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In counsels of eternity
In counsels of eternity,
before all worlds were formed,
no sun or moon shed light on earth,
nor stars the skies adorned;
there, deep within the Father’s heart,
love issued in decree
that sons of earth, though lost in sin,
his royal heirs should be.
2. To Bethlehem Messiah came,
the Saviour promised long
through ages dark; his name proclaimed
in vision and in song.
Eternal Son, himself our God,
among us stoops to dwell,
by virgin’s womb, to stable bare—
our Lord, Immanuel!
3. At Calvary, the cross of shame,
his glory was revealed
for all of faith; a saving death,
to unbelief concealed.
The covenant he seals in blood;
the power of death denied:
he bursts the gates of hell to rise—
his people justified!
4. And now he reigns, enthroned on high,
his praises fill the skies!
Poured on the earth his Spirit moves,
the finished work applies:
where faith receives the gospel word,
the breath of life imparts;
now sealed as sons, the pledge of life—
his Spirit in our hearts!
5. To Father, Son and Spirit now,
the God whom we adore
be glory as it was, and is,
and shall be evermore!
For firm and sure his promise stands:
his word has proved the past;
he loved us from the first of time—
he’ll keep us to the last!
© WILLIAM PHILIP (b. 1967)
William Philip
The Son - His Name and Praise
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The story behind the hymn
I began writing hymns during my time in London working at The Proclamation Trust, the first being one written for my aging father, but have mostly written praise for our own congregation in Glasgow to sing, usually inspired by a tune I think which has suggested words to me, often from a Psalm or other portion of Scripture, and which I think will work for congregational singing, rather than just group or solo singing.
I wrote this as a Christmas Carol for Christmas 2004, set to the lovely tune Ross, by the late Tom Swanston, who was a great friend of my father, a brilliant musician, and minister of the West Parish Church, Inverness. I had been meditating on the coming together of time and eternity in the incarnation and the life and death and resurrection of our Lord, and wanted to try to write a carol which went back into the eternal counsels of the God of love, but traced the work of Christ for us, and also the fruit of that personally in us, through the Holy Spirit, and the great assurance that gives us for eternity to come. We sing it most years at our Christmas Eve service, though usually on that occasion to the alternative tune Noel. (The Tune Ross does have a ‘Christmas feel’ and works very well for other DCM Carols such as ‘Hark the glad sound’ )
A look at the author
Philip, William
Rev, Dr William James Unwin Philip, MB ChB, MRCP, BD was born in Edinburgh in 1967. His father, James Philip, was minister of Holyrood Abbey Church. Through university and subsequent years working in medicine in Aberdeen, William was a member of Gilcomston South Church where William Still, his father’s great friend (after whom he was named), ministered for 52 years. The influence of both these men was formative for William’s life and ministry, shaping his convictions about expository ministry and prayer and teaching him to love great hymnody. Both were very musical and saw sung praise as an integral, not incidental, part of the corporate meeting both preparing for and responding to the ministry of the word.
William trained as a medical doctor at the University of Aberdeen, specialising in cardiology, before entering ministry in the Church of Scotland. He was an Assistant Minister in a parish in Aberdeen, before moving to London in 1999 to be Director of Ministry at The Proclamation Trust until 2004, when he was called to St George’s Tron Church in Glasgow. In 2006 he began Cornhill Scotland, retaining strong links with The Proclamation Trust. The congregation left the Church of Scotland in 2012, but he remained senior minister at the Tron, and is Chairman of Cornhill Scotland.
William has been published:
Teaching John (with Dick Lucas); Teaching Matthew (with David Jackman); The Law of Promise; Why We Pray; Songs for a Saviour’s Birth;