Adapted from 101 Hymn Stories – Kenneth W. Osbeck
Author – Samuel J. Stone
Composer – Samuel S. Wesley 1810-1876
The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is His new creation by water and the Word;
From heav’n He came and sought her to be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.
This magnificent hymn was written in 1866 by Church of England pastor Samuel J. Stone, as a response to a period of turmoil within the Anglican Church over a book written three years earlier by influential Anglican bishop John William Colenso, which attacked the historical accuracy of the Pentateuch. The book, The Pentateuch and the Book of Joshua, Critically Examined, was vehemently opposed by another Anglican leader, Bishop Gray. The theological dispute between these two leaders became a widespread controversy throughout the entire Anglican Church.
Samuel Stone was deeply stirred by this matter and wrote a collection of hymns based on the Apostles’ Creed to combat the attacks of modern scholarship and liberalism which he felt would…destroy the church. This particular hymn was based on the ninth article of the Creed, which reads “The Holy Catholic Church; the Communion of Saints; He is the head of the Body.” It was Stone’s conviction that the unity of the church must rest solely…on the Lordship of Christ as its head, and not on the views and interpretations of men.
The hymn (was) highly popular in Great Britain. Two years later, the Anglican bishops assembled in London for a great theological conclave known as the Lambeth Conference. This hymn was chosen as the processional and thematic hymn for that historic meeting. Today, it is (Stone’s) only hymn which is still in general use.
The composer, Samuel S. Wesley, was born in London on August 14, 1810. He was the grandson of Charles Wesley and was recognized as one of the leading church musicians of his day.