O God, our help in ages past
Isaac Watts, 1719. To be sung to St Anne.
1
O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home:
2
Under the shadow of thy throne Thy saints have dwelt secure; Sufficient is thine arm alone, And our defence is sure.
3
Before the hills in order stood, Or earth received her frame, From everlasting thou art God, To endless years the same.
4
A thousand ages in thy sight Are like an evening gone; Short as the watch that ends the night Before the rising sun.
5
Time, like an ever-rolling stream, Bears all its sons away; They fly forgotten, as a dream Dies at the opening day.
6
O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Be thou our guard while troubles last, And our eternal home.