Hymns for the National Fast, 3

Thou awful God of righteousness.
Whose heavy chastisements we bear,
We mournfully our sins confess,
Which would not suffer Thee to spare,
But urged the lingering ruin on.
And forced Thy heaviest judgments down.

Year after year. Thy patient grace
Hath waited our return to Thee,
With mercies bless'd a thankless race,
With wide-extended victory.
And forced the nations to submit,
And bruised our foes beneath our feet.

But drunk with insolence of power.
And surfeited with every good,
We thought not in our prosperous hour
How soon Thou couldst abase the proud,
The victors crush, the vanquish'd raise,
And crown our enemies with success.

Therefore a sad reverse we find,
So suddenly of late brought low.
Scourged by the basest of mankind.
Who aim'd by one destructive blow
Our plunder'd cities to consume,
And seal a sinful nation's doom.

Therefore the sword abroad bereaves,
And thousands and ten thousands fall;
America the yoke receives
Of rebels, and perfidious Gaul:
We weep our friends in pieces torn,
And the dismember'd empire mourn.

Thou hast an evil spirit sent
Brethren from brethren to divide,
Our land is into portions rent.
And discord storms on every side.
And Britain s sons, her curse and shame,
Throw oil on the outrageous flame.

Britain, Thou hast to traitors sold,
To faction's and rebellion's friends,
Who having quench'd their thirst of gold,
And served their own flagitious ends,
For shelter to a party fly.
And laws, and king, and God defy.

Wild, independent anarchy.
Sad presage of a nation's fall,
And every order and degree
Corrupt, profane, for vengeance call,
The noble and ignoble crowd,
Whose lives declare—There is no God.

Yet hast Thou, Lord, a remnant still.
Who for their guilty brethren plead.
And wait the counsels of Thy will.
The' event by sovereign love decreed.
Whether Thou wilt no longer spare,
Or give us to Thy people's prayer.

Father of everlasting love,
In Jesu's name and Spirit we cry,
Thy judgments, with their cause, remove,
Who wouldst not have one sinner die,
Millions in Christ accepted see.
And bid us live, restored, to Thee.