As with ceaseless voice they cry

Speaking of religious mystery, yesterday during communion at my church, our choir director sang "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence," one of my favorite Christmas hymns, as it does infuse one with the sense of awe and mystery at the coming of Christ in the Incarnation and in communion.

My denomination's hymnal has this version:

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
set your minds on things eternal,
fow with blessing in his hand
Christ our Lord to earth descended,
came our homage to command.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
once upon the earth he stood;
Lord of lords we now perceive him
in the body and the blood.
He has given to all the faithful
his own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
stream before him on the way,
as the Light of Light, descending
from the realms of endless day,
comes, the powers of hell to vanquish,
clears the gloom of hell away.

At his feet the six-winged seraph,
cherubim with sleepless eye
veil their faces to his presence,
as with ceaseless voice they cry:
"Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, Lord Most High!"

The editors of our latest hymnal (the "gray" Psalter Hymnal) tended to want to clear away archaic words such as "vesture," archaic inflections such as "descendeth," and also words they thought might be just too difficult for their conception of the inquirer who wanders into the church with no religious background, who apparently is not highly educated and must be spared terms such as "vanguard."

Fortunately, during worship yesterday I was not disturbed by such thoughts, and indeed I don't know what version the singer sang. In my mind, I heard the one I prefer, as follows:

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!