The God of Glory Sends His Summons Forth

The God of glo­ry

Sends His sum­mons forth

To na­tions south

And then awakes the north;

From east to west

The sov­er­eign or­ders spread

Through dist­ant worlds

And re­gions of the dead:

No more shall athe­ists

Mock His long de­lay;

His ven­geance sleeps

No more: be­hold the day!

Behold

the Judge

Descends

His guards are nigh;

Tempest and fire

Attend Him down the sky:

Heav’n

earth

and hell

Draw near; let all things come

To hear My jus­tice

And the sin­ner’s doom:

But ga­ther first

My saints

the Judge com­mands

“Bring them

ye an­gels

From their dist­ant lands.

“Behold

My co­ve­nant

Stands for ev­er good

Sealed by th’eter­nal

Sacrifice in blood

And signed with all

Their names; the Greek

the Jew

That paid the an­cient

Worship or the new.

There’s no dis­tinct­ion

Here; join all your voic­es

And raise your heads

Ye saints

for Heav’n re­joic­es.

Here

saith the Lord

Ye an­gels

spread their thrones

And near me seat

My fa­vo­rites and My sons:

Come

My re­deemed

Possess the joys pre­pared

Ere time be­gan;

’Tis your di­vine re­ward.

When Christ re­turns

Wake ev­ery cheer­ful pas­sion;

And shout

ye saints

He comes for your sal­va­tion.

“I am the Sav­ior

I th’Al­migh­ty God

I am their Judge:

Ye heav’ns

pro­claim abroad

My just eter­nal

Sentence

and de­clare

Those aw­ful truths

That sin­ners dread to hear:

When God ap­pears

All na­ture shall ad­ore Him;

While sin­ners tremb­le

Saints re­joice be­fore Him.

Stand forth

thou bold

Blasphemer

and pro­fane

Now feel My wrath

Nor call My threat’n­ings vain;

Thou hy­po­crite

Once dressed in saints’ at­tire

I doom the paint­ed

Hypocrite to fire.

Judgment pro­ceeds;

Hell trem­bles; Heav’n re­joic­es;

Lift up your heads

Ye saints

with cheer­ful voic­es.

Not for the want

Of goats or bul­locks slain

Do I con­demn

Thee; bulls and goats are vain

Without the flame

Of love; in vain the store

Of bru­tal of­fer­ings

That were Mine be­fore.

Earth is the Lord’s

All na­ture shall ad­ore Him;

While sin­ners

trem­ble

Saints re­joice be­fore Him;

If I were hun­gry

Would I ask thee food?

When did I thirst

Or drink thy bul­locks’ blood?

Mine are the tam­er

Beasts and sav­age breed

Flocks

herds

and fields

And for­ests where they feed.

All is the Lord’s

He rules the wide cre­ation;

Gives sin­ners ven­geance

And the saints sal­va­tion.

Can I be flat­tered

With thy cring­ing bows

Thy so­lemn chat­ter­ings

And fan­tas­tic vows?

Are My eyes charmed

Thy vest­ments to be­hold

Glaring in gems

And gay in wov­en gold?

God is the judge

Of hearts

no fair dis­guis­es

Can screen the guil­ty

When His ven­geance ris­es.

Unthinking wretch!

How couldst thou hope to please

A God

a Spir­it

With such toys as these

While

with My grace

And sta­tutes on thy tongue

Thou lov’st de­ceit

And dost thy bro­ther wrong?

Judgment pro­ceeds;

Hell trem­bles; Heav’n re­joic­es;

Lift up your heads

Ye saints

with cheer­ful voices.

In vain to pi­ous

Forms thy zeal pre­tends;

Thieves and adul­ter­ers

Are thy chos­en friends.

While the false flat­ter­er

At My al­tar waits

His har­dened soul

Divine in­struct­ion hates.

God is the Judge

Of hearts

no fair dis­guis­es

Can screen the guil­ty

When His ven­geance ris­es.

Silent I wait­ed

With long-suf­fer­ing love

But didst thou hope

That I should ne’er re­prove?

And cher­ish such

An im­pi­ous thought with­in

That the All-Ho­ly

Would in­dulge thy sin?

See

God ap­pears;

All na­ture joins t’adore Him:

Judgment pro­ceeds

And sin­ners fall be­fore Him.

Behold My ter­rors

Now: My thun­ders roll

And thy own crimes

Affright thy guil­ty soul;

Now like a li­on

Shall My ven­geance tear

Thy bleed­ing heart

And no de­liv­er­er near.

Judgment con­cludes;

Hell trem­bles; Heav’n re­joic­es:

Lift up your heads

Ye saints

with cheer­ful voic­es.

Sinners

awake

Betimes; ye fools

be wise;

Awake be­fore

This dread­ful morn­ing rise;

Change your vain thoughts

Your crook­ed works amend

Fly to the Sav­ior

Make the Judge your friend;

Then join the saints

Wake ev­ery cheer­ful pas­sion;

When Christ re­turns

He comes for your sal­va­tion.