Classic Poem

YES , for thy pleasure, Lord,
All things in heaven and all in earth were made, —
Morn's welcome light, and evening's holy shade,
The many stars that gem the midnight sky,
The bright-hued flowers that all earth beautify,
The grand old forest monarchs in their pride,
The mighty ocean, fathomless and wide, —
All for thy pleasure, Lord.

Yes, for thy pleasure, Lord,
The mountains crested with eternal snows,
The glaciers that in far-off ages froze,
Each wondrous stratum of the solid earth,
And every form of life that e'er had birth, —
All for thy pleasure were created, Lord:
Thou call'dst them to existence with thy word,
All for thy pleasure, Lord.

Man for thy pleasure, Lord,
Was in thy image made, when light broke o'er
Those Eden tree-tops in the days of yore;
And though that death which is but second birth
Must be a portion of the sons of earth,
Yet surely not to die forevermore
Did'st thou make him who lords creation o'er,
But for thy pleasure, Lord.

And thy great pleasure, Lord, —
God of the good, the beautiful, the true!
God whom the angels pure adoring view, —
Is, that the life thou gavest be sanctified,
And thy dear Son, who for the race hath died,
Shall lead at last, where sweet, soft waters glide,
The faithful flock, and each stray lamb beside:
Such is thy pleasure, Lord.