The Death of the Sinner and the Saint

1 What scenes of horror and of dread
Await the sinner's dying bed!
Death's terrors all appear in sight,
Presages of eternal night.

2 His sins in dreadful order rise,
And fill his soul with sad surprise;
Mount Sinai's thunder shuns his ears,
And not one ray of hope appears.

3 Tormenting pangs distract his breast;
Where'er he turns he finds no rest;
Death strikes the blow; he groans and cries,
And in despair and horror dies.

4 Not so the heir of heavenly bliss:--
His soul is filled with conscious peace;
A steady faith subdues his fear!
He sees the happy Canaan near,

5 His mind is tranquil and serene;
No terrors in his looks are seen;
His Savior's smile dispels the gloom,
And smooths his passage to the tomb.

6 Lord! make my faith and love sincere,
My judgment sound, my conscience clear:
And, when the toils of life are past,
May I be found in peace at last.

Source: A Collection of Hymns and Prayers, for Public and Private Worship #387