1. O solemn thought! and can it be,
The hour of judgment now is come!
Which soon must fix our destiny,
And seal the sinner’s fearful doom!
Yes, it is so; the judgment hour
Is swiftly hasting to its close;
Then will the Judge in mighty power
Descend in vengeance on his foes.
2. He who came down to earth to die
An offering for the sins of men.
And then ascended up on high,
And will ere long return again;
Is standing now before the Ark,
And Mercy-seat, and Cherubim;
To plead his blood for saints, and make
The last remembrance of their sin.
3. The solemn moment is at hand
When we who have his name confessed
Each in his lot must singly stand,
And pass the final, searching test.
Jesus! we hope in thee alone;
In mercy now upon us look,
Confess our names before the throne,
And blot our sins from out thy book.
4. O, blessed Saviour! may we feel
The full importance of this hour;
Inspire our hearts with holy zeal,
And aid us by the Spirit’s power.
That we may, in thy strength, be strong,
And brave the conflict valiantly;
Then, on Mount Zion, join the song,
And swell the notes of victory.
– R.F. Cottrell (printed in an early Advent Review magazine)
