Dreadful, Sin Chastising God

Dreadful sin chas­tis­ing God

If the de­cree is past

If the long im­pend­ing rod

Must scourge our land at last

When Thou dost in wrath re­prove

The sin­ners who Thy judg­ments dare

Spare the rem­nant

Lord

in love

Thy pray­ing peo­ple spare.

If on such a land as this

Thou must av­eng­èd be

Yet pre­serve in per­fect peace

The souls that trust on Thee;

Hide their pre­cious lives above

And make them Thy pe­cul­iar care;

Spare the rem­nant

Lord

in love

Thy pray­ing people spare.

Mark the men

who deep­ly sigh

Our loath­some crimes to view

Hear their de­pre­cat­ing cry

And save the mourn­ful few;

Far from them the plague re­move

The fa­mine

and the waste of war;

Spare the rem­nant

Lord

in love

Thy pray­ing peo­ple spare.

To Thy lit­tle flock of sheep

O that Thy grace might join

Us

ev’n us who fain would weep

Beneath the wrath di­vine:

Help us

O Thou Ho­ly Dove

To breathe the much av­ail­ing pray­er

Spare the rem­nant

Lord

in love

Thy pray­ing peo­ple spare.

Surely now in part we feel

The an­swer to our cry;

Thou Thine an­ger dost re­veal

And bring the judg­ment nigh;

Now the com­ing woes we prove

And groan the com­mon ills to bear;

Spare the rem­nant

Lord

in love

Thy pray­ing peo­ple spare.

Grant us still to pray and grieve

Till all the wrath is past;

This the sign Thou wilt for­give

And heal our land at last:

Heavily till then we move

And sigh our sym­pa­thiz­ing care

Spare the rem­nant

Lord

in love

Thy pray­ing peo­ple spare.