The Church's One Foundation

Verse 1
The Church’s one foun­da­tion
Is Je­sus Christ her Lord, (Matthew 21:42, Acts 4:11, Eph. 2:20, I Pet. 2:6, I Cor. 3:11)
She is His new cre­ation (II Cor. 5:17, Gal. 6:15)
By wa­ter and the Word: (Eph. 5:25-27)
From Heav’n He came and sought her (Luke 19:10)
To be His ho­ly bride, (Eph. 5:25-27, Rev. 19:7-8)
With His own blood He bought her (Acts 20:28, I Pet. 1:18-19, Rev. 5:9)
And for her life He died.

Verse 2
Elect from ev­ery na­tion, (Matt. 24:31, Mark 13:27, Col. 3:11, Rev. 5:9, Rev. 7:9)
Yet one o’er all the earth; (I Cor. 12:12-13)
Her char­ter of sal­va­tion,
One Lord, one faith, one birth; (Eph. 4:4-6)
One ho­ly name she bless­es, (Lev. 20:3, Lev. 22:2, Lev. 22:32, I Chr. 16:10, I Chr. 16:35, I Chr. 29:16, Ps. 30:4, Ps. 33:21, Ps. 97:12, Ps. 103:1, Ps. 105:3, Ps. 106:47, Ps. 145:21, Ezek. 20:39, Ezek. 36:20, Ezek. 36:21, Ezek. 39:7, Ezek. 39:25, Ezek. 43:7, Ezek. 43:8, Amos 2:7)
Partakes one ho­ly food, (Matt. 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:14-20, I Cor. 10:16-17, I Cor. 11:23-26)
And to one hope she press­es, (Eph. 4:4, Col. 1:5)
With ev­ery grace en­dued. (II Cor. 9:8)

Verse 3
The Church shall nev­er per­ish! (Matt. 16:18, John 10:27-29)
Her dear Lord to de­fend,
To guide, sus­tain, and cher­ish, (Eph. 5:29)
Is with her to the end: (Matt. 28:20, John 13:1, Heb. 13:5)
Though there be those who hate her, (Matt. 10:22, John 15:18-19)
And false sons in her pale, (Acts 20:29-30, Gal. 2:4, I John 2:19, II Pet. 2:1)
Against both foe and trai­tor
She ev­er shall pre­vail. (Matt. 16:18)

Verse 4
Though with a scorn­ful won­der
Men see her sore op­pressed, (Ps. 44:13-14, Ps. 79:4)
By schisms rent asun­der, (I Cor. 1:10, I Cor. 11:18-19)
By he­re­sies dis­tressed: (Gal. 5:20, Tit. 3:10, II Pet. 2:1)
Yet saints their watch are keep­ing,
Their cry goes up, How long? (Rev. 6:9-11, Ps. 13:1, Hab. 1:2)
And soon the night of weep­ing
Shall be the morn of song! (Ps. 30:5, Ps. 126:5-6)

Verse 5
’Mid toil and tri­bu­la­tion, (Acts 14:22, John 16:33)
And tu­mult of her war,
She waits the con­sum­ma­tion
Of peace for­ev­er­more; (II Pet. 3:13-14)
Till, with the vi­sion glo­ri­ous,
Her long­ing eyes are blest,
And the great Church vic­tor­ious
Shall be the Church at rest! (Rev. 7:13-17, Rev. 14:13)

Verse 6
Yet she on earth hath un­ion
With God the Three in One, (I John 5:7, John 17:21-23)
And mys­tic sweet com­mun­ion
With those whose rest is won, (Heb. 12:22-24)
With all her sons and daugh­ters
Who, by the Mas­ter’s hand
Led through the death­ly wa­ters, (Ps. 23:4, Isa. 43:2)
Repose in Ed­en land. (Luke 23:43, Rev. 2:7)

Verse 7
O hap­py ones and ho­ly!
Lord, give us grace that we
Like them, the meek and low­ly, (Matt. 5:5, Matt. 11:29)
On high may dwell with Thee: (Ps. 23:6, John 14:2-3, Rev. 21:3)
There, past the bor­der mount­ains,
Where in sweet vales the Bride
With Thee by liv­ing fount­ains (Rev. 7:17, Rev. 22:1-2, Ezek. 47:1-12, Rev. 21:6)
Forever shall ab­ide! (Rev. 21:3)