When Morning Gilds the Skies

Verse 1
When morn­ing gilds the skies
My heart awak­ing cries:
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (Ps. 5:3, Ps. 59:16, Ps.92:1-2)
Alike at work and pray­er,
To Je­sus I re­pair: (Rom. 12:11-12)
May Je­sus Christ be praised!

Verse 2
When you be­gin the day,
O nev­er fail to say,
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (Ps. 92:1-2)
And at your work re­joice,
To sing with heart and voice, (Eph. 5:19-20, Col 3:16-17)
May Je­sus Christ be praised!

Verse 3
Whene’er the sweet church bell
Peals ov­er hill and dell,
May Je­sus Christ be praised!
O hark to what it sings,
As joy­ous­ly it rings,
May Je­sus Christ be praised!

Verse 4
My tongue shall nev­er tire
Of chant­ing with the choir,
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (Ps. 34:1, Ps. 145:2)
This song of sac­red joy,
It nev­er seems to cloy,
May Je­sus Christ be praised!

Verse 5
Does sad­ness fill my mind?
A sol­ace here I find,
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (Ps. 42:5)
Or fades my earth­ly bliss?
My com­fort still is this,
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (Job 1:21, Hab. 3:17-18)

Verse 6
To God, the Word, on high, (John 1:1, John 1:14)
The host of an­gels cry,
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (Ps. 148:1-2, Luke 2:13-14, Rev. 5:11-12)
Let mor­tals, too, up­raise
Their voice in hymns of praise,
May Je­sus Christ be prais­ed! (Rev. 5:13, Ps. 148:11-13, Ps. 150:6)

Verse 7
Be this at meals your grace,
In ev­ery time and place;
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (Acts 27:35, I Cor. 10:31)
Be this, when day is past,
Of all your thoughts the last
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (Ps. 92:1-2)

Verse 8
When mirth for mu­sic longs,
This is my song of songs:
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (James 5:13)
When ev­en­ing sha­dows fall,
This rings my cur­few call,
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (Ps. 42:8, Ps. 55:17, Ps. 92:1-2, Ps. 141:2)

Verse 9
When sleep her balm de­nies,
My si­lent spir­it sighs, (Ps. 6:6)
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (Ps. 42:8, Ps. 77:4-6)
When ev­il thoughts mo­lest,
With this I shield my breast,
May Je­sus Christ be praised!

Verse 10
The night be­comes as day (Ps. 139:11-12)
When from the heart we say:
May Je­sus Christ be praised!
The pow­ers of dark­ness fear
When this sweet chant they hear:
May Je­sus Christ be praised!

Verse 11
No love­li­er an­ti­phon
In all high Heav’n is known
Than, Je­sus Christ be praised! (Rev. 5:11-12, Rev. 7:9-10, Rev. 19:5-6)
There to th’eter­nal Word (John 1:1, Rev. 19:13)
The eter­nal psalm is heard: (Rev. 4:8, Rev. 5:13)
May Je­sus Christ be praised!

Verse 12
Let all the earth around
Ring joy­ous with the sound:
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (Ps. 66:1, Ps. 96:1-2, Ps. 98:4, Ps. 100:1-2)
In Heav­en’s eter­nal bliss
The love­lie­st strain is this:
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (Rev. 5:11-13, Rev. 7:9-10, Rev. 19:5-6)

Verse 13
Sing, suns and stars of space, (Ps. 148:3)
Sing, ye that see His face, (Ps. 148:1-2, Matt. 18:10, Rev. 22:4)
Sing, Je­sus Christ be praised!
God’s whole cre­ation o’er,
For aye and ev­er­more
Shall Je­sus Christ be praised! (Phil. 2:9-11)

Verse 14
In Heav’n’s eter­nal bliss
The love­lie­st strain is this,
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (Rev. 5:11-12, Rev. 7:9-10, Rev. 19:5-6)
Let earth, and sea and sky
From depth to height re­ply,
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (Ps. 148:7, Ps. 69:34, Ps. 96:11-12, Rev. 5:13)

Verse 15
Be this, while life is mine,
My can­ti­cle divine:
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (Ps. 104:33, Ps. 146:2)
Sing this eter­nal song
Through all the ag­es long:
May Je­sus Christ be praised! (Ps. 89:1, Ps. 145:1-2, Rev. 5:13)