ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT

Father Unoriginate, Only‑begotten Son,
Life‑giving Spirit,.
merciful, pitiful, long‑suffering,
full of pity, full of kind yearnings,
who lowest the just and pitiest the
sinful,
who passest by sins and grantest
petitions,
God of penitents,
Saviour of sinners,
I have sinned before Thee; O Lord,
and thus and thus have I done.
Alas, alas! woe, woe.
143How was I enticed by my own
lust!
How I hated instruction!
Nor felt I fear nor shame
at Thy incomprehensible glory,
Thy awful presence,
Thy fearful power,
Thy exact justice,
Thy winning goodness.
I will call if there be any that will
answer me;
to which of the saints shall I turn?
O wretched man that I am,
who shall deliver me from the body of
this death
how fearful is Thy judgment,
O Lord?
when the thrones are set
and Angels stand around,
aid men are brought in,
the books opened,
the works enquired into,
the thoughts examined,
and the hidden things of darkness.
What judgment shall be upon me?
who shall quench my flame?
144who shall lighten my darkness,
if Thou pity me not?
Lord, as Thou art loving,
give me tears,
give me floods, give me to‑day.
For then will be the incorruptible Judge,
the horrible judgment‑seat,
the answer without excuses,
the inevitable charges,
the shameful punishment,
the endless Gehenna,
the pitiless Angels,
the yawning hell,
the roaring stream of fire,
the unquenchable flame,
the dark prison,
the rayless darkness,
the bed of live coals,
the unwearied worm,
the indissoluble chains,
the bottomless chaos,
the impassable wall;
the inconsolable cry,
none to stand by me,
none to plead for me,
none to snatch me out.
145But I repent, Lord, O Lord,
I repent,
help Thou mine impenitence,
and more, and still more,
pierce, rend, crush my heart.
Behold, O Lord, that I am
indignant with myself,
for my senseless; profitless,
hurtful, perilous passions;
that I loathe myself,
for these inordinate, unseemly,
deformed, insincere,
shameful, disgraceful
passions,
that my confusion is daily before me,
and the shame of my face hath covered
me.
Alas! woe, woe—
O me, how long?
Behold, Lord, that I sentence myself
to punishment everlasting,
yea, and all miseries of this world.
Behold me, Lord, self‑condemned;
Behold, Lord, and enter not into
judgment
with Thy servant.
146And now, Lord,
I humble myself under Thy mighty hand,
I bend to Thee, O Lord, my knees,
I fall on my face to the earth.
Let this cup pass from me!
I stretch forth my hands unto Thee;
I smite my breast, I smite on my thigh.
Out of the deep my soul crieth unto
Thee,
as a thirsty land;
and all my bones,
and all that is within me.
Lord; hear my voice.