ation.
Thou showest Thy good will toward men,
And peace shall reign on earth again;
We praise Thy Name forever.

We praise, we worship Thee, we trust,
And give Thee thanks forever,
O Father, for Thy rule is just
And wise, and changes never.
Thy hand almighty o'er us reigns,
Thou doest what Thy will ordains;
'Tis well for us Thou rulest.

O Jesus Christ, our God and Lord,
Son of the Heavenly Father,
O Thou, who hast our peace restored,
The straying sheep dost gather,
Thou Lamb of God, to Thee on high
Out of the depths we sinners cry:
Have mercy on us, Jesus!

O Holy Ghost, Thou precious gift,
Thou Comforter, unfailing,
From Satan's snares our souls uplift,
And let Thy power, availing,
Avert our woes and calm our dread;
For us the Saviour's blood was shed,
We trust in Thee to save us!

Nicolaus Decius, 1526, 1539

THE HYMN-WRITERS OF THE REFORMATION

The hymns of the Reformation were like a trumpet call, proclaiming to all
the world that the day of spiritual emancipation had come. What they
lacked in poetic refinement they more than made up by their tremendous
earnestness and spiritual exuberance.

They faithfully reflect the spirit of the age in which they were born, a
period of strife and conflict. The strident note that often appears in
Luther's hymns can easily be understood when it is remembered that the
great Reformer looked upon the pope as Antichrist himself and all others
who opposed the Lutheran teachings as confederates of the devil.

In 1541, when the Turkish invasion from the East threatened to devastate
all Europe, special days of humiliation and prayer were held throughout
Germany. It was for one of these occasions that Luther wrote the hymn,
"Lord, keep us steadfast in Thy word." In its original form, however, it
was quite different from the hymn we now sing. The first stanza ran:

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.

When Luther, on the other hand, sang of God's free grace to men in Christ
Jesus, or extolled the merits of the Saviour, or gave thanks for the word
of God restored to men, there was such a marvelous blending of childlike
trust, victorious faith and spontaneous joy that all Germany was thr