’Tis Sure, That Awful Time Will Come

’Tis sure

that aw­ful time will come

When Christ the Lord of Glo­ry

Shall from His throne give men their doom

And change what’s tran­si­to­ry.

Who then will ven­ture to re­tire

When all’s to be con­sumed by fire

As Pe­ter has de­clar­èd?

The wak­ing trum­pets all shall hear

Throughout the whole cre­ation;

And all the dead shall then ap­pear

Placed in their pro­per sta­tion;

But all the liv­ing at that time

Shall

in a man­ner more sub­lime

Endure a trans­mu­ta­tion.

The great ac­count shall then be read

Of all men’s lives and act­ions;

And young and old the sen­tence dread

Of their mis­deeds and fact­ions;

Here is no shel­ter for es­cape

But all shall see the ve­ry shape

Thy soul has here con­tract­ed.

Woe then to him

that has des­pised

God’s Word and re­ve­la­tion

And here done no­thing but de­vised

His lusts’ gra­ti­fi­ca­tion;

Then how con­found­ed will he stand

When he must go at Christ’s com­mand

With Sa­tan to hell-torment.

Grant

Je­su

then my name be found

Within Thy book un­blot­ted

When all with awe shall stand around

To hear their doom al­lot­ted;

Of which I doubt not in the least

For Thou

as Sav­ior and high priest

Hast pur­chased my sal­va­tion.

I know

as judge Thou shalt ap­pear

As well as in­ter­cess­or;

Yet hope

in hum­ble faith and fear

Thou’lt call me Thy con­fess­or

And bring me to that bless­èd place

Where I shall see

with op­en face

The glo­ry of Thy king­dom.

O Je­su! short­en Thy de­lay

And hast­en Thy sal­va­tion

That we may see that glo­ri­ous day

Produce a new cre­ation.

O come

O Lord

our judge and king!

Come

change our mourn­ful notes to sing

Thy praise for­ev­er

Amen.