Darkness shall cover the earth…but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon Thee.
Isaiah 60:2
Words: Sarah Slinn, in Selection of Missionary & Devotional Hymns, by J. Griffin (Portsea, England: 1797).
Music: Arfau, in Carmina Sacra, by Lowell Mason (Boston, Massachusetts: John H. Wilkins & Richard B. Carter, 1844), pages 52–53 (🔊 pdf nwc).
Arise in all Thy splendor, Lord,
Let power attend Thy gracious word;
Unveil the beauties of Thy face,
And show the glories of Thy grace.
Diffuse Thy light and truth abroad,
And be Thou known th’almighty God;
Make bare Thine arm, Thy power display,
While truth and grace Thy scepter sway.
Send forth Thy messengers of peace,
Make Satan’s reign and empire cease;
Let Thy salvation, Lord, be known,
That all the world Thy power may own.
Tho’ darkness o’er the earth pervades,
And men are plunged in dismal shades;
God will arise, at the set time,
On Zion, with a light divine.
Then nations, with His grace replete,
Shall spread their trophies at His feet;
Clothed with immortal bliss, to prove,
The power and greatness of His love.
O may the triumphs of Thy grace
Abound, while righteousness and peace
In mild and lovely forms display
The glories of the latter day.