Scripture Verse

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:14

Introduction

Words: John C. Mid­dle­ton, 1871. Mid­dle­ton wrote these words for the 1871 Christ­mas ser­vice at St. Mark’s Church, New Bri­tain, Con­nec­ti­cut.

Music: Mis­qua­mi­cut Will­iam O. Per­kins, Shin­ing Ri­ver (Bos­ton, Mas­sa­chu­setts: Ol­iv­er Dit­son, 1875), page 23 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Shining Ri­ver gives the ly­ri­cist on­ly as J.C.M. Mid­dle­ton is named as the au­thor in His­to­ry of Saint Mark’s Church, New Bri­tain, Conn., and of Its Pre­de­cess­or Christ Church, We­thers­field and Ber­lin, by James Shep­ard (New Bri­tain, Conn­ec­ti­cut: 1907), page 372. Shep­ard’s book al­so in­cludes stan­zas not pre­sent in Shin­ing Ri­ver.

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Mid­dle­ton or Per­kins (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

The Christ­mas chimes are ring­ing in
The day when Christ was born;
And child­ren’s voic­es, sweet­ly tuned,
Welcome the bless­èd morn
With that first Christ­mas song again,
Glory to God, good will to men.

Judea’s hills, with glo­ry crowned,
Beheld the Prince of Peace;
While an­gels of His ad­vent sang
In songs that ne’er shall cease;
Each year re­sounds the chor­us still,
Glory to God, good will to men.

Now wrapped in swath­ing bands be­hold
The in­fant Sav­ior lie;
The won­der­ing Mary at His side—
Th’ador­ing shep­herds by—
And an­gels o’er them, sing­ing still,
Glory to God, good will to men.

None oth­ers raise the joy­ful song
From Jew or Gen­tile tongue!
But now from east­ern shore to west
That Christ­mas song is sung,
Which first swelled out o’er Ju­dah’s plain,
Glory to God, good will to men.

The Church on earth and Church in Heav’n
Today are tr­uly one—
There ran­somed child­ren’s voic­es rise
In prais­es round the throne;
And here we join the glad re­frain
Glory to God, good will to men.

Glory to God in sweet­est songs!
Let children’s voic­es raise
Th’an­gel­ic chor­us, till the earth
Be all en­wrapped with praise,
And ev­ery heart this an­them thrill,
Glory to God, good will to men.