Ah, What Can I Do?

Ah

what can I do

Or where be se­cure?

If jus­tice pur­sue

What heart can en­dure?

When God speaks in thun­der

And makes Him­self known

The heart breaks asun­der

Though hard as a stone.

With ter­ror I read

My sins’ hea­vy score

The num­ber ex­ceeds

The sands on the shore;

Guilt makes me un­able

To stand or to flee

So Cain mur­dered Ab­el

And trem­bled like me.

Each sin

like his blood

With ter­ri­ble cry

Calls loud­ly on God

To strike from on high:

Nor can my re­pent­ance

Extorted by fear

Reverse the just sen­tence;

’Tis just

though sev­ere.

The case is too plain

I have my own choice;

Again

and again

I slight­ed His voice;

His warn­ings ne­glect­ed

His pa­tience ab­used

His Gos­pel re­ject­ed

His mer­cy re­fused.

And must I then go

Forever to dwell

In tor­ments and woe

With de­vils in hell?

Oh where is the Sav­ior

I scorned in times past?

His word in my fa­vor

Would save me at last.

Lord Je­sus

on Thee

I ven­ture to call

Oh look up­on me

The vil­est of all!

For whom didst Thou lang­uish

And bleed on the tree?

Oh pi­ty my ang­uish

And say

’Twas for thee.

A case such as mine

Will ho­nor Thy pow­er;

All hell will re­pine

All Heav’n will adore;

If in con­dem­na­tion

Strict jus­tice takes place

It shines in sal­va­tion

More glo­ri­ous through grace.