Scripture Verse

Hurry and take refuge there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there. For this reason the town was named Zoar. Genesis 19:22

Introduction

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Charles Wesley (1707–1788)

Words: Charles Wes­ley, Hymns Oc­ca­sioned by the Earth­quake, March 8, 1750, Part 2 (Lon­don: Stra­han, 1750), num­ber 3.

Music: Lu­sa­tia Jo­hann A. Frey­ling­hau­sen, 1704 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tune:

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Johann A. Freylinghausen (1670–1739)

Lyrics

Father, and God of Ab­ra­ham, hear,
Who didst in faith­ful mer­cy send
A kind ce­les­ti­al mes­sen­ger,
To save the bro­ther of Thy friend,
While ven­geance on the wick­ed came,
Snatched as a brand out of the flame;

Hear us, who now for mer­cy call,
Us, who in Ab­ra­ham’s foot­steps go,
Before Thy lift­ed thun­der fall,
Before Thy wrath our land o’er­throw,
Like So­dom and Go­mor­rah make,
And plunge us in the burn­ing lake.

With kind dis­ting­uish­ing re­gard
Preserve the poor af­flict­ed few,
Who watch for all ev­ents pre­pared,
With gush­ing eyes the wick­ed view,
Vexed with their deeds, while day by day,
We weep our pen­sive lives away.

Remember, Lord, the right­eous man,
And us, and ours, far off re­move,
Exempted from ju­di­cial pain,
Conducted to the mount above,
O let us to our Zo­ar fly,
And find a place of re­fuge nigh.

Thou ne­ver canst Thy foes con­sume,
Unless Thou first se­cure Thy friends,
Thy friends re­tard th’ im­pend­ing doom,
And lo! The judg­ment still im­pends,
Till all who will, es­cape, and rest
Close shel­tered in their Sav­ior’s breast.