Scripture Verse

The hour of His judgment is come. Revelation 14:7

Introduction

portrait
George Herbert (1593–1632)

Words: George Her­bert, pub­lished post­hu­mous­ly in The Tem­ple (Cam­bridge, Eng­land: Buck & Dan­iel, 1633), page 181. Re­pub­lished in Hymns and Sac­red Po­ems, by Charles We­sley, 1739, pag­es 10–11.

Music: Ar­fon French & Welsh tune. Ar­ranged by Hugh Da­vies, cir­ca 1906 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Da­vies (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

Come to judg­ment, come away!
Hark, I hear the an­gel say,
Summoning the dust to rise;
Haste, resume, and lift your eyes;
Hear, ye sons of Ad­am, hear;
Man, before thy God ap­pear!

Come to judg­ment, come away!
This the last, the dread­ful day.
Sovereign Author, Judge of all,
Dust obeys Thy quick­en­ing call;
Dust no other voice will heed:
Thine the trump that wakes the dead.

Come to judg­ment, come away!
Lingering man, no long­er stay;
Thee let earth at length re­store,
Prisoner in her womb no more;
Burst the bar­ri­ers of the tomb,
Rise to meet thy in­stant doom!

Come to judg­ment, come away!
Wide dispersed howe’er ye stray,
Lost in fire, or air, or main,
Kindred atoms meet again;
Sepulchered where’er ye rest,
Mixed with fish, or bird, or beast.

Come to judg­ment, come away!
Help, O Christ, Thy work’s de­cay:
Man is out of order hurled,
Parceled out to all the world;
Lord, Thy broken concert raise,
And the music shall be praise.