The Church's One Foundation
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w: Samuel J. Stone, 1866
m: Samuel Sebastian Wesley, 1864
Arr. M. Roger Holland II, 2001

[Verse 1]
The Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is his new creation, By water and the word:
From heav'n he came and sought her To be his holy bride;
With his own blood he bought her, And for her life he died.

[Verse 2]
Elect from ev'ry nation, Yet one o'er all the earth,
Her charter of salvation, One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy name she blesses, Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses, With ev'ry grace endued.

[Verse 3]
Though with a scornful wonder Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder, By heresies distressed;
Yet saints their watch are keeping, Their cry goes up, "How long?"
And soon the night of weeping Shall be the morn of song.

[Verse 4]
Mid toil and tribulation And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation Of peace forevermore;
Till with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious Shall be the Church at rest.

[Verse 5]
Yet she on earth hath union With God, the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion With those whose rest is won:
O happy ones and holy!  Lord, give us grace that we,
Like them, the meek and lowly On high may dwell with thee.

[Coda]
May dwell with thee.