Scripture Verse

The great and dreadful day of the Lord Malachi 4:5

Introduction

portrait
Richard Allen (1760–1831)

Words: Anon­ymous, in A Col­lect­ion of Spir­it­ual Songs and Hymns, ed­it­ed by Ri­chard Al­len (Phi­la­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: John Orm­rod, 1801), alt.

Music: York, me­lo­dy from the Scot­tish Psal­ter, 1615. Har­mo­ny by John Mil­ton, Sr. (1562–1647) (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

Lyrics

Behold that great and aw­ful day
Of part­ing soon will come,
When sin­ners must be hurled away;
And Chris­tians ga­thered home!

They one with Di­ves for wa­ter cry,
And gnaw their tongues in pain,
They gnash their teeth and crisp and fry,
And ring their hands in vain.

Now hail! all hail! ye fright­ful ghosts,
With whom I once did dwell,
And spent my days in fran­tic mirth,
And danced my soul to hell!

You me about the floor did drag,
And caused my soul to sin;
And de­vils now your mouth shall gag,
And force the fuel in.

Perhaps the par­ent sees the child
Sink down to end­less flames,
With shrieks, and howls, and bit­ter cries,
Never to rise again.

O father! see my blaz­ing hands,
And mo­ther! see your child!
Against you now, a wit­ness stands,
Amidst the flames con­fined!

The child, per­haps, the par­ents view,
Go head­long down to hell:
Gone with the rest of Sa­tan’s crew,
And bid the child fare­well!

The hus­band sees his pi­teo­us wife,
With whom he once did dwell,
Depart with groans and bit­ter cries,
My hus­band! fare you well!

But O, per­haps, the wife may see,
The man she once did love,
Sink down to end­less mi­se­ry,
While she is crowned ab­ove!

Then shall the saints through grace com­bined,
Drink in eter­nal love:
In Je­sus’ im­age there to shine,
And reign with Him above.

O how it lifts my soul to think,
Of meet­ing round the throne,
Eternal joys there for to drink,
Where sor­rows ne­ver come.