Scripture Verse

Who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderer’s soap. Malachi 3:2

Introduction

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James Montgomery
(1771–1854)
National Portrait Gallery

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Words: James Mont­go­me­ry, Orig­in­al Hymns for Pub­lic, Pri­vate and So­cial De­vo­tion (Lon­don: Long­man, Brown, Green & Long­mans, 1853), num­ber 290. Dur­ing the Cho­le­ra. Con­fes­sion and Sup­pli­ca­tion.

Music: Bres­lau As Hym­no­dus Sa­cer (Leip­zig, Ger­ma­ny: 1625) (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

Lyrics

It is the Lord! Be­hold His hand
Outstretched with an af­flict­ive rod;
And hark! a voice goes through the land,
Be still, and know that I am God.

Shall we, like guil­ty Ad­am, hide
In dark­est shades our dark­er fears?
For who His com­ing may abide?
Or who shall stand when He ap­pears?

No—let us throng around His seat;
No—let us meet Him face to face,
Prostrate our spir­its at His feet,
Confess our sins, and sue for grace.

Who knows but God will hear our cries,
Turn swift de­struct­ion from our path,
Restrain His judg­ments, or chas­tise
In ten­der me­rcy, not in wrath?

He will, He will, for Je­sus pleads;
Let Heav’n and earth His love re­cord;
For us, for us, He in­ter­cedes;
Our help is nigh—it is the Lord!

Into His hands then let us fall,
Come health or sick­ness, life or death;
Whether He send us balm for gall,
Or im­mor­ta­li­ty for breath.