On This Stone Now Laid with Prayer

348 On This Stone Now Laid with Prayer

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

2 May Thy Spirit here give rest
   To the heart by sin oppressed,
   And the seeds of truth be sown,
   Where we lay this corner-stone.

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

4 By wise master-builders squared,
   Here be living stones prepared
   For the temple near Thy throne,
   Jesus Christ its Corner-stone.
                         John Pierpont
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
The other day I mentioned that I was in the wedding section of the hymnal. Well, that turned out to be only three hymns! Now I'm in the "Dedications" section, which is a good bit longer; in fact, the last one or two hymns were from that section.

This hymn is only in about forty hymnals. As usual, Cyberhymnal has a couple of extra verses:

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

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

</idle musing>