v.1-8
S. M.
The church is the honor and safety of a nation.
[Great is the Lord our God,
And let his praise be great;
He makes his churches his abode,
His most delightful seat.
These temples of his grace,
How beautiful they stand!
The honors of our native place,
And bulwarks of our land.]
In Zion God is known,
A refuge in distress;
How bright has his salvation shone
Through all her palaces!
When kings against her joined,
And saw the Lord was there,
In wild confusion of the mind
They fled with hasty fear.
When navies tall and proud
Attempt to spoil our peace,
He sends his tempests roaring loud,
And sinks them in the seas.
Oft have our fathers told,
Our eyes have often seen,
How well our God secures the fold
Where his own sheep have been.
In every new distress
We'll to his house repair;
We'll think upon his wondrous grace,
And seek deliv'rance there.
