Scripture Verse

Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28

Introduction

portrait
Isaac Watts (1674–1748)

Words: Is­aac Watts, Hymns and Spi­ri­tu­al Songs, 1707–09, Book 2, num­ber 2. The death of a sin­ner.

Music: Ma­no­ah, ar­ranged from Gio­achi­no A. Ros­si­ni (1792–1868) in Col­lect­ion of Church Mu­sic, by Hen­ry W. Great­or­ex, 1851 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

  • Old Mar­tyrs Psalms (Ed­in­burgh Scot­land: 1615) (🔊 pdf nwc)
  • The Waits’ Song Eng­lish tra­di­tion­al (🔊 pdf nwc)
portrait
Gioachino A. Rossini
(1792–1868)

Lyrics

My thoughts on aw­ful sub­jects roll,
Damnation and the dead;
What hor­rors seize the guil­ty soul
Upon a dy­ing bed!

Lingering about these mor­tal shores,
She makes a long de­lay,
Till, like a flood, with ra­pid force
Death sweeps the wretch away.

Then swift and dread­ful she des­cends
Down to the fie­ry coast,
Amongst abom­in­able fiends,
Herself a fright­ful ghost.

There end­less crowds of sin­ners lie,
And dark­ness makes their chains;
Tortured with keen des­pair they cry,
Yet wait for fierc­er pains.

Not all their ang­uish and their blood
For their old guilt atones,
Nor the com­pas­sion of a God
Shall heark­en to their groans.

Amazing grace! that kept my breath
Nor bid my soul re­move,
Till I had learned my Sav­ior’s death
And well in­sured His love.