Hymn
(On the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Proper of Saints)
O more than blessèd, merit high attaining,
Pure as the snow-drift, innocent of evil,
Child of the desert, mightiest of martyrs,
Greatest of prophets.
Thirtyfold increase some with glory crowneth;
Sixtyfold fruitage prize for others winneth;
Hundredfold measure, thrice repeated, decks thee,
Blest one, for guerdon.
O may the virtue of thine intercession,
All stony hardness from our hearts expelling,
Smooth the rough places, and the crooked straighten
Here in the desert.
Thus may our gracious Maker and Redeemer,
Seeking a station for his hallowed footsteps,
Find, when he cometh, temples undefilèd,
Meet to receive him.
Now as the angels celebrate thy praises,
Godhead essential, Trinity co-equal;
Spare thy redeemed ones, as they bow before thee,
Pardon imploring.
Amen.
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