Sanctissimus

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, Bow down before Him, His glory proclaim

Author: John S. B. Monsell
Opening Hymns
Published in 140 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Audio files: MIDI, Recording

Representative Text

1 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him: the Lord is his name.

2 Low at his feet lay thy burden of carefulness:
high on his heart he will bear it for thee,
comfort thy sorrows, and answer thy prayerfulness,
guiding thy steps as may best for thee be.

3 Fear not to enter his courts in the slenderness
of the poor wealth thou wouldst reckon as thine:
truth in its beauty, and love in its tenderness,
these are the offerings to lay on his shrine.

4 These, though we bring them in trembling and fearfulness,
he will accept for the name that is dear;
mornings of joy give for evenings of tearfulness,
trust for our trembling and hope for our fear.

5 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him: the Lord is his name.

Source: Ancient and Modern: hymns and songs for refreshing worship #103

Author: John S. B. Monsell

John Samuel Bewley Monsell (b. St. Colomb's, Londonderry, Ireland, 1811; d. Guilford, Surrey, England, 1875) was educated at Trinity College in Dublin and served as a chaplain and rector of several churches in Ireland after his ordination in 1835. Transferred to England in 1853, he became rector of Egham in Surrey and was rector of St. Nicholas Church in Guilford from 1870 until his death (caused by a construction accident at his church). A prolific poet, Monsell published his verse in eleven volumes. His three hundred hymns, many celebrating the seasons of the church year, were issued in collections such as Hymns and Miscellaneous Poems (1837), Spiritual Songs (1857), Hymns of Love and Praise (1863), and The Parish Hymnal (1873). Bert P… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, Bow down before Him, His glory proclaim
Title: Sanctissimus
Original Language: English
Author: John S. B. Monsell
Meter: 12.10.12.10
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain
Liturgical Use: Opening Hymns

Notes

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. J. S. B. Monsell. [Epiphany; or, Divine Worship.] This hymn for the Epiphany is found in two forms, both by Dr. Monsell, and each is in common use. The first and most extensively used is the original, which opens with O worship,” &c. It was published in his Hymns of Love and Praise, 1863, p. 103, in 5 stanza of 4 lines. It is found, sometimes altered, in a large number of hymn-books in Great Britain and America. Original text in Taring's Collection, 1882. The second form is Dr. Monsell's revision of the 1863 text which he made for, and included in, his Parish Hymnal in 1873, No. 85, as, "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." This is almost unknown.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Timeline

Media

The Book of Common Praise: being the hymn book of The Church of England in Canada (revised 1938) #98b
The Cyber Hymnal #5535
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)
The Cyber Hymnal #7631
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)
Small Church Music #256
  • PDF Score (PDF)

Instances

Instances (1 - 100 of 140)

A School Service Book #d186

Page Scan

A Selection of Spiritual Songs #27

American Church and Church School Hymnal #d362

American Church and Church School Hymnal #d359

Text

Ancient and Modern #103

Angelic Songs #d240

Anglican Hymns Old and New (Rev. and Enl.) #583

Australian Hymn Book #382

Baptist Hymnal 1991 #115

Choir Gems, No.2 #d82

Christ in Song #d432

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Christ in Song #220

Christian Worship and Praise #217

Christian Worship #106

Christian Youth Chapbook #d49

Church Hymnal, Fifth Edition #196

Church Hymnal, Fourth Edition #466

Church Hymnal, Third Edition #471

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Church Hymnary (4th ed.) #201

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Common Praise (1998) #385

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Common Praise #89

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Common Praise #68

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Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New #552

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Complete Mission Praise #529

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CPWI Hymnal #103

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Devotion and Praise #100

Enyin Omode, Je K'a Korin (Children, Let us Sing) #d60

Exalt His Name #183

Page Scan

Hymnal for American Youth #P6

Hymnal #220

Hymns Ancient and Modern, New Standard Edition #49

Hymns and Psalms #505

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Hymns for a Pilgrim People #416

Hymns for Today #6

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Hymns for Today's Church (2nd ed.) #344

Hymns for Use in Divine Worship ... Seventh-Day Adventists #d846

Hymns for Worship #172

Hymns of Faith #15

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Hymns of Glory, Songs of Praise #201

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Hymns of Praise and Patriotism #130

Hymns of the Kingdom of God #369

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Hymns of the Kingdom of God #369

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Hymns of the Kingdom of God #405

Junior Hymns and Songs #7

Junior Hymns and Songs #d100

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Laudes Domini #134

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Laudes Domini #38

Mawl a chân = praise and song #10

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Methodist Hymn and Tune Book #240

New Worship and Song #3

North American Hymnal (2nd ed.) #18

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Northfield Hymnal No. 2 #24

Notes of Gladness #d155

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Offices of Worship and Hymns #1153

Pilgrim Hymnal #31

Praise for the Lord (Expanded Edition) #905

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Select Songs No. 2 #22

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Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal #6

Singing the Faith #34

Audio

Small Church Music #256

Page Scan

Songs for the King's Business #158

Songs for Worship #d192

Songs of hope #d283

Songs of the Blessed Hope #d276

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Songs of the Christian Life #14

The A. M. E. Zion Hymnal #217

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The A.M.E. Zion Hymnal #481

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The Abingdon Hymnal #53

The Advent Christian Hymnal #d497

The American Hymnal #d452

The Apostolic Christian Hymnal #d143

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The Army and Navy Hymnal #OW224

The Australian Hymn Book with Catholic Supplement #382

The Book of Common Praise #98a

ScoreAudio

The Book of Common Praise #98b

The Book of Praise #148

TextPage Scan

The Book of Praise #174

The Book of Praise #314

The Canadian Youth Hymnal #297

The Celebration Hymnal #289

Page Scan

The Century Hymnal #IIIa

The Chapbook #46

The Christian Life Hymnal #143

The Church Hymnal #d502

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The Church Hymnal #6

Page Scan

The Church Hymnary #379

Text

The Church Hymnary (3rd Ed.) #4o(i)

Text

The Church Hymnary (3rd Ed.) #4o(ii)

The Churches of God Hymnal. #d604

TextScore

The Cyber Hymnal #5535

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #7631

Page Scan

The English Hymnal #42

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The English Hymnal #42

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The Gospel Song Sheaf #59

The Hymn Book of the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada #33

The Hymnal #d538

TextPage Scan

The Hymnal #7

Text

The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration #165

The Hymnal #578

The Hymnary for use in Baptist churches #201a

Pages

Exclude 107 pre-1979 instances
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