Day of Wrath (Stanley)

Day of wrath

O dread­ful day!

When this world shall pass away

And the heav­ens to­ge­ther roll

Shriveling like a parch­èd scroll

Long fore­told by saint and sage

David’s harp and si­byl’s page.

Day of ter­ror

day of doom

When at last the Judge shall come!

Through the deep and si­lent gloom

Shrouding ev­ery hu­man tomb

Shall the arch­an­gel’s trum­pet tone

Summon all be­fore the throne.

Then shall na­ture stand aghast

Death him­self be ov­er­cast;

Then

at her cre­at­or’s call

Near and dist­ant

great and small

Shall the whole cre­ation rise

Waiting for the Great As­size.

Then the writ­ing shall be read

Which shall judge the quick and dead;

Then the Lord of all our race

Shall ap­point to each his place;

Every wrong shall be set right

Every sec­ret brought to light.

When in that tre­men­dous day

Heaven and earth shall pass away

What shall I

the sin­ner

say?

When the right­eous shrinks for fear

How shall my frail soul ap­pear?

King of kings

en­throned on high

In Thine aw­ful ma­jes­ty

Thou who of Thy mer­cy free

Savest those who saved shall be:

In Thy bound­less char­ity

Fount of pi­ty

save Thou me.

O re­mem­ber

Sav­ior dear

What the cause that brought Thee here;

All Thy long and toil­some way

Was for me who went as­tray:

When that day at last is come

Call

O call

the wan­der­er home

Thou in search of me didst sit

Weary with the noon­day heat;

Thou to save my soul hast borne

Cross and grief

and hate and scorn;

O may all that toil and pain

Not be whol­ly spent in vain!

O just Judge

to whom be­longs

Vengeance for all earth­ly wrongs

Grant for­giv­eness

Lord

at last

Ere the dread ac­count be past;

Lo! my sighs

my guilt

my shame!

Spare me for Thine own great name!

Thou

who bad’st the sin­ner cease

From her tears and go in peace

Thou

who to the dy­ing thief

Spakest par­don and re­lief

Thou

O Lord

to me hast giv­en

E’en to me

the hope of Heav­en.

Naught of Thee my pray­ers can claim

Save in Thy free mer­cy’s name;

Worthless is each tear and cry;

Yet

good Lord

in grace com­ply

Spare me; cause me not go

Into ev­er­last­ing woe.

Make me with Thy sheep to stand

Severed from the guil­ty band;

When the cursed con­demned shall be

With the blest then call thou me;

Contrite

in the dust

I pray

Save me in that aw­ful day.

Full of tears

and full of dread

Is the day that wakes the dead

Calling all

with so­lemn blast

From the ash­es of the past;

Lord of mer­cy

Je­sus blest

Grant us Thine eter­nal rest.