159. ode, for 1861.
by Rev. H. Hastings Weld.
O God of our fathers, Thy aid we implore,'Mid the storm of rebellion, to shield us from danger;
The sunlight of union and peace to restore
O'er the flag that defied the assault of the stranger.
To the fair open foe, our gauntlet we throw,
But the snares of sedition we scarcely can know.
Is the star-spangled banner no longer to wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?
Thy hand we confess; Thou hast humbled our pride,
And we trust not in chariots, or count upon horses,
But rest on the might and the wisdom that guide
The sun in his path, and the stars in their courses.
From Thy people that pray, Lord, turn not away;
Let us welcome again the glad national day,
When the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.
Away with all fears that our hearts might appal,
For the gloom does but herald a happier morrow;
Heaven victory gives, if we faithfully call,
And the garment of joy, for the spirit of sorrow.
Oh, then be the praise to the Ancient of Days,
As, for God and our Country, our voices we raise;
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.
Religion, and virtue, and truth to maintain,
We have brought forth our flag before Heaven's high altar;
The right to assert, and the laws to sustain,
Before God we are bound, and we dare not to falter.
Interweave in its fold the blest symbol of old,
And let Calvary's emblem the standard uphold;
And the star-spangled banner forever shall wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.
Moorestown, N. J., July 4, 1861.
