The Church's One Foundation

1. The Church- 's one foun- da- tion Is Je- sus Christ her Lord, She is His new cre- a- tion By wa- ter and the Word. From heav'n He came and sought her To be His ho- ly bride; With His own blood He bought her And for her life He died.

2. She is from ev- ery na- tion, Yet one o'er all the earth; Her char- ter of sal- va- tion, One Lord, one faith, one birth; One ho- ly Name she bless- es, Par- takes one ho- ly food, And to one hope she press- es, With ev- ery grace en- dued.

3. The Church shall ne- ver per- ish! Her dear Lord to de- fend, To guide, sus- tain, and cher- ish, Is with her to the end: Though there be those who hate her, And false sons in her pale, A- gainst or foe or trai- tor She ev- er shall pre- vail.

4. Though with a scorn- ful won- der Men see her sore op- pressed, By schi- sms rent a- sun- der, By her- e- sies dis- tressed: Yet saints their watch are keep- ing, Their cry goes up, 'How long?' And soon the night of weep- ing Shall be the morn of song!

5. 'Mid toil and trib- u- la- tion, And tu- mult of her war, She waits the con- sum- ma- tion Of peace for- ev- er- more; Till, with the vi- sion glo- rious, Her long- ing eyes are blest, And the great Church vic- tor- ious Shall be the Church at rest.