Skip to content

The Innocents' Day.

O God Almighty, strength of all the weak, Who in Thy wisdom beautify’st the meek, out of weak infants’ mouths dost perfect praise, out of their deaths doth heavenly glory raise. Teach us by their example so to kill, and, in ourselves, to mortify all ill, strengthened so mightily by Thy free grace, that vice in us may have no longer place. Give us to live as walking in Thy sight, against all evil manfully to fight, and let us never shun that sacred strife till we attain to innocence of life. So shouldst thou call us to no common death, we, being faithful to our dying breath, through our Lord Jesus, evermore the same, in death may glorify Thy Holy Name.

1 O God Almighty, strength of all the weak,
Who in Thy wisdom beautify’st the meek,
out of weak infants’ mouths dost perfect praise,
out of their deaths doth heavenly glory raise.
2 Teach us by their example so to kill,
and, in ourselves, to mortify all ill,
strengthened so mightily by Thy free grace,
that vice in us may have no longer place.
3 Give us to live as walking in Thy sight,
against all evil manfully to fight,
and let us never shun that sacred strife
till we attain to innocence of life.
4 So shouldst thou call us to no common death,
we, being faithful to our dying breath,
through our Lord Jesus, evermore the same,
in death may glorify Thy Holy Name.

PDF

Information
Text attr. Eliza Humphreys
ad. A. Coles, st. 4
Tune Eventide
W. H. Monk (1823-1889)

The Innocents' Day.

O Almighty God, who out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast ordained strength, and madest infants to glorify thee by their deaths; mortify and kill all vices in us, and so strengthen us by thy grace, that by the innocency of our lives, and constancy of our faith even unto death, we may glorify thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.