How Weak the Thoughts, and Vain

How weak the thoughts

and vain

Of self-de­lud­ing men!

Men who

fixed to earth alone

Think their hous­es shall en­dure

Fondly call their lands their own

To their dis­tant heirs se­cure.

Let us in God con­fide

They for them­selves pro­vide

Lasting set­tlements they make

Prudently their views ex­tend

Thought for fu­ture ag­es take

Live

as time would nev­er end.

How soon may God re­buke

Their fol­ly with a look!

Caused by the Al­migh­ty’s frown

When the sud­den earth­quake comes

Then their hopes are tum­bled down

Then their hous­es are their tombs.

Their lands al­as! And they

Are swept at once away

Gaping earth re­ceives them all

Swallows up the na­tion’s boast;

See the pride of ag­es fall

In a fa­tal moment lost!

How hap­py then are we

Who build

O Lord

on Thee;

What can our foun­da­tion shock?

Though the shat­tered earth re­move

Stands our ci­ty on a rock

On the Rock of heav­en­ly love.

A house we call our own

Which can­not be o’er­thrown;

In the ge­ne­ral ru­in sure

Storms and earth­quakes it de­fies;

Built im­mov­ab­ly se­cure

Built eter­nal in the skies.

High on Im­ma­nu­el’s land

We see the fab­ric stand:

From a tot­ter­ing world re­move

To our stead­fast man­sion there;

Our in­her­it­ance ab­ove

Cannot pass from heir to heir.

Those ama­ran­thine bow­ers

Inalienably ours

Bloom

our in­fi­nite re­ward

Rise

our per­ma­nent abode;

From the found­ed world pre­pared;

Purchased by the blood of God.

O might we quick­ly find

The place for us de­signed;

See the long ex­pect­ed day

Of our full re­demp­tion here;

Let the sha­dows flee away

Let the new made world ap­pear!

High on Thy great white throne

O King of saints

come down!

In the new Je­ru­sa­lem

Now tri­umph­ant­ly des­cend;

Let the fi­nal trump pro­claim

Joys be­gun which ne’er shall end!