“COME, WE THAT LOVE THE LORD.”
Watts entitled this hymn “Heavenly Joy on Earth.” He could possibly, like Madame Guyon, 62 / 38 have written such a hymn in a dungeon, but it is no less spiritual for its birth (as tradition will have it) amid the lovely scenery of Southampton where he could find in nature “glory begun below.”
Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
And thus surround the throne.
There shall we see His face,
And never, never sin;
There, from the rivers of His grace,
Drink endless pleasures in.
Children of grace have found
Glory begun below:
Celestial fruits on earthly ground
From faith and hope may grow.
Mortality and immortality blend their charms in the next stanza. The unfailing beauty of the vision will be dwelt upon with delight so long as Christians sing on earth.
The hill of Sion yields
A thousand sacred sweets,
Before we reach the heavenly fields,
Or walk the golden streets.