Scripture Verse

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Psalm 100:1

Introduction

portrait
Isaac Watts
1674–1748

Words: Is­aac Watts, The Psalms of Da­vid 1719. The ver­sion be­low is John Wes­ley’s adap­ta­tion of Watts’ orig­in­al.

Music: Park Street Fred­er­ick M. A. Ve­nua, cir­ca 1810 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Ve­nua (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Anecdotes

The mor­al sig­nif­i­cance and far-reach­ing im­port­ance of the vis­it of Com­mo­dore Per­ry to Ja­pan in 1853–54 is well known.

It is said that while his flag­ship lay an­chored off the coast of Japan, in close prox­im­i­ty to the shore, on a cer­tain Sab­bath re­li­gious services were held on board the steam­er, and this hymn was used in the wor­ship, the na­val band play­ing as an ac­com­pan­i­ment the tune of Old Hund­red, while thou­sands who lined the shore lis­tened in im­press­ive si­lence to what was to them new and strange mu­sic.

It is nar­rat­ed that when Dr. Demp­ster, of Gar­rett Bib­li­cal In­sti­tute, was on his way, with his wife and two bro­ther mis­sion­ar­ies, to South Af­ri­ca, they were pur­sued for three days by a pi­rate ves­sel, and it seemed that they would have to sur­ren­der.

They spent no lit­tle time in pray­er to the wond­rous Sov­er­eign of the sea to res­cue them from the hands of their pur­su­ers.

On the third day, just af­ter they had joined in pray­er and in singing this hymn, the pi­rate ship was seen to change its course, thus leav­ing them to pur­sue un­dis­turbed their er­rand of mer­cy to the Dark Con­ti­nent.

It is not strange that this hymn should have re­mained ev­er there­af­ter as­so­ci­at­ed in grate­ful re­memb­rance with their pro­vi­den­tial es­cape from rob­bery and pos­si­bly from death.

Nutter, p. 8

Lyrics

Before Jehovah’s awful throne,
Ye nations, bow with sacred joy;
Know that the Lord is God alone;
He can create, and He destroy,
He can create, and He destroy.

His sovereign power, without our aid,
Made us of clay, and formed us men;
And when like wandering sheep we strayed,
He brought us to His fold again,
He brought us to His fold again.

We are His people, we His care,
Our souls, and all our mortal frame;
What lasting honors shall we rear,
Almighty Maker, to Thy name,
Almighty Maker, to Thy name?

We’ll crowd Thy gates with thankful songs,
High as the heavens our voices raise;
And earth, with her ten thousand tongues,
Shall fill Thy courts with sounding praise,
Shall fill Thy courts with sounding praise.

Wide as the world is Thy command,
Vast as eternity Thy love;
Firm as a rock Thy truth must stand,
When rolling years shall cease to move,
When rolling years shall cease to move.