Scripture Verse

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth, who hast set Thy glory above the heavens! Psalm 8:1

Introduction

portrait
James Montgomery
(1771–1854)
National Portrait Gallery

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Words: James Mont­go­me­ry, Songs of Zi­on (Lon­don: Long­man, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown, 1822).

Music: Bring­hurst Street Will­iam U. But­cher, in The Heart and Voice, ed­it­ed by A. S. Jenks (Phi­la­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: Per­kin­pine & Hig­gins, 1865), page 144 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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

Lyrics

O Lord, our king, how excel­lent,
Thy name on earth is known!
Thy glo­ry in the fir­ma­ment
How won­der­ful­ly shown!

Yet are the hum­ble dear to Thee;
Thy prais­es are con­fessed
By in­fants lisp­ing on the knee,
And suck­lings at the breast.

When I be­hold the heav’ns on high.
The work of Thy right hand;
The moon and stars amid the sky,
Thy lights in ev­ery land—

Lord, what is man, that Thou shouldst deign
On him to set Thy love,
Give him on earth awhile to reign,
Then fill a throne above?

O Lord, how ex­cel­lent Thy name!
How ma­ni­fold Thy ways!
Let time Thy sav­ing truth pro­claim,
Eternity Thy praise.