Great is the Lord our God. I. Watts. [Psalm xlviii.] First published in his Psalms of David, &c, 1719, in 7 stanzas of 4 lines, and headed, "The Church is the honour and safety of a nation." The popular form of this hymn is composed of stanzas i., ii., vi., vii. This is in extensive use in Great Britain and America, and embodies the oft-quoted stanza:—
"These temples of His grace,
How beautiful they stand
The honours of our native place,
The bulwarks of our land."
In a few cases the text is altered, and sometimes, as in the New Mitre, 1875, a doxology is addedition
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
Isaac Watts was the son of a schoolmaster, and was born in Southampton, July 17, 1674. He is said to have shown remarkable precocity in childhood, beginning the study of Latin, in his fourth year, and writing respectable verses at the age of seven. At the age of sixteen, he went to London to study in the Academy of the Rev. Thomas Rowe, an Independent minister. In 1698, he became assistant minister of the Independent Church, Berry St., London. In 1702, he became pastor. In 1712, he accepted an invitation to visit Sir Thomas Abney, at his residence of Abney Park, and at Sir Thomas' pressing request, made it his home for the remainder of his life. It was a residence most favourable for his health, and for the prosecution of his literary… Go to person page >
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