Scripture Verse

You ascended on high. Psalm 68:18

Introduction

portrait
Edward H. Bickersteth, Jr. (1825–1906)

Words: Ed­ward H. Bick­er­steth, Jr., in the news­pa­per Record, 1872.

Music: Ends­leigh Sal­va­to­re Fer­ret­ti (1817–1874) (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Salvatore Ferretti
1817–1874

Lyrics

O Christ, Thou hast as­cend­ed,
Triumphantly on high!
By che­rub guards at­tend­ed
And ar­mies of the sky:
Let earth tell forth the sto­ry—
Our ve­ry flesh and bone,
Immanuel, in glo­ry,
Ascends His Fa­ther’s throne.

Heaven’s gates un­fold above Thee:
But canst Thou, Lord, for­get
The lit­tle band who love Thee
And gaze from Ol­iv­et?
Nay, on Thy breast en­grav­en
Thou bear­est ev­ery name,
Our Priest in earth and Hea­ven
Eternally the same.

There, there Thou stand­est plead­ing
The vir­tue of Thy blood,
For sin­ners in­ter­ced­ing,
Our ad­vo­cate with God:
And ev­ery change­ful fa­shion
Of our brief joys and cares,
Finds thought in Thy com­pas­sion
And ec­ho in Thy pray­ers.

O for the price­less mer­it
Of Thy re­deem­ing cross!
Vouchsafe Thy se­venfold spi­rit
And turn to gain our loss;
Till we by strong en­dea­vor
In heart and mind as­cend
And dwell with Thee for­ev­er
In rap­tures without end.