Come, Children, Learn to Fear the Lord

Come

child­ren

learn to fear the Lord

And that your days be long

Let not a false or spite­ful word

Be found up­on your tongue.

Depart from mis­chief

prac­tice love

Pursue the works of peace;

So shall the Lord your ways ap­prove

And set your souls at ease.

His eyes awake to guard the just

His ears at­tend their cry;

When brok­en spir­its dwell in dust

The God of grace is nigh.

What though the sor­rows here they taste

Are sharp and te­di­ous too

The Lord

who saves them all at last

Is their sup­port­er now.

Evil shall smite the wick­ed dead;

But God se­cures His own

Prevents the mis­chief when they slide

Or heals the brok­en bone.

When de­so­la­tion

like a flood

O’er the proud sin­ner rolls

Saints find a re­fuge in their God

For He re­deemed their souls.