Adventist Pioneer Library

Worship — Attributes and Providence of God

Father, how wide thy glory shines

  • No. 84
  • Words Isaac Watts.
  • 3 stanzas
  • Words only in the original

Words

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1

Father, how wide thy glory shines!
How high thy wonders rise!
Known through the earth by countless signs,
By countless through the skies.
Those mighty orbs proclaim thy power,
Their motions speak thy skill;
And on the wings of every hour
We read thy patience still.

2

But, when we view thy strange design
To save rebellious worms,
Where vengeance and compassion join
In their divinest forms,—
Here the whole Deity is known;
Nor dares a creature guess
Which of the glories brightest shone—
The justice, or the grace.

3

Now while the glories of the Lamb
Adorn the heavenly plains;
While seraphs chant Immanuel's name,
And try their choicest strains,
O may I bear some humble part
In that immortal song!
Wonder and joy shall tune my heart,
And love command my tongue.

About this hymn

As printed Words only. As printed: hymn number «84» and the italic reference line «486, 291, 686.» (sing to the tune of hymn 486, 291 or 686) at the foot of the left column of p. 31, below hymn 83; stanza 1 begins there (four lines) and continues at the top of the right column (four lines); stanzas 2–3 follow in the right column, «Isaac Watts.» in italics at the end. The first word «FATHER» is set in capitals and small capitals. The stanza numbers are printed without a full stop («1 FATHER», «2 But,», «3 Now»); they are numbered «1.», «2.», «3.» here. The print sets a thin space before «;» and «!» («shines !», «rise !», «skill ;», «known ;», «plains ;», «song !»); it is closed up here. The squeezed line «Known through the earth bycountless signs,» is two words «by countless» (tight justification). Dashes as printed: «forms,—», «shone—». Spelling, punctuation and capitals are the print's. Lines 2, 4, 6 and 8 of each stanza are indented in the print. No meter is printed (the text is C. M. D., 8.6.8.6.8.6.8.6).

Source
The Seventh-day Adventist Hymn and Tune Book (Battle Creek: Review & Herald, 1886/1888)
Where
Worship — Attributes and Providence of God · No. 84 · printed page 31
Checked
lyrics verified (fork reading; parent check pending) · 2026-09-30