Library · Hymns and Spiritual Songs
Book 2 · Hymns 71–80
Hymns and Spiritual Songs · Isaac Watts
Hymn 2:71. Praise to God from all creatures.
1 The glories of my Maker God,
My joyful voice shall sing,
And call the nations to adore
Their Former and their King.
2 'Twas his right-hand that shap'd our clay,
And wrought this human frame,
But from his own immediate breath
Our nobler spirits came.
3 We bring our mortal powers to God,
And worship with our tongues:
We claim some kindred with the skies
And join th' angelic songs.
4 Let groveling beasts of every shape,
And fowls of every wing,
And rocks, and trees, and fires, and seas,
Their various tribute bring.
5 Ye planets, to his honour shine,
And wheels of nature roll,
Praise him in your unwearied course
Around the steady pole.
6 The brightness of our Maker's Name
The wide creation fills,
And his unbounded grandeur flies
Beyond the heavenly hills.
Hymn 2:72. The Lord's Day; or, The resurrection of Christ.
1 Bless'd morning, whose young dawning rays
Beheld our rising God,
That saw him triumph o'er the dust,
And leave his dark abode.
2 In the cold prison of a tomb,
The dead Redeemer lay,
Till the revolving skies had brought
The third, th' appointed day.
3 Hell and the grave unite their force
To hold our God in vain,
The sleeping Conqueror arose,
And burst their feeble chain.
4 To thy great Name, Almighty Lord,
These sacred hours we pay,
And loud hosannas shall proclaim
The triumph of the day,
5 [Salvation and immortal praise
To our victorious King,
Let heaven, and earth, and rocks, and seas,
With glad hosannas ring.]
Hymn 2:73. Doubts scattered; or, Spiritual joy restored.
1 Hence from my soul, sad thoughts, be gone,
And leave me to my joys,
My tongue shall triumph in my God,
And make a joyful noise.
2 Darkness and doubts had veil'd my mind,
And drown'd my head in tears,
Till sovereign grace with shining rays
Dispell'd my gloomy fears.
3 O what immortal joys I felt,
And raptures all divine,
When Jesus told me, I was his,
And my Beloved mine.
4 In vain the tempter frights my soul,
And breaks my peace in vain,
One glimpse, dear Saviour, of thy face,
Revives my joys again.
Hymn 2:74. Repentance from a sense of divine goodness; or, A complaint of ingratitude.
1 Is this the kind return,
And these the thanks we owe,
Thus to abuse eternal love,
Whence all our blessings flow?
2 TO what a stubborn frame
Has sin reduc'd our mind!
What strange rebellious wretches we,
And God as strangely kind!
3 [On us he bids the sun
Shed his reviving rays,
For us the skies their circles run
To lengthen out our days.
4 The brutes obey their God,
And bow their necks to men,
But we more base, more brutish things
Reject his easy reign.]
5 Turn, turn us, mighty God,
And mould our souls afresh,
Break, sovereign grace, these hearts of stone,
And give us hearts of flesh.
6 Let old ingratitude
Provoke our weeping eyes,
And hourly as new mercies fall
Let hourly thanks arise.
Hymn 2:75. Spiritual and eternal joys; or, The beatific sight of Christ.
1 From thee, my God, my joys shall rise,
And run eternal rounds,
Beyond the limits of the skies
And all created bounds.
2 The holy triumphs of my soul
Shall death itself out-brave,
Leave dull mortality behind,
And fly beyond the grave.
3 There, where my blessed Jesus reigns
In heaven's unmeasur'd space,
I'll spend a long eternity
In pleasure and in praise.
4 Millions of years my wondering eyes
Shall o'er thy beauties rove,
And endless ages I'll adore
The glories of thy love.
5 [Sweet Jesus, every smile of thine
Shall fresh endearments bring,
And thousand tastes of new delight
From all thy graces spring.
6 Haste, my beloved, fetch my soul
Up to thy bless'd abode,
Fly, for my spirit longs to see
My Saviour and my God.
Hymn 2:76. The resurrection and ascension of Christ.
1 Hosanna to the Prince of Light,
That cloth'd himself in clay,
Enter'd the iron gates of death,
And tore the bars away.
2 Death is no more the king of dread
Since our Immanuel rose,
He took the tyrant's sting away,
And spoil'd our hellish foes.
3 See how the Conqueror mounts aloft,
And to his Father flies,
With scars of honour in his flesh,
And triumph in his eyes.
4 There our exalted Saviour reigns,
And scatters blessings down,
Our Jesus fills the middle seat
Of the celestial throne.
5 [Raise your devotion, mortal tongues,
To reach his bless'd abode,
Sweet be the accents of your songs
To our incarnate God.
6 Bright angels, strike your loudest strings,
Your sweetest voices raise,
Let heaven, and all created things,
Sound our Immanuel's praise.]
Hymn 77.
The Christian warfare.
1 [Stand up, my soul, shake off thy fears,
And gird the gospel-armour on,
March to the gates of endless joy
Where thy great Captain-Saviour's gone.
2 Hell and thy sins resist thy course,
But hell and sin are vanquish'd foes,
Thy Jesus nail'd them to the cross,
And sung the triumph when he rose.]
3 [What tho' the prince of darkness rage,
And waste the fury of his spite,
Eternal chains confine him down
To fiery deeps, and endless night.
4 What tho' thine inward lusts rebel,
'Tis but a struggling gasp for life
The weapons of victorious grace
Shall slay thy sins, and end the strife.]
5 Then let my soul march boldly on,
Press forward to the heavenly gate,
There peace and joy eternal reign,
And glittering robes for conquerors wait.
6 There shall I wear a starry crown,
And triumph in almighty grace,
While all the armies of the skies
Join in my glorious leader's praise.
Hymn 2:78. Redemption by Christ.
1 When the first parents of our race
Rebell'd and lost their God,
And the infection of their sin
Had tainted all our blood;
2 Infinite pity touch'd the heart
Of the eternal Son,
Descending from the heavenly court
He left his Father's throne.
3 Aside the Prince of glory threw
His most divine array,
And wrapt his Godhead in a veil
Of our inferior clay.
4 His living power, and dying love
Redeem'd unhappy men,
And rais'd the ruins of our race
To life and God again.
5 To thee, dear Lord, our flesh and soul
We joyfully resign,
Bless'd Jesus, take us for thy own,
For we are doubly thine.
6 Thine honour shall for ever be
The business of our days,
For ever shall our thankful tongue
Speak thy deserved praise.
Hymn 2:79. Praise to the Redeemer.
1 Plung'd in a gulph of dark despair
We wretched sinners lay,
Without one cheerful beam of hope,
Or spark of glimmering day.
2 With pitying eyes, the Prince of Grace
Beheld our helpless grief,
He saw, and (O amazing love!)
He ran to our relief.
3 Down from the shining seats above
With joyful haste he fled,
Enter'd the grave in mortal flesh,
And dwelt among the dead.
4 He spoil'd the Powers of darkness thus,
And brake our iron chains;
Jesus has freed our captive souls
From everlasting pains.
5 [In vain the baffled prince of hell
His cursed projects tries,
We that were doom'd his endless slaves,
Are rais'd above the skies.]
6 O for this love, let rocks and hills
Their lasting silence break,
And all harmonious human tongues
The Saviour's praises speak.
7 [Yes, we will praise thee, dearest Lord,
Our souls are all on flame,
Hosanna round the spacious earth
To thine adored Name.
8 Angels, assist our mighty joys,
Strike all your harps of gold;
But when you raise your highest notes
His love can ne'er be told.]
Hymn 2:80. God's awful power and goodness.
1 O the Almighty Lord!
How matchless is his power!
Tremble, O earth, beneath his word,
And all the heavens adore.
2 Let proud imperious kings
Bow low before his throne,
Crouch to his feet, ye haughty things,
Or he shall tread you down.
3 Above the skies he reigns,
And with amazing blows
He deals unsufferable pains
On his rebellious foes.
4 Yet, everlasting God,
We love to speak thy praise;
Thy sceptre's equal to thy rod,
The sceptre of thy grace.
5 The arms of mighty love
Defend our Sion well,
And heavenly mercy walls us round
From Babylon and hell.
6 Salvation to the King
That sits enthron'd above;
Thus we adore the God of might,
And bless the God of love.