Waiting for Christ

Let us keep steadfast guard

No. 813
Words Breviary.
Singing key F major
3 stanzas

Sung to ST. THOMAS (hymn 11)

Words

Let us keep steadfast guardWith lighted hearts all night,That when Christ comes, we stand prepared,And meet him with delight.

At midnight's season chillLay Paul and Silas bound,—Bound and in prison, sang they still,And singing, freedom found.

Our prison is this earth,And yet we sing to thee:Break sin's strong fetters, lead us forth,Set us, believing, free!

About this hymn

As printed Words only. As printed: hymn number «813» (large) with the reference line «11, 558, 601.» in italic figures beside it (sing to the tune of hymn 11, 558 or 601); the hymn stands in the lower half of the right column of p. 266 (running head «WAITING FOR CHRIST—CLOSING WORK.»), below hymn 812, and ends at the foot of that column with «Breviary.» in italics (the source, not a person). Three stanzas numbered «1»–«3» without a full stop (written «1.»–«3.» here, as in the other deliveries of this book). The first word «LET» is set in capitals and small capitals. Stanza 1, line 3 «That when Christ comes, we stand prepared,» is printed over two lines for lack of width («…we stand pre-» / «pared,» turned over, indented): one verse line here, the word joined. Lines 2 and 4 of each stanza are indented in the print. The print sets a thin space before «:» and «!» («thee :», «free !»); it is closed up here. The apostrophes of «midnight's» and «sin's» are the printer's curly ones, written straight. Spelling, punctuation and capitals are the print's («bound,—»).