Scripture Verse

Make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom. Psalm 145:12

Introduction

portrait
Philip Doddridge
1702–1751

Words: Phi­lip Dodd­ridge (1702–1751). Pub­lished post­hu­mous­ly in Hymns Found­ed on Va­ri­ous Texts in the Ho­ly Scrip­tures, by Job Or­ton (Shrop­shire, Eng­land: Jo­shua Ed­dowes & John Cot­ton, 1755), num­ber 56: God ad­ored for His good­ness, and His won­der­ful works, to the child­ren of men.

Music: Os­sett Wid­dop (1750–1801) (🔊 pdf nwc).

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

Lyrics

Ye sons of men, with joy record
The various wonders of the Lord;
And let His power and goodness sound
Through all your tribes, the earth around.

Let the high heav’ns your songs invite;
Those spacious fields of brilliant light,
Where sun, and moon, and planets roll,
And stars, that glow from pole to pole.

See earth in verdant robes arrayed,
Its herbs and flowers, its fruit and shade;
Peopled with life of various forms,
Fishes and fowls, and beasts and worms.

View the broad sea’s majestic plains,
And think how wide its maker reigns;
That band remotest nations joins,
And on each wave His goodness shines.

But O! that brighter world above,
Where lives and reigns Incarnate love!
God’s only Son in flesh arrayed,
For man a bleeding victim made.

Thither, my soul, with rapture soar:
There in the land of praise adore:
This theme demands an angel’s lay,
Demands an undeclining day.