wesley's poetry. (source)
Charles Wesley (along with his brother John) wrote more than 6500 hymns in the 18th century. He wrote this hymn to go along with Easter and Ascension. (source) as well as a way to encourage his Methodist brethren who were undergoing persecution.
As often happens with hymns, verses get dropped and such was the case with this hymn. The fourth and fifth stanzas omitted in the settings used in The UM Hymnal. Of the four stanzas used in both settings in the hymnal (numbers 715 and 716), almost nothing has been altered from the original 1746 text, a testament to the quality of Charles Wesley's poetry. (source)
Charles Wesley (along with his brother John) wrote more than 6500 hymns in the 18th century. He wrote this hymn to go along with Easter and Ascension. (source) as well as a way to encourage his Methodist brethren who were undergoing persecution.
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