Psalm 50:4 [The Lord, The Judge, His Churches Warns]
by
Psalm 50:4. L. M.
Hypocrisy exposed.
The Lord, the Judge, his churches warns,
Let hypocrites attend and fear,
Who place their hope in rites and forms,
But make not faith nor love their care.
Vile wretches dare rehearse his name
With lips of falsehood and deceit;
A friend or brother they defame,
And soothe and flatter those they hate.
They watch to do their neighbours wrong;
Yet dare to seek their Maker’s face;
They take his covenant on their tongue,
But break his laws, abuse his grace.
To heaven they lift their hands unclean,
Defil’d with lust, defil’d with blood;
By night they practise every sin,
By day their mouths draw near to God.
And while his judgments long delay,
They grow secure and sin the more;
They think he sleeps as well as they,
And put far off the dreadful hour.
O dreadful hour! when God draws near,
And sets their crimes before their eyes!
His wrath their guilty souls shall tear,
And no deliverer dare to rise.