Scripture Verse

How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of God. Genesis 28:17

Introduction

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John Wesley (1703–1791)

Words: Ger­hard Ter­stee­gen, Geist­lich­es Blu­men­gärt­lein 1729 (Gott ist ge­gen­wär­tig). Trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by John Wes­ley, Hymns and Sac­red Po­ems, 1739, alt.

Music: St. Jer­ome (Champ­neys) Fran­cis H. Cham­pneys, in Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern, 1889 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

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Francis H. Champneys
1848–1930

Origin of the Hymn

When Ben­ja­min Clough, who ac­com­pan­ied Dr. Coke to In­dia, was with him in Lon­don, Coke said, My dear bro­ther, I am dead to all but In­dia.

Mr. Clough thought of the words about the first dis­ci­ples, They left all and fol­lowed Him. He be­gan to sing, Glad­ly the toys of earth we leave, and Coke joined him in that verse of self-sur­ren­der.

In the fol­low­ing May, when their ves­sel was in the In­dian Ocean, Mr. Clough knocked at his friend’s ca­bin, and found him lying life­less on the floor. He had left the toys of earth for­ev­er.

Telford, p. 358

Lyrics

Lo, God is here! let us adore,
And own how dread­ful is this place!
Let all with­in us feel His pow­er,
And si­lent bow be­fore His face.

Lo, God is here! Whom day and night
United choirs of an­gels sing;
To Him, en­throned above all height,
The hosts of Hea­ven their prais­es bring.

Gladly the toys of earth we leave,
Wealth, plea­sure, fame, for Thee alone;
To Thee our will, soul, flesh, we give,
O take, O seal them for Thine own!

Disdain, not, Lord, our mean­er song,
Who praise Thee with a fal­ter­ing tongue.
To Thee may all our thoughts arise
A true and cease­less sac­ri­fice.

Being of be­ings, may our praise
Thy courts with grate­ful frag­rance fill!
Still may we stand be­fore Thy face,
Still hear and do Thy so­ve­reign will.

In Thee we move. All things of Thee
Are full, Thou Source and Life of all;
Thou vast un­fa­thom­able sea!
Fall pros­trate, lost in won­der fall.

As flow­ers their op­en­ing leaves dis­play,
And glad drink in the so­lar fire,
So may we catch Thine ev­ery ray,
And thus Thy in­flue­nce in­spire.