Begin, My Tongue, Some Heavenly Theme

328 Begin, My Tongue, Some Heavenly Theme

1 Begin, my tongue, some heavenly theme,
   And speak some boundless thing;
   The mighty works, or mightier name,
   Of our eternal King.

2 Tell of his wondrous faithfulness,
   And sound his power abroad;
   Sing the sweet promise of his grace,
   And the performing God.

3 His very word of grace is strong
   As that which built the skies;
   The voice that rolls the stars along
   Speaks all the promises.

4 O might I hear the heav’nly tongue
   But whisper, Thou art Mine!
   Those gentle words shall raise my song
   To notes almost divine.
                         Isaac Watts
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
I wasn't familiar with this Isaac Watts hymn, which occurs in about 300 hymnals. And, oh my!, the variations. As usual, Cyberhymnal has the fullest listing of verses:

3. Proclaim salvation from the Lord
   For wretched, dying men;
   His hand has writ the sacred Word
   With an immortal pen.

4. Engraved as in eternal brass
   The mighty promise shines;
   Nor can the powers of darkness rase
   Those everlasting lines.

5. He that can dash whole worlds to death,
   And make them when He please,
   He speaks, and that almighty breath
   Fulfils His great decrees.

7. He said, Let the wide heav’n be spread,
   And heav’n was stretched abroad:
   Abram, I’ll be thy God, He said,
   And He was Abram’s God.

9. How would my leaping heart rejoice,
   And think my heav’n secure!
   I trust the all-creating voice,
   And faith desires no more.

</idle musing>