That Fearful Day

That fear­ful day

that day of speech­less dread

When Thou shalt come to judge the quick and dead—

I shud­der to fore­see

O God! what then shall be!

When Thou shalt come

an­gel­ic le­gions round

With thou­sand thou­sands

and with trum­pet sound

Christ

grant me in the air

With saints to meet Thee there!

Weep

O my soul

ere that great hour and day

When God shall shine in ma­ni­fest ar­ray

Thy sin

that thou may’st be

In that strict judg­ment free!

The ter­ror! Hell-fire fierce and un­suf­ficed:

The bit­ter worm: the gnash­ing teeth—O Christ

Forgive

re­mit

pro­tect;

And set me with the elect!

That I may hear the bless­èd voice that calls

The right­eous to the joy of heav­en­ly halls.

And

King of Heav­en

may reach

The realm that pass­eth speech!

Enter Thou not in judg­ment with each deed

Nor each in­tent and thought in strict­ness read:

Forgive

and save me then

O Thou That lov­est men!

Thee

One in Three blest Per­sons! Lord o’er all!

Essence of es­sence

Power of pow­er we call:

Save us

O Fa­ther

Son

And Spir­it

ev­er one!