O God, Before Thy Sun's Bright Beams

Representative Text

1. O God, before Thy sun's bright beams
All night's dark shadows fly;
So on the soul Thy mercy gleams,
And doubts and terrors die.

2. So freshly falls Thy heaven-sent grace,
As morning's gladdening breath;
Gives light to all who seek Thy face,
And guides in life and death.

3. O holy light! O light of God!
O light unseen below,
Which fills the courts of Thine abode,
Which there the blest shall know!

4. Swift comes the hour when none can toil,
Short is the rugged way:
Teach us our lamps to fill with oil,
Whilst it is called to-day.

5. Then we shall see that glorious light,
Which to the saints is given,
So sweet, so fair, so passing bright,
The eternal morn of heaven.

6. O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
O Holy One in Three,
Grant us, with all Thy glorious host,
To share that morn with Thee.

Amen.
The Hymnal: Published by the authority of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., 1895

Author: Greville Phillimore

Phillimore, Greville, M.A., was born in 1821 and educated at Westminster, the Charterhouse, and Christ Church, Oxford (B.A. 1842). Taking Holy Orders in 1843, he became Vicar of Downe-Ampney, Cricklade, Gloucestershire, in 1851, Rector of Henley-on-Thames, 1867, and of Ewelme, 1883. He died Jan. 20, 1884. His Parochial Sermons were pu.lished in 1856. He was joint editor with H. W. Beadon and J. R. Woodford (afterwards Bishop of Ely) of The Parish Hymn Book, 1863 (195 hymns), and the enlarged edition, 1875 (274 hymns). The first edition of this collection was one of the first hymn-books which gave Dr. Neale's translations of Greek hymns for congregational use. To the 1863 edition Mr. Phillimore contributed the following hymns, several of whi… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: O God, before Thy sun's bright beams
Title: O God, Before Thy Sun's Bright Beams
Author: Greville Phillimore (1863)
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Tune

ST. PETER (Reinagle)

Composed by Alexander R. Reinagle (b. Brighton, Sussex, England, 1799; d. Kidlington, Oxfordshire, England, 1877), ST. PETER was published as a setting for Psalm 118 in Reinagle's Psalm Tunes for the Voice and Pianoforte (c. 1836). The tune first appeared with Newton's text in Hymns Ancient and Mode…

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The Cyber Hymnal #4840
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The Cyber Hymnal #4840

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