Scripture Verse

The martyrs of Jesus. Revelation 17:6

Introduction

portrait
Percy Dearmer (1867–1936)

Words: Un­known au­thor, 10th Cen­tu­ry (Mar­tyr Dei qui uni­cum). Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Per­cy Dear­mer in The Eng­lish Hym­nal (Lon­don: Ox­ford Uni­ver­si­ty Press, 1906), num­ber 180.

Music: White­hall, me­lo­dy by Hen­ry Lawes (1596–1662) (🔊 pdf nwc).

Lyrics

Martyr of God, whose strength was steeled
To fol­low close God’s on­ly Son,
Well didst thou brave thy bat­tle­field,
And well thy heav’n­ly bliss was won!

Now join thy pray­ers with ours, who pray
That God may par­don us and bless;
For pray­er keeps ev­il’s plague away,
And draws from life its wea­ri­ness.

Long, long ago, were loosed the chains
That held thy bo­dy once in thrall;
For us how ma­ny a bond re­mains!
O Love of God re­lease us all.

All praise to God the Fa­ther be,
All praise to Thee, eter­nal Son;
All praise, O Ho­ly Ghost, to Thee
While ne­ver end­ing ages run.

illustration
Martyrdom of St. Stephen
Gustave Doré (1832–1883)