Lo! what a glorious sight appears to our admiring eyes! The former seas have passed away, the former earth and skies. | From heav’n the New Jerus’lem comes, all worthy of its Lord; See all things now at last renewed, and paradise restored! | Attending angels shout for joy, and the bright armies sing; Mortals! behold the sacred seat of your descending King! | The God of glory down to men removes his bless’d abode; He dwells with men; his people they, and he his people’s God. | His gracious hand shall wipe the tears from ev’ry weeping eye: And pains and groans, and griefs and fears, and death itself, shall die. | Behold, I change all human things! saith he, whose words are true; Lo! what was old is passed away, and all things are made new! | I am the First, and I the Last, through endless years the same; I AM, is my memorial still, and my eternal name. | Ho, ye that thirst! to you my grace shall hidden streams disclose, And open full the sacred spring, whence life for ever flows. | Bless’d is the man that overcomes; I’ll own him for a son; A rich inheritance rewards the conquests he hath won. | But bloody hands and hearts unclean, and all the lying race, The faithless, and the scoffing crew, who spurn at offered grace; | They, seized by justice, shall be doomed in dark abyss to lie, And in the fiery burning lake the second death shall die. | O may we stand before the Lamb, when earth and seas are fled, And hear the judge pronounce our name, with blessings on our bead! | |