Scripture Verse

God is love. 1 John 4:8

Introduction

portrait
John Rippon (1751–1836)

Words: Ju­li­an, page 964, states John Rip­pon is prob­ab­ly the au­thor. The Hymn and Tune Book for Use in Old School or Pri­mi­tive Bap­tist Church­es, fourth edi­tion, by Si­las H. Dur­and & P. G. Les­ter (Green­field, In­di­ana: D. H. Go­ble, 1886), num­ber 10, cre­dits Anne Steele.

Music: Ar­ling­ton Tho­mas A. Arne, 1762. Ar­ranged by Ralph Har­ris­on, 1784 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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Thomas Arne (1710–1778)

Lyrics

Amid the splen­dors of Thy state,
My God, Thy love ap­pears
With the soft ra­di­ance of the moon
Among a thou­sand stars.

Nature through all her am­ple round
Thy bound­less pow­er pro­claims,
And in me­lo­di­ous ac­cent, speaks
The good­ness of Thy names.

Thy jus­tice, ho­li­ness, and truth,
Our so­lemn awe ex­cite;
But the sweet charms of so­ver­eign grace
O’erwhelm us with de­light.

Sinai, in clouds, and smoke, and fire,
Thunders Thy dread­ful name;
But Sion sings, in melt­ing notes,
The hon­ors of the Lamb.

In all Thy doc­trine and com­mands,
Thy coun­sels and de­signs,
In ev­ery work Thy hands have framed,
Thy love su­preme­ly shines.

Angels and men the news pro­claim,
Through earth and Hea­ven above,
The joy­ful and trans­port­ing news,
That God the Lord is love!