HE Lord will come! the earth shall quake;
The hills their fixéd seat forsake;
And, withering, from the vault of night
The stars withdraw their feeble light.
2 The Lord will come! but not the same
As once in lowly form He came,
A silent Lamb to slaughter led,
The bruised, the suffering, and the dead.
The Lord will come! a dreadful form,
With wreath of flame, and robe of storm,
On cherub wings, and wings of wind,
Anointed Judge of human kind!
4 Can this be He, who wont to stray
A pilgrim on the world's highway,
By power oppressed, and mocked by pride,
The Nazarene, the Crucified?
5 While sinners in despair shall call,
"Rocks, hide us! mountains, on us fall!"
The saints, ascending from the tomb,
Shall sing for joy, "The Lord is come!"
'HAT day of wrath! that dreadful day
When heaven and earth shall pass away!
What power shall be the sinner's stay?
How shall he meet that dreadful day?
2 When, shriveling like a parchéd scroll,
The flaming heavens together roll;
When louder yet, and yet more dread,
Swells the high trump that wakes the dead!
3 Oh, on that day, that wrathful day,
When man to judgment wakes from clay,
Be Thou the trembling sinner's stay,
Though heaven and earth shall pass away!
`HE last loud trumpet's wondrous sound
Does through the rending tombs rebound;
The Judge ascends His awful throne,
He makes each secret sin be known,
And all with shame confess their own.
2 Thou great Creator of mankind,
Amazing fears o'erwhelm my mind;
My sins my heart with anguish rend;
My God, my Saviour, and my Friend,
Do not forsake me in the end!
3 Thou who for me didst feel such pain,
Whose precious blood the cross did stain,
Let not those agonies be vain ;
Cancel my debt, too great to pay,
Before the last accounting day.
4 From that insatiable abyss,
Where flames devour, where Satan is,
Oh save and bring me to Thy bliss;
Give to my ransomed soul a place
Among thy chosen right-hand race.
BEHOLD the Bridegroom cometh
In the middle of the night,
And blest is he whose loins are girt,
Whose lamp is burning bright;
But woe to that dull servant
Whom the Master shall surprise,
With lamp untrimmed, unburning,
And with slumber in his eyes!
2 Do thou, my soul, beware, beware,
Lest thou in sleep sink down,
Lest thou be given o'er to death,
And lose the golden crown;
But see that thou be sober,
With watchful eyes, and thus
Cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy God,
Have mercy upon us!"
3 That day, the day of fear, shall come:
My soul, slack not thy toil,
But light thy lamp, and feed it well,
And make it bright with oil;
Who knowest not how soon may sound
The cry at eventide,
"Behold, the Bridegroom comes ! Arise !
Go forth to meet the Bride."
4 Beware, my soul; beware, beware,
Lest thou in slumber lie,
And, like the five, remain without,
And knock and vainly cry;
But watch, and bear thy lamp undimmed,
And Christ shall gird thee on
His own bright wedding-robe of light,
The glory of the Son.
REJOICE, all ye believers,
And let your lights appear;
The evening is advancing,
And darker night is near:
The Bridegroom is arising,
And soon He draweth nigh:
Up! pray, and watch, and wrestle!
At midnight comes the cry.
2 The watchers on the mountain
Proclaim the Bridegroom near ;
Go meet Him as He cometh,
With hallelujahs clear:
The marriage-feast is waiting,
The gates wide-open stand;
Up, up, ye heirs of glory!
The Bridegroom is at hand.
3 Our Hope and Expectation,
O Jesus, now appear;
Arise, Thou Sun so longed for,
O'er this benighted sphere!
With heart and hands uplifted,
We plead, O Lord, to see
The day of earth's redemption,
That brings us unto Thee!
THE world is very evil;
The times are waxing late:
Be sober and keep vigil ;
The Judge is at the gate;
The Judge who comes in mercy,
The Judge who comes in might,
To terminate the evil,
And vindicate the right.
2 Prepare we then to meet Him;
Let right to wrong succeed;
Let penitential sorrow
To heavenly gladness lead:
So may we sound His praises,
Who from destruction saved,
Bore with us in defilement,
And from defilement laved.
3 Far, far, as we have wandered,
And deep as is our fall,
His mercies never fail us,
Who freely pardons all;
Who bids His grace abounding
Love's mightiness display,
And David's royal fountain
Purge every sin away.
DAY of anger! that dread day
Shall the sign in heaven display,
And the earth in ashes lay!
Oh what trembling shall appear
When His coming shall be near,
Who shall all things strictly clear!
When the trumpet shall command,
Through the tombs of every land,
All before the throne to stand!
2 What shall I before Him say?
How shall I be safe that day,
When the righteous scarcely may!
King of awful majesty,
Saving sinners graciously,
Fount of mercy, save Thou me!
Leave me not, my Saviour; one
For whose soul Thy course was run,
Lest I be that day undone !
Thou didst toil my soul to gain,
Didst redeem me with Thy pain,
Be such labor not in vain!
Thou just Judge of wrath severe,
Grant my sins remission here,
Ere Thy reckoning day appear!
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