Martyr of God, Whose Strength Was Steeled

Martyr of God, whose strength was steeled
To follow close God’s only Son,
Well didst thou brave thy battlefield,
And well thy heavenly bliss was won!

Now join thy prayers with ours, who pray
That God may pardon us and bless;
For prayer keeps evil’s plague away,
And draws from life its weariness.

Long, long ago, were loosed the chains
That held thy body once in thrall;
For us how many a bond remains!
O Love of God release us all.

All praise to God the Father be,
All praise to Thee, eternal Son;
All praise, O Holy Ghost, to Thee
While never ending ages run.

Author: Unknown

This is an English translation of the Latin hymn "Deus tuorum militum" (a common name for the office hymn for martyrs). The specific English rendering here appears in various 19th/20th-century hymnals (e.g., The English Hymnal, 1906) but no single translator is universally credited; it is often listed as anonymous or traditional. Not to be confused with the similar but distinct text by J. M. Neale beginning "Martyr of God, whose strength was steeled" that has minor wording differences.