The Glory of God

Representative Text

1 O GOD, thou bottomless abyss!
Thee to perfection who can know?
O height immense! what words suffice,
Thy countless attributes to show?

2 Greatness unspeakable is thine;
Greatness, whose undiminished ray,
When short-lived worlds are lost, shall shine,
When earth and heaven are fled away.

3 Unchangeable, all-perfect Lord,
Essential life's unbounded sea,
What lives and moves, lives by thy word,
It lives, and moves, and is, from thee.

4 High is thy power above all height;
Whate'er thy will decrees is done;
Thy wisdom, equal to thy might,
Only to thee, O God, is known!

Source: The Voice of Praise: a collection of hymns for the use of the Methodist Church #48

Paraphraser: John Wesley

John Wesley, the son of Samuel, and brother of Charles Wesley, was born at Epworth, June 17, 1703. He was educated at the Charterhouse, London, and at Christ Church, Oxford. He became a Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, and graduated M.A. in 1726. At Oxford, he was one of the small band consisting of George Whitefield, Hames Hervey, Charles Wesley, and a few others, who were even then known for their piety; they were deridingly called "Methodists." After his ordination he went, in 1735, on a mission to Georgia. The mission was not successful, and he returned to England in 1738. From that time, his life was one of great labour, preaching the Gospel, and publishing his commentaries and other theological works. He died in London, in 17… Go to person page >

Author: Ernst Lange

Lange, Ernst, was born at Danzig, Jan. 3, 1650, where his father, Matthias Lange, was in the service of the Senate. He was for some time secretary in Danzig, and thereafter in Warsaw. In 1691 he was appointed judge in the Altstadt of Danzig, and in 1694 senator. He died at Danzig, Aug. 20, 1727 (Bode, p. 103; Allegemeine Deutsche Biographie, xvii. 623, &c). After a visit to the Netherlands in 1698, Lange allied himself with the Mennonites and Pietists in Danzig, and came into conflict with the Lutheran clergy. His hymns were mostly written about the time when the pestilence visited Danzig, in 1710, and principally appeared in his LXI. Gott geheiligte Stunden, without place or date of publication., but probably at Danzig, 1711 (Preface dated… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: O God, Thou bottomless abyss!
Title: The Glory of God
Paraphraser: John Wesley
Author: Ernst Lange
Meter: 8.8.8.8
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

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Tune

VOM HIMMEL HOCH

Initially Luther used the folk melody associated with his first stanza as the tune for this hymn. Later he composed this new tune for his text. VOM HIMMEL HOCH was first published in Valentin Schumann's Geistliche Lieder in 1539. Johann S. Bach (PHH 7) used Luther's melody in three places in his wel…

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ROTHWELL (Tans'ur)


HEBRON (Mason)


Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #4915
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)

Instances in all hymnals

Instances (1 - 56 of 56)

A Collection of Hymns Adapted to the Use of the Methodist Episcopal Church #d420

A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social and Domestic Worship #d599

A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social and Domestic Worship #d601

A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social, and Domestic Worship #d601

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A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social, and Domestic Worship #15

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A Collection of Hymns for the use of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in America #108

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A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the Methodist Episcopal Church #207

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A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the Methodist Episcopal Church #207a

A Collection of Hymns for the use of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Rev. with a Supplement #d431

A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the Protestant Church of the United Brethren. Rev. ed. #d510

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A Collection of Hymns, for the Use of the People Called Methodists, with a Supplement #240

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A Collection of Hymns #207a

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A Collection of Hymns #238

Text

A Collection of Psalms and Hymns #XVI

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African Methodist Episcopal hymn and tune book #61

Conference Hymns and Tunes #d75

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Devotional hymns #9

Gospel Hymns #d405

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Hymn and Tune Book of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (Round Note Ed.) #32

Hymn Book of the Colored M.E. Church in America #d374

Hymn Book of the Holiness Movement Church #d365

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Hymn Book of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South #32

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Hymn Book of the Methodist Protestant Church #28

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Hymn Book of the Methodist Protestant Church. (11th ed.) #28

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Hymn Book of the Methodist Protestant Church. (2nd ed.) #12a

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Hymn book of the Methodist Protestant Church. (4th ed.) #12a

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Hymnal of the Methodist Episcopal Church #126

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Hymnal of the Methodist Episcopal Church #126

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Hymnal #61

Hymns and Psalms #54

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Hymns for the Use of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Rev. ed. #108

Methodist Hymn and Tune Book #d567

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Methodist Hymn-Book #63

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New Hymn and Tune book #175b

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New Hymn and Tune Book #175b

Redemption Hymnal #116

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Redemption Tidings Hymn Book #194

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Songs of Pilgrimage #280

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The African Methodist Episcopal Hymn and Tune Book #61

The American Hymn and Tune Book #d555

The Assembly Service #d3

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #4915

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The Heart and Voice #83c

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The Hymn Book of the African Methodist Episcopal Church #6

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The Hymn Book of the Free Methodist Church #25

The Methodist Hymn-Book with Tunes #42

The Select Hymn and Song Book #d221

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The Southern Methodist hymn and tune book #5

The Universalist Hymn Book #d342

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The Voice of Praise #48

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Wesleyan Hymn and Tune Book #27c

Exclude 53 pre-1979 instances
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