Eternal Source of Every Joy

Eternal source of ev­ery joy!

Well may Thy praise our lips em­ploy

While in Thy tem­ple we ap­pear

Whose good­ness crowns the circ­ling year.

While as the wheels of na­ture roll

Thy hand sup­ports the stea­dy pole;

The sun is taught by Thee to rise

And dark­ness when to veil the skies.

The flow­ery spring

at Thy com­mand

Embalms the air and paints the land;

The sum­mer rays with vi­gor shine

To raise the corn and cheer the vine.

Thy hand in au­tumn rich­ly pours

Through all our coasts re­dun­dant stores;

And win­ters

soft­ened by Thy care

No more a face of hor­ror wear.

Seasons

and months

and weeks

and days

Demand suc­cess­ive songs of praise;

Still be the cheer­ful hom­age paid

With op­en­ing light and ev­en­ing shade.

Here in Thy house shall in­cense rise

And circ­ling Sab­baths bless our eyes;

Still we will make Thy mer­cies known

Around Thy board

and round our own.

O may our more har­mo­ni­ous tongues

In worlds un­known pu­rsue the songs;

And in those bright­er courts ad­ore

Where days and years re­volve no more!