Father, How Wide Thy Glories Shine

Father

how wide Thy glo­ries shine!

How high Thy won­ders rise!

Known through the earth by thou­sand signs

By thou­sand through the skies.

Those migh­ty orbs pro­claim Thy pow­er

Their mo­tions speak Thy skill

And on the wings of ev­ery hour

We read Thy pa­tience still.

Part of thy Name di­vine­ly stands

On all Thy crea­tures writ

They show the la­bor of Thine hands

Or im­press of Thy feet.

But when we view Thy strange de­sign

To save re­bel­lious worms

Where ven­geance and com­pass­ion join

In their di­vin­est forms;

Our thoughts are lost in rev­er­ent awe;

We love and we ad­ore;

The first arch­an­gel nev­er saw

So much of God be­fore.

Here the whole De­ity is known

Nor dares a crea­ture guess

Which of the glo­ries bright­est shone

The jus­tice or the grace.

When sin­ners broke the Fa­ther’s laws

The dy­ing Son atones;

Oh the dear mys­ter­ies of His cross!

The tri­umph of His groans!

Now the full glo­ries of the Lamb

Adorn the heav’n­ly plains;

Sweet cher­ubs learn Im­man­uel’s name

And try their choic­est strains.

O may I bear some hum­ble part

In that im­mor­tal song!

Wonder and joy shall tune my heart

And love com­mand my tongue.