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 & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

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.

illustration
Mountain of the Holy Cross
Thomas Moran (1837–1926)