Words: Anon­y­mous, prob­ab­ly 6th Cen­tu­ry (De­us tu­or­um mil­i­tum); trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by in The Hymn­al Not­ed, 1852-54 (orig­in­al­ly, O God, Thy Sol­diers’ Crown and Guard); mod­i­fied in Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern.

Music: Ba­var­ia, ar­ranged by in Old Church Psalm­o­dy, num­ber 6; poss­i­bly from Preis, Lob, Ehr, Ruhm, in Geist­reich­es Ge­sang­buch (Darm­stadt, Ger­ma­ny: 1698). Al­ter­nate tune:

  • Dorking, , in Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern, 1904

O God, Thy soldiers’ great Reward,
Their Portion, Crown, and faithful Lord,
From all transgressions set us free
Who sing Thy martyr’s victory.

By wisdom taught he learned to know
The vanity of all below,
The fleeting joys of earth disdained,
And everlasting glory gained.

Right manfully his cross he bore,
And ran his race of torments sore;
For Thee he poured his life away,
With Thee he lives in endless day.

We therefore pray Thee, Lord of love,
Regard us from Thy throne above;
On this Thy martyr’s triumph day
Wash every stain of sin away.

All praise to God the Father be,
All praise, eternal Son, to Thee,
Whom with the Spirit we adore
Forever and forevermore.