IT was enough that God should say,
“Let there be light!”
That wondrous thing He then called Day,
The darkness, Night;
And first, as last, Ills work all lay
Good in. His sight.
The second day, at God’s command,
The firmament behold!
Above, below, the waters stand,
Divided and controlled
By Him whose great Almighty hand.
Created all of old.
The third day, while the gathered sea
Receives its bounds by God’s decree,
The firm dry land appears;
Then, lo! where all had barren been,
A lovely robe of varied green
The silent desert cheers.
The fourth day tells of glories bright,
The sun ordained the day to light,
And lesser moon to rale the night.
What mighty works of God they are,
As also every beauteous star
That shineth in the heaven afar!
Fresh wonders still the fifth day’s record brings,
At God’s creative word,
By multitudes of moving, living things
Is the vast ocean stirred;
While through the firmament on upward wings
Speeds many a joyous bird.
And still surpassing wisdom, power, and love,
The sixth day gives to faith’s adoring view;
What varied forms on earth to live and move,
Each after its own kind, each perfect too!
And man, as ruler, in God’s image made,
Stands in His presence, and is not afraid.