The King bowed low on his brazen throne
Where bright on Moriah’s fair summit shone,
In the dazzling light of an eastern sun,
The glorious House of the Holy One;
And the countless myriads breathless knelt,
Around the cloud where Jehovah dwelt,
While ascended the monarch’s prayer:—
O Lord, God of Israel, who reignest above,
Peerless in justice and perfect in love,
God of my fathers, who walked in Thy ways,
Look on the house I have built for Thy praise;
And when prayer from this temple is borne toward the sky,
Then hear Thou from Heaven, Thy dwelling-place high,
And hearing, oh Father, forgive!
If man, to whom evil and weakness belong,
His friend or his neighbour shall wilfully wrong,
Yet repent of his sin toward his brother and Thee,
And hoping for grace to Thy footstool shall flee,
If his prayer from this temple is borne toward the sky,
Then hear Thou from Heaven, Thy dwelling-place high,
And hearing, oh Father, forgive!
If Israel (whose fountain of power Thou art)
Her dependence forget in the pride of her heart:
And fighting should fall ’neath the enemy’s sword;
Yet humbly repentant should return to her Lord,
If her prayer from this temple be borne toward the sky,
Then hear Thou from Heaven, Thy dwelling-place high,
And hearing, oh Father, forgive!
If Thy people be chastened with dearth in their land,
Or pestilence spreadeth his withering hand,
Whatever the sickness or sorrow may be,
If they turn from their sin and seek pardon of Thee,
And their prayer from this temple be borne toward the sky,
Then hear Thou from Heaven, Thy dwelling-place high,
And hearing, oh Father, forgive!
If we sin (and Thou knowest we are but as dust),
And kindle Thine anger eternally just,
The Jew or the Stranger, the bond or the free,
Who e’er may seek blessing and pardon of Thee,
If their prayer from this temple be borne toward the sky,
Then hear Thou from Heaven, Thy dwelling-place high,
And hearing, oh Father, forgive!
And now, oh Thou God of Salvation, appear!
With the beautiful Ark of Thy Covenant here;
Oh! hallow this temple and make it Thy rest,
Let its priests in the robe of Thy glory be drest,
Let the saints Thou hast saved in Thy fathomless love
Behold Thee descending in light from above,
And shout—That their joy is in Thee.
So Solomon spoke, and his prayer being ended,
On his offering fire from Heaven descended,
And loud through the temple high glorying rang,
While the people in one mighty utterance sang—
“Oh praise ye Jehovah! eternally praise,
For good are His purposes, great are His ways,
And His mercy abideth for aye.”
Lord! Thou hast seen how that temple decayed,
Not a stone may now trace where Thine altars were laid;
The glories of Moses are faded away,
And our Monarch, Thy Jesus, has taught us to say—
When prayer thro’ His Spirit is borne toward the sky,
Then hear Thou from Heaven, Thy dwelling-place high,
And hearing, oh Father, forgive!