The Church is the Honor and Safety of a Nation

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Great is the Lord our God, And let His praise be great

Author: Isaac Watts
Published in 299 hymnals

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Piano/Organ
	Hymn Harmonizations, Set 5

Representative Text

1 Great is the LORD, our God,
and let His praise be great;
He makes His churches His abode,
His most delightful seat.
These temples of His grace,
how beautiful they stand,
the honors of our native place
and bulwarks of our land!

2 Oft have our fathers told,
our eyes have often seen,
how well our God secures the fold
where His own sheep have been.
In ev'ry new distress
we’ll to His house repair,
recall to mind His wondrous grace,
and seek deliv'rance there.

3 Far as Thy Name is known,
the world declares Thy praise;
Thy saints, O LORD, before Thy throne,
their songs of honor raise.
With joy Thy people stand
on Zion's chosen hill,
proclaim the wonders of Thy hand,
and councils of Thy will.

4 How decent and how wise!
How glorious to behold!
Beyond the pomp that charms the eyes,
and rites adorned with gold.
The God we worship now
will guide us till we die;
will be our God while here below,
and ours above the sky.

Source: Hymns to the Living God #42

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Author: Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts was the son of a schoolmaster, and was born in Southampton, July 17, 1674. He is said to have shown remarkable precocity in childhood, beginning the study of Latin, in his fourth year, and writing respectable verses at the age of seven. At the age of sixteen, he went to London to study in the Academy of the Rev. Thomas Rowe, an Independent minister. In 1698, he became assistant minister of the Independent Church, Berry St., London. In 1702, he became pastor. In 1712, he accepted an invitation to visit Sir Thomas Abney, at his residence of Abney Park, and at Sir Thomas' pressing request, made it his home for the remainder of his life. It was a residence most favourable for his health, and for the prosecution of his literary… Go to person page >

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First Line:	Great is the Lord our God, And let His praise be great
Title:	The Church is the Honor and Safety of a Nation
Author:	Isaac Watts
Meter:	6.6.8.6
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain

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Notes

Great is the Lord our God. I. Watts. [Psalm xlviii.] First published in his Psalms of David, &c, 1719, in 7 stanzas of 4 lines, and headed, "The Church is the honour and safety of a nation." The popular form of this hymn is composed of stanzas i., ii., vi., vii. This is in extensive use in Great Britain and America, and embodies the oft-quoted stanza:—