n heaven above,
Where God our Father dwells:
How boundless there the blessedness!
No tongue its greatness tells:
There face to face, and full and free,
Ever and evermore we see--
We see the Lord of hosts!

In heaven above, in heaven above,
What glory deep and bright!
The splendor of the noon-day sun
Grows pale before its light:
The mighty Sun that ne'er goes down,
Around whose gleam clouds never frown,
Is God the Lord of hosts.

In heaven above, in heaven above,
No tears of pain are shed:
There nothing e'er shall fade or die;
Life's fullness round is spread,
And like an ocean, joy o'erflows,
And with immortal mercy glows
Our God the Lord of hosts.

In heaven above, in heaven above,
God hath a joy prepared
Which mortal ear hath never heard,
Nor mortal vision shared,
Which never entered mortal breast,
By mortal lips was ne'er expressed,
O God the Lord of hosts!

Arvid Afzelius, court chaplain and pastor at Enkoping, was another member
of this remarkable group of Swedish hymnists that contributed to the
"Psalm-book" of Wallin. Afzelius, who was an authority on folk songs, has
given us the inspiring hymn of praise beginning:

Unto the Lord of all creation
Thy voice, my soul, in anthems raise.
Let every heart a fit oblation
Bring unto Him with songs of praise.
O contemplate in humbleness
The power and riches of His grace.

Johan Hjerten, an obscure country pastor at Hellstad, was the author of
six hymns in the "Psalm-book," among them the devotional hymn, "Jesus, in
my walk and living." It is said that the artless simplicity of his hymns
provided an excellent pattern for the other writers of his day, many of
whom were fond of the grandiloquent phrases so characteristic of the
rationalist hymnody.

The last name of this group we would mention is that of a layman, Per
Olof Nystrom. This man, who was a high naval officer, wrote many
excellent hymns, among them a devotional lyric that for more than a
hundred years has been cherished almost as a national prayer by the pious
folk of Sweden. Its first stanza reads:

O Fount of truth and mercy,
Thy promise cannot fail;
What Thou hast said must ever
In heaven and earth prevail;
"Call upon Me in trouble,
And I will help afford."
Yea, to my latest moment,
I'll ca