God from his throne with piercing eye

1 God from his throne with piercing eye,
Naked does every heart behold;
But never, till we come to die,
To us will such a view unfold.

2 Should sin, in naked form appear,
Just as it rises in the heart,
And others know and see it there
In every feeling, every thought:

3 The fire of hell must kindle soon,
How envy and revenge would flame!
One heart would urge another on,
Till rage and vengeance want a name!

4 Sin in its nature would appear
A living death, to form a hell;
The worst of miseries creatures fear,
The worst of plagues the tongue can tell.

5 Unvailed and naked every heart
Before the judgment seat must stand,
Sin act no more a double part,
But meet a death from its own hand.

6 The fiery lake must hotter grow
From the fierce clash of sinful souls;
Each bosom like a furnace glow,
Nor God the rage, or fire control.

The Hartford Selection of Hymns from the most approved authors, 1799