Ye princes that in might excel

1 Ye princes, that in night excel,
Your grateful sacrifice prepare;
God's glorious actions loudly tell,
His wond'rous pow'r to all declare.

2 To his great name fresh altars raise;
Devoutly due respect afford;
Him in his holy temple praise,
Where he's with solemn state ador'd.

3 'Tis he that with amazing noise
The wat'ry clouds in sunder breaks:
The ocean trembles at his voice,
When he from heav'n in thunder speaks.

4 How full of pow'r his voice appears!
With what majestick terror crown'd!
Which from the roots tall cedars tears,
And strews their scatter'd branches round.

5 They, and the hills on which they grow,
Are sometimes hurried far away;
And leap like hinds that bounding go,
Or unicorns in youthful play.

6 When God in thunder loudly speaks,
And scatter'd flames of lightning sends,
The forest nods, the desart quakes,
And stubborn Kadesh lowly bends.

7 He makes the hinds to cast their young,
And lays the beasts dark coverts bare;
While those that to his courts belong,
Securely sing his praises there.

8 The Lord sits sov'reign on the flood,
The thund'rer reigns for ever king;
But makes his church his blest abode,
Where we his awful glories sing.

9 In gentler language, there the Lord
The council of his grace imparts;
Amidst the raging storm, his word
Speaks peace and courage to our hearts.

Source: The Psalms of David: with hymns and spiritual songs: also, the catechism, confession of faith, and liturgy of the Reformed Church in the Netherlands #29

• MIDI file from The Psalms of David: with the Ten Commandments, Creed, Lord's Prayer, &c. in metre...for the use of the Reformed Protestant Dutch church of the city of New York #XXIX