EARLY ADVENT
SDAH 453
We have heard from the bright, the holy, land;
We have heard, and our hearts are glad;
For we were a lonely pilgrim band,
And weary, and worn, and sad.
Get the hymn sheet in other keys here
For Worship Leaders
Make each hymn more meaningful with these helpful tools: Short, ready-to-use hymn introductions for church bulletins, multiple ways to introduce a hymn based on your worship theme and in-depth history and insights to enrich your song service.
Hymn Spotlight: We Have Heard
Written by early Adventist William H. Hyde, this hymn grew out of a deeply personal story. In 1845, Hyde was gravely ill when James White and Ellen Harmon visited him, prayed for his healing, and encouraged him to leave a group spreading error. He was instantly restored to health—a turning point that connected him to the emerging Sabbathkeeping Adventist movement. Inspired by Ellen White’s first vision of heaven (December 1844), Hyde crafted a poetic résumé of her description, weaving in its vivid imagery: glorious light, angelic singing, the tree of life, and the crowned King Jesus. Though simple in form, the hymn became one of Ellen White’s favorites—she sang it shortly before her death in 1915. The anonymous tune, sometimes called WE HAVE HEARD or BETTER LAND, mirrors the text’s plain sincerity with its repetitive lines, recitative rhythm, and straightforward harmonies, making it easy for early Adventist congregations to sing and remember.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
William H. Hyde was an early Adventist (later Seventh-day Adventist) who had been influenced by a group of fanatics. He was very sick with dysentery, and the doctor had given him very little hope of recovery. James White and his friend (later his wife) Ellen Harmon visited Hyde in Maine early in 1845 and persuaded him to leave those who were teaching error and bringing disrepute on the cause. They prayed for his restoration to health, and he was immediately and permanently healed (see Life Sketches, pp. 75, 76). Later he saw Ellen Harmon in vision and also read the account of her first vision, given in December 1844 but not published until 1846. He wrote a kind of résumé of this vision in verse, which was printed in the Present Truth of November 1850, the first published poem of a Sabbathkeeping Adventist. Phrases and sentences from the vision (see Early Writings, pp. 14-20) are appended below in order to show how the author received his stimulus from Ellen White’s description of the heavenly land.
Stanza 1: “A glorious light-far above the dark world-on this path the Advent people were traveling- I saw most glorious houses-to be inhabited by the saints-a pure river of water.”
Stanza 2: “A field of tall grass-living green-it waved proudly- field full of all kinds of flowers-mountains, on which grew roses the angels struck a note higher and sung again.”
Stanza 3: “He gave us harps of gold and palms of victory-they were all clothed with a glorious white mantle-the gate of the city-the pearly gate- we all cried out Alleluia-the fruit of the tree of life.”
Stanza 4: “King Jesus-upon His head were many crowns-His eyes were as a flame of fire-in a little while-clean hands and pure hearts-and be at rest.”
While the poem is not by any means a masterpiece, it is not surprising that the hymn was one of the favorites of Ellen White, for it reminded her of being used by God to bring visions to His people. She sang it just before her death in 1915. It was used by several of the Adventist hymnals of that time.
The tune is sometimes called WE HAVE HEARD, sometimes BET- TER LAND. Its composer is unknown and it is of very simple structure. The first, third, and seventh lines are identical, and several notes are repeated in order to accommodate in a recitative style the peculiar meter and rhythm of poem. The harmony is also elementary, with an economical use of chords, mainly tonic and subdominant.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
We have heard from the bright, the holy, land;
We have heard, and our hearts are glad;
For we were a lonely pilgrim band,
And weary, and worn, and sad.
They tell us the saints have a dwelling there-
No longer are homeless ones;
And we know that the goodly land is fair,
Where life’s pure river runs.
2
They say green fields are waving there,
That never a blight shall know;
And the deserts wild are blooming fair,
And the roses of Sharon grow.
There are lovely birds in the bowers green,
Their songs are blithe and sweet;
And their warblings, gushing ever new,
The angels’ harpings greet.
3
We have heard of the palms, the robes, the crowns,
And the silvery band in white;
Of the city fair, with pearly gates,
All radiant with light.
We have heard of the angels there, and saints,
With their harps of gold, how they sing;
Of the mount with the fruitful tree of life,
Of the leaves that healing bring.
4
The King of that country, He is fair,
He’s the joy and light of the place;
In His beauty we shall behold Him there,
And bask in His smiling face,
We’ll be there, we’ll be there in a little while,
We’ll join the pure and the blest;
We’ll have the palm, the robe, the crown,
And forever be at rest.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) Rev 22:1 (c) Rev 7:9, 21:21, 22:2
Author
W.H. Hyde (1828-1915)
Year Published
1850
Theme
EARLY ADVENT
Hymn Tune
WE HAVE HEARD
Metrical Number
P.M.
Composer
Unknown
Recommended Reading
Miller gained a huge following which came to be called, the ‘Millerites.’ Great Tent meetings were set up, and the progressing movement saw the need to provide new hymns. Sure, they had songs that they were singing from the churches they belonged to, but none that supported the distinct messages that was being preached such as the judgment, second advent, reward of the saints and the midnight cry. As a result, hymns were compiled and the first Millerite hymnal was born.
