A HYMN FOR TODAY

The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heav’ns, a shining frame,
Their great Original proclaim.
Th’unwearied sun, from day to day,
Does his Creator’s pow’r display
And publishes to every land
The work of an almighty hand.

Soon as the evening shades prevail,
The moon takes up the wondrous tale,
And nightly to the list’ning earth
Repeats the story of her birth;
While all the stars that round her burn
And all the planets in their turn
Confirm the tidings as they roll
And spread the truth from pole to pole.

What though in solemn silence all
Move round this dark terrestrial ball?
What though no real voice nor sound
Amid the radiant orbs be found?
In reason’s ear they all rejoice
And utter forth a glorious voice,
Forever singing as they shine,
“The hand that made us is divine.”

LMD (8.8.8.8.D) – Joseph Addison, 1712

Psalm 19:1-6

Tune: CREATION – Franz J. Haydn, 1798
arr. Mason and Webb’s National Psalmist, 1848

#64 in Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, 2012