An awful vision comes in view,
Assembling nations gathering round;
The great and small, the high and low;
At Gabriel's trumpet's awful sound.
No room to quibble, nor deceive,
No mask will screen the guilty now;
A just reward must all receive,
And all to God in silence bow.
No false pretense can screen the vile,
No hypocrite can stand the test;
No false deceiver with his smile
Can claim a mansion with the bles'd.
None but the pure can share the smile
Or hear the welcome plaudit given;
None but the man that's free from guile,
Can ever take a seat in Heaven.
All high professions, now are weighed;
The dross is sifted from the gold;
The Son of God is now arrayed;
And all must hear the record told.
The hireling priest must mount the scale,
While "Mene Tekel" marks his garb;
High sounding words will not prevail,
The truth will pierce his glossy robe.
The vain professor too must swing.
The beam declares him wanting there;
The sifting season now will bring
Division of the wheat and tare.
The chaff consumes away like smoke,
The tares in flames must melt away;
The wicked quail beneath the stroke,
The just shall dwell in courts of day.
The awful time at length has come.
The filthy shall be filthy still;
The righteous, too, shall reach their home;
And holy joy their bosoms fill.
The righteous gain that glorious crown,
And with their Jesus mount the skies.
The wicked 'neath his dreadful frown
Are bid depart in sad surprise.
O God, thy servants now inspire,
To speak the truth, and point the way
That leads from earth to mansions higher,'
That thoughtless man may learn to pray.
And with the Saviour share a part,
And bear the cross that he may gain
A shield to screen from Satan's dart,
And reach at last fair Canaan's plain.
BONNAR.