79
Ere mountains Reared Their Forms Sublime
Verse 1
Ere mountains reared their forms sublime,
Or heaven and earth in order stood,
Before the birth of ancient time,
From everlasting Thou art God.
Or heaven and earth in order stood,
Before the birth of ancient time,
From everlasting Thou art God.
Verse 2
A thousand years are in their flight,
With Thee but as a fleeting day;
Past, present, future, to Thy sight
At once their various scenes display.
With Thee but as a fleeting day;
Past, present, future, to Thy sight
At once their various scenes display.
Verse 3
But our brief life’s a shadowy dream,
A passing thought that soon is o’er,
That fades with morning’s earliest beam,
And fills the musing mind no more.
A passing thought that soon is o’er,
That fades with morning’s earliest beam,
And fills the musing mind no more.
Verse 4
To us, O Lord, the wisdom give
Each passing moment so to spend,
That we at length with Thee may live
Where life and bliss shall never end.
Each passing moment so to spend,
That we at length with Thee may live
Where life and bliss shall never end.
This paraphrase of Psalm 90 is attributed to William Shirley and reflects the Evangelical Revival's emphasis on God's eternal sovereignty, appearing in many 18th- and 19th-century collections.