A Song
of Praise for Joy in the Holy Ghost.
This hymn,
number 305 in The Oxford Hymn
Book, 1908-1925,
is attributed to Mason
but omits
his first two verses. It appears to
be the
direct precursor of Keble's hymn.
There is a
stream, which issues forth
From God's eternal throne,
And from the
Lamb, a living stream,
Clear as the crystal stone.
This stream
doth water paradise;
It makes the angels sing;
One cordial
drop revives my heart;
Hence all my joys do spring:
Such joys as
are unspeakable,
And full of glory too;
Such hidden
manna, hidden pearls,
As worldlings
do not know.
Eye hath not
seen, nor ear hath heard,
From fancy 'tis concealed,
What thou,
Lord, hast laid up for thine,
And hast to me revealed.
I see thy face,
I hear thy voice,
I taste thy sweetest love;
My soul doth
leap; but oh for wings,
The wings of Noah's dove!
Then should
I flee far hence away,
Leaving this world of sin;
Then should
my Lord put forth his hand,
And kindly take me in.
Then should
my soul with angels feast
On joys that always last;
Blest be my
God, the God of joy,
Who gives me here a taste.
These
are Mason's words as they appear in
1.
My Soul doth
magnify the Lord,
My Spirit doth rejoice
In God my
Saviour, and my God;
I hear his joyful Voice.
I need not
go abroad for Joy,
Who have a Feast at Home;
My Sighs are
turned into Songs,
The Comforter is come.
2.
Down from
above the Blessed Dove
Is come into my Breast,
To witness
God's Eternal Love;
This is my Heavenly Feast.
This makes
me Abba Father cry,
With Confidence of Soul ;
It makes me
cry, My Lord, my God,
And that without Controul.
3.
There is a
Stream which issues forth
From God's Eternal Throne,
And from the
Lamb a living Stream,
Clear as the Crystal Stone.
The Stream
doth water Paradise,
It makes the Angels sing:
One Cordial
Drop revives my Heart,
Hence all my Joys do spring. |
A living
stream, as crystal clear
John Keble
(1792-1866) drew heavily on the words
opposite
in this hymn. Julian's 1907 Dictionary of Hymnology erroneously gives
Keble's first line
rather
than Mason's in its list of Mason's hymns.
A living stream,
as crystal clear,
Welling from out the throne,
Of God and
of the Lamb on high,
The Lord to man hath shown.
This stream
doth water Paradise,
It makes the angels sing:
One precious
drop within the heart
Is of all joy the spring.
Joy past all
speech, of glory full,
But stored where none may know,
As manna hid
in dewy heaven,
As pearls in ocean low.
Eye hath not
seen, nor ear hath heard,
Nor to man’s heart hath come
What for those
loving Thee in truth
Thou hast in love’s own home.
But by His
Spirit He to us
The secret doth reveal:
Faith sees
and hears: but O for wings
That we might taste, and feel;
Wings like
a dove to waft us on
High o’er the flood of sin!
Lord of the
Ark, put forth Thine hand,
And take Thy wanderers in.
O praise the
Father, praise the Son,
The Lamb for sinners given,
And Holy Ghost,
through Whom alone
Our hearts are raised to Heav’n.
the 1859
edition of his Songs of Praise.
4.
Such Joys
as are unspeakable,
And full of Glory too;
Such hidden
Manna, hidden Pearls,
As Worldlings do not know.
Eye hath not
seen, nor Ear hath heard,
From Fancy 'tis conceal'd,
What thou,
Lord, hast laid up for thine,
And hast to me reveal'd.
5.
I see thy
Face, I hear thy Voice,
I taste thy sweetest Love;
My Soul doth
leap: But, O for Wings,
The Wings of Noah's Dove!
Then should
I flee far hence away,
Leaving this World of Sin:
Then should
my Lord put forth his Hand,
And kindly take me in.
6.
Then should
my Soul with Angels feast
On joys that always last:
Blest be my
God, the God of Joy,
Who gives me here a Taste. |