Scripture Verse

The seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. Revelation 16:17–18

Introduction

Words: Charles Wes­ley, Hymns Oc­ca­sioned by the Earth­quake, March 8, 1750, se­cond edi­tion, 1756. Oc­ca­sioned by the De­struc­tion of Lis­bon.

Music: Che­shire Este’s Psal­ter, 1592 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

portrait
Charles Wesley (1707–1788)

Lyrics

Woe to the men on earth who dwell,
Nor dread the Almighty’s frown;
When God doth all His wrath reveal,
And shower His judgments down!
Sinners, expect those heaviest showers;
To meet your God prepare!
For, lo! the seventh angel pours
His phial in the air.

A voice out of the temple cries,
And from the eter­nal throne,
And all the storms of vengeance rise
When God declares ’Tis done!
’Tis done! ten thousand voices join
To applaud His righteous ire;
And thunders roll, and lightnings shine
That set the world on fire.

The mighty shock seems now begun,
Beyond example great,
And lo! the world’s foundations groan
As at their instant fate;
Jehovah shakes the shattered ball,
Sign of the general doom
The cities of the nations fall,
And Babel’s hour is come.

Lo! from their roots the mountains leap;
The mountains are not found;
Transported far into the deep,
And in the ocean drowned.
Jesus descends in dread array
To judge the scarlet whore:
And every isle is fled away,
Our nation is no more!
[originally, And Britain is no more]

She sinks beneath her ambient flood,
And ne­ver more shall rise;
The earth is gone, on which we stood,
The old creation dies!
Who then shall live, and face the throne,
And face the Judge severe?
When Hea­ven and earth are fled and gone,
O where shall I appear?

Now, only now, against that hour
We may a place provide:
Beyond the grave, beyond the power
Of hell, our spirits hide:
Firm in the all-destroying shock,
May view the final scene;
For, lo! the ev­er­last­ing Rock
Is cleft to take us in.

By faith we find the place above,
The Rock that rent in twain;
Beneath the shade of dying love,
And in the clefts remain.
Jesus, to Thy dear wounds we flee,
We sink into Thy side;
Assured that all who trust in Thee
Shall ev­er­more abide.

Then let the thundering trumpet sound;
The latest lightning glare;
The mountains melt; the solid ground
Dissolve as liquid air;
The huge celestial bodies roll,
Amidst that general fire,
And shrivel as a parchment scroll,
And all in smoke expire!

Yet still the Lord, the Sav­ior reigns,
When nature is destroyed,
And no created thing remains
Throughout the flaming void.
Sublime upon His azure throne,
He speaks the al­migh­ty word:
His fiat is obeyed! ’tis done;
And paradise restored.

So be it! let this system end,
This ruinous earth and skies;
The New Je­ru­sa­lem descend,
The new creation rise.
Thy power omnipotent assume;
Thy brightest majesty!
And when Thou dost in glo­ry come,
My Lord, remember me!