How Meanly Dwells th’Immortal Mind

How mean­ly dwells th’im­mor­tal mind!

How vile these bo­dies are!

Why was a clod of earth de­signed

T’enclose a heav­en­ly star?

Weak cot­tage

where our souls re­side!

This flesh a tot­ter­ing wall;

With fright­ful breach­es

gap­ing wide

The build­ing bends to fall.

All round it storms of trou­ble blow

And waves of sor­row roll;

Cold waves and win­ter storms beat through

And pain the ten­ant-soul.

Alas! how frail our state! said I:

And thus went mourn­ing on

Till

sud­den from the clear­ing sky

A gleam of glo­ry shone.

My soul all felt the glo­ry come

And breathed her na­tive air;

Then she re­mem­bered Heav­en her home

And she a pri­son­er here.

Straight she be­gan to change her key

And joy­ful in her pains

She sung the frail­ty of her clay

In plea­sur­able strains.

“How weak the pri­son where I dwell!

Flesh

but a tot­ter­ing wall

The breach­es cheer­ful­ly fore­tell

The house must short­ly fall.

“No more

my friends

shall I com­plain

Though all my heart-strings ache;

Welcome

dis­ease

and eve­ry pain

That makes the cot­tage shake.

“Now let the tem­pest blow all round

Now swell the surg­es high

And beat this house of bond­age down

To let the strang­er fly.

“I have a man­sion built ab­ove

By the eter­nal hand;

And should the earth’s old ba­sis move

My heav’n­ly house must stand.

Yes

for ’tis there my Sav­ior reigns

(I long to see the God)

And His im­mor­tal strength sus­tains

The courts that cost Him blood.

Hark

from on high my Sav­ior calls;

I come

my Lord

my love.

Devotion breaks the pri­son walls

And speeds my last re­move.