The Hymnal ‎#241

241. Eternal Light! Eternal Light!

Eternal Light! Eternal Light!
How pure that soul must be,
When, placed within thy searching sight,
It shrinks not, but with calm delight
Can live, and look on thee.

The spirits that surround thy throne
May bear the burning bliss;
But surely that is theirs alone
Who, undefiled, have never known
A fallen world like this.

O how shall I, whose native sphere
Is dark, whose mind is dim,
Before the Ineffable appear,
And on my naked spirit bear
The uncreated beam?

There is a way for man to rise
To that sublime abode:
An offering and a sacrifice,
A Holy Spirit's energies,
An Advocate with God:

These, these prepare us for the sight
Of holiness above:
The sons of ignorance and night
May dwell in the eternal Light,
Through the eternal Love!

Text Information

• First Line: Eternal Light! Eternal Light!
• Author: Thomas Binney (c. 1826)
• Meter: 8.6.8.8.6
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1916
• Topic: Sundays after Epiphany; Sundays after Trinity: The Divine Mercy

Tune Information

• Name: NEWCASTLE
• Composer: Henry L. Morley (1875)
• Meter: 8.6.8.8.6
• Incipit: 11772 21135 4123
• Key: F Major