Book 2, Hymn 80 · John Newton · Public-domain words
That was a wonder–working word
Book 2, Hymn 80 · John Newton
The words
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Stanza 1. That was a wonder–working wordWhich could the vast creation raise!Angels, attendant on their LORD,Admired the plan, and sung his praise.
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Stanza 2. From what a dark and shapeless mass,All nature sprang at his command!Let there be light, and light there was,And sun and stars, and sea and land.
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Stanza 3. With equal speed the earth and seas,Their mighty Maker’s voice obeyed;He spake, and strait the plants and trees,And birds, and beasts, and man were made.
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Stanza 4. But man, the lord and crown of all,By sin his honor soon defaced;His heart (how altered since the fall!)Is dark, deformed, and void, and waste.
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Stanza 5. The new creation of the soulDoes now no less his pow’r display;Than when he formed the mighty whole,And kindled darkness into day.
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Stanza 6. Though self–destroyed, O LORD, we are,Yet let us feel what thou cast do;Thy word the ruin can repair,And all our hearts create anew.
Olney Hymns (1779), Book 2, Hymn 80. John Newton. Public domain. CCEL transcription with modernized spelling. www.praylock.com/olney-hymns/2-80
About these words
John Newton lived from 1725 to 1807. These historical words are public domain.
This hymn belongs to the complete three-book collection first published in 1779.
