Christian, dost thou see them?

[ancientandmodern]

Christian, dost thou see them
on the holy ground,
how the troops of Midian
prowl and prowl around?
Christian, up and smite them,
counting gain but loss;
smite them by the merit
of the holy cross.

Christian, dost thou feel them,
how they work within,
striving, tempting, luring,
goading into sin?
Christian, never tremble;
never be down-cast;
smite them by the virtue
of the Lenten fast.

Christian, dost thou hear them,
how they speak thee fair?
“Always fast and vigil?
Always watch and prayer?”
Christian, answer boldly,
“While I breathe I pray:”
peace shall follow battle,
night shall end in day.

“Well I know thy trouble,
O my servant true;
thou art very weary,
I was weary too;
but that toil shall make thee
some day all mine own,
and the end of sorrow
shall be near my throne."

This one always reminds me of Loushki, who was a tabby, and a great one for prowling and prowling around. She terrorised a family of wild rabbits, seeking whom she might devour - quite a lot of them, as it happened.

'Constant vigilance!' This is a hymn for the scared. 'Brethren, be sober, be vigilant, for your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.' It is also a hymn for the very, very tired, the ones who have been running fast and hard to stay in the same place, for those who, a week and a half into Lent, are finding it as difficult as ever to set aside worldly things and concentrate on divine things.

What this hymn asks of us is not easy. Being aware of the presence of the enemy, of the temptation to sin, is not easy. Knowing that even on 'holy ground' we are not safe is disheartening, and inverting our human view of gain and loss is difficult. 'Christian, never tremble, never be downcast.' If only it were that easy. The Lenten fast? Why do we make things so difficult for ourselves?

The temptation is to give up. Having failed once, the prospect of trying and failing again is as much an enemy as anything else. Always fast and vigil? Always watch and prayer? Really, we think, what's the point?

The point is Easter. We are always looking forward, even when the trials of the present are overwhelming, to the peace that follows the battle, the day that follows the night. And, while the battle still rages and the night still seems endless, we are sustained in the knowledge that Christ has been through the trials and supports us in ours.

The tune, named Saint Andrew of Crete after the original author (J. M. Neale was the translator), is spectacular, and must be one of the few that has an alto line that is more interesting than the melody. Good old J. B. Dykes, full of surprises as ever. The second half, where the Christian ups and smites them, brightens noticeably: very effective, particularly if the choir goes into unison at that point.

These guys sound a bit drunk, and I'm not sure about the Christmas decorations, but their diction is excellent.

It's interesting how archaic lyrics get adopted with only minimal changes for modern accompaniment: