REFORMATION.

A Mighty Fortress is our God, A trusty Shield and Weapon; He helps us free from every need That hath us now o’ertaken. The old evil Foe Now means deadly woe; Deep guile and great might Are his dread arms in fight, On earth is not his equal. 2. With might of ours can naught be done, Soon were our loss effected; But for us fights the Valiant One, Whom God Himself elected. Ask ye, Who is this? Jesus Christ it is, Of Sabaoth Lord, And there’s none other God, He holds the field forever. 3. Though devils all the world should fill, All eager to devour us, We tremble not, we fear no ill, They shall not overpower us. This world’s prince may still Scowl fierce as he will, He can harm us none, He’s judged; the deed is done; One little word can fell him. 4. The Word they still shall let remain And not a thank have for it; He’s by our side upon the plain With His good gifts and Spirit. And take they our life, Goods, fame, child, and wife: Let these all be gone, They yet have nothing won; The Kingdom ours remaineth.

Lord, keep us in Thy Word and work, Restrain the murderous Pope and Turk, Who fain would tear from off Thy throne Christ Jesus, Thy beloved Son. 2. Lord Jesus Christ, Thy power make known, For Thou art Lord of lords alone; Shield Thy poor Christendom that we May evermore sing praise to Thee. 3. Thou Comforter of priceless worth, Give one mind to Thy flock on earth, Stand by us in our final strife, And lead us out of death to life. 4. Destroy their counsels, Lord, our God, And smite them with an iron rod, And let them fall into the snare Which for Thy Christians they prepare, 5. So that at last they may perceive That, Lord, our God, Thou still dost live And dost deliver mightily All those who put their trust in Thee.

Thine honor rescue, Christ, our Lord! Hear Zion’s sighs and help afford; Destroy the wiles of mighty foes, Who now Thy Word and truth oppose. 2. Their craft and vaunting pomp is great; High beat their hearts, with power elate; Our dearest hopes they but deride, They deem us nothing in their pride. 3. Forgive, O Lord, our sins forgive, Grant us Thy grace and let us live; Convince Thy foes throughout the land That godless counsels shall not stand. 4. Preserve Thy little flock in peace, Nor let Thy boundless mercy cease; Let it to all the world appear That Thy true Church indeed is here. 5. That Thou art with us loud proclaim, Who put’st our enemies to shame, Dost all their haughtiness suppress And help Thine own in their distress.

Fear not, O little flock, the Foe Who madly seeks your overthrow; Dread not his rage and power: What though your courage sometimes faints, His seeming triumph o’er God’s saints Lasts but a little hour. 2. Be of good cheer; your cause belongs To Him who can avenge your wrongs; Leave it to Him, our Lord. Though hidden yet from mortal eyes, His Gideon shall for you arise, Uphold you and His Word. 3. As true as God’s own Word is true, Not earth nor hell with all their crew Against us shall prevail. A jest and byword are they grown; God is with us, we are His own; Our victory cannot fail. 4. Amen, Lord Jesus, grant our prayer! Great Captain, now Thine arm make bare, Fight for us once again! So shall Thy saints and martyrs raise A mighty chorus to Thy praise, World without end. Amen.

The mouth of fools doth God confess, But while their lips draw nigh Him, Their heart is full of wickedness, And all their deeds deny Him. Corrupt are they, and every one Abominable works hath done; There is not one well-doer. 2. The Lord looked from His heavenly throne On all mankind below Him To see if there were any one Who truly sought to know Him, And all his understanding bent To search His holy Word, intent To do His will in earnest. 3. But none there was who walked with God, For all aside had slidden, Delusive paths of folly trod, And followed lusts forbidden; Not one there was who practised good, Though many deemed, in haughty mood, Their deeds to God were pleasing. 4. “How long, by folly blindly led, Will they oppress the needy And My own flock devour like bread?” So fierce are they and greedy! In God they put no trust at all, Nor on His name in trouble call, But be their own providers. 5. Therefore their heart is never still, A constant fear dismays them, God is with him who doth His will, Who trusts Him and obeys Him; Ye shame the counsel of the poor And mock him when he doth assure That God is e’er his Refuge. 6. Who shall to Israel’s outcast race From Zion bring salvation? God will Himself at length show grace And loose the captive nation; That will He do by Christ, their King; Let Jacob then be glad and sing And Israel be joyful.

O God, from heaven look down and see, A sight which well may move Thee: Of godly men, how few there be; Forsaken we who love Thee! Withheld is Thy pure Word, the light Of faith itself extinguished quite In all the sons of Adam. 2. Fictions they teach with cunning art And lies of man’s invention; Not grounded on God’s Word, their heart Breeds naught but strange dissension; One chooses this, another that, Untold division they create Though saintlike in appearance. 3. May God root out all heresy And of false teachers rid us, Who proudly say: “Now, where is he Who would our speech forbid us! We have the right and might alone, And what we say must stand, we own None as our lord and master.” 4. Therefore saith God: “I must arise To quell their great wrong-doing; To Me ascend My people’s sighs, And I have heard their suing. My saving Word shall take the field, Shall be the poor man’s strength and shield, Shall conquer all opponents.” 5. As silver seven times furnace-tried, Is pure from all its drosses, So doth the Word of God abide The brighter for its crosses; For trial shows its worth aright And manifests its strength and light, That through all lands it shineth. 6. O God, preserve it pure and free From this vile generation And let us be preserved by Thee From their abomination. The wicked walk on every side When mid Thy flock the vile abide In power and are exalted.

Christ, Thou the Champion of the band who own Thy Cross, O make Thy succor quickly known! The schemes of those who long our blood have sought Bring Thou to naught. 2. Do Thou Thyself for us, Thy children, fight, Withstand the devil, quell his rage and might; Whate’er assails Thy members left below Do Thou o’erthrow. 3. And give us Thy peace: peace in Church and school; Peace to the powers who o’er our country rule; Peace to the conscience, peace within the heart, Do Thou impart. 4. So shall Thy goodness here be still adored, Thou Guardian of Thy little flock, dear Lord; And heaven and earth through all eternity Shall worship Thee.

Ah! Lord, our God, let them not be confounded Who, though by want and woe and pain surrounded, Yet day and night still for Thy hope are sighing, To Thee are crying. 2. But put to shame Thy foes who breathe defiance And make their own vain might their sole reliance. O turn in mercy to Thy generation; Lord, have compassion! 3. We stand bereft of help and poor and lonely; ’Twere vain to trust in man. With Thee, Lord, only We may defeat the enemies around us Who seek to wound us. 4. Thou art our Champion, who canst overthrow them And save the little flock now crushed below them. We trust in Thee; for Jesus’ sake be near us; Help, Helper, hear us!

No change of time shall ever shock My firm affection, Lord, to Thee; For Thou hast always been a Rock, A Fortress, and Defense to me. 2. Thou my Deliverer art, my God; My trust is in Thy mighty power. Thou art my Shield from foes abroad; At home, my Safeguard and my Tower. 3. To Thee I will address my prayer, To whom all praise we justly owe; So shall I, by Thy watchful care, Be guarded safe from every foe. 4. Let the eternal Lord be praised, The Rock on whose defense I rest. O’er highest heavens His name be raised Who me with His salvation blest.

Had God not come, may Israel say, Had God not come to aid us, Our enemies before this day Would surely have dismayed us; For we are but a handful small, Held in contempt and scorn by all, All men rise up against us. 2. Their furious Wrath, did God permit, Would surely have consumed us And in the deep and yawning pit With life and limb entombed us; Like men o’er whom dark waters roll, The streams had gone e’en o’er our soul And mightily o’erwhelmed us. 3. Blest be the Lord, who from the pit Snatched us when it was gaping; Our souls, like birds that break the net, To the blue skies escaping; The snare is broken—we are free! Our help is ever, Lord, in Thee, The God of earth and heaven.

When Rome had shrouded earth in night, God said again, Let there be light! And Luther with the Gospel came To spread the truth in Jesus’ name. 2. When Rome the saints of God oppressed, And burdened souls could find no rest, Through Luther God deliv’rance sent By His pure Word and Sacrament. 3. Though hosts against us stand arrayed, Christ bids us still, Be not afraid. Though all its powers the truth assail, The gates of hell shall not prevail. 4. To-day with joyful hearts we sing The guardian care of Christ, our King, Who through His chosen instrument To us hath this salvation sent. 5. O Lord, whose mercies still endure, Preserve to us Thy Gospel pure; Let it alone within us reign That Thine the glory may remain.

If God were not upon our side When round us foes are raging, Were not Himself our Help and Guide When bitter war they’re waging, Were He not Israel’s mighty Shield, To whom their utmost craft must yield, We surely must have perished. 2. But now no human wit or might His chosen people frighteth; God sitteth in the highest height, And He their counsels blighteth. When craftiest snares and nets they lay, God doth His work another way And makes a path before us. 3. Against our souls they rage and mock, Exciting great commotion; As billows meet with angry shock Out on the stormy ocean, So they our lives with fury seek. But God hath pity on the weak, And Him they have forgotten. 4. They call us heretics and aye Their Christian name are flaunting; They seek to spill our blood, while they Their fear of God are vaunting. Ah, God! that precious name of Thine O’er many a wicked deed must shine, But Thou wilt once avenge it. 5. They open wide their ravenous jaws And threaten to devour us, But thanks to God, who rules our cause, They shall not overpower us; Their snares He yet will bring to naught And overthrow what they have taught; God is too mighty for them. 6. How richly He consoleth those Whom no one else befriendeth! The door of grace doth never close; Sense cannot comprehend it How this may be and deems all lost, When through this very cross a host Of champions God is raising. 7. Our foes, O God, are in Thy hand, Thou knowest their endeavor; But only give us strength to stand And let us waver never, Though reason strives with faith, and still It fears to wholly trust Thy will And sees not Thy salvation. 8. But heaven and earth, O Lord, are Thine, For Thou alone hast made them; Thy light let on Thy people shine And in their sorrow aid them. Ignite our hearts to love and faith That shall be steadfast e’en to death, Howe’er the world may murmur.