Scripture Verse

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Isaiah 9:2

Introduction

portrait
Isaac Watts (1674–1748)

Words: Is­aac Watts, The Psalms of Da­vid 1719. God’s Word most ex­cel­lent; or, sin­ce­ri­ty and watch­ful­ness.

Music: Ches­worth Jo­hann F. S. Dör­ing (1776–1840). Ap­peared in Car­mi­na Sac­ra, by Lo­well Ma­son (Bos­ton, Mas­sa­chu­setts: John H. Wil­kins & Ri­chard B. Car­ter, 1844), num­ber 158 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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

Lyrics

Behold the morn­ing sun
Begins his glo­ri­ous way;
His beams through all the na­tions run,
And life and light con­vey.

But where the Gos­pel comes
It spreads di­vin­er light;
It calls dead sin­ners from their tombs,
And gives the blind their sight.

How per­fect is Thy Word!
And all Thy judg­ments just!
For ev­er sure Thy pro­mise, Lord,
And men se­cure­ly trust.

My gra­cious God, how plain
Are Thy di­rect­ions giv’n!
O may I ne­ver read in vain,
But find the path to Heav’n!

I hear Thy Word with love,
And I would fain ob­ey:
Send Thy good Spir­it from above
To guide me lest I stray.

O who can ev­er find
The er­rors of his ways?
Yet with a bold, pre­sump­tu­ous mind
I would not dare trans­gress.

Warn me of ev­ery sin,
Forgive my sec­ret faults,
And cleanse this guil­ty soul of mine,
Whose crimes ex­ceed my thoughts.

While with my heart and tongue
I spread Thy praise abroad,
Accept the wor­ship and the song,
My Sav­ior and my God.