81 O Lord, Thy being is of old, 1. O Lord, Thy being is of old, Before th' eternal past began! For Thou th' eternal Father art, The uncreated, great I AM! 2. Although a man with men become, Yet Thou with God eternal art! The same completeness Thou dost share, And infinite as God Thou art! 3. Thine origin, the same as God, Before creation was decreed! Before the foremost, Thou art first, None other doth Thyself precede! 4. Thou never changest thru all time, Thy years are to eternity! None is as lasting as Thyself, Nor is there any after Thee! 5. Just as the Father, diff'ring not, The same perfection Thou too hast! Thou art the Alpha and the First, Thou art Omega and the Last! 6. We praise Thee for Thine endless years, Extol Thee for Thy perfectness! Admiring all Thy fulness vast, We marvel at Thy boundlessness!