Break down the old dividing walls Of sect, and rivalry, and schism, And heal the body of Thy Christ With anoint of Thy chrism! Let the strong wind of Thy sweet grace Sweep through Thy cumbered house, and chase The miasms from the Holy Place! Let Thy white beam of light beat in, And from each darkest corner win The shadows that have sheltered sin! Cleanse it of shibboleths and strife, End all the discords that were rife, Heal the old wounds and give new life! Break down the hedges that have grown So thickly all about Thy throne, And clear the paths, that every soul That seeks Thee -- of himself alone May find, and be made whole! -- One church, one all-harmonious voice, One passion for Thy High Employs, One heart of gold without alloys, One striving for the higher joys, One Christ, one Cross, one only Lord, One living of the Living Word. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE CAPTIVE LION by WILLIAM HENRY DAVIES SUMMER STORM by JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL INLAND by EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY A LONDON FETE by COVENTRY KERSEY DIGHTON PATMORE THE FALL OF JERUSALEM by ALFRED TENNYSON ROCOCO by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH |