2 The dead in Christ shall first arise,
At the last trumpet's sounding,
Caught up to meet him in the skies,
With joy their Lord surrounding:
No gloomy fears their souls dismay;
His presence sheds eternal day
On those prepared to meet him.
3 But sinners, fill'd with guilty fears,
Behold his wrath prevailing;
For they shall rise, and find their tears
And sighs are unavailing:
The day of grace is past and gone;
Trembling, they stand before the throne,
All unprepared to meet him.
4 Great God, what do I see and hear:
The end of things created!
The Judge of mankind doth appear,
On clouds of glory seated.
Low at his cross I view the day
When heaven and earth shall pass away,
And thus prepare to meet him".
"Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but
also heaven."-HEB. xii. 26.
1 THE Lord of might from Sinai's brow
Gave forth his voice of thunder;
And Israel lay on earth below,
Outstretch'd in fear and wonder:
Beneath his feet was pitchy night,
And at his left hand and his right
The rocks were rent asunder.
2 The Lord of love on Calvary,
A meek and suffering stranger,
Upraised to heaven his languid eye
In nature's hour of danger;
For us he bore the weight of woe,
For us he gave his blood to flow,
And met his Father's anger.
3 The Lord of love, the Lord of might,
The King of all created,
Shall back return to claim his right,
On clouds of glory seated;
With trumpet-sound, and angel-song,
And hallelujahs loud and long,
O'er death and hell defeated Y.
"The Lord grant him that he may find mercy
of the Lord in that day."-2 TIM. i. 18.
1 DAY of wrath, O day of mourning!
See the Crucified returning,
Heaven and earth in ashes burning!
O what fear man's bosom rendeth,
When from heaven the Judge descendeth,
On whose sentence all dependeth!
Wondrous sound the trumpet flingeth;
Through earth's sepulchres it ringeth;
All before the throne it bringeth.
4 2 Death is struck, and nature quaking:
All creation is awaking,
To its Judge an answer making.
Lo, the book exactly worded,
Wherein all hath been recorded:
Thence shall judgment be awarded.
When the Judge his seat attaineth,
And each hidden deed arraigneth,
Nothing unavenged remaineth.
> 3 What shall I, frail man, be pleading;
Who for me be interceding;
When the just are mercy needing?
King of Majesty tremendous,
Who dost free salvation send us,
Fount of pity, then befriend us.
Think, kind Jesu, my salvation
Caused thy wondrous incarnation:
Leave me not to reprobation.
4 Faint and weary, thou hast sought me,
On the cross of suffering bought me;
Shall such grace be vainly brought me ?
Righteous Judge, for sin's pollution
Grant thy gift of absolution,
Ere that day of retribution.
Guilty, now I pour my moaning,
All my shame with anguish owning:
Spare, O God, thy suppliant groaning.
135 Thou the sinful woman saved'st;
Thou the dying thief forgavest;
And to me a hope vouchsafest.
Worthless are my prayers and sighing,
Yet, good Lord, in grace complying,
Rescue me from fires undying.
With thy favour'd sheep, O place me;
Nor among the goats abase me;
But to thy right hand upraise me.
6 Low I kneel with heart submission
See, like ashes, my contrition:
Save, O save me from perdition.
Ah, that day of tears and mourning!
From the dust of earth returning,
Man for judgment must prepare him;
Spare, O God, in mercy spare him.
Lord, all pitying, Jesu blest,
Grant us thine eternal rest. Amen.
"WHEN THOU TOOKEST UPON THEE TO DELIVER MAN, THOU DIDST NOT ABHOR THE VIRGIN'S WOMB."
"Unto you is born this day a Saviour, which is
Christ the Lord."-LUKE ii. 11.
1 WHILE shepherds watch'd their flocks by night, All seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around.
2 "Fear not," said he; (for mighty dread
Had seized their troubled mind ;)
"Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind.
3 "To you, in David's town, this day
Is born of David's line
The Saviour, who is Christ the Lord;
And this shall be the sign.
4 "The heavenly Babe you there shall find.
To human view display'd,
All meanly wrapp'd in swathing bands,
And in a manger laid."
5 Thus spake the seraph; and forthwith
Appear'd a shining throng
Of angels, praising God, and thus
Address'd their joyful song.
6 "All glory be to God on high,
And to the earth be peace;
Good will henceforth from heaven to men
Begin, and never cease ©.
"The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among
us."-JOHN i. 14.
1 O SAVIOUR, whom this holy morn
Gave to our world below,
To mortal want and labour born,
And more than mortal woe ;-
2 Incarnate Word, by every grief,
By each temptation tried;
Who lived to yield our ills relief,
And, to redeem us, died ;-
3 If gaily clothed and proudly fed
In dangerous wealth we dwell,
Remind us of thy manger-bed
And lowly cottage cell.
4 If press'd by poverty severe
În envious want we pine;
O may the Spirit whisper near,
How poor a lot was thine.
5 Through this world's fickle various scene
From sin preserve us free :
Like us thou hast a mourner been,
May we rejoice with thee ".
“Behold, I bring you good tidings of great
joy."-LUKE ii. 10.
1 CHRISTIANS, awake, salute the happy morn,
Whereon the Saviour of the world was born;
Rise to adore the mystery of love,
Which hosts of angels chanted from above;
With them the joyful tidings first begun
Of God incarnate and the Virgin's Son.
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