Scripture Verse

Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty. Isaiah 2:10

Introduction

portrait
Charles Wesley (1707–1788)

Words: Charles Wes­ley, Hymns for Times of Trou­ble and Per­se­cu­tion se­cond edi­tion, en­larged (Lon­don: Stra­han, 1744), pag­es 10–12, alt.

Music: Bea­loth Lo­well Ma­son, Sac­red Harp 1843 (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Lowell Mason (1792–1872)

Lyrics

Sinners, the call obey,
The latest call of grace;
The day is come, the vengeful day,
Of a devoted race:
Devils and men combine
To plague the faithless seed,
And vials full of wrath divine
Are bursting on your head.

Enter into the Rock,
Ye trembling slaves of sin,
The Rock of your sal­va­tion, struck,
And cleft to take you in:
To shelter the distressed
He did the cross endure;
O enter in the clefts, and rest
In Je­sus’ wounds secure.

Who would not fear the Lord,
Such glo­ri­ous majesty!
His justice stern hath drawn the sword:
To His compassion flee;
He comes to vengeance take,
He comes His wrath to show;
He rises terribly to shake
The drowsy world below.

See how His meteors glare!
(The tokens understand)
See famine, pestilence and war
Hang o’er a guilty land!
Signs in the heavens see,
And hear the speaking rod;
O sinner, judg­ment points to Thee,
Prepare to meet thy God!

Terrible God! and true,
Thy justice we confess,
Thy sorest plagues are all our due,
We own our wickedness;
Worthy of death and hell,
Thee in Thy judgments meet:
But lo! we to Thy grace appeal,
And crowd Thy mercy seat.

Jesus, to Thee we fly
From the devouring sword!
Our city of defense is high,
Our help is in the Lord:
Or if the scourge o’erflow,
And laugh at innocence,
Thine ev­er­last­ing arms, we know,
Shall be our soul’s defense.

We in Thy Word be­lieve,
And in Thy promise stay:
Our life, which still to Thee we give,
Shall be us to a prey:
Our life with Thee we hide
Above the furious blast,
And sheltered in Thy wounds abide,
Till all the storm is past.

Believing against hope,
We hang upon Thy grace,
Through every lowering cloud look up,
And wait for happy days;
The days when all shall know
Their sins in Christ forgiven,
And walk awhile with God below,
And then fly up to Hea­ven.