Hymns and Spiritual Songs, in Three Books ‎#II.LXVI

II.LXVI. A prospect of heaven makes death easy

1 There is a land of pure delight,
Where saints immortal reign;
Infinite day excludes the night,
And pleasures banish pain.

2 There everlasting spring abides,
And never-with'ring flow'rs;
Death, like a narrow sea, divides
That heav'nly land from ours.

3 [Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood,
Stand dress'd in living green:
So to the Jews old Canaan stood,
While Jordan roll'd between.

4 But tim'rous mortals start and shrink,
To cross this narrow sea;
And linger, shiv'ring on the brink,
And fear to launch away.]

5 O! could we make our doubts remove,
Those gloomy doubts that rise,
And see the Canaan that we love,
With unbeclouded eyes!

6 Could we but climb where Moses stood,
And view the landscape o'er,
Not Jordan's stream's, nor death's cold flood
Should fright us from the shore.

Text Information

• First Line: There is a land of pure delight
• Title: A prospect of heaven makes death easy
• Meter: C. M.
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1793

Tune Information

(No tune information)