THE GREAT GOD OF HEAVEN

The great God of heaven is come down to earth,

His mother a virgin, and sinless his birth;

The Father eternal his Father alone:

He sleeps in the manger; he reigns on the throne:

Then let us adore him, and praise his great love:

To save us poor sinners he came from above.

A babe on the breast of a maiden he lies,

Yet sits with the Father on high in the skies;

Before him their faces the seraphim hide,

While Joseph stands waiting, unscared, by his side:

Lo! here is Emmanuel, here is the Child,

The Son that was promised to Mary so mild;

Whose pow'r and dominion shall ever increase,

The Prince that shall rule O'er a kingdom of peace:

The Wonderful Counsellor, boundless in might,

The Father's own image, the beam of his light;

Behold him now wearing the likeness of man,

Weak, helpless, and speechless, in measure a span:

O wonder of wonders, which none can unfold:

The Ancient of Days is an hour or two old;

The maker of all things is made of the earth,

Man is worshipped by angels, and God comes to birth:

Then let us adore him, and praise his great love:

To save us poor sinners he came from above.

The word in bliss of the Godhead remains,

Yet in flesh comes to suffer the keenest of pains;

He is that he was, and for ever shall be,

But becomes that he was not, for you and for me