When Men, Pretending to Be Wise

lyricist: John Needham, 1768
Composer: Arthur Cottman, 1874

When men

pre­tend­ing to be wise

Forsook plain na­ture’s rule

Their minds in end­less maz­es lost

The man be­came the fool.

Tho’ na­ture showed the One su­preme

Fancy soon marred her book;

And for the God that made the world

His va­ri­ous works mis­took.

Sun

moon

and stars

are first ado­red

Then man is made di­vine;

Each peo­ple form their guard­ian god

And bow be­fore his shrine.

The na­tions still more stu­pid grow

And turn to ve­ry stocks;

The learned Egypt­ian’s god be­hold

It is a graz­ing ox.

Blush

Is­ra­el

blush

the chos­en seed

Into like mad­ness run;

Israel first saved

then bid to hear

The Lord their God was one.

Their gods ab­ove

and gods be­low

Let hea­then na­tions frame;

One is our God

and Fa­ther

too

Jehovah is His name.

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