Yesterday, with Exultation

Yesterday

with ex­ul­ta­tion

Joined the world in ce­le­bra­tion

Of her pro­mised Sav­ior’s birth;

Yesterday the an­gel na­tion

Poured the strains of ju­bi­la­tion

O’er the mon­arch born on earth.

But to­day o’er death vic­tor­ious

By his faith and act­ions glo­ri­ous

By his mir­acles re­nowned

See the dea­con tri­umph gain­ing

’Midst the faith­less faith sus­tain­ing

First of ho­ly mar­tyrs found.

Onward

cham­pi­on

fal­ter nev­er

Sure of sure re­ward for­ev­er

Holy Ste­phen

per­sev­ere;

Perjured wit­ness­es con­found­ing

Satan’s sy­na­gogues as­tound­ing

By thy doc­trine true and clear.

Thine own wit­ness is in Heav­en

True and faith­ful

to thee given

Witness of thy blame­less­ness;

By thy name a crown im­ply­ing

Meet it is thou shouldst be dy­ing

For the crown of right­eous­ness.

For the crown that fad­eth nev­er

Bear the tor­tur­er’s brief en­dea­vor;

Victory waits to end the strife;

Death shall be thy life’s be­gin­ning

And life’s los­ing be the wi­nning

Of the true and be­tter life.

Filled with God’s most Ho­ly Spir­it

See the Heav’n thou shalt inhe­rit

Stephen

gaze in­to the skies;

There God’s glo­ry stead­fast view­ing

Thence thy vic­tor strength re­new­ing

Pant for thy eter­nal prize.

See

as Jew­ish foes in­vade thee

See how Je­sus stands to aid thee

Stands at God’s right hand on high:

Tell how op­ened Heav­en is shown thee

Tell how Je­sus waits to own thee

Tell it with thy lat­est cry.

As the dy­ing mar­tyr kneel­eth

For his mur­der­ers he ap­peal­eth

For their mad­ness griev­ing sore;

Then in Christ he sleep­eth sweet­ly

And with Christ he reign­eth meet­ly

Martyr first­fruits

ev­er­more.