Scripture Verse

…where the worm never dies, and the fire never stops burning. Mark 9:48

Introduction

portrait
John B. Dykes (1823–1876)

Words: Bar­tho­lo­mew Brown, in A New Se­lect­ion of Se­ven Hun­dred Ev­an­ge­li­cal Hymns, ed­it­ed by Jo­hn Do­bell (Mor­ris­town, New Jer­sey: Pe­ter A. John­son, 1810), num­ber 341.

Music: St. Cross (Dykes) John B. Dykes, in Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern, 1861 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Brown (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

illustration
From Dante’s Inferno, Canto 19
Gustave Doré (1832–1883)

Lyrics

Hell! ’tis a word of dread­ful sound;
It chills the heart and shocks the ear;
It spreads a sick­ly damp around,
And makes the guil­ty quake with fear.

Far from the ut­most verge of day,
Its fright­ful, gloomy re­gion lies;
Fierce flames amidst the dark­ness play,
And thick sul­fur­ous va­pors rise.

Conscience, the ne­ver-dy­ing worm,
With con­stant tor­ture gnaws the heart,
And woe and wrath, in ev­ery form,
Inflame the wounds, in­crease the smart.

The wretch­es rave, o’er­whelmed with woe,
And bite their ev­er­last­ing chains;
But with their rage their tor­ments grow,
Resentment but aug­ments their pains.

Sad world in­deed! what heart can bear,
Hopeless, in all these pains to lie;
Racked with vex­ation, grief, des­pair,
And ev­er dy­ing, ne­ver die!

Lord, save a guil­ty soul from hell,
Who seeks Thy par­don­ing, cleans­ing blood;
O let me in Thy king­dom dwell,
To praise my Sav­ior and my God.