O Thou, Before the World Began

O Thou

be­fore the world be­gan

Ordained a sac­ri­fice for man

And by th’eter­nal Spir­it made

An of­fer­ing for the sin­ner’s stead;

Our ev­er­last­ing priest art Thou

Pleading Thy death for sin­ners now.

Thy of­fer­ing still con­tin­ues new

Before the right­eous Fa­ther’s view;

Thyself the Lamb for ev­er slain

Thy priest­hood doth un­changed re­main;

Thy years

O God

can nev­er fail

Nor Thy blest work with­in the veil.

O that our faith may nev­er move

But stand un­shak­en as Thy love!

Sure evi­dence of things un­seen

Now let it pass the years be­tween

And view Thee bleed­ing on the tree

My Lord

my God

who dies for me.