The Happiness of the Saints Above

Representative Text

I. O could we read our int'rest here,
Jesus, in these dear words of thine,
A heav'n of pleasure would appear,
A blissful view of joys divine.

II. Dear Saviour, let thy boundless grace
Remove our guilt, our fears remove;
Then shall our thoughts with rapture trace
The radiant mansions of thy love.

III. There shall our hearts no more complain,
Nor sin prevail, nor grace decay;
But perfect joy forever reign,
One glorious, undeclining day.

IV. No darkness there shall cloud our sight;
These now dejected feeble eyes,
Shall gaze, with infinite delight,
On the full glories of the skies.

V. There shall we see thy lovely face,
And chang'd to purity divine,
Partake the splendors of the place,
And in thy glorious likeness shine.

VI. Yes, dearest Lord, to dwell with thee,
Thy praise our endless, sweet employ,
Must be immense felicity,
A full infinitude of joy!

VII. O let thy spirit now impart,
The kind assurance of thy love,
With sealing pow'r to ev'ry heart,
Sweet earnest of the joys above.

Source: Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional, Vol. 1 #166

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Author: Anne Steele

Anne Steele was the daughter of Particular Baptist preacher and timber merchant William Steele. She spent her entire life in Broughton, Hampshire, near the southern coast of England, and devoted much of her time to writing. Some accounts of her life portray her as a lonely, melancholy invalid, but a revival of research in the last decade indicates that she had been more active and social than what was previously thought. She was theologically conversant with Dissenting ministers and "found herself at the centre of a literary circle that included family members from various generations, as well as local literati." She chose a life of singleness to focus on her craft. Before Christmas in 1742, she declined a marriage proposal from contemporar… Go to person page >

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First Line:	O could we read our int'rest here
Title:	The Happiness of the Saints Above
Author:	Anne Steele (1760)
Language:	English
Publication Date:	1760
Copyright:	This text is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before 1931.