Scripture Verse

Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. Exodus 19:18

Introduction

portrait
Isaac Watts (1674–1748)

Words: Is­aac Watts, Hymns and Spir­it­ual Songs, Book 2, 1707–09, num­ber 152. The dis­tem­per, fol­ly, and mad­ness of sin.

Music: Ro­ches­ter (Hold­royd) Is­ra­el Hold­royd, 1722 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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

Lyrics

Not to the ter­rors of the Lord,
The tem­pest, fire, and smoke;
Not to the thun­der of that word
Which God on Si­nai spoke;

But we are come to Si­on’s hill,
The ci­ty of our God,
Where mild­er words de­clare His will,
And spread His love abroad.

Behold th’in­nu­mer­able host
Of an­gels clothed in light!
Behold the spir­its of the just,
Whose faith is turned to sight!

Behold the blest as­sem­bly there
Whose names are writ in Heav’n!
And God, the Judge of all, de­clares
Their vil­est sins for­giv’n.

The saints on earth, and all the dead
But one com­mun­ion make;
All join in Christ their liv­ing Head,
And of His grace par­take.

In such so­ci­ety as this
My wea­ry soul would rest:
The man that dwells where Je­sus is
Must be for­ev­er blest.