Happy the Church, Thou Sacred Place

Happy the church

thou sac­red place

The seat of thy cre­at­or’s grace;

Thine ho­ly courts are His abode

Thou earth­ly pal­ace of our God!

Thy walls are strength

and at thy gates

A guard of heav’n­ly war­ri­ors waits;

Nor shall thy deep foun­da­tions move

Fixed on His coun­sels and His love.

Thy foes in vain de­signs en­gage

Against His throne in vain they rage;

Like ris­ing waves

with an­gry roar

That dash and die up­on the shore.

Then let our souls in Si­on dwell

Nor fear the wrath of Rome and hell;

His arms em­brace this hap­py ground

Like braz­en bul­warks built around.

God is our shield

and God our sun;

Swift as the fleet­ing mo­ments run

On us He sheds new beams of grace

And we re­flect His bright­est praise.