1 Thy names, how infinite they be!
Great Everlasting one!
Boundless thy might and majesty,
And unconfin'd thy throne.
2 Thy glories shine of wond'rous size,
And wond'rous large thy grace:
Immortal day breaks from thine eyes,
And Gabriel veils his face.
3 Thine essence is a vast abyss,
Which angels cannot sound,
An ocean of infinites,
Where all our thoughts are drown'd.
4 Thy mysteries of creation lie
Beneath enlighten'd minds;
Thoughts can ascend above the sky,
And fly before the winds.
5 Reason may grasp the massy hills,
And stretch from pole to pole,
But half thy name our spirit fills,
And overloads our soul.
6 In vain our haughty reason swells,
For nothing's found in thee
But boundless inconceivables,
And vast eternity.
Source: The Hartford Selection of Hymns: from the most approved authors: to which are added a number never before published (2nd ed.) #IV
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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