Father of uncreated light

Verse 1
Father of uncreated light,
Fountain of life, and source of power,
We tremble at thy glory’s height,
And lost in silent praise adore.

Verse 2
Truly thou art a secret God,
That hid’st thee in the deepest shade,
Thy inaccessible abode
Thou hast in clouds[1] and darkness made.

Verse 3
Darkness and clouds surround thy throne,
And veil the brightness of thy face,
Still we revere a God unknown,
A bottomless abyss of grace.

Verse 4
Who, who can all thy counsel see,
Thine uttermost perfection prove,
Fathom the depths of deity,
The mystery of redeeming love!

Verse 5
Yet hast thou in the gospel-glass
The beamings of thy glory shewn,
Before us made thy goodness pass,
And strongly stamp’d it on thy Son.

Verse 6
Thy judgments all our thoughts transcend,
Thy love is written on our hearts,
Thy love in part we comprehend,
Love, only love we know thou art.

Verse 7
Angels, behold the bleeding Lamb,
Your God for guilty sinners slain,
Confess the power of Jesu’s name,
Angels, bow down, and worship man.

Verse 8
See, where enthron’d in Christ we sit,
We who the ransom’d nature share!
Hell, earth, and heaven to man submit,
To me, for I in Christ am there!

Verse 9
Amazing height of Jesu’s love!
Lord, what is man’s distinguish’d race,
Exalted in thy flesh above
The angels that behold thy face.

Verse 10
O when shall all thy members rise
To perfect life in thee restor’d,
Caught up to meet thee in the skies,
And be forever with the Lord.

Verse 11
Who now our scanty offerings bring
And praise thee with a stammering tongue,
We soon triumphantly shall sing
The new, the everlasting song.

Verse 12
Come, Lord, we groan to see thy day,
Come, Son of man, with glory crown’d!
The banner of thy cross display,
Descend, and bid the trumpet sound!

[1] Wesley changed “clouds” to “cloud” in 1745, but returned to “clouds” in following editions.

Hymnal/Album: Originally titled: "Lord, What is Man!." Introduced in Hymns and Sacred Poems (1742), published by John and Charles Wesley (London: William Strahan, 1742). Published in The Poetical Works of John and Charles Wesley, Collected and Arranged by G. Osborn, Vol. 2 (London: Wesleyan-Methodist Conference Office, 1869), page 194.
Publishing: Public Domain