(#277) Old Hundredth, a Hymn Devotion for 24 September 2024 Anno Domini,
the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
“O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord.” (Psalms 117)
This is a hymn by the great minister of the Gospel, Isaac Watts. It is based on the shortest Psalm in the bible, but not the least in importance. The hymns of Isaac Watts are known as bridge hymns between the singing of the Psalter and the hymnody of a broader context. The tune is that of Old Hundredth which is also the tune of many other hymns including the original for which it was written by Thomas Ken; in fact, the Doxology is repeated in the 3rd stanza whose musical score is written by Louis Bourgeois.
Click here for you tube of hymn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFMOT0t3DxI
FROM ALL THAT DWELL BELOW THE SKIES
1 From all that dwell below the skies,
Let the Creator’s praise arise;
Let the Redeemer’s name be sung
Through ev’ry land by ev’ry tongue.
2 Eternal are Thy mercies Lord;
Eternal truth attends Thy Word;
Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore
Till suns shall rise and set no more.
3 Praise God, from whom all bless-ings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here be-low;
Praise Him above ye heavenly host:
Praise Fa-ther, Son, and Holy Ghost. AMEN
1 From all that dwell below the skies, Let the Creator’s praise arise; Let the Redeemer’s name be sung Through ev’ry land by ev’ry tongue. Certainly, hymns of praise ring out from every nation, continent and island of the sea. At the time of its writing, the larger Christian population was in Europe and North America. Today, the greater number of believers come from the southern hemisphere. I have never heard more beautiful hymns of praise as those I heard on Isabel Island of the Solomon Island chain. These were sung anti-phonally by women seated on the left, and the men seated on the right. The organ music there was rich and deep. When I inquired to know where the organ was, Bishop Zephaniah Legumana pointed out men in the back of the church making the notes with various lengths of bamboo cane. “They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea. Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.” (Isaiah 24:14-15)
2 Eternal are Thy mercies Lord; Eternal truth attends Thy Word; Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore Till suns shall rise and set no more. Most of us will not see the day when ‘the suns rise and set no more;’ however, there will be a Camp of the Saints that remain to see that day approach. The very definition of Truth is the Word of God. He comprehends all truth and law – both natural and spiritual. We have witnessed the days when the praise of God sounded from shore to shore in America, but I fear the prophecies of Amos are about to be fulfilled: “11Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: 12And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.” (Amos 8:11-12)
3 Praise God, from whom all bless-ings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here be-low; Praise Him above ye heavenly host: Praise Fa-ther, Son, and Holy Ghost. AMEN This brief hymn (verse3) called the Doxology is probably the most oft sung hymn is the church rivaled only by the Gloria Dei. All blessings do indeed come from the hand of God. There is no other source of goodness. All creatures praise him in ways mysterious to those who lack ears to hear, and eyes to see. All in Heaven praise the Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
In Christ Alone during Season of TRINITY,
