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Millennial Harp 80

Comfort, ye ministers of grace

L.M.

1Comfort, ye ministers of grace, Comfort the people of your Lord; O lift ye up the fallen race, And cheer them by the gospel word.

2Go into every nation, go, Speak to their trembling hearts, and cry, Glad tidings unto all we show; Jerusalem, thy God is nigh.

3Hark! in the wilderness a cry, A voice that loudly calls, Prepare! Prepare your hearts, for God is nigh, And means to make his entrance there.

4The Lord your God shall quickly come; Sinners, repent! the call obey: Open your hearts to make him room; Ye desert souls, prepare his way.

5The Lord shall clear his way through all; Whatever obstructs, obstructs in vain; The vale shall rise, the mountain fall, Crooked be straight, and rugged plain.

6The glory of the Lord displayed Shall all mankind together view, And what his mouth in truth hath said, His own almighty hand shall do.

Meter: L.M.

The verse

Meter: 8.8.8.8 · as printed
Foot: iambic (da-DUM) · 55% of beats fit
Rhyme: A

Scan every line

/ stressed · ˘ unstressed · ? not in the dictionary

Verse 1

Comfort, ye ministers of grace,/˘//˘˘˘/8A

Comfort the people of your Lord;/˘˘/˘˘˘/8B

O lift ye up the fallen race,˘//˘˘/˘/8A

And cheer them by the gospel word.˘/˘˘˘/˘/8C

Verse 2

Go into every nation, go, Speak to their trembling hearts, and cry, Glad tidings unto all we show; Jerusalem, thy God is nigh.//˘/˘˘/˘//˘˘/˘˘/˘///˘/˘/˘/˘/˘˘//˘/34A

Verse 3

Hark! in the wilderness a cry,/˘˘/˘˘˘/8A

A voice that loudly calls, Prepare!˘/˘/˘/˘/8B

Prepare your hearts, for God is nigh,˘/˘/˘/˘/8A

And means to make his entrance there.˘/˘/˘/˘/8B

Verse 4

The Lord your God shall quickly come;˘/˘/˘/˘/8A

Sinners, repent! the call obey:/˘˘/˘/˘/8B

Open your hearts to make him room;/˘˘/˘/˘/8C

Ye desert souls, prepare his way.//˘/˘/˘/8B

Verse 5

The Lord shall clear his way through all; Whatever obstructs, obstructs in vain; The vale shall rise, the mountain fall, Crooked be straight, and rugged plain.˘/˘/˘/////˘˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘//˘˘/˘/˘/33A

Verse 6

The glory of the Lord displayed˘/˘˘˘/˘/8A

Shall all mankind together view,˘///˘/˘/8B

And what his mouth in truth hath said,˘˘˘/˘///8C

His own almighty hand shall do.˘/˘/˘/˘˘8B

Counted by machine from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. It cannot hear emphasis or a poet’s licence, so treat it as a place to start reading, not the last word.