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God of ages and of nations

Representative Text

1 God of ag­es and of na­tions!
Every race, and ev­ery time,
Hath re­ceived Thine in­spir­ations,
Glimpses of Thy truth sublime.
Ever spir­its in rapt vi­sion
Passed the heav­en­ly veil with­in,
Ever hearts bowed in con­tri­tion
Found sal­va­tion from their sin.

2 Reason’s no­ble as­pir­ation
Truth in grow­ing clear­ness saw;
Conscience spoke its con­dem­na­tion,
Or pro­claimed the eter­nal law.
While Thine in­ward re­ve­la­tions
Told Thy saints their pray­ers were heard.
Prophets to the guil­ty na­tions
Spoke Thine ev­er­last­ing word.

3 Lord, that word ab­ld­eth ev­er;
Revelation is not sealed;
Answering un­to man’s en­dea­vor,
Truth and right are still re­vealed.
That which came to an­cient sag­es,
Greek, bar­barian, Ro­man, Jew,
Written in the heart’s deep pag­es,
Shines to-day, forever new!


Source: The Cyber Hymnal #16612

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Author: Samuel Longfellow

Longfellow, Samuel, B. A., brother of the Poet, was born at Portland, Maine, June 18, 1819, and educated at Harvard, where he graduated in Arts in 1839, and in Theology in 1846. On receiving ordination as an Unitarian Minister, he became Pastor at Fall River, Massachusetts, 1848; at Brooklyn, 1853; and at Germantown, Pennsylvania, 1860. In 1846 he edited, with the Rev. S. Johnson (q. v.), A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion. This collection was enlarged and revised in 1848. In 1859 his Vespers was published, and in 1864 the Unitarian Hymns of the Spirit , under the joint editorship of the Rev. S. Johnson and himself. His Life of his brother, the Poet Longfellow, was published in 1886. To the works named he contributed the follow… Go to person page >

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Text Information

First Line: God of ages and of nations
Author: Samuel Longfellow
Meter: 8.7.8.7 D
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain
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Media

The Cyber Hymnal #16612
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Instances

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The Cyber Hymnal #16612

The Cyber Hymnal #16612
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