Lord of earth, Thy forming hand

Representative Text

1. Lord of earth, Thy forming hand,
Well this beauteous frame hath planned,
Woods that wave, and hills that tower,
Ocean rolling in his power;
Yet amidst this scene so fair,
Should I cease thy smile to share,
What were all its joys to me?
Whom have I on earth but Thee?

2. Lord of Heaven, beyond our sight
Shines a world of purer light;
There in love’s unclouded reign,
Severed friends shall meet again:
O that world is passing fair!
Yet, if Thou wert absent there,
What were all its joys to me?
Whom have I in Heaven but Thee?

3. Lord of earth and Heaven, my breast
Seeks in Thee its only rest;
I was lost; Thy accents mild
Homeward lured Thy wandering child:
O if once Thy smile divine
Ceased upon my soul to shine,
What were earth or Heaven to me?
Whom have in each but Thee?

Source: The Cyber Hymnal #3625

Author: Robert Grant

Robert Grant (b. Bengal, India, 1779; d. Dalpoorie, India, 1838) was influenced in writing this text by William Kethe’s paraphrase of Psalm 104 in the Anglo-Genevan Psalter (1561). Grant’s text was first published in Edward Bickersteth’s Christian Psalmody (1833) with several unauthorized alterations. In 1835 his original six-stanza text was published in Henry Elliott’s Psalm and Hymns (The original stanza 3 was omitted in Lift Up Your Hearts). Of Scottish ancestry, Grant was born in India, where his father was a director of the East India Company. He attended Magdalen College, Cambridge, and was called to the bar in 1807. He had a distinguished public career a Governor of Bombay and as a member of the British Parliament, where… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Lord of earth, Thy forming hand
Author: Robert Grant
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

Lord of earth, Thy forming hand. Sir B. Grant. [God the Creator and Preserver.] Appeared in H. V. Elliott's Psalms & Hymns, &c, 1835, in 3 stanzas of 12 lines, and again in Lord Glenelg's edition of Grant's Sacred Poems, 1839, No. 3. It is based on Psalms lxxiii. 25. It is in common use in Great Britain and America.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 75 of 75)

A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social and Domestic Worship #d514

A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social and Domestic Worship #d517

A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social, and Domestic Worship #d516

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A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social, and Domestic Worship #618

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A Collection of Hymns #239

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A Manual of Devotion and Hymns for the House of Refuge, City of New York #117

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A Manual of Worship #119

A Selection of Psalms and Hymns for ... Diocese of Nova Scotia. 3rd ed. #d207

A Selection of Psalms and Hymns for the Use of the Diocese of Nova Scotia. 3rd ed. #d209

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A Selection of Spiritual Songs #222

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A Selection of Spiritual Songs #51

Calvary Selection of Spiritual Songs with Music for the Church and the Choir #d525

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Christian Chorals #296

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Christian Praise #131

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Gloria Deo #87

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High School Hymnal #45

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Hymn and Tune Book of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (Round Note Ed.) #475

Hymn Book of the Colored M.E. Church in America #d317

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Hymn Book of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South #475

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Hymns of the Ages #35

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Hymns of the Ages #35

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Hymns of the Faith #33

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Hymns of Worship and Service #368

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Hymns We Love #34

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Kingdom Songs #32

Laudent Omnes #d110

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Laudes Domini #284

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Parish Hymns #65

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Plymouth Collection #a1201

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Plymouth Collection of Hymns and Tunes; for the use of Christian Congregations #1201

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Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs #451

Psalms and Hymns for the Worship of God #d469

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Sacred Songs for School Use #16

School and College Hymnal #d80

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School and College Hymnal #45

Schools Lyrics #d125

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Songs for Social and Public Worship #807

Songs for Social and Public Worship. Rev. ed. #d247

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Songs for the Sanctuary, or Hymns and Tunes for Christian Worship #117

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Songs for the Sanctuary; or Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship (Baptist Ed.) #117

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Songs for the Sanctuary; or, Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship (Words only) #117

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Songs for the Sanctuary #117

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Songs for the Sanctuary #117

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Songs for the Sanctuary #117

Songs in the Night; or Hymns for the Sick and Suffering. 2nd ed. #d98

Songs of Christian Praise with Music #d306

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Songs of the Church #72

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Songs of the Covenant #17

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Songs of the Soul #466

Standard Church Hymns and Gospel Songs #d158

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The Baptist Hymn and Tune Book #1201

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The Baptist Praise Book #248

The Book of Praise #d446

The Book of Worship #d298

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The Calvary Selection of Spiritual Songs #88

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The Church and Home Hymnal #25

The Church of God Selection of Spiritual Songs for the Church and Choir #d521

The Church-Book #d245

The College Hymn and Tune Book #d69

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The Cyber Hymnal #3625

The Friends' Hymnal #d361

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The Friends' Hymnal, a Collection of Hymns and Tunes for the Public Worship of the Society #a87

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The Methodist Hymnal (Text only edition) #469

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The Methodist Hymnal #469

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The New Laudes Domini #306

The Public School Hymnal, for the Use of High Schools and Seminaries. New and enl. ed. #d138

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The Public School Hymnal #125

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The Sabbath Hymn and Tune Book #369a

The Sabbath Hymn Book. Baptist ed. #d608

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The School Hymnary #78

The Select Hymn and Song Book #d191

The Singer's Choice #d106

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Worship in Song #112

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Year of Worship for Sunday Schools and Homes #139

Exclude 74 pre-1979 instances
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