O Lord of hosts, Whose glory
fills
The bounds of the eternal
hills,
And yet vouchsafes, in
Christian lands,
To dwell in temples made with
hands;
Grant that all we,
who here today
Rejoicing this foundation
lay,
May be in very deed Thine
own.
Built on the precious
Cornerstone.
Endue the creatures with
Thy grace,
That shall adorn Thy dwelling
place;
The beauty of the oak and
pine,
The gold and silver, make
them Thine.
To Thee they all belong;
to Thee
The treasures of the earth
and sea;
And when we bring them to Thy
throne,
We but present Thee with
Thine own.
Endue the hearts that
guide with skill,
Preserve the hands that work
from ill,
That we, who these
foundations lay,
May raise the topstone in its
day.
Both now and ever, Lord,
protect
The temple of Thine own
elect;
Be Thou in them, and they in
Thee,
O ever blessèd Trinity!
