1 The God of Abraham praise,
All praised be His Name
Who was, and is, and is to be,
And still the same!
The one eternal God,
Ere aught that now appears;
The First, the Last:
Beyond all thought His timeless years!
2 His Spirit floweth free,
High surging where it will:
In prophet's word He spoke of old,
He speaketh still.
Established is His law,
And changeless it shall stand,
Deep writ upon the human heart,
On sea or land.
3 He hath eternal life
Implanted in the soul,
His love shall be our strength and stay
While ages roll.
Praise to the living God!
All praised be His name,
Who was, and is, and is to be,
For aye the same!
Daniel ben Judah
The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition
<idle musing>
The Methodist Hymnal from 1989 has a different version (taken from hymnary.org):
1 The God of Abraham praise,
who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of Everlasting Days,
and God of Love;
Jehovah, great I AM!
by earth and heaven confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred name
forever blest.
2 The great I AM has sworn;
I on this oath depend.
I shall, on eagle wings upborne,
to heaven ascend.
I shall behold God's face;
I shall God's power adore,
and sing the wonders of God's grace
forevermore.
3 The heavenly land I see,
with peace and plenty blest;
a land of sacred liberty,
and endless rest.
There milk and honey flow,
and oil and wine abound,
and trees of life forever grow
with mercy crowned.
4 The God who reigns on high
the great archangels sing,
and "Holy, holy, holy!" cry
"Almighty King!
Who was, and is, the same,
and evermore shall be:
Jehovah, Lord, the great I AM,
we worship thee!"
It's a adaptation/translation of a tradition Jewish song, written in the 14th century, so it's no surprise that there are numerous versions floating around out there. In a brief internet search, I saw at least three, but I'm sure there are more. The 1989 version was translated/paraphrased by Thomas Olivers
</idle musing>
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