Scripture Verse

Give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me. Isaiah 1:2

Introduction

portrait
Samuel S. Wesley
1810–1876

Words: Au­thor un­known. Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Ho­ra­ti­us Bo­nar, Hymns of Faith and Hope, sec­ond ser­ies (Lon­don: James Nis­bet, 1861), pag­es 255–56.

Music: Ar­ran Sam­u­el S. Wes­ley, in A Se­lec­tion of Psalms and Hymns, by Charles Kem­ble (Lon­don: John F. Shaw, 1864), num­ber 120 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know the orig­in­al au­thor, or the La­tin ti­tle,

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Horatius Bonar
1808–1889

Lyrics

Give ear, O earth, give ear!
Depths of the mighty sea!
Give ear, O man! Give ear,
All ’neath the sun that be!

The day of wrath draws near,
The dreadful day of doom;
The sinner’s bitter day,
It maketh haste to come.

Then shall these ancient skies
Roll up and pass away;
The sun shall blush, and hide
Its face in dread dismay.

The moon shall change and flee;
The noon grow dark as night;
The stars shall fall to earth
In wild and sore affright.

Alas! alas! alas!
To whom, in that great day,
Shall the sad sinner flee,
On whom for refuge stay?

Lost, lost, for ever lost!
Too late! too late! he cries;
Lost, lost, for ever lost!
The second death he dies.

O Jesu, save and bless,
O Son of God on high:
Then safe in Thee we live,
And safe in Thee we die.

Safe to the holy hills,
Safe to the city blest;
Safe from the toil below,
Thou leadest to Thy rest.