1 'Twas the eternal word that spake,
And said, "Let there be light,"
It was, and at his high command,
Sprang from the womb of night.

2 He bids the day-spring know its place,
And guides the rising sun:
All nature owns her sov'reign Lord,
And what he wills is done.

3 Should he forbid the sun to rise,
And endless darkness reign:
Justice would silence every mouth,
Nor let a thought complain.

4 Thus, had the Sun of Righteousness,
Never arose and shone,
The frowning heav'ns had flash'd with wrath,
Fro crimes which we have done.

5 Then had salvation ne'er appear'd,
Nor angels sung of peace;
The anthem never had begun,
Which now will never cease.

6 But thanks to God, the nat'ral Sun,
Does light and heat convey,
The Sun of Righteousness will shine
An everlasting day.