The Presence of Christ the Joy of His People

The wondering nations have beheld

Author: Anne Steele
Published in 14 hymnals

Representative Text

1 The wondring nations have beheld
The sacred prophesy fulfill'd,
And angels hail'd the glorious morn,
That shew'd the great Messiah born;

2 The prince! the Savior! long desir'd,
Whom men foretold, by heaven inspir'd,
And raptur'd saw the blissful day
Rise o'er the world with healing ray.

3 Oft, in the temples of his grace
His saints behold his smiling face:
And oft have seen his glory shine,
With power and majesty divine:

4 But soon, alas! his absence mourn,
And pray and wish his kind return;
Without his life-inspiring light,
'Tis all a scene of gloomy night.

5 Come, dearest Lord, thy children cry,
Our graces droop, our comforts die;
Return, and let thy glories rise
Again to our admiring eyes;

6 'Till fill'd with light, and joy, and love,
Thy courts below, like those above,
Triumphant hallelujahs raise,
And heaven and earth resound thy praise.


Source: A Selection of Hymns: from the best authors, intended to be an appendix to Dr. Watt's psalms and hymns. (1st Am. ed.) #CDIV

Author: Anne Steele

Anne Steele was the daughter of Particular Baptist preacher and timber merchant William Steele. She spent her entire life in Broughton, Hampshire, near the southern coast of England, and devoted much of her time to writing. Some accounts of her life portray her as a lonely, melancholy invalid, but a revival of research in the last decade indicates that she had been more active and social than what was previously thought. She was theologically conversant with Dissenting ministers and "found herself at the centre of a literary circle that included family members from various generations, as well as local literati." She chose a life of singleness to focus on her craft. Before Christmas in 1742, she declined a marriage proposal from contemporar… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: The wondering nations have beheld
Title: The Presence of Christ the Joy of His People
Author: Anne Steele
Meter: 8.8.8.8
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 14 of 14)
Page Scan

A Selection of Hymns & Psalms #306

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A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors. #404

TextPage Scan

A Selection of Hymns #CDIV

A Selection of Hymns....3d ed #d220

Page Scan

Baptist Hymn Book #a547

Hymns Selected #d199

Hymns Selected from Dr. Watts, Dr. Doddridge and Various Other Writers #d198

Text

Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional, Vol. 1 #109

The American Repository of Sacred Music #d152

Page Scan

The Baptist Hymn Book #860

Page Scan

The Baptist Hymn Book #547

Page Scan

The Psalms and Hymns of Dr. Watts #1122

The Psalms of David ... New ed. #d214

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