Lyrics:

1. O God, th’Eternal Father,
Who dwells amid the sky,
In Jesus’ name we ask thee
To bless and sanctify,
If we are pure before thee,
This bread and cup of wine,
That we may all remember
That offering divine–

2. That sacred, holy off’ring,
By man least understood,
To have our sins remitted
And take his flesh and blood,
That we may ever witness
The suff’ring of thy Son,
And always have his Spirit
To make our hearts as one.

3. When Jesus, the Anointed,
Descended from above
And gave himself a ransom
To win our souls with love–
With no apparent beauty,
That man should him desire–
He was the promised Savior,
To purify with fire.

4. How infinite that wisdom,
The plan of holiness,
That made salvation perfect
And veiled the Lord in flesh,
To walk upon his footstool
And be like man, almost,
In his exalted station,
And die, or all was lost.

Text: William W. Phelps, 1792-1872. Included in the first LDS hymnbook, 1835.
Music: Felix Mendelssohn, 1809-1847

-History: (Source: Wikipedia)

Written By: William W. Phelps

William Wines Phelps (February 17, 1792 – March 7, 1872) was an early leader of the Latter Day Saint movement. He was an assistant president of the church in Missouri, scribe to Joseph Smith, Jr., and a church printer, editor, and song-writer.

Today, William W. Phelps is probably best-known for his legacy of LDS hymns, many of which appear in the current edition of the LDS Hymnal.^[6]

• Adam-ondi-Ahman*
• Come, All Ye Saints of Zion*
• Come, All Ye Saints Who Dwell on Earth*
• Come, Let Us Sing an Evening Hymn*
• Gently Raise the Sacred Strain*
• Glorious Things Are Sung of Zion
• Hosanna Anthem
• If You Could Hie to Kolob
• Now Let Us Rejoice*
• Now We’ll Sing with One Accord*
• O God, the Eternal Father*
• Praise to the Man
• The Books of the New Testament
• The Spirit of God Like a Fire Is Burning*
• We’re Not Ashamed to Own Our Lord*

Phelps also reworded popular hymns turning them into uniquely Latter Day Saint hymns.

• Joy to the World! the Lord will Come*
• Redeemer of Israel*

* Included in the first Latter Day Saint Hymnal in 1835.

Music By: Felix Mendelssohn

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born, and generally known in English-speaking countries, as Felix Mendelssohn^{[n 1]} (3 February 1809 – 4 November 1847) was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period.

The grandson of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, Felix Mendelssohn was born into a notable ethnically Jewish family, although he himself was brought up initially without religion, and later as a Lutheran Christian. He was recognised early as a musical prodigy, but his parents were cautious and did not seek to capitalise on his abilities.

Early success in Germany, where he also revived interest in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, was followed by travel throughout Europe. Mendelssohn was particularly well-received in Britain as a composer, conductor and soloist, and his ten visits there – during which many of his major works were premiered – form an important part of his adult career. His essentially conservative musical tastes however set him apart from many of his more adventurous musical contemporaries such as Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner and Hector Berlioz. The Leipzig Conservatoire (now the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig), which he founded, became a bastion of this anti-radical outlook.

Mendelssohn’s work includes symphonies, concerti, oratorios, piano music and chamber music. His most-performed works include his Overture and incidental music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Italian Symphony, the Scottish Symphony, the Hebrides Overture, his Violin Concerto, and his String Octet. After a long period of relative denigration due to changing musical tastes and anti-Semitism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, his creative originality has now been recognised and re-evaluated. He is now among the most popular composers of the Romantic era.