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LONGING FOR HEAVEN, OR, THE Song of Angels Above.

I.
1 EARTH has detain'd me Prisoner long,
2 And I'me grown weary now;
3 My Heart, my Hand, my Ear, my Tongue,
4 There's nothing here for you.
II.
5 Tir'd in my Thoughts I stretch me down,
6 And upward glance mine Eyes,
7 Upward (my Father) to thy Throne,
8 And to my Native Skies.
III.
9 There the dear Man my Saviour sits,
10 The God, how bright he shines!
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11 And scatters Infinite Delights
12 On all the happy Minds.
IV.
13 Seraphs with elevated Strains
14 Circle the Throne around,
15 And Move and Charm the Starry Plains
16 With an Immortal Sound.
V.
17 Jesus the Lord their Harps employs,
18 Jesus my Love they sing,
19 Jesus the Name of both our Joys
20 Sounds sweet from every String.
VI.
21 Hark, how beyond the narrow Bounds
22 Of Time and Space they run,
23 And speak in most Majestick Sounds
24 The Godhead of the Son.
VII.
25 How on the Father's Breast he lay
26 The darling of his Soul,
27 Infinite Years before the Day,
28 Or Heavens began to roll.
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VIII.
29 And now they sink the lofty Tone,
30 And milder Notes they play,
31 And bring th' Eternal Godhead down
32 To dwell in humble Clay.
IX.
33 O the dear Beauties of that Man!
34 (The God resides within)
35 His Flesh all pure without a Stain,
36 His Soul without a Sin.
X.
37 Then, how he look't, and how he smild,
38 What wondrous things he said,
39 Sweet Cherubs, stay, dwell here a while,
40 And tell what Jesus did.
XI.
41 At his Command the Blind awake,
42 And feel the gladsome Rays;
43 He bids the Dumb attempt to speak,
44 They try their Tongues in Praise.
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XII.
45 He shed a thousand Blessings round
46 Where 'ere he turn'd his Eye;
47 He spake, and at the Sovereign Sound
48 The Hellish Legions fly.
XIII.
49 Thus while with unambitious Strife
50 Th' Ethereal Minstrels rove
51 Thro' all the Labours of his Life,
52 And Wonders of his Love.
XIV.
53 In the full Quire a broken String
54 Groans with a strange Surprize;
55 The rest in silence mourn their King
56 That Bleeds and Loves and Dies.
XV.
57 The little Saints with dropping Wings
58 Cease their harmonious Breath,
59 No blooming Trees, nor bubbling Springs,
60 While Jesus sleeps in Death.
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XVI.
61 Then all at once to living Strains
62 They summon every Chord,
63 Break up the Tomb, and burst his Chains,
64 And show their rising Lord.
XVII.
65 Around the flaming Army throngs
66 To guard him to the Skies,
67 With loud Hosannahs on their Tongues,
68 And Triumph in their Eyes.
XVIII.
69 In awful State the Conquering God
70 Ascends his shining Throne,
71 While tuneful Angels sound abroad
72 The Vict'ries he has won.
XIX.
73 Now let me rise, and Joyn their Song,
74 And be an Angel too;
75 My Heart, my Hand, my Ear, my Tongue,
76 Here's Joyful Work for you.
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XX.
77 I would begin the Musick here
78 And so my Soul should rise,
79 Oh for some Heavenly Notes to bear
80 My Spirit to the Skies!
XXI.
81 There, ye that love my Saviour, sit,
82 There I would fain have place,
83 Amongst your Thrones, or at your Feet,
84 So I might see his Face.
XXII.
85 I am confin'd to Earth no more,
86 But mount in haste above
87 To bless the God that I adore,
88 And sing the Man I Love.

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Title (in Source Edition): LONGING FOR HEAVEN, OR, THE Song of Angels Above.
Author: Isaac Watts
Themes:
Genres: hymn

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Watts, Isaac, 1674-1748. Horæ lyricæ: Poems, chiefly of the lyric kind. In two books. ... By I. Watts. London: Printed by S. and D. Bridge, for John Lawrence at the Sign of the Angel in the Poultrey. MDCCVI., 1706, pp. 70-75. [20],267,[1]p.; 8⁰. (ESTC T82397; OTA K067329.000) (Page images digitized from a copy in the Princeton Theological Seminary Library.)

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The text has been typographically modernized, but without any silent modernization of spelling, capitalization, or punctuation. The source of the text is given and all editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. Based on the electronic text originally produced by the TCP project, this ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.

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