Scripture Verse

If our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 Corinthians 5:1

Introduction

portrait
Isaac Watts (1674–1748)

Words: Is­aac Watts, Hymns and Spi­ri­tu­al Songs, Book 1, 1707, num­ber 110. Death and im­me­di­ate glo­ry.

Music: Con­des­cen­sion, in A Com­pi­la­tion of Ge­nu­ine Church Mu­sic, by Jo­seph Funk, 1832 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tune:

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Funk (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

There is a house not made with hands,
Eternal and on high;
And here my spi­rit wait­ing stands,
Till God shall bid it fly.

Shortly this pri­son of my clay
Must be dis­solved and fall;
Then, O my soul! with joy obey
Thy heav’n­ly Fa­ther’s call.

’Tis He, by His al­migh­ty grace,
That forms Thee fit for Heav’n;
And, as an ear­nest of the place,
Has His own Spi­rit giv’n.

We walk by faith of joys to come,
Faith lives upon His Word;
But while the bo­dy is our home,
We’re ab­sent from the Lord.

’Tis plea­sant to be­lieve Thy grace,
But we had ra­ther see;
We would be ab­sent from the flesh
And pre­sent, Lord, with Thee.