When in Dark and Dreadful Gloom

When in dark and dread­ful gloom

Clouds on clouds por­tent­ous spread

Black as if the day of doom

Hung o’er na­ture’s shrink­ing head:

When the light­ning breaks from high

God is com­ing—God is nigh!

Then we hear His cha­ri­ot wheels

As the migh­ty thun­der rolls;

Nature

star­tled na­ture reels

From the cen­ter to the poles;

Then the ocean

earth and sky

Tremble as He pass­es by.

Darkness

wild with hor­ror

forms

His mys­te­ri­ous hid­ing place;

Should He from His ark of storms

Rend the veil and show His face

At the judg­ment of His eye

All the uni­verse would die!

God of ven­geance! from ab­ove

While Thine aw­ful bolts are hurled

O re­mem­ber Thou art love!

Spare! O spare a guil­ty world!

Stay Thy flam­ing wrath awhile

Let the bow of pro­mise smile!

When the last dread day ap­pears

Bursting wide from pole to pole

When amid the shi­ver­ing spheres

Twice ten thou­sand thun­ders roll;

When the dream of time shall end

May I find the Judge my friend!