Scripture Verse

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Psalm 19:1

Introduction

portrait
Isaac Watts
1674–1748

Words: Is­aac Watts, Hymns and Spi­ri­tu­al Songs, Book 3, 1709, num­ber 10. Christ cru­ci­fied, the wis­dom and pow­er of God.

Music: An­gel­us Ge­org Jo­seph, Heil­ige Seel­en­lust od­er Geist­liche Hirt­en-Lied­er (Bres­lau [now Wroc­ław, Po­land]: 1657) (set to the words Du mein­er Seel­en güld­ne Ziehr) (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Jo­seph (head-and-shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els), would you ?

illustration
Mountain of the Holy Cross
Thomas Moran
1837–1926

Lyrics

Nature with open volume stands,
To spread her maker’s praise abroad;
And every labor of His hands
Shows something worthy of a God.

But in the grace that rescued man
His brightest form of glory shines;
Here, on the cross, ’tis fairest drawn,
In precious blood and crimson lines.

Here His whole name appears complete;
Nor wit can guess, nor reason prove,
Which of the letters best is writ,
The power, the wisdom, or the love.

Here I behold His inmost heart,
Where grace and vengeance strangely join,
Piercing His Son with sharpest smart,
To make the purchased pleasures mine.

O! the sweet wonders of that cross,
Where God the Savior loved and died!
Her noblest life my spirit draws
From His dear wounds and bleeding side.

I would forever speak His name,
In sounds to mortal ears unknown;
With angels join to praise the Lamb,
And worship at His Father’s throne.