Scripture Verse

Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he. Proverbs 16:20

Introduction

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Robert S. Bridges (1844–1930)

Words: Charles Cof­fin, in the Pa­ris Bre­vi­ary, 1736 (O quam juvat fratres, Deus). Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Ro­bert S. Bridg­es in the Yat­ten­don Hym­nal (Ox­ford, Eng­land: B. H. Black­well, 1905).

Music: Bin­ches­ter Will­iam Croft, in Play­ford’s Di­vine Com­pan­ion, se­cond edi­tion, 1707, page 67 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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William Croft (1678–1727)

Lyrics

Happy are they, they that love God,
Whose hearts have Christ confessed,
Who by His cross have found their life,
And ’neath His yoke their rest.

Glad is the praise, sweet are the songs,
When they together sing;
And strong the prayers that bow the ear
Of Hea­ven’s eter­nal King.

Christ to their homes giveth His peace,
And makes their loves His own;
But ah, what tares the evil one
Hath in his garden sown.

Sad were our lot, evil this earth,
Did not its sorrows prove
The path whereby the sheep may find
The fold of Je­su’s love.

Then shall they know, they that love Him,
How all their pain is good;
And death itself cannot unbind
Their happy brotherhood.