Day of Wrath (Faber & Irons)

Day of wrath

that day dis­may­ing

Shall ful­fill the pro­phet’s say­ing

Earth in smol­der­ing ash­es lay­ing.

Oh

how great the dread

the sigh­ing

When the Judge

the All-des­cry­ing

Shall ap­pear

all sec­rets try­ing.

Then shall ring the trump’s weird knell­ing

Through each tomb and char­nel dwell­ing

All be­fore the throne com­pel­ling.

Death shall stand in con­ster­na­tion;

Nature quake; and all cre­ation

Rise to an­swer the ci­ta­tion.

From the book shall shine the writ­ing

All the by-gone past re­cit­ing

And the world of sin in­dict­ing.

Then the Judge shall sit

re­veal­ing

Hidden deed

word

thought

and feel­ing

And to each just sen­tence deal­ing.

What shall wretch­ed I be cry­ing

To what friend for suc­cor fly­ing

When the just in dread are sigh­ing?

King of might and awe

de­fend me!

Freely Thy sal­va­tion send me!

Fount of pi­ty

save

be­friend me!

Think

kind Je­sus

my sal­va­tion

Caused Thy won­drous in­car­na­tion:

Leave me not to re­pro­ba­tion!

Faint and wea­ry Thou hast sought me;

On the cross of suf­fer­ing bought me:

Shall such grace be vain­ly brought me?

Righteous Judge of re­tri­bu­tion

Grant Thy gift of ab­so­lu­tion

Ere that reck­on­ing day’s con­clu­sion!

Guilty

now I pour my moan­ing

All my shame with ang­uish own­ing:

Spare

O God

Thy sup­pli­ant groan­ing!

Thou the sin­ful wo­man savedst:

Thou the dy­ing thief for­gav­edst:

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 fa­vored sheep O place me:

Nor among the goats ab­ase me

But to Thy right hand up­raise me.

While the wick­ed are con­found­ed

Doomed in flames of woe un­bound­ed:

Call me

with Thy saints sur­round­ed.

Low I kneel

with heart-sub­mis­sion:

See

like ash­es

my con­tri­tion:

Help me in my last con­di­tion!