On this Stone Now Laid With Prayer

On this stone now laid with prayer,
Let Thy church rise, strong and fair;
Ever, Lord, Thy Name be known,
Where we lay this cornerstone.

Let Thy holy Child, Who came
Man from error to reclaim,
And for sinners to atone,
With Thee, bless this cornerstone.

Let the Spirit from above,
That once hovered like a dove
O’er the Jordan, hither flown
Hover o’er this cornerstone.

In the sinner’s troubled breast,
In the heart by care oppressed,
Let the seeds of truth be sown,
Where we’ve laid this cornerstone.

Open wide, O God, Thy door,
For the outcast and the poor,
Who can call no house their own,
Where we lay this cornerstone.

By wise master builders squared,
Here be living stones prepared
For the temple near Thy throne,
Jesus Christ its Cornerstone.