Awake, Thou Careless World, Awake!

Composer: Anonymous

Awake

thou care­less world

awake!

That fi­nal judg­ment day will sure­ly come;

What Heav’n hath fixed time can­not shake

Time nev­er more shall sweep away thy doom.

Know

what the Lord Him­self hath spok­en

Shall come at last and not de­lay:

Though Heav’n and earth shall pass away

His stead­fast Word can ne’er be brok­en.

Awake! He comes to judg­ment

wake!

Sinners

be­hold His coun­te­nance

In beau­ty ter­ri­ble

and quake

Condemned be­neath His pierc­ing glance.

Lo! He to whom all pow­er is giv­en

Who sits at God’s right hand on high

In fire and thun­der draw­eth nigh

To judge all na­tions un­der Heav­en.

Awake! thou care­less world

awake!

For none can tell how soon our God shall please

That sud­den­ly that day should break?

No hu­man wis­dom fa­thoms depths like these.

O guard thee well from lust and greed;

For as the bird is in the snare

Or ev­er of its foe aware

So comes that day with si­lent speed.

Yet He in love de­lay­eth long

The fi­nal day

and grants us space

To turn away from sin and wrong

And mourn­ing seek in time His help and grace.

He hold­eth back that best of days

Until the right­eous shall ap­prove

Their faith and hope

their con­stant love;

So gen­tle us-ward are His ways!

But ye

O faith­ful souls

shall see

That morn­ing rise in love and joy

Your Sav­ior comes to set you free

Your judge shall all your bonds de­stroy:

He

the true Jo­shua

then shall bring

His peo­ple with a migh­ty hand

Into their pro­mised father-land

Where songs of vic­to­ry they shall sing.

Rejoice! the fig tree shows her green

The spring­ing year is in its prime

The lit­tle flow­ers afresh are seen

We ga­ther strength in this great time;

The glo­ri­ous sum­mer draw­eth near

When all this bo­dy’s earth­ly load

In light that morn­ing sheds abroad

Shall was as sun­shine pure and clear.

Arise

and let us night and day

Watch for our Lord

and stu­dy o’er His Word

And in the Spir­it ev­er pray

That we be rea­dy when His call is heard;

Arise

and let us haste to meet

The Bride­groom stand­ing at the door

That with the an­gels ev­er­more

We too may wor­ship at His feet.

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