Scripture Verse

The Lord Jesus Christ…shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom. 2 Timothy 4:1

Introduction

portrait
Horatius Bonar (1808–1889)

Words: Ho­ra­ti­us Bo­nar, Hymns of Faith and Hope, se­cond ser­ies (Lon­don: James Nis­bet, 1861), pag­es 95–96.

Music: Den Haag Jo­ach­im von Burck (1546–1610) (🔊 pdf nwc).

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

Lyrics

The long last note has sounded,
The dead from dust to call;
The sinner stands confounded,
With fear on fear surrounded,
As by a sea unbounded,
Before the Judge of all.

No longer now delaying
The hour of dreaded doom;
No more the sentence staying,
No more the cross displaying,
In wrath His throne arraying,
The Judge, the Judge has come!

What wild shrill voice of mourning
Comes up from hill and plain?
Dark spirits, pardon scorning,
Proud hearts, long mercy spurning,
Bold rebels, deaf to warning,
Now cry, but cry in vain!

See how these heav’ns are rended
By yon sky-filling blast;
Earth’s year of grace is ended;
He who in clouds as­cend­ed,
Now, with Heav’n’s hosts attended,
Returns, returns at last!

Cease, man, thy God-defying;
Cease thy best friend to grieve;
Cease, man, thy self-relying;
Flee from the endless dying;
Swiftly thy time is flying;
Embrace the Son and live!

Give up thy vain endeavor
To heal thy wounds and woes;
He is of life the Giver,
And from His cross the river,
Which quenches thirst for ever,
All freely to thee flows.

With gush, and gleam, and singing,
See the bright fountain rise.
For thee that fount is springing,
To thee its gladness bringing—
Why then so madly clinging
To vanity and lies?