Scripture Verse

There remaineth…a rest to the people of God. Hebrews 4:9

Introduction

portrait
Thomas à Kempis
1379–1471

Words: From a 15th Cen­tu­ry ma­nu­script in Karls­ru­he, Ger­ma­ny (Quis­quis va­let nu­mer­a­re). At­trib­ut­ed by some to Tho­mas à Kem­pis. Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by John M. Neale in The Hym­nal Not­ed, 1854.

Music: Lewes John Ran­dall, cir­ca 1774 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Ran­dall (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
John M. Neale (1818–1866)

Lyrics

If there be that skills to reck­on
All the num­ber of the blest,
He, per­chance, can weigh the glad­ness
Of the ev­er­last­ing rest
Which, their earth­ly war­fare fin­ished,
They through suf­fer­ing have pos­sessed.

Through the vale of la­men­ta­tion
Happily and safe­ly past,
Now the years of their af­flic­tion
In their me­mo­ry they re­cast,
And the end of all per­fec­tion
They can con­tem­plate at last.

For they see their cru­el tempt­er
Suffering tor­ments ev­er­more;
To the Sav­ior that re­deemed them
Those re­deemed ones prais­es pour;
And the Mon­arch that re­wards them
Those re­ward­ed saints adore.

In a glass through types and rid­dles
Dwelling here, we see alone;
Then se­rene­ly, pure­ly, clear­ly,
We shall know as we are known,
Fixing our en­light­ened vi­sion
On the glo­ry of the throne.

There the Tri­ni­ty of Per­sons
Unbeclouded shall we see;
There the Un­i­ty of Es­sence
Perfectly re­vealed shall be;
While we hail the Three­fold God­head
And the sim­ple Un­i­ty.

Wherefore, man, take heart and cour­age,
Whatsoe’er thy pre­sent pain;
Such un­told re­ward through suf­fer­ing
Thou may’st mer­it to at­tain;
And for ev­er in His glo­ry
With the Light of light to reign.

Laud and hon­or to the Fa­ther;
Laud and hon­or to the Son;
Laud and hon­or to the Spi­rit;
Ever Three, and ev­er One;
Consubstantial, co-eter­nal,
While un­end­ing ages run.