Scripture Verse

Bless His holy name. Psalm 103:1

Introduction

Words: John Need­ham, Hymns De­vo­tion­al and Mo­ral on Va­ri­ous Sub­jects (Bris­tol, Eng­land: S. Far­ley, 1768), num­ber 25.

Music: Twen­ty-Fourth in the Re­po­si­to­ry of Sac­red Mu­sic, Part Se­cond, by John Wy­eth (Har­ris­burg, Penn­syl­van­ia: 1813). Va­ri­ous­ly at­trib­ut­ed to Am­zi or Lu­ci­us Cha­pin (🔊 pdf nwc).

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

Lyrics

Holy and reverend is the name
Of our eter­nal king:
Thrice holy Lord, the angels cry,
Thrice holy, let us sing!

Heaven’s brightest lamps with Him compared,
Are mean and look but dim!
And angels fair have too their spots,
When once compared with Him.

Holy is He in all his works,
And truth is His delight;
But sinners and their wicked ways
Shall perish from His sight.

Holy the temple where of old
Th’Almighty fixed His seat;
Sacred His altar with its fire,
And holy every priest.

But temples made with human hands
Our God no more doth prize;
The humble heart His temple is,
And prayer the sacrifice.

The veneration of the mind,
My soul pay to Thy God;
Lift with the hands a holy heart
To His sublime abode.

With sacred awe pronounce His name,
Whom words nor thoughts can reach;
A broken heart shall please Him more
Than the best forms of speech.

Thou holy God! preserve my soul
From all pollution free;
The pure in heart are Thy delight,
And they Thy face shall see.