O Thou, Before the World Began

O Thou, before the world began,
Ordained a sacrifice for man,
And by th’eternal Spirit made
An Offering for the sinner’s stead;
Our everlasting Priest art Thou,
Pleading Thy death for sinners now.

Thy offering still continues new
Before the righteous Father’s view;
Thyself the Lamb for ever slain,
Thy priesthood doth unchanged remain;
Thy years, O God, can never fail,
Nor Thy blest work within the veil.

O that our faith may never move,
But stand unshaken as Thy love!
Sure evidence of things unseen,
Now let it pass the years between,
And view Thee bleeding on the tree,
My Lord, my God, who dies for me.

Author: William M. Bunting

Year: 1825

This hymn is most commonly attributed to William Maclardie Bunting (1805-1866), an English Methodist minister and hymnwriter. It first appeared in his father's (Jabez Bunting) collection around 1825-1827. Some sources list it as anonymous or from Methodist hymnals without firm attribution, but Bunting is the predominant credit.