English text
1. The mighty God, th'Eternal hath thus spoke,
And all the world he will call and provoke!
E'en from the east, and so forth to the west:
Out of Zion, which place he liketh best,
God will appear, in beauty most excellent,
God will come before that long time be spent:
2. Devouring fire shall go before his face,
A tempest great shall round about him trace.
Then shall he call the earth and heavens bright,
To judge his folk with equity and right.
Saying, Go to, and now my saints assemble;
My pact they keep, their gifts do not dissemble.
3. The heav'ns they shall declare his righteousness
For God is Judge of all things more and less
Hear, my people, for I will now reveal;
List, Israel, I'll from thee naught conceal:
Thy God, the Lord and I, and will not blame thee
For not giving all sorts of off'rings to me:
4. I have no need to take of thee at all
Goats of thy fold, or calves out of thy stall.
For all the beasts are mine within the woods,
On thousand hills cattle are mine own goods;
I know for mine all birds that are on mountains,
All beasts mine are which haunt the fields and fountains.
5. Were I hungry I would not thee it tell;
For all is mine that in the world doth dwell.
Eat I the flesh of great bulls or bullocks!
Or drink the blood of goats or of the flocks.
Offer to God praise and hearty thanksgiving,
And pay thy vows unto God ever living.
6. Call upon me when troubled thou shalt be;
Then will I help, and thou shalt honor me.
To the wicked thus saith th' eternal God,
Why dost thou preach my words and laws abroad,
Seeing thou hast them with thy mouth abused,
And hat'st to be by discipline reduced!
7. My words, I say, thou dost reject and hate:
If that thou seest a thief, as with thy mate,
Thou runn'st with him, and so your prey seek out;
And art all one with the adult'rous rout.
Thou giv'st thyself to backbite and to slander,
And how thy tongue deceiveth, is a wonder.
8. Thou sitt'st musing thy brother how to blame,
And how to put thy mother's son to shame.
These things thou didst, and while I held my tongue,
Thou didst me judge, because I stayed so long,
Like to thyself; yet though I kept long silence,
Once shalt thou feel of thy wrongs just recompense.
9. Consider this, ye that forget the Lord,
And fear not when he threat'neth with his word,
Lest without help I spoil you as a prey:
But he that thanks offers, praiseth alway,
Saith the Lord God, and he that walketh this trace,
I will him teach God's saving health t'embrace.
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English text
PART 1 (C.M.)
The Lord, the judge, before his throne
Bids the whole earth draw nigh,
The nations near the rising sun,
And near the western sky.
No more shall bold blasphemers say,
'Judgment will ne'er begin;'
No more abuse his long delay
To impudence and sin.
Throned on a cloud our God shall come,
Bright flames prepare his way;
Thunder and darkness, fire and storm,
Lead on the dreadful day.
Heav'n from above his call shall hear,
Attending angels come,
And earth and hell shall know, and fear
His justice, and their doom.
'But gather all my saints', he cries,
'That made their peace with God
By the Redeemer's sacrifice,
And seal'd it with his blood.'
'Their faith and works brought forth to light
Shall make the world confess,
My sentence of reward is right,
And heav'n adore my grace.'
PART 2 (C.M.)
Thus saith the Lord, "The spacious fields,
And flocks, and herds, are mine;
O'er all the cattle of the hills
I claim a right divine.
"I ask no sheep for sacrifice,
Nor bullocks burnt with fire;
To hope and love, to pray and praise,
Is all that I require.
"Call upon me when trouble's near,
My hand shall set thee free
Then shall thy thankful lips declare
The honor due to me.
"The man that offers humble praise,
He glorifies me best;
And those that tread my holy ways
Shall my salvation taste."
PART 3 (C.M.)
When Christ to judgment shall descend,
And saints surround their Lord,
He calls the nations to attend,
And hear his awful word.
"Not for the want of bullocks slain
Will I the world reprove;
Altars, and rites, and forms are vain,
Without the fire of love.
"And what have hypocrites to do
To bring their sacrifice?
They call my statutes just and true,
But deal in theft and lies.
"Could you expect to 'scape my sight,
And sin without control?
But I shall bring your crimes to light,
With anguish in your soul."
Consider, ye that slight the Lord,
Before his wrath appear,
If once you fall beneath his sword,
There's no deliv'rer there.
PART 4 (L.M.)
The Lord, the Judge, his churches warns,
Let hypocrites attend and fear,
Who place their hope in rites and forms,
But make not faith nor love their care.
Vile wretches dare rehearse his name
With lips of falsehood and deceit;
A friend or brother they defame,
And soothe and flatter those they hate.
They watch to do their neighbors wrong,
Yet dare to seek their Maker's face;
They take his cov'nant on their tongue,
But break his laws, abuse his grace.
To heav'n they lift their hands unclean,
Defiled with lust, defiled with blood;
By night they practise every sin,
By day their mouths draw near to God.
And while his judgments long delay,
They grow secure and sin the more;
They think he sleeps as well as they,
And put far off the dreadful hour.
O dreadful hour! when God draws near
And sets their crimes before their eyes!
His wrath their guilty souls shall tear,
And no deliv'rer dare to rise.
(PART 5) (10 10. 10 10. 10 10.)
The Lord, the Sovereign, sends his summons forth,
Calls the south nations and awakes the north;
From east to west the sounding orders spread,
Through distant worlds and regions of the dead:
No more shall atheists mock his long delay;
His vengeance sleeps no more: behold the day!
Behold, the Judge descends, his guards are nigh;
Tempest and fire attend him down the sky:
Heaven, earth, and hell, draw near; let all things come
To hear his justice, and the sinner's doom:
"But gather first my saints," the Judge commands,
"Bring them, ye angels, from their distant lands.
"Behold, my covenant stands for ever good,
Sealed by th' eternal Sacrifice in blood,
And signed with all their names; the Greek, the Jew,
That paid the ancient worship or the new,
There's no distinction here; come, spread their thrones,
And near me seat my favorites and my sons.
"I, their Almighty Savior and their God,
I am their Judge: ye heavens, proclaim abroad
My just eternal sentence, and declare
Those awful truths that sinners dread to hear:
Sinners in Zion, tremble and retire;
I doom the painted hypocrite to fire.
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"Not for the want of goats or bullocks slain
Do I condemn thee; bulls and goats are vain
Without the flames of love; in vain the store
Of brutal off'rings that were mine before;
Mine are the tamer beasts and savage breed,
Flocks, herds, and fields and forests where they feed.
"If I were hungry, would I ask thee food?
When did I thirst, or drink thy bullocks' blood?
Can I be flattered with thy cringing bows,
Thy solemn chatterings and fantastic vows?
Are my eyes charmed thy vestments to behold,
Glaring in gems, and gay in woven gold?
"Unthinking wretch! how couldst thou hope to please
A God, a Spirit, with such toys as these,
While, with my grace and statutes on thy tongue,
Thou lovest deceit, and dost thy brother wrong?
In vain to pious forms thy zeal pretends,
Thieves and adulterers are thy chosen friends.
"Silent I waited with long-suff'ring love,
But didst thou hope that I should ne'er reprove?
And cherish such an impious thought within,
That God, the Righteous, would indulge thy sin?
Behold my terrors now: my thunders roll,
And thy own crimes affright thy guilty soul."
Sinners, awake betimes; ye fools, be wise;
Awake before this dreadful morning rise;
Change your vain thoughts, your crooked works amend,
Fly to the Savior, make the Judge your friend
Lest, like a lion, his last vengeance tear
Your trembling souls, and no deliverer near.
(PART 6) (10 10. 10 10. 10 10.)
The God of glory sends his summons forth,
Calls the south nations and awakes the north;
From east to west the sovereign orders spread,
Through distant worlds and regions of the dead:
The trumpet sounds; hell trembles; heaven rejoices
Lift up your heads, ye saints, with cheerful voices.
No more shall atheists mock his long delay;
His vengeance sleeps no more; behold the day:
Behold, the Judge descends; his guards are nigh;
Tempests and fire attend him down the sky.
When God appears, all nature shall adore him;
While sinners tremble, saints rejoice before him.
"Heaven, earth, and hell, draw near; let all things come
To hear my justice, and the sinner's doom;
But gather first my saints," the Judge commands,
"Bring them, ye angels, from their distant lands."
When Christ returns, wake every cheerful passion
And shout, ye saints; he comes for your salvation.
"Behold, my covenant stands for ever good,
Sealed by th' eternal Sacrifice in blood,
And signed with all their names; the Greek, the Jew,
That paid the ancient worship or the new."
There's no distinction here; join all your voices,
And raise your heads, ye saints, for heaven rejoices.
"Here," saith the Lord, "ye angels, spread their thrones
And near me seat my favorites and my sons:
Come, my redeemed, possess the joys prepared
Ere time began; 'tis your divine reward."
When Christ returns, wake every cheerful passion;
And shout, ye saints; he comes for your salvation.
"I am the Savior, I the Almighty God,
I am the Judge: ye heavens, proclaim abroad
My just eternal sentence, and declare
Those awful truths that sinners dread to hear."
When God appears, all nature shall adore him;
While sinners tremble, saints rejoice before him.
"Stand forth, thou bold blasphemer, and profane,
Now feel my wrath, nor call my threatenings vain:
Thou hypocrite, once dressed in saints' attire,
I doom the painted hypocrite to fire."
Judgment proceeds; hell trembles; heaven rejoices;
Lift up your heads, ye saints, with cheerful voices.
"Not for the want of goats or bullocks slain
Do I condemn thee; bulls and goats are vain
Without the flame of love; in vain the store
Of brutal offerings, that were mine before."
Earth is the Lord's, all nature shall adore him;
While sinners tremble, saints rejoice before him.
"If I were hungry, would I ask thee food?
When did I thirst, or drink thy bullocks' blood?
Mine are the tamer beasts and savage breed,
Flocks, herds, and fields and forests where they feed."
All is the Lord's, he rules the wide creation;
Gives sinners vengeance, and the saints salvation.
"Can I be flattered with thy cringing bows,
Thy solemn chatterings and fantastic vows?
Are my eyes charmed thy vestments to behold,
Glaring in gems, and gay in woven gold?"
God is the Judge of hearts, no fair disguises
Can screen the guilty when his vengeance rises.
"Unthinking wretch! how couldst thou hope to please
A God, a Spirit, with such toys as these,
While, with my grace and statutes on thy tongue,
Thou lovest deceit, and dost thy brother wrong?"
Judgment proceeds; hell trembles; heaven rejoices;
Lift up your heads, ye saints, with cheerful voices.
"In vain to pious forms thy zeal pretends;
Thieves and adulterers are thy chosen friends;
While the false flatt'rer at my altar waits,
His hardened soul divine instruction hates."
God is the Judge of hearts, no fair disguises
Can screen the guilty when his vengeance rises.
"Silent I waited with long-suffering love;
But didst thou hope that I should ne'er reprove?
And cherish such an impious thought within,
That the All-Holy would indulge thy sin?"
See, God appears; all nature joins to adore him;
Judgment proceeds, and sinners fall before him.
"Behold my terrors now; my thunders roll,
And thy own crimes affright thy guilty soul;
Now like a lion shall my vengeance tear
Thy bleeding heart, and no deliverer near."
Judgment concludes; hell trembles; heaven rejoices;
Lift up your heads, ye saints, with cheerful voices.
Sinners, awake betimes; ye fools, be wise;
Awake before this dreadful morning rise;
Change your vain thoughts, your crooked works amend,
Fly to the Savior, make the Judge your friend:
Then join the saints, wake every cheerful passion;
When Christ returns, he comes for your salvation.
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