San Francisco Central Seventh-day Adventist Church

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21 Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise

Today our Hymn of Praise is Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise, by Walter Smith. It is based on 1 Timothy 1:17: Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. The prevailing metaphor is light—light so glorious that it obscures the Object of our praise. Albert Bailey called this hymn “an attempt to express the inexpressible.” It is certainly, as one critic said of it when it was first published, “vigorous in thought and rich in expression.”

The tune, ST. DENIO, is from a Welsh folk song, A Hundred Years From Now. In 1906 Ralph Vaughn Williams introduced it as a hymn tune. The melody is easy to learn because it follows the notes of the primary chords.

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish - but naught changeth Thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
All praise we would render; O help us to see
'Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee!