"The Church's One Foundation"
                         by Samuel J. Stone, 1839-1900
                                  Text From:
                      THE HANDBOOK TO THE LUTHERAN HYMNAL
           (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1942) pp. 473-474



	1. The Church's one foundation
	Is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
	She is His new creation
	By water and the Word.
	From heaven He came and sought her
	To be His holy bride;
	With His won blood He bought her,
	And for her life He died.
	
	2. Elect from every 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 every grace endued.
	
	3. The Church shall never perish!
	Her dear Lord, to defend,
	To guide, sustain, and cherish,
	Is with her to the end.
	Though there be those that hate her.
	False sons within her pale,
	Against both foe and traitor
	She ever shall prevail.
	
	4. 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.
	
	5. Mid toil and tribulation
	And tumult of her war
	She waits the consummation
	Of peace forevermore,
	Til with the vision glorious
	Her longing eyes are blest
	And the great Church victorious
	Shall be the Church at rest.

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        Text from _The Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal_
        Notes from _The Lutheran Hymnal_
        Hymn #473
        Text: Eph. 2:20
        Author: Samuel J. Stone, 1866, cento
        Composer: Samuel S. Wesley, 1864
        Tune: "Aurelia"
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        This text was converted to ascii format for Project Wittenberg
           by Cindy A. Beesley and is in the public domain. You may
         freely distribute, copy or print this text. Please direct any
            comments or suggestions to: Rev. Robert E. Smith of the
              Walther Library at Concordia Theological Seminary.

                          E-mail: bob_smith@ctsfw.edu

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