Carol, carol, Christians,
Carol joyfully;
Carol for the coming of Christ’s nativity;
And pray a gladsome Christmas,
For all good Christian men.
Carol, carol, Christians,
For Christmas has come again.
Carol, carol.

Go ye to the forest,
Where the myrtles grow,
Where the pine and laurel
Bend beneath the snow:
Gather them for Jesus;
Wreathe them for His shrine;
Make His temple glorious
With the box and pine.
Carol, carol.

Wreathe your Christmas garland,
Where to Christ we pray;
It shall smell like Carmel
On our festal day;
Libanus and Sharon
Shall not greener be,
Than our holy chancel
On Christ’s nativity.
Carol, carol.

Carol, carol, Christians,
Like the Magi now,
Ye must lade your caskets
With a grateful vow:
Ye must have sweet incense,
Myrrh, and finest gold,
At our Christmas altar,
Humbly to unfold.
Carol, carol.

Blow, blow up the trumpet,
For our solemn feast,
Gird thine armor, Christian;
Wear thy vesture, priest!
Go ye to the altar;
Pray, with fervor, pray,
For Jesus’ second coming,
And the latter day.
Carol, carol.

Give us grace, O Savior,
To put off in might
Deeds and dreams of darkness,
For the robes of light!
And to live as lowly
As Thyself with men;
So to rise in glory
When Thou com’st again.
Carol, carol.

From all Thy saints in warfare, for all Thy saints at rest,
To Thee, O blessèd Jesus, all praises be addressed;
Thou, Lord, didst win the battle, that they might conquerors be;
Their crowns of living glory are lit with rays from Thee.

Praise, Lord, for Thine apostle, the first to welcome Thee,
The first to lead his brother the very Christ to see.
With hearts for Thee made ready, watch we throughout the year,
Forward to lead our brethren to own Thine Advent near.

All praise for Thine apostle, whose short lived doubtings prove
Thy perfect twofold nature, the fullness of Thy love.
On all who wait Thy coming shed forth Thy peace, O Lord,
And grant us faith to know Thee, true Man, true God, adored.

Praise for the first of martyrs, who saw Thee ready stand
To aid in midst of torments, to plead at God’s right hand.
Share we with him, if summoned by death our Lord to own,
On earth the faithful witness, in heaven the martyr’s crown.

Praise for the loved disciple, exiled on Patmos’ shore;
Praise for the faithful record he to Thy Godhead bore,
Praise for the mystic vision through him to us revealed.
May we, in patience waiting, with Thine elect be sealed.

Praise for Thine infant martyrs, by Thee with tenderest love
Called early from the warfare to share the rest above.
O Rachel! cease thy weeping: they rest from pains and cares.
Lord, grant us hearts as guileless and crowns as bright as theirs.

Praise for the light from heaven, praise for the voice of awe,
Praise for the glorious vision the persecutor saw.
Thee, Lord, for his conversion, we glorify today;
So lighten all our darkness with Thy true Spirit’s ray.

Lord, Thine abiding presence directs the wondrous choice
For one in place of Judas the faithful now rejoice.
Thy Church from false apostles forevermore defend,
And by Thy parting promise be with her to the end.

For him, O Lord, we praise Thee, the weak by grace made strong,
Whose labors and whose Gospel enrich our triumph song.
May we in all our weakness find strength from Thee supplied,
And all, as fruitful branches, in Thee, the Vine, abide.

All praise for Thine apostle, blest guide to Greek and Jew,
And him surnamed Thy brother; keep us Thy brethren true,
And grant us grace to know Thee, the Way, the Truth, the Life;
To wrestle with temptations still victors in the strife.

The son of consolation, moved by Thy law of love,
Forsaking earthly treasures, sought riches from above.
As earth now teems with increase, let gifts of grace descend,
That Thy true consolations may through the world extend.

We praise Thee for the Baptist, forerunner of the Word,
Our true Elias, making a highway for the Lord.
Of prophets last and greatest, we saw Thy dawning ray:
Make us the rather blessèd who love Thy glorious day.

Praise for thy great apostle, the eager and the bold;
Thrice falling, yet repentant, thrice charged to keep Thy fold.
Lord, make Thy pastors faithful to guard their flocks from ill,
And grant them dauntless courage, with humble, earnest will.

For him, O Lord, we praise Thee, who, slain by Herod’s sword
Drank of Thy cup of suffering, fulfilling thus Thy word.
Curb we all vain impatience to read Thy veiled decree,
And count it joy to suffer, if so brought nearer Thee.

All praise for Thine apostle, the faithful, pure, and true,
Whom underneath the fig tree Thine eye all seeing knew.
Like him may we be guileless, true Israelites indeed,
That Thy abiding presence our longing souls may feed.

Praise, Lord, for Him whose Gospel Thy human life declared,
Who, worldly gains forsaking, Thy path of suffering shared.
From all unrighteous Mammon O give us hearts set free,
That we, whate’er our calling, may rise and follow Thee.

For that “beloved Physician,” all praise, whose Gospel shows
The Healer of the nations, The Sharer of our woes.
Thy wine and oil, O Savior, and bruised hearts deign to pour,
And with true balm of Gilead anoint us evermore.

Praise, Lord, for Thine apostles, who sealed their faith today:
One love, one zeal impelled them to tread the sacred way.
May we with zeal as earnest the faith of Christ maintain,
And, bound in love as brethren, at length Thy rest attain.

Apostles, prophets, martyrs, and all the sacred throng,
Who wear the spotless raiment, who raise the ceaseless song,
For these, passed on before us, Savior, we Thee adore,
And, walking in their footsteps, would serve Thee more and more.

Then praise we God the Father, and praise we God the Son,
And God the Holy Spirit, eternal Three in One;
Till all the ransomed number fall down before the throne,
And honor, power, and glory, ascribe to God alone.

We praise Thee, O God, our Redeemer, Creator,
In grateful devotion our tribute we bring;
We lay it before Thee, we kneel and adore Thee,
We bless Thy holy Name, glad praises we sing.

We worship Thee, God of our fathers, we bless Thee;
Through life’s storm and tempest our guide have Thou been;
When perils overtake us, escape Thou will make us,
And with Thy help, O Lord, our battles we win.

With voices united our praises we offer,
To Thee, great Jehovah, glad anthems we raise.
Thy strong arm will guide us, our God is beside us,
To Thee, our great Redeemer, forever be praise.

Thy love Thou didst show us, Thine only Son sending,
Who came as a Babe and Whose bed was a stall,
His blest life He gave us and then died to save us;
We praise Thee, O Lord, for Thy gift to us all.