When God of Old Came Down from Heav’n

When God of old came down from Heav’n

In pow­er and wrath He came;

Before His feet the clouds were riv­en

Half dark­ness and half flame:

Around the trem­bling mount­ain’s base

The pros­trate peo­ple lay;

A day of wrath

and not of grace;

A dim and dread­ful day.

But when He came the se­cond time

He came in pow­er and love;

Softer than gale at morn­ing prime

Hovered His ho­ly Dove.

The fires that rushed on Si­nai down

In sud­den tor­rents dread

Now gent­ly light

a glo­ri­ous crown

On ev­ery saint­ed head.

Like ar­rows went those light­nings forth

Winged with the sin­ner’s doom

But these

like tongues

o’er all the earth

Proclaiming life to come:

And as on Is­ra­el’s awe-struck ear

The voice ex­ceed­ing loud

The trump

that an­gels quake to hear

Thrilled from the deep

dark cloud;

So

when the Spir­it of our God

Came down His flock to find

A voice from Heav’n was heard abroad

A rush­ing

migh­ty wind.

Nor doth the out­ward ear alone

At that high warn­ing start;

Conscience gives back th’ ap­pal­ling tone;

’Tis ech­oed in the heart

It fills the Church of God; it fills

The sinf­ul world around;

Only in stub­born hearts and wills

No place for it is found.

To oth­er strains our souls are set:

A gid­dy whirl of sin

Fills ear and brain

and will not let

Heaven’s har­mo­nies come in.

Come Lord

come wis­dom

love and power

Open our ears to hear;

Let us not miss th’ ac­cept­ed hour;

Save

Lord

by love or fear.