Words: , Hymns and Sac­red Po­ems (Bris­tol, Eng­land: 1742).

Music: Evan, , 1847; ar­ranged by , in New Car­mi­na Sac­ra (Bos­ton, Mass­a­chu­setts: 1850). Al­ter­nate tune:

  • Faith (Dykes), , 1867

John B. Gough, the great tem­per­ance lec­tur­er, gives an in­ter­esti­ng ac­count in his Au­to­bi­o­gra­phy of the sing­ing of this hymn when as a boy he left home in June, 1839. While the ship on which he was to sail was be­calmed and tar­ried at Sand­gate, his fa­ther and other loved ones came on board. When the vi­sit­ors were about to leave for the shore, they formed their boats in a se­mi­cir­cle around the ship, and all stood up and with blend­ed voic­es sang their af­fec­tion­ate fare­well in the words of this hymn. As the mu­sic float­ed over the calm wa­ters in the weird twi­light of the dy­ing day, it left an im­press­ion ne­ver to be for­got­ten by any of those who wit­nessed the beau­ti­ful leave tak­ing.

Blest be the dear uniting love,
That will not let us part!
Our bodies may far off remove,
We still are one in heart.

Joined in one spirit to our Head,
Where He appoints we go;
And still in Jesus’ footsteps tread,
And show His praise below.

O may we ever walk in Him,
And nothing know beside;
Nothing desire, nothing esteem,
But Jesus crucified.

Closer and closer let us cleave
To His beloved embrace;
Expect His fullness to receive
And grace to answer grace.

While thus we walk with Christ in light
Who shall our souls disjoin,
Souls, which Himself vouchsafes t’unite
In fellowship divine!

We all are one who Him receive,
The same in mind and heart,
Nor joy, nor grief, nor time, nor place,
Nor life, nor death can part.

Partakers of the Savior’s grace,
The same in mind and heart,
Nor joy, nor grief, nor time, nor place,
Nor life, nor death can part.

But let us hasten to the day
Which shall our flesh restore,
When death shall all be done away,
And bodies part no more!