1. Praise ye the Lord! immortal choir,
In heavenly heights above,
With harp and voice and souls of fire,
Burning with perfect love.
2. Shine to His glory, worlds of light!
Ye million suns of space,
Fair moons and glittering stars of night,
Running your mystic race!
3. Ye gorgeous clouds, that deck the sky
With crystal, crimson, gold,
And rainbow arches raised on high,
The Light of light unfold!
4. Lift to Jehovah, wintry main,
Your grand white hands in prayer;
Still summer seas, in dulcet strain,
Murmur hosannas there!
5. Do homage, breezy ocean floor,
With many-twinkling sign;
Majestic calms, be hushed before
The holiness divine.
6. Storm, lightning, thunder, hail and snow,
Wild winds that keep His word,
With the old mountains far below,
Unite to bless the Lord.
7. His name, ye forests, wave along;
Whisper it, every flower;
Birds, beasts, and insects, swell the song
That tells His love and power.
8. Around the wide world let it roll,
Whilst man shall lead it on;
Join every ransomed human soul,
In glorious unison!
9. Come, agèd man! come, little child!
Youth, maiden, peasant, king,
To God in Jesus reconciled
Your hallelujahs bring!
10. The all creating deity,
Maker of earth and Heav’n!
The great redeeming majesty,
To Him the praise be giv’n!
Source: The Cyber Hymnal #5717
First Line: | Praise ye the Lord, immortal choir In heavenly heights above |
Author: | George Rawson |
Language: | English |
Copyright: | Public Domain |
Praise ye the Lord! immortal choir, In heavenly heights above. G. Rawson. [Ps. cxlviii.] Written for the Leeds Hymn Book, 1853, No. 200, in 9 stanzas of 4 lines. In the author's Hymns, Verses, and Chants, 1876, it is revised and extended to 10 stanzas. Mr. Rawson was somewhat indebted to Watts's paraphrase of the same Psalm, "Praise ye the Lord with joyful tongue" (q.v.), as seen in Watts's st. ii. and Rawson's st. i.:—
Watts, 1706
"Gabriel, and all the immortal choir
That fill the realms above,
Sing; for He formed you of His fire,
And feeds you with His love."Rawson, 1853
"Praise ye the Lord, immortal choir
In heavenly heights above,
With harp and voice and souls of fire,
Burning with perfect love."
The resemblance throughout the rest of the hymn is still slight: but not so marked as in the lines which we have quoted. The 1853 text is in extensive use.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)