Who Dares Attempt th’Eternal Name?

Who dares at­tempt th’eter­nal Name

With notes of mor­tal sound?

Dangers and glo­ries guard the theme

And spread des­pair around.

Destruction waits t’ob­ey His frown

And Heav’n at­tends His smile;

A wreath of lightn­ing arms His crown

But love adorns it still.

Celestial King

our spir­its lie

Trembling be­neath Thy feet

And wish

and cast a long­ing eye

To reach Thy lof­ty seat.

When shall we see the great Un­known

And in Thy pre­sence stand?

Reveal the splen­dors of Thy throne

But shield us with Thy hand.

In Thee what end­less won­ders meet!

What va­ri­ous glo­ry shines!

The cross­ing rays too fierce­ly beat

Upon our faint­ing minds.

Angels are lost in sweet sur­prise

If Thou un­veil Thy grace;

And hum­ble awe runs thro’ the Skies

When wrath ar­rays Thy face.

When mer­cy joins with ma­jes­ty

To spread their beams abroad

Not all the fair­est minds on high

Are shadows of a God.

Thy works the strong­est ser­aph sings

In far too fee­ble strain.

And la­bors hard on all his strings

To reach Thy thoughts in vain.

Created pow­ers

how weak they be!

How short our prais­es fall!

So much akin to no­thing we

And Thou th’eter­nal All.