A Prayer for the Church of England

Head of Thy church, attend
Our long-continued prayer,
And owx Jentsalem defend,
And in Thy bosom bear
The sheep of EnglaniVs fold,
Mark'd with their Shepherd's sign,
Bought with a price, redeem'd of old,
And wash'd in blood Divine.

Call'd out of Babylon
At Thy command they came;
Our ancestors their lives laid down,
And triumph'd in the flame:
The Church's seed arose
Out of the martyrs' blood,
And saw their anti-Christian foes
Before Thy cross subdued.

Again Thy Spirit of grace
Doth with our Israel strive,
And even in our degenerate days
His ancient work revive.
Ten thousand witnesses
Stand forth on every side,
And, bold in life and death, confess
Jehovah crucified.

O that the faithful seed
May never, never fail,
"Victorious through their conquering Head
O'er all the powers of hell!
Still with Thy people stay,
By England'' s Church adored,
Till every island flee away
Before our glorious Lord.