Whereby I may walk aright,
In my Saviour’s path discerning,
Through this vale of doubt and strife,
Footsteps to eternal life.
We are immeasurably indebted to Åström, however, for the present form of the glorious All Saints’ hymn, “In heaven above, in heaven above.” This hymn, in which we almost may discern something of the celestial radiance and beauty of the heavenly country, is ranked as one of the finest hymns in the Swedish “Psalm-book.” It is more than three centuries old, dating back in its original form to 1620. It was written by L. Laurentii Laurinus, parish pastor in Häradshammar, at the time of his wife’s death, and was appended to the funeral sermon preached by a brother pastor. Åström recognized the rare beauty of the hymn and through his poetic genius it was clothed in immortal language. William Maccall, a Scotchman, has in turn rendered it into English in such a faithful manner that much of its original beauty is preserved.
In heaven above, in heaven above,
Where God our Father dwells:
How boundless there the blessedness!
No tongue its greatness tells:
There face to face, and full and free,