Lord of the Worlds Above

Lord of the worlds ab­ove

How plea­sant and how fair

The dwell­ings of Thy love

Thine earth­ly tem­ples are!

To Thine ab­ode

my heart as­pires

With warm de­sires to see my God.

The spar­row for her young

With plea­sure seeks a nest

And wan­der­ing swal­lows long to find

Their wont­ed rest:

My spir­it faints with eq­ual zeal

To rise and dwell among thy saints.

O hap­py souls that pray

Where God ap­points to hear!

O hap­py men that pay their con­stant

Service there!

They praise Thee still; and hap­py they

That love the way to Zi­on’s hill.

They go from strength to strength

Through this dark vale of tears

Till each ar­rives at length

Till each in Heav’n ap­pears;

O glo­ri­ous seat

When God

our king

shall thi­ther bring

Our will­ing feet!

To spend one sac­red day

Where God and saints ab­ide

Affords di­vin­er joy

Than thou­sand days be­side:

Where God re­sorts

I love it more to keep the door

Than shine in courts.

God is our sun and shield

Our light and our de­fense;

With gifts His hands are filled;

We draw our bless­ings thence.

He shall be­stow

On Ja­cob’s race pe­cul­iar grace

And glo­ry

too.

The Lord His peo­ple loves;

His hand no good with­holds

From those His heart app­roves

From pure and pi­ous souls:

Thrice hap­py he

O God of hosts

whose spir­it trusts

Alone in Thee.