The Best Easter Hymn You've Never Heard

That's right, it's back! The blog I post on every few years when I want to write something longform. Don't worry though, this time it's not a traumatic personal story or a rant about politics, it's just a cool thing I discovered that I want to share.

Alright, story time! Back in the late-1800s, there was a big controversy in the Anglican Church. The Bishop of Natal, John Colenso, published a series of treatises about some of his heterodox theological views. Because of those views (Universalism, Questioning the authenticity/inerrancy of scripture, polygamy), the other South African bishops attempted to depose him. Colenso appealed his case to the Privy council in London, who ruled that the other bishops had no jurisdiction to interfere with him. This whole thing was a scandal, and prompted many responses to Colenso. One of these respones came from a parish priest, Samuel John Stone. Stone wrote a book called Lyra Fidellium, which was a collection of hymns based on the 12 articles of the Apostles Creed. His hymn on "The Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints" is one that most of us will recognize. We know it as The Church's One Foundation. You'll notice the background of the Colenso situation in verses 3 and 4:

"Though there be those who hate her,
And false sons in her pale,
Against or foe or traitor
She ever shall prevail."

"Though with a scornful wonder
Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder

By heresies distressed"

Now, that's all fun background to what I really wanted to get to, which is this: Samuel John Stone wrote some banger hymns! Obviously, The Church's One Foundation is an A+ hymn. It's one of my favorites. What I don't understand, though, is why none of the other hymns from Lyra Fidellium have endured in the same way. 

Lyra Fidellium is a great little book. Stone writes in the preface that many parishioners, particulary among the poor, recite the Apostles Creed in their private prayers, but that there is not a lot of comprehension of the depth of theological meaning behind the creed. He says that there have been lots of things written explaining the creed, but they are more for students not for devotional purposes. So he set out to write "a simple and attractive explanation of the Creed in the popular form of a series of Hymns, such as might be sung or said in private devotion, at family prayer, or in public worship". Each hymn is accompanied by a selection of verses, showing where each of the lines of the hymn comes from. It's really great, and I recommend checking it out. Just look at some of the great lines from some of these hymns:

Low in deep Gethsemane,

High on dreadful Calvary,

In the Garden, on the Cross,

Making good our utter loss:

JESU, I believe in Thee,

PRIEST and Sacrifice for me.

...

Love content in death to lie,

That the dead might never die

...

Our heavenly great High Priest He stands:

By pierced Feet, and pierced Hands,

By bleeding Brow and 'riven Side,

He lives to plead for whom He died!

...

Holy Fount of Inspiration,

By Whose gift the great of old

Spake the Word of Revelation,

Marvellous and manifold,

Grant to us who see and hear

Reverence of eye and ear.

Why don't we sing these hymns?!? Why isn't an Indelible Grace or the like reclaiming them and putting them to modern tunes (maybe someone has, but a cursory googling didn't turn up much, and I've never sung them before)? There are several great hymns in the book that I'd love the see the church reclaim, but I want to highlight my favorite one, based on Article 5, "He descended into hell: the third day He rose again from the dead." Given that we're coming up on Easter, it felt appropriate.

All the sacrifice is ended',
Breathed His Body's latest breath,
And His human Soul hath wended
Where the weary rest beneath;
Christ as Man hath comprehended
All the human law of death!

Yet not there His Soul remaineth
Nor His Body in the tomb:
Lo! what sudden glory gaineth
Quick dominion o'er the gloom!
Yea, o'er Death and Hell He reigneth
Bursting back the gates of doom!

Manifold the attestation
Brethren tell the marvel o'er,
And the soldiers from their station,
And the Angels at the door,
And His Own Word's revelation,
"Lo! I live for evermore."

Hail, thou Morn of Resurrection,
Primal holy Easter Day!
Now the hours of deep dejection
'Neath the night-clouds' dark array,
Foes' reviling, friends' defection,
In thy glory pass away!

Now He lives and reigns for ever!
That we too may enter in
Where eternal life shall never
Taste of sorrow or of sin,
Where from Him no death shall sever
Those He vanquished death to win.

Saviour! in our night of weeping
Tell us of the joyful morn,
Guard our souls, their vigil keeping
In the hours of hate and scorn
Raise us falling, wake us sleeping,
Till our Easter Day be born.

There is so much about this hymn that I love. Right from the first verse, it very skilfully dances through a tricky theological area. Jesus is both 100% God and 100% man. We confess that Jesus, in his humanity, died on the cross, but his divine nature did not die (because God, obviously, cannot die). That's something that lots of Easter songs are pretty muddy on. This one incorporates it beautifully.

Then, we're on to glorious celebration of the resurrection that makes you want to pump your fist. "Yea, o'er Death and Hell He reigneth, Bursting back the gates of doom!" "Hail, thou Morn of Resurrection, Primal holy Easter Day!" "Where from Him no death shall sever, Those He vanquished death to win." I mean, come on! You're telling me you don't want to belt those lines at the top of your lungs on Easter morning? 

We finish it off with a last verse that beautifully speaks to the "already, but not yet" of living in a fallen world. We know the end of the story, but we're not there yet. As we struggle in a world of sin and death, we look always to the hope of the resurrection. "Raise us falling, wake us sleeping, Till our Easter Day be born."