1
In ancient days men fear’d the Lord,
And by their faith receiv’d his word,
Then God bestow’d upon the meek,
The Priesthood of Melchizedek.
2
By help of this their faith increas’d,
Till they with God spoke face to face:
An Enoch, he would walk with God;
A Noah ride safe o’er the flood.
3
Abr’ham obtain’ed great promises,
And Isaac he was also blest,
A Jacob could prevail with God;
The sea divide at Moses’ rod.
4
The lions’ mouth a Daniel clos’d,
The fire near scorch’d his brethren’s clothes,
But time would fail to mention all
The men of faith, I’ll just name Paul.
5
Who did, to the third heav’ns, arise,
And view the wonders of the skies;
He saw and heard, mysterious things,
Yet all by faith, and not by wings.
6
Such blessings to the human race,
Once more are tender’d by God’s grace;
The Priesthood is again restor’d,
For this let God be long ador’d.
7
Now we by faith, like Paul and John,
May see the Father and the Son,
And view eternal things above,
And taste the sweets of boundless love.
8
And if, like them, we hated be,
Depriv’d sometimes of liberty,
We will like them, this faith defend,
What’er our fate, unto the end.
9
O Lord assist thy feeble worms,
This resolution to perform,
And we thy sacred name will praise,
Throughout the remnant of our days.