Laugh, ye profane, and swell and burst

Laugh, ye profane, and swell and burst

Author: Isaac Watts
Tune: ST. PAUL (Chalmers' Collection)
Published in 7 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, Noteworthy Composer
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 Laugh, ye profane, and swell and burst,
With bold impiety:
Yet shall ye live for ever cursed,
And seek in vain to die.

2 The gasp of your expiring breath
Consigns your souls to chains,
By the last agonies of death
Sent down to fiercer pains.

3 Ye stand upon a dreadful steep,
And all beneath is hell;
Your weighty guilt will sink you deep
Where the old serpent fell.

4 When iron slumbers bind your flesh,
With strange surprise you’ll find
Immortal vigor spring afresh,
And tortures wake the mind!

5 Then you’ll confess the frightful names
Of plagues you scorned before,
No more shall look like idle dreams,
Like foolish tales no more.

6 Then shall ye curse that fatal day,
With flames upon your tongue,
When you exchanged your souls away
For vanity and songs.

7 Behold, the saints rejoice to die,
For Heav’n shines round their heads;
And angel guards prepared to fly,
Attend their fainting beds.

8 Their longing spirits part, and rise
To their celestial seat;
Above these ruinable skies
They make their last retreat.

0 Hence, ye profane, I hate your ways,
I walk with pious souls;
There’s a wide difference in our race,
And distant are our goals.

Source: The Cyber Hymnal #9802

Author: Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts was the son of a schoolmaster, and was born in Southampton, July 17, 1674. He is said to have shown remarkable precocity in childhood, beginning the study of Latin, in his fourth year, and writing respectable verses at the age of seven. At the age of sixteen, he went to London to study in the Academy of the Rev. Thomas Rowe, an Independent minister. In 1698, he became assistant minister of the Independent Church, Berry St., London. In 1702, he became pastor. In 1712, he accepted an invitation to visit Sir Thomas Abney, at his residence of Abney Park, and at Sir Thomas' pressing request, made it his home for the remainder of his life. It was a residence most favourable for his health, and for the prosecution of his literary… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Laugh, ye profane, and swell and burst
Author: Isaac Watts
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #9802
  • PDF (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer Score (NWC)

Instances

Instances (1 - 7 of 7)
Page Scan

A Collection of Hymns for the use of Christians #M.XXXVI

A New and Beautiful Collection of Select Hymns and Spiritual Songs #d171

Hymns, Original and Selected, for the use of Christians #d132

Revival Hymns. 4th ed. #d62

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #9802

Page Scan

The Lexington Collection #116

Page Scan

The Lord's Songs #LVIII

Exclude 6 pre-1979 instances
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