Thursday, July 15, 2010

Join All the Glorious Names

Sung to the same tune as Rejoice the Lord is King (which doesn't help some of you! As Leonard Ravenhill used to say, "Learn the hymns!")
Don't just read it, but read it closely and realize what each verse is saying, and then if you know the tune, sing it to the Lord.

Join all the glorious Names
Of wisdom, love and power,
That ever mortals knew, that angels ever bore;
All are too low to speak His worth,
Too poor to set my Savior forth.

But O, what gentle terms,
What condescending ways,
Does our Redeemer use to teach His heav’nly grace;
Mine eyes with joy and wonder see
What forms of love He bears for me.

Arrayed in mortal flesh,
He like an angel stands,
And holds the promises and pardons in His hands;
Commissioned from His Father’s throne
To make His grace to mortals known.

Great Prophet of my God,
My tongue would bless Thy Name,
By Thee the joyful news of our salvation came;
The joyful news of sin forgiven,
Of hell subdued and peace with Heaven.

Be Thou my Counsellor,
My Pattern and my Guide,
And through this desert land still keep me near Thy side;
Nor let my feet e’er run astray,
Nor roam nor seek the crooked way.

I love my Shepherd’s voice,
His watchful eyes shall keep
My wand’ring soul among the thousands of His sheep;
He feeds His flock, He calls their names,
His bosom bears the tender lambs.

To this dear Surety’s hand
Will I commit my cause,
He answers and fulfills His Father’s broken laws;
Behold my soul, at freedom set,
My Surety paid the dreadful debt!

Jesus, my great High Priest,
Offered His blood and died,
My guilty conscience seeks no sacrifice beside;
His powerful blood did once atone,
And now it pleads before the throne.

My Advocate appears
For my defense on high,
The Father bows His ears, and lays His thunder by;
Not all that hell or sin can say
Shall turn his Heart, His love away.

My dear almighty Lord,
My Conqueror and my King,
Thy scepter and Thy sword, Thy reigning grace I sing;
Thine is the power, behold I sit
In willing bonds beneath Thy feet.

Now let my soul arise,
And tread the tempter down,
My Captain leads me forth to conquest and a crown;
A feeble saint shall win the day,
Though death and hell obstruct the way.

Should all the hosts of death,
And powers of hell unknown,
Put their most dreadful forms of rage and mischief on;
I shall be safe, for Christ displays
Superior power and guardian grace.

- Isaac Watts

1 comment:

robert said...

Greetings from Wordwise Hymns. Thanks for posting Isaac Watts’ great hymn. The names and titles of the Lord found in His Word make a helpful devotional study. I’ve linked the various ones Watts uses to Scripture on my blog today.

And the tune commonly used for the hymn is Darwall (by John Darwall). :-)