Exhortation to Worship

Representative Text

1 Before Jehovah's aweful throne,
ye nations, bow with sacred joy;
know that the Lord is God alone:
he can create, and he destroy.

2 His sovereign power, without our aid,
made us of clay, and formed us then;
and, when like wandering sheep we strayed,
he brought us to his fold again.

3 We'll crowd thy gates with thankful songs,
high as the heavens our voices raise;
and earth, with her ten thousand tongues,
shall fill thy courts with sounding praise.

4 Wide as the world is thy command,
vast as eternity thy love;
firm as a rock thy truth must stand,
when rolling years shall cease to move.

Source: Ancient and Modern: hymns and songs for refreshing worship #597

Author: Isaac Watts

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 >

Notes

Sing to the Lord with joyful voice. I. Watts. (Ps. 100) 1st published in his Psalms of David, & c., 1719, p. 256, in 6 st. of 4 l. In this form its use in modern collections is limited; that which has attained to the greatest popularity being "Before Jehovah's awful throne." This arrangement is by J. Wesley, and was 1st published in his Psalms & Hymns at Charlestown, U.S.A., in 1736-7, p. 5, and repeated in J. & C. Wesley's Psalms & Hymns, 1741, p. 74; the Wesleyan Hymn Book in 1797, as the first of the "Additional Hymns," and the revised ed. of 1875. Modern collections of the Church of England have received it through Madan's Psalms & Hymns, 1760, Toplady's Psalms & Hymns, 1776, and others of the last century. It consists of Watts, as follows, with alterations thus: st. i., Watts' st. ii altered, by J. Wesley, to: "Before Jehovah's awful throne, Ye nations bow with sacred joy."

—Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Tune

OLD HUNDREDTH

This tune is likely the work of the composer named here, but has also been attributed to others as shown in the instances list below. According to the Handbook to the Baptist Hymnal (1992), Old 100th first appeared in the Genevan Psalter, and "the first half of the tune contains phrases which may ha…

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Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #415
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)

Instances

Instances (801 - 900 of 955)
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The Middlesex Collection of Church Music #12

The Millennial Harp #d42

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The Most Popular Hymns #64a

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The Musical Olio #108

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The Musical Olio #109

The National Baptist Hymn Book #d56

The National Baptist Hymn Book #ad56

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The National Baptist Hymnal #9

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The National Hymn Book of the American Churches #34

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The New Baptist Praise Book #87

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The New Baptist Praise Book #87

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The New Canadian Hymnal #23

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The New Canadian Hymnal #23

The New Church Hymnal #d39

The New England Sunday School Hymn Book #d18

The New Harp of Columbia #d9

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The New Harp of Columbia #11

The New Harp of Columbia, Restored Edition #11

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The New Hymn Book, Designed for Universalist Societies #7

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The New Hymn Book, Designed for Universalist Societies #7

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The New Hymn Book #10

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The New Jubilee Harp #S24

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The New Laudes Domini #158

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The New Living Hymns (Living Hymns No. 2) #279

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The New Song #156b

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The Old Story in Song Number Two #219

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The Otterbein Hymnal #3

The Oxford American Hymnal for Schools and Colleges #d35

The Oxford Hymn Book #187

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The Oxford Hymn Book #187

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The Palm #114a

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The Palm #114b

The People's Hymn Book #3

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The People's Hymnal #3

The People's Praise Book or Carmina Sanctorum #d51

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The Pilgrim Hymnal #415

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The Pilgrim Hymnal #26

The Plymouth Hymnal #d45

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The Plymouth Sabbath School Collection of Hymns and Tunes #72

The Praise #d16

The Praise Hymnal #4

The Praise Hymnal #310

The Prayer Meeting Hymn Book #d27

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The Presbyterian Book of Praise #14

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The Presbyterian Book of Praise #14

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The Presbyterian Hymnal #2

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The Presbyterian Hymnal #2

The Presbyterian Hymnal #444

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The Primitive Baptist Hymnal #1

The Primitive Hymns #d51

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The Primitive Methodist Church Hymnal #20

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The Psalmist #2

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The Psalmist #2

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The Psalmody #7

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The Psalms and Hymns of Dr. Watts #60

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The Psalms and Hymns #P100a

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The Psalms of David #100

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The Reformed Church Hymnal #3

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The Riverdale Hymn Book #50

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The Sabbath Hymn and Tune Book #53b

The Sabbath Hymn Book. Baptist ed. #d73

The Sabbath School Hymn Book #d26

The Sacred Lute #d28

The Sacred Lyre #d36

The Sacred Lyre #d4

The Saints' Harp #d105

The Saints' Hymnal #d33

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The Salvation Army Music #3a

The School Psalter #d28

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The Scottish Hymnal #135a

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The Scottish Hymnal #135b

The Selah Song Book (Das Sela Gesangbuch) #d59

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The Selah Song Book (Das Sela Gesangbuch) (2nd ed) #106a

The Selah Song Book. Word ed. #d31

The Select Hymn and Song Book #d33

The Service of Song for Baptist Churches #d67

The Service of Praise #d18

The Service of Song for Baptist Churches #d39

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The Seventh-Day Adventist Hymn and Tune Book #19

The Singer's Choice #d25

The Soldier's Hymn Book #d8

The Soldier's Hymn Book. 2nd ed. #d19

The Song Book of the Salvation Army #3

Text

The Song Book of the Salvation Army #4

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The Song Companion to the Scriptures #445

The Song Service, a Manual of Choice and Favorite Hymns #d11

The Songs of Zion #d15

The Songs of Zion #d15

The South Western Psalmist #d29

The Southern Psalmist #d66

The Southern Psalmist. New ed. #d72

The Southern Zion's Songster #d11

The Spirit Minstrel. 2nd ed. #d8

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The Spirit of Praise #3

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The Springfield Collection of Hymns for Sacred Worship #28

Pages

Exclude 933 pre-1979 instances
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