A Voice by Jordan’s Shore

A voice by Jordan’s shore,
A summons stern and clear:
“Reform; be just, and sin no more:
God’s judgment draweth near!”

A voice by Galilee,
A holier voice I hear:
“Love God; thy neighbor love: for see
God’s mercy draweth near!”

O voice of duty, still
Speak forth: I hear with awe;
In thee I own the sovereign will,
Obey the sovereign law.

Thou higher voice of love,
Yet speak thy word in me;
Through duty, let me upward move
To thy pure liberty.

Author: Samuel Longfellow

Year: 1864

This hymn text by Samuel Longfellow (younger brother of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) first appeared in his and Samuel Johnson’s “Hymns of the Spirit” (1864). The distinctive pairing of John the Baptist’s call at the Jordan with Jesus’ voice in Galilee is characteristic of Longfellow’s liberal-Unitarian style.