Sunday's Hymn and Sermon: Samuel Davies

I was looking for a particular sermon by Samuel Davies--the one he preached after an earthquake in the 1700's that killed 60,000 people or so. It was called Reflections on the Recent Earthquake or something like that. I thought it would be interesting to read in the wake of the recent hurricane, but I couldn't find it anywhere. I did find others of his classic sermons and a few hymns he wrote, so I've decided to feature a hymn and sermon of Samuel Davies this Sunday.

Samuel Davies was another of the leaders of the Great Awakening, well-known as the Apostle of Virginia. He was also president of what is now Princeton University, and is buried in the Princeton cemetery. [Here is a short biography of Davies: Part 1, Part 2.]

He wrote several hymns, but this is the one you probably know.

Great God of Wonders

Great God of wonders! All Thy ways
Are matchless, Godlike and divine;
But the fair glories of Thy grace
More Godlike and unrivaled shine,
More Godlike and unrivaled shine.

Crimes of such horror to forgive,
Such guilty, daring worms to spare;
This is Thy grand prerogative,
And none shall in the honor share,
And none shall in the honor share

Angels and men, resign your claim
To pity, mercy, love and grace:
These glories crown Jehovah's Name
With an incomparable glaze
With an incomparable glaze.

In wonder lost, with trembling joy,
We take the pardon of our God:
Pardon for crimes of deepest dye,
A pardon bought with Jesus' blood,
A pardon bought with Jesus' blood.

O may this strange, this matchless grace,
This Godlike miracle of love,
Fill the whole earth with grateful praise,
And all th'angelic choirs above,
And all th'angelic choirs above.

Who is a pardoning God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?
Or who has grace so rich and free?

Listen.

And here is one of his classic sermons: Mediatorial Kingdom and Glories of Jesus Christ.