STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

The book of nature open lies The book of creation

John Newton printed it in 1779 in Olney Hymns, Book II, no. 81, under Matthew 6:26–28.

WRITTEN BY

John Newton 1725–1807

PRINTED

1779 Olney Hymns · no. 81

METRE

Common Metre 8.6.8.6 · 8 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Matthew 6:26–28 the verse printed above it

The hymn, and the Scripture in it

All 8 stanzas as Newton printed them, with the verses their lines echo beside them. Point at a line to join it to its verse; click to read the passage.

SHARED WORDSthe verse shares the line's wording ECHOproposed by an AI model, confirmed by a separate check Not the author's own notes

AMONG THE SCRIPTURES

The stanzas at the centre; around them, every book its heading and its echoes come from, Old Testament on the left and New on the right. Choose a stanza or a book.

a line echoes this verse its heading or an echo comes from here

STANZA I

The book of nature open lies

The book of nature open lies,

With much instruction stored;

But till the Lord anoints our eyes

We cannot read a word.

No line of this stanza quotes a verse closely; it is the hymn's own confession.

Where Newton found it

Newton printed the hymn under Matthew 6:26–28. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

26Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. MATTHEW 6:26–28 · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ MATTHEW 6

To them the sun and stars on high, The flow’rs that paint the field, And all the artless birds that fly, Divine instruction yield. STANZA VI

Its place in the book

Book II of the hymn book, “On occasional subjects”, holds these hymns in this order: 100 hymns. This is number 81. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 81 · JOHN NEWTON · THIS HYMN The book of nature open lies

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