Scripture Verse

They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him. Zechariah 12:10

Introduction

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Jean B. de Santeüil
1630–1697

Words: Jean B. de San­teüil, in the Clu­ni­ac Bre­vi­ary, 1686. In its in­i­tial pub­li­ca­tion, the hymn had a first line of Quid Ob­stu­pen­dum Cer­ni­mus, but in sub­se­quent pub­li­cations it ap­peared as Sen­sus Quis Hor­ror Per­cut­it. Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Ro­bert Camp­bell in his St. An­drews Hymns and An­thems, 1850, page 78 (Awf­ul Thought of End­less Doom). In Or­by Ship­ley’s An­nus Sanc­tus, the first line ap­peared as shown below.

Music: Tun­bridge Je­re­mi­ah Clarke (ca. 1659–1707) (🔊 pdf nwc).

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Jeremiah Clarke
ca. 1659–1707

Lyrics

Fearful thought of end­less doom—
Skies are rent, the Judge is come;
Clouds His throne; around Him stand
Angel guards, a count­less band.

Hear the voice from shore to shore,
Tells that time shall be no more;
See the dead from dust arise,
Summoned to the great as­size.

On His right are placed the just,
To the left the wick­ed thrust;
Well to Him are sin­ners known—
Known, but se­vered from His own.

These a blest re­treat have won,
Earth’s de­lights who learned to shun;
Chose af­flict­ion, pain and loss,
Followed Him who bore the cross.

Cross, from which the He­brew turned,
Cross, by haugh­ty Gen­tiles spurned;
Thee with joy the right­eous see,
But the lost with ago­ny.

Deeper still their shame and dread,
Seeing Him whose blood they shed;
Lord, from sin Thy peo­ple keep,
Lest its dread­ful fruit they reap.

Mingling joy with ho­ly fear,
Praise we Him whose day is near;
Bless alike the Fa­ther’s name,
And the Spi­rit’s praise pro­claim.