Again returns the day of holy rest
Which, when He made the world, Jehovah blessed;
When, like His own, He bade our labors cease,
And all be piety, and all be peace.

Let us devote this consecrated day
To learn His will, and all we learn obey;
So shall He hear, when fervently we raise
Our supplications and our songs of praise.

Father in Heaven, in Whom our hopes confide,
Whose power defends us, and Whose precepts guide,
In life our Guardian, and in death our Friend,
Glory supreme be Thine till time shall end.

Hail! sacred day of earthly rest,
From toil and trouble free:
Hail! day of light, that bringest light
And joy to me.

A holy stillness, breathing calm
On all the world around,
Uplifts my soul, O God, to Thee,
Where rest is found.

On all I think, or say, or do,
A ray of light divine
Is shed, O God, this day by Thee,
For it is Thine.

No sound of jarring strife is heard,
As weekly labors cease;
No voice, but those that sweetly sing
Sweet songs of peace.

For those who sing with saints below
Glad songs of heavenly love,
Shall sing—when songs on earth have ceased—
With saints above.

Accept, O God, my hymn of praise,
That Thou, this day, hast given
Sweet foretaste of that endless day
Of rest in Heaven.

Resting from His work today
In the tomb the Savior lay;
Still He slept, from head to feet
Shrouded in the winding sheet,
Lying in the rock alone,
Hidden by the sealèd stone.

Late at even there was seen
Watching long the Magdalene;
Early, ere the break of day,
Sorrowful she took her way
To the holy garden glade,
Where her buried Lord was laid.

So with Thee, till life shall end,
I would solemn vigil spend:
Let me hew Thee, Lord, a shrine
In this rocky heart of mine,
Where in pure embalmèd cell,
None but Thou may ever dwell.

Myrrh and spices will I bring,
True affection’s offering;
Close the doors from sight and sound
Of the busy world around;
And in patient watch remain
Till my Lord appear again.

Welcome, day of sweet repose!
Blessèd be thy sacred hours!
We would trust the One Who knows
All our weak and failing powers.

Welcome, day in Eden born!
Holy rest for sinless man!
Like the dawning of fair morn
Come thy hours to us again.

Welcome, day blessed by our Lord!
Toil shall cease and anxious care,
Day commanded by His Word,
Day for song and praise and prayer.

Welcome, day our Savior kept!
Keeping, wrought our righteousness,
Day God bids us ne’er forget,
Day of days His Name to bless.

Welcome, sweet day of rest,
That saw the Lord arise;
Welcome to this reviving breast,
And these rejoicing eyes!

The King Himself comes near,
And feasts His saints today;
Here we may sit, and see Him here,
And love, and praise, and pray.

One day in such a place,
Where my dear God hath been,
Is sweeter than ten thousand days
Of pleasurable sin.

My willing soul would stay
In such a frame as this,
And sit and sing herself away
To everlasting bliss.

Arise, all souls, arise! The watch is past;
A glory breaks above the cloud at last.
There comes a rushing mighty wind again!
The breath of God is still the life of men;
The day ascending fills the waiting skies,
All souls, arise!

It comes the breath of God through all the skies!
To live, to breathe with Him, all souls, arise!
Open the windows toward the shining East;
Call in the guests, and spread a wider feast,
The Lord pours forth as sacramental wine
His breath divine!

It comes a larger life, a deeper breath;
Arise, all souls, arise, and conquer death!
Spread forth the feast, the dew and manna fall
And angels whisper, “Drink ye of it all;
Drink of His truth, and feed upon His love,
With saints above!”

Arise, all souls, arise, to meet your Guest!
His light flames from the East unto the West.
The Lord of earth and Heaven is at the door,
He comes to break His bread to all His poor;
Arise and serve with Him, His moment flies;
All souls arise!

The Lord at first had Adam made
Out of the dust and clay,
And in his nostrils breathèd life,
E’en as the Scriptures say.
And then in Eden’s paradise
He placèd him to dwell,
That he within it should remain,
To dress and keep it well.

Refrain

Now let good Christians all begin
A holier life to live,
And to rejoice and merry be,
For this is Christmas Eve.

And thus within the garden he
Was set, therein to stay;
And in commandment unto him
These words the Lord did say:
“The fruit which in the garden grows
To thee shall be for meat,
Except the tree in midst thereof,
Of which thou shalt not eat.”

Refrain

“For in the day thou shalt it touch
Or dost to it come nigh,
If so thou do but eat thereof,
Then thou shalt surely die.”
But Adam he did take no heed
Unto that only thing,
But did transgress God’s holy Law,
And so was wrapt in sin.

Refrain

Now mark the goodness of the Lord,
Which He to mankind bore;
His mercy soon He did extend,
Lost man for to restore;
And therefore to redeem our souls
From death and hell and thrall,
He said His own dear Son should be
The Savior of us all.

Refrain

Which promise now is brought to pass:
Christians, believe it well:
And by the death of God’s dear Son,
We are redeemed from hell.
So if we truly do believe,
And do the thing that’s right,
Then by His merits we at last
Shall live in Heaven bright.

Refrain

And now the tide is nigh at hand,
In which our Savior came;
Let us rejoice and merry be
In keeping of the same;
Let’s feed the poor and hungry souls,
And such as do it crave;
And when we die, in Heaven we
Our sure reward shall have.

Refrain

O Breath of life, come sweeping through us,
Revive Thy church with life and power;
O Breath of life, come, cleanse, renew us,
And fit Thy church to meet this hour.

O Wind of God, come bend us, break us,
Till humbly we confess our need;
Then in Thy tenderness remake us,
Revive, restore, for this we plead.

O Breath of love, come breathe within us,
Renewing thought and will and heart;
Come, Love of Christ, afresh to win us,
Revive Thy church in every part.

O Heart of Christ, once broken for us,
’Tis there we find our strength and rest;
Our broken, contrite hearts now solace,
And let Thy waiting church be blest.

Revive us, Lord! Is zeal abating
While harvest fields are vast and white?
Revive, us Lord, the world is waiting,
Equip Thy church to spread the light.

Christians, come, in sweetest measures
Sing of those who spread the treasures
In the holy Gospels shrined;
Blessèd tidings of salvation,
Peace on earth their proclamation,
Love from God to lost mankind.

See the rivers four that gladden
With their streams the better Eden,
Planted by our Savior dear.
Christ the Fountain, these the waters,
Drink, O Zion’s sons and daughters;
Drink and find salvation here.

Here our souls, by Jesus sated,
More and more shall be translated
Earth’s temptations far above;
Freed from sin’s abhorred dominion,
Soaring on angelic pinion,
They shall reach the Source of love.

Then shall thanks and praise ascending
For Thy mercies without ending
Rise to Thee, O Savior blest.
With Thy gracious aid defend us,
Let Thy guiding light attend us,
Bring us to Thy place of rest.