Religion
Hymn II.44: Hell; or, The vengeance of God
From Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book II (1707)
With holy fear and humble song,
The dreadful God our souls adore;
Rev'rence and awe become the tongue
That speaks the terrors of his power.
Far in the deep where darkness dwells,
The land of horror and despair,
Justice has built a dismal hell,
And laid her stores of vengeance there.
Eternal plagues, and heavy chains,
Tormenting racks, and fiery coals,
And darts t' inflict immortal pains,
Dyed in the blood of damned souls.
There Satan, the first sinner, lies,
And roars, and bites his iron bands;
In vain the rebel strives to rise,
Crushed with the weight of both thy hands.
There guilty ghosts of Adam's race
Shriek out, and howl beneath thy rod
Once they could scorn a Savior's grace,
But they incensed a dreadful God.
Tremble, my soul, and kiss the Son;
Sinners, obey the Savior's call;
Else your damnation hastens on,
And hell gapes wide to wait your fall.
Cite this poem
MLA
Watts, Isaac. “Hymn II.44: Hell; or, The vengeance of God.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/watts/549/.
Chicago
Watts, Isaac. “Hymn II.44: Hell; or, The vengeance of God.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/watts/549/.
Read this poem with the Codex →