Hymn Writers Tell of Heaven
“Listen to Cardinal Newman, the Roman Catholic, as in the delicately beautiful poem, ‘Lead, Kindly Light,’ he dreams and speaks about the time when:
‘The night is gone
And in the morn those angel faces smile
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.’
“And then Isaac Watts, the Nonconformist, has no gloomy view when he says:
‘Give me the wings of faith to rise
Within the veil and see
The saints above, how great their joys,
How bright their glories be.’
“And John Fawcett, the Baptist, who has written the very finest hymn of Christian fellowship, ‘Blest Be the Tie That Binds,’ sings for us:
‘When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.
From sorrow, toil and pain,
And sin we shall be free;
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity.’
“And Muhlenberg, the Episcopalian, joins in the chorus that the poet-choir are singing, and lifts his gaze to that heavenly country, and exultantly sings:
‘Where the saints of all ages in harmony meet,
Their Saviour and brethren transported to greet;
While the anthems of rapture unceasingly roll,
And the smile of the Lord is the feast of the soul.’
“And Bonar, the Presbyterian, will not be left behind as he sings of the land
‘Where none shall beckon us away,
Nor bid our festival be done;
Our meeting time the eternal day,
Our meeting place the eternal throne.
Then, hand in hand, firm linked at last,
And heart to heart enfolded all,
We’ll smile upon the troubled past
And wonder why we wept at all.’
“And best of all, Charles Wesley, who doubtless has been appointed to lead the choirs of heaven when the angel chorister is tired, sings for us, and with us:
‘Come, let us join our friends above
That have obtained the prize,
And on the eagle wings of love
To joys celestial rise:
. . . . . . . . .
One family we dwell in Him,
One church, above, beneath,
Though now divided by the stream,
The narrow stream, of death:
One army of the living God,
To His command we bow;
Part of His host have crossed the flood,
And part are crossing now.
. . . . . . . . .
O that we now might grasp our Guide!
O that the word were given!
Come, Lord of hosts, the waves divide,
And land us all in heaven!’”
It was a great open-air service when we were favored with