"Blessed are the Pure in Heart"
They who have kept their spirit's virgin whiteness
Undimmed by folly and unstained by sin,
And made their foreheads radiant with the brightness
Of the pure truth whose temple is within —
They shall see God.
Freed from the thrall of every sinful passion,
Around their pathway beams celestial light;
They drink with joy the waters of salvation,
And in His love whose love is infinite —
They shall see God.
Though clouds may darken into storms around them,
The promise pours through all its steady ray;
Nor hate can daunt nor obloquy confound them,
Nor earth's temptations lure them from the way
That leads to God.
They shall see God! O, glorious fruition
Of all their hopes and longings here below!
They shall see God in beatific vision,
And evermore into His likeness grow —
Children of God!
So when the measure of their faith is meted,
And angels beckon from the courts on high,
Filled with all grace, the work divine completed,
They shall put on their immortality,
And dwell with God!
- Title
- "Blessed are the Pure in Heart"
- First Line
- They who have kept their spirit's virgin whiteness
- Creator
-
William Henry Burleigh
- Bibliographic Citation
- Burleigh, William Henry, and Celia Burleigh. Poems by William H. Burleigh. With a Sketch of his Life by Celia Burleigh. New York: Hurd and Houghton, 1871, 273-274.
- Date
- 1871
- Period
- Late
- Subject
- Religion
- Related Resource
- Part of the final grouping of poems in the 1871 volume entitled "Faith and Aspiration." Unclear if this is an editorial addition by Celia Burleigh, or the original intent of William H. Burleigh.
- Rating
- ★★