Guardian of pure hearts, and Hearer

Representative Text

1 Guardian of pure hearts, and Hearer,
Lord, of ev'ry faithful prayer,
In Thy courts one day is dearer
Than a thousand days elsewhere.
Worn with earth's unrest, how sweet
In Thy temple fair to meet!
There to sing away each sorrow
That from life and toil we borrow!

2 With the righteous oft it fareth
Here as if his deeds were ill;
Blight fair virtue's flow'rs impaireth,
Weeds of vice do flourish still;
Joy and fortune haste away,
Friends with friends--how short their stay!
Rachel still her children mourneth,
And her soul from comfort turneth.

3 But when here devoutly soareth
High the temple-anthem sweet,
Grief grows calm, no plaint outpoureth,
Hearts with holy rapture beat:
Free from earthly clouds, the soul
Presses toward a higher goal,
Takes from hope the comfort given,
Speaks e'en now the tongue of heaven.

4 O my soul, on wings ascending,
Thou on Salem's mount shalt rest;
There where cherub-harps are blending
With the singing of the blest;
Let thy note of praise and prayer
To thy God precede thee there,
While e'en yet a careworn mortal,
Still without Thy Father's portal.

5 Christians, while on earth abiding,
Let us ever praise and pray,
Firmly in our God confiding,
As our fathers in their day;
Be the children's voices raised
To the God their fathers praised.
Let Thy bounty, failing never,
Be on us and all forever.

6 Bless us, Father, and protect us,
Be our souls' sure hiding-place,
Let Thy wisdom still direct us,
Light our darkness with Thy grace!
Let Thy countenance on us shine,
Fill us all with peace divine.
Praise the Father, Son, and Spirit,
Praise Him all that life inherit.

Amen.



Source: The Hymnal and Order of Service #313

Author: Johan Olaf Wallin

Johan Olaf Wallin was born at Stora Tuna, in 1779, and early displayed his poetical powers. In 1805, and again in 1809, he gained the chief prize for poetry at Upsala. In the latter year he became pastor at Solna; here his ability as a preacher was so striking that he was transferred to Stockholm, in 1815, as "pastor primarius," a title for which we have no exact equivalent. In 1818 he was made Dean of Westeras, and set about the task of editing a revised hymn-book for the whole of Sweden. This task he completed in 1819, and published it as, Den Swenska Psalmboken, af Konungen gillad och stadfästad (The Swedish hymn-book, approved and confirmed by the King). To it he contributed some 150 hymns of his own, besides translations and recasting… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Guardian of pure hearts, and Hearer
Author: Johan Olaf Wallin
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Tune

WERDE MUNTER

JESU JOY is a form of the tune WERDE MUNTER, MEIN GEMUETE by Johann Schop (b. Hamburg [?], Germany, c. 1595; d. Hamburg, 1667). In 1614 Schop was appointed court musician in the Hofkapelle at Wolfenbüttel. A virtuoso violinist, he also played the lute, cornetto, and trombone. He became a musician f…

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Hymnal and Order of Service #158a

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Hymnal and Order of Service #158b

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Hymnal #158

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The Hymnal and Order of Service #313

Text

The Hymnal and Order of Service #313

The Hymnal of the Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod. Text ed. #d159

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