Ere mountains reared their forms sublime

1Ere mountains reared their forms sublime,
Or heaven and earth in order stood,
Before the birth of ancient time,
From everlasting thou art God.

2A thousand ages, in their flight,
With thee are as a fleeting day;
Past, present, future, to thy sight
At once their various scenes display.

3But our brief life's a shadow dream,
A passing thought, that soon is gone,
That fades with morning's earliest beam,
And this his morning music long.

4To us, the wisdom thou dost give,
That we at length with thee may spend
Where life and death unite never end.