Lo! In the Last of Days Behold

Lo! in the last of days be­hold

A faith­less race arise;

Their law­less lust their on­ly rule;

And thus the scof­fer cries:

“Where is the pro­mise

deemed so true

That spoke the Sav­ior near?

E’er since our fa­thers slept in dust

No change has reached our ear.

Years rolled on years suc­cess­ive glide

Since first the world be­gan

And on the tide of time still floats

Secure

the bark of man.

Thus speaks the scof­fer; but his words

Conceal the truth he knows

That from the wa­ters’ dark abyss

The earth at first arose.

But when the sons of men be­gan

With one con­sent to stray

At Heav’n’s com­mand a del­uge swept

The god­less race away.

A dif­fer­ent fate is now pre­pared

For na­ture’s trem­bling frame;

Soon shall her orbs be all en­wrapt

In one de­vour­ing flame.

Reserved are sin­ners for the hour

When to the gulf be­low

Armed with the hand of sov­er­eign pow­er

The Judge con­signs His foe.

Though now

ye just! the time ap­pears

Protracted

dark

un­known

An hour

a day

a thou­sand years

To Heav­en’s great Lord are one.

Still all may share His sov­er­eign grace

In ev­ery change se­cure;

The meek

the sup­pli­ant con­trite race

Shall find His mer­cy sure.

The con­trite race He counts His friends

Forbids the sup­pli­ant’s fall;

Condemns re­luct­ant

but ex­tends

The hope of grace to all.

Yet as the night-wrapped thief who lurks

To seize th’ex­pect­ed prize

Thus steals the hour when Christ shall come

And thun­der rend the skies.

Then at the loud

the so­lemn peal

The heav’ns shall burst away;

The ele­ments shall melt in flame

At na­ture’s fi­nal day.

Since all this frame of things must end

As Heav’n has so de­creed

How wise our in­most thoughts to guard

And watch ov­er ev­ery deed;

Expecting calm th’ap­point­ed hour

When

na­ture’s con­flict o’er

A new and bet­ter world shall rise

Where sin is known no more.