Scripture Verse

In My Father’s house are many mansions…I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14:2–3

Introduction

portrait
Ray Palmer (1808–1887)

Words: Ray Pal­mer, 1854.

Music: De­us Tu­or­um Mi­li­tum Gre­no­ble An­ti­phon­er, 1753 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Another of Dr. Ray Pal­mer’s hymns on hea­ven. It was pub­lished first in the Sab­bath Hymn-Book, 1858…and he has reck­oned the date of its com­po­si­tion as ear­ly as 1854.

This en­thu­si­as­tic po­et was in the ha­bit of re­peat­ing re­li­gious po­et­ry at the bed­side of in­val­ids, in­stead of seek­ing to hold wear­y­ing con­ve­rs­ations with them. There is a ma­ni­fest ad­van­tage in this, for ge­ne­ral­ly it does lit­tle more than re­mind the one who is fee­ble of what he real­ly knew be­fore; and with the aid of the rhyme, and more oft­en the me­ter, he can fol­low the line of think­ing more ea­si­ly…

In the hymns of ev­ery lang­uage can be found the best theo­lo­gy and high­est spi­rit­ual­i­ty of the ev­an­gel­i­cal peo­ple who speak it; and so one of the wis­est coun­sels to a young cler­gy­man is that he com­mit such to me­mo­ry. This par­ti­cu­lar piece was, with the au­thor, a fa­vo­rite in such ex­er­cis­es.

Robinson, p. 471

Lyrics

Thy Fa­ther’s house! Thine own bright home!
And Thou hast there a place for me!
Though yet an exile here I roam,
That distant home by faith I see.

I see its domes resplendent glow,
Where beams of God’s own glo­ry fall;
And trees of life immortal grow,
Whose fruits o’erhang the sapphire wall.

I know that Thou, who on the tree
Didst deign our mortal guilt to bear,
Will bring Thine own to dwell with Thee,
And waitest to receive me there.

Thy love will there array my soul
In Thine own robe of spotless hue;
And I shall gaze while ages roll,
On Thee, with raptures ever new.

O welcome day! when Thou my feet
Shalt bring the shining threshold o’er;
A Fa­ther’s warm embrace to meet,
And dwell at home for ev­er­more.