Beyond, Beyond

Beyond Beyond
(Josiah Conder)
Music by James Collignon

Beyond, beyond that boundless sea,
Above that dome of sky,
Father than thought itself can flee,
Thy dwelling is on high; yet dear the aweful though to me,
That thou, my God, art nigh;

Art nigh, and yet my laboring mind
Feels after thee in vain,
Thee in these works of power to find,
Or to thy seat attain,
Thy messenger the stormy wind,
Thy path the trackless main.

These speak of thee with loud acclaim.
They thunder forth thy praise,
The glorious honor of thy name,
The wonders of thy ways:
But thou art not in tempest flame,
Nor in day’s glorious blaze.

We hear thy voice when thunders roll
Through the wide fields of air;
The waves obey thy dead control,
Yet still though art not there.
Where shall I find him, O my soul,
Who yet is everywhere?

O not in circling depth or height,
But in the conscious breast;
Present to faith, though veiled from sight,
There doth his Spirit rest.
O come, thou Presence in finite!
And make thy create blest.

© 1993