Scripture Verse

The voice of Thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook. Psalm 77:18

Introduction

Words: Henry M. Turner, in The Hymn Book of the Af­ri­can Me­tho­dist Epis­co­pal Church (Phi­la­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: Pub­li­ca­tion De­part­ment of the Af­ri­can Me­tho­dist Epis­co­pal Church, 1877), num­ber 887, alt.

Music: Claude adapt­ed from Ge­ne­van 42, by Lou­is Bour­geois, 1551 (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Henry M. Turner (1834–1915)

Lyrics

God of thun­der and the light­ning
Clothed in ma­jes­ty di­vine,
To Thy feet we bring this tri­bute;
Lord, ac­cept this house as Thine.

To Thy name, O Lord Je­ho­vah,
We this tem­ple de­di­cate;
Lord re­ceive this hum­ble tri­bute,
Sanctify it, ear­ly, late.

Send Thy Spi­rit, Lord, from Hea­ven,
Consecrate its sac­red halls;
Let Thy ev­er bid­ing pre­sence
Dwell with­in these hum­ble walls.

Here may thou­sands hear Thy Gos­pel,
Preached in love and pow­er di­vine,
While the glit­ter­ing choirs of Hea­ven
Swell Thy up­per courts sub­lime.

Here may sin­ners be con­vert­ed
While we sing our Sav­ior’s praise;
May the deaf, the halt, the blind­ed,
Here their Eb­en­ez­er raise.

Now to God, the King im­mor­tal,
Who re­veals Him­self to men,
Be the praise and glo­ry giv­en,
While the an­gels shout, Amen.