God the Creator blessed

Representative Text

God the Creator bless'd
The Sabbath of His rest;
His six days' work had brought
The universe from nought;
The heavens and earth before Him stood,
He saw them, and pronounced them good.

God the Redeemer bless'd
The Sabbath of His rest,
When, all His sufferings done,
The Cross's victory won,
In Joseph's sepulchre He lay,
And rested on the Sabbath Day.

And God the Spirit bless'd
The Christian Day of rest,
Where (met with one accord)
The servants of the Lord,
To whom the Father's promise came,
Like rushing wind and living flame.

The Church below hath bless'd
Her own sweet Day of rest,
When, in her spousal dress
Of blood-bought righteousness,
12
Her happy spirit can rejoice
To hear her heavenly Bridegroom's voice.

They love the Sabbath Day,
Who love to sing and pray;
The Day of rest they love,
Who seek their rest above;
They love the Day of God in seven,
Who prize an antepast of heaven.

My God, the Day is Thine;
O may I make it mine!
By hallowing it to Thee,
'Tis hallow'd twice to me;
And when with Thee my heart is right,
I call it holy--a delight.

Sacred Poems and Hymns

Author: James Montgomery

James Montgomery (b. Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, 1771; d. Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, 1854), the son of Moravian parents who died on a West Indies mission field while he was in boarding school, Montgomery inherited a strong religious bent, a passion for missions, and an independent mind. He was editor of the Sheffield Iris (1796-1827), a newspaper that sometimes espoused radical causes. Montgomery was imprisoned briefly when he printed a song that celebrated the fall of the Bastille and again when he described a riot in Sheffield that reflected unfavorably on a military commander. He also protested against slavery, the lot of boy chimney sweeps, and lotteries. Associated with Christians of various persuasions, Montgomery supported missio… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: God the Creator blessed
Author: James Montgomery
Meter: 6.6.6.6.8.8
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

God the Creator bless'. J. Montgomery. [Sunday.] Written in May, 1838, and published in a small pamphlet entitled, A Message from the Moon, and Other Poems. [1838.] In 1839 it was also given in Votive Offerings; or a Help to Stannington Church. This was a small volume, and was sold for the benefit of the funds of Stannington Church, near Sheffield. In 1853 the hymn, somewhat altered (stanza iii., line 2, "Christian Day," for "Christian's Day," line 3, "where (met..)" for "when met. .," stanza iv. line 1, "The Church below hath bless'd," for "The Church hath ever bless'd") was given in Montgomery's Original Hymns, No. 11, in 6 stanzas of 6 lines, and entitled "The Sabbath." It is in several modern American hymn-books, but is almost unknown to the collections in Great Britain.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 7 of 7)
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A Church hymnal #234

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A Collection of Hymns #34

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Hymns of the Church, Ancient and Modern #116

Text

Sacred Poems and Hymns #11

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A Selection of Hymns #58

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Hymns for Church and Home #37

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Worship in the School Room #228

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