Library · Hymns and Spiritual Songs
Book 2 · Hymns 111–120
Hymns and Spiritual Songs · Isaac Watts
Hymn 2:111. Thanksgiving for victory; or, God's dominion and our deliverance.
1 Zion rejoice, and Judah sing;
The Lord assumes his throne;
Let Britain own the heavenly King,
And make his glories known.
2 The great, the wicked, and the proud,
From their high seats are hurl'd;
Jehovah rides upon a cloud,
And thunders thro' the world.
3 He reigns upon th' eternal hills,
Distributes mortal crowns,
Empires are fix'd beneath his smiles,
And totter at his frowns.
4 Navies, that rule the ocean wide,
Are vanquish'd by his breath;
And legions arm'd with power and pride
Descend to watery death.
5 Let tyrants make no more pretence
To vex our happy land;
Jehovah's Name is our defence,
Our buckler is his hand.
6 [Long may the King our Sovereign live
To rule us by his word;
And all the honours he can give
Be offer'd to the Lord.]
Hymn 2:112. Angels ministering to Christ and saints.
1 Great God, to what a glorious height
Hast thou advanc'd the Lord thy Son!
Angels, in all their robes of light,
Are made the servants of his throne.
2 Before his feet their armies wait,
And swift as flames of fire they move,
To manage his affairs of state
In works of vengeance or of love.
3 His orders run thro' all their hosts,
Legions descend at his command
To shield and guard the British coasts,
When foreign rage invades our land.
4 Now they are sent to guide our feet
Up to the gates of thine abode,
Thro' all the dangers that we meet
In travelling the heavenly road.
5 Lord, when I leave this mortal ground,
And thou shall bid me rise and come,
Send a beloved angel down
Safe to conduct my spirit home.
Hymn 2:113. The same.
1 The majesty of Solomon!
How glorious to behold
The servants waiting round his throne,
The ivory and the gold.
2 But, mighty God, thy palace shines
With far superior beams;
Thine angel-guards are swift as winds,
Thy ministers are flames.
3 [Soon as thine only Son had made
His entrance on this earth,
A shining army downward fled
To celebrate his birth.
4 And when oppress'd with pains and fears
On the cold ground he lies,
Behold a heavenly form appears
T' allay his agonies.]
5 Now to the hands of Christ our King
Are all their legions given;
They wait upon his saints, and bring
His chosen heirs to heaven.
6 Pleasure and praise run thro' their host
To see a sinner turn;
Then Satan has a captive lost,
And Christ a subject born.
7 But there's an hour of brighter joy,
When he his angels sends
Obstinate rebels to destroy,
And gather in his friends.
8 O! could I say, without a doubt,
There shall my soul be found,
Then let the great archangel shout,
And the last trumpet sound.
Hymn 2:114. Christ's death, victory and dominion.
1 I sing my Saviour's wondrous death;
He conquer'd when he fell:
'Tis finish'd, said his dying breath,
And shook the gates of hell.
2 'Tis finish'd, our Immanuel cries,
The dreadful work is done;
Hence shall his sovereign throne arise,
His kingdom is begun.
3 His cross a sure foundation laid
For glory and renown,
When thro' the regions of the dead
He pass'd to reach the crown.
4 Exalted at his Father's side
Sits our victorious Lord;
To heaven and hell his hands divide
The vengeance or reward.
5 The saints from his propitious eye
Await their several crowns,
And all the sons of darkness fly
The terror of his frowns.
Hymn 2:115. God the avenger of his saints; or, His kingdom.
1 High as the heavens above the ground
Reigns the Creator God;
Wide as the whole creation's bound
Extends his awful rod.
2 Let princes of exalted state
To him ascribe their crown,
Render their homage at his feet,
And cast their glories down.
3 Know that his kingdom is supreme,
Your lofty thoughts are vain;
He calls you gods, that awful name,
But ye must die like men.
4 Then let the sovereigns of the globe
Not dare to vex the just;
He puts on vengeance like a robe,
And treads the worms to dust.
5 Ye judges of the earth, be wise,
And think on heaven with fear;
The meanest saint that you despise
Has an avenger there.
Hymn 2:116. Mercies and thanks.
1 How can I sink with such a prop
As my eternal God,
Who bears the earth's huge pillars up,
And spreads the heavens abroad?
2 How can I die while Jesus lives,
Who rose and left the dead?
Pardon and grace my soul receives
From mine exalted head.
3 All that I am, and all I have
Shall be for ever thine,
Whate'er my duty bids me give
My cheerful hands resign.
4 Yet if I might make some reserve,
And duty did not call,
I love my God with zeal so great
That I should give him all.
Hymn 2:117. Living and dying with God present.
1 I cannot bear thine absence, Lord,
My life expires if thou depart;
Be thou, my heart, still near my God,
And thou, my God, be near my heart.
2 I was not born for earth and sin,
Nor can I live on things so vile;
Yet I would stay my Father's time,
And hope and wait for heaven a while.
3 Then, dearest Lord, in thine embrace
Let me resign my fleeting breath,
And with a smile upon my face
Pass the important hour of death.
Hymn 2:118. The priesthood of Christ.
1 Blood has a voice to pierce the skies
Revenge, the blood of Abel cries;
But the dear stream when Christ was slain
Speaks Peace as loud from ev'ry vein.
2 Pardon and peace from God on high,
Behold he lays his vengeance by,
And rebels that deserv'd his sword,
Become the favourites of the Lord.
3 To Jesus let our praises rise,
Who gave his life a sacrifice;
Now he appears before his God,
And for our pardon pleads his blood.
Hymn 2:119. The holy scriptures.
1 Laden with guilt, and full of fears,
I fly to thee, my Lord,
And not a glimpse of hope appears,
But in thy written word.
2 The volume of my Father's grace
Does all my griefs assuage:
Here I behold my Saviour's face
Almost in every page.
3 [This is the field where hidden lies
The pearl of price unknown,
That merchant is divinely wise
Who makes the pearl his own.]
4 [Here consecrated water flows
To quench my thirst of sin;
Here the fair tree of knowledge grows,
Nor danger dwells therein.]
5 This is the Judge that ends the strife,
Where wit and reason fail;
My guide to everlasting life,
Thro' all this gloomy vale.
6 O may thy counsels, mighty God,
My roving feet command;
Nor I forsake the happy road
That leads to thy right-hand.
Hymn 2:120. The law and gospel joined in scripture.
1 The Lord declares his will,
And keeps the world in awe;
Amidst the smoke on Sinai's hill
Breaks out his fiery law.
2 The Lord reveals his face,
And smiling from above,
Sends down the gospel of his grace,
Th' epistles of his love.
3 These sacred words impart
Our Maker's just commands;
The pity of his melting heart,
And vengeance of his hands.
4 [Hence we awake our fear,
We draw our comfort hence;
The arms of grace are treasur'd here,
And armour of defence.
5 We learn Christ crucify'd,
And here behold his blood:
All arts and knowledges beside
Will do us little good.]
6 We read the heavenly word,
We take the offer'd grace,
Obey the statutes of the Lord,
And trust his promises.
7 In vain shall Satan rage
Against a book divine;
Where wrath and lightning guard the page,
Where beams of mercy shine.