A Selection of Hymns ‎#XX

XX. God Supreme and Self-sufficient

1 What is our God, or what his name,
Nor men can learn, nor angels teach;
He dwells conceal'd in radiant flame,
Where neither eyes nor thoughts can reach.

2 The spacious worlds of heavenly light,
Compar'd with him, how short they fall!
They are too dark, and he too bright,
Nothing are they, and God is all.

3 He spoke that wondrous word, and lo,
Creation arose at his command:
Whirlwinds and seas their limits know,
Bound in the hollow of his hand.

4 There rests the earth, there roll the spheres,
There nature leans, and feels her prop:
But his own self-sufficience bears
The weight of his own glories up.

5 The tide of creatures ebbs and flows,
Measuring their changes by the moon:
No ebb his sea of glory knows;
His age is one eternal noon.

6 Then fly, my song, an endless round,
The lofty tune let Gabriel raise;
All nature dwell upon the sound,
But we can ne'er fulfil the praise.

Text Information

• First Line: What is our God, or what his name
• Title: God Supreme and Self-sufficient
• Author: Dr. Watts
• Meter: L. M.
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1792
• Topic: God
• Source: Dr. Watts's Lyric Poems

Tune Information

(No tune information)