University of Virginia Library

1. PART THE FIRST.

Recitative: Accompanied.

Hail, wond'rous Being! who in pow'r supreme
Exists from everlasting, whose great Name
Deep in the human heart, and every atom
The Air, the Earth, or azure Main contains,
In undecypher'd characters is written—

Chorus.

INCOMPREHENSIBLE!

Air.

Let, then, the Trumpet sound His praise,
And choirs uniting plaudits raise;
Let Cherubims on high proclaim,
In Hymns of joy, th'Eternal's name.

Recitative.

Before this earthly Planet wound her course,
Before “the Morning-Stars together sang,”
And hail'd Him Architect of countless worlds,
He was—all-glorious, all-beneficent,
All Wisdom, Goodness and Omnipotence!

Chorus.

Songs of Adoration sing
To the Universal King:
Nature's great, creative Lord,
Is by countless worlds ador'd.

Recitative.

Hear, Ignorance, and self-plum'd Vanity—
Distrustful and presumptuous Mortals, hear,
The pow'r and greatness of the Living Lord.

Air.

When Chaos first in darkness lay,
Unmov'd by his creative hand,
He call'd forth Light—and All was Day!
Creation 'rose at his command.

Recitative.

Great was the Scene—all-glorious to behold,
The King of Worlds, cloath'd in resplendent light,
Pleas'd with the works of His Almighty hand.

Air.

Air, Earth, and Seas confess His pow'r,
As each by Wisdom's order came;
The Planets, ruling ev'ry hour,
Obedient own his mighty name:
Birds, Insects, Plants, His pow'r display,
And ev'ry living creature known;
The Moon by night, the Sun by day,
Revolving, His direction own.

Chorus.

His pow'r and greatness all proclaim'd around,
Mountains and vallies felt the pleasing sound:
From this great, universal Jubilee,
Arose the laws and pow'r of Harmony.

Air.

Then Hymn His praise in songs of joy,
The God of Worlds adore;
Let Gratitude her pow'rs employ,
'Till Time shall be no more.

Recitative.

Man, He created sov'reign Lord of all,
The fav'rite work of his all-pow'rful hand:
Him, He endued with thought, and pow'r of speech,
To Man, as Lord of all, His will was known,
On him His choicest blessings were conferr'd,
Fair Eden's blissful seat his fix'd abode,
All earthly pleasures and eternal life.

Air and Chorus.

Awake up to glory, awake harp and lute,
The sweet-sounding lyre, and the soft-breathing flute;
Let the loud-pealing Organ, and shrill Trumpet sound,
His greatness proclaim to the Universe round.

Recitative.

Still bent on mighty acts, cou'd ought retard
Goodness, that knows no bounds, from blessing ever,
Or keep th'immense Artificer in Sloth?
No—in th'exertion of His righteous pow'r,
Ten thousand Times more active than the Sun,
He reign'd, and with a mighty hand compos'd
Systems innumerable, matchless all,
All stampt with His uncounterfeited seal.

Air.

What tongue can speak His mighty pow'r,
What words His praise declare?
The theme's too high for man to soar;
Weak Man must then forbear.

Recitative.

Since, then, for humble Man the task is vain,
To speak Him as He is, who is Ineffable;
Yet still let Reason thro' the eye of Faith
View Him with fearful Love; let Truth pronounce,
And Adoration on her bended knee,
With Heav'n-directed hands confess His reign.
And let th'Angelic, Archangelic band,
With all the Hosts of Heav'n, Cherubic forms,
And forms Seraphic, with their silver trumps,
Their golden lyres, and their ten thousand tongues,
Begin a grand thanksgiving to the Lord,
Saying,

Full Chorus.

Hail, mighty King! to thee our songs we raise,
Whose greatness soars beyond the flight of praise!