Poem by Henry Alford

1846

  Thou child of Man, fall down
  With contrite heart and low;
  Inheritor by fleshly birth
  Of exile, death, and woe.

  Thou child of Man, rejoice!
  The righteous One hath died:
  Behold by faith thy seals of Love,
  His hands, His feet, His side!

  Thou child of Man, that Blood
  Upon thy doors we trace:
  The symbol of that mighty Cross
  We stamp upon thy face.

  Servant of God, go forth
  Clad in thy Saviour's name;
  Like Him thou must endure the Cross,
  Like Him despise the shame.

  Servant of God, hope on
  Through tempests and through tears:
  The pillar of His presence see,
  Lighting the waste of years.

  Servant of God, farewell!
  The bed of death is made:
  Go, with His glorious countenance
  To cheer thee through the shade.

  Servant of God, all hail!
  The bright--haired army waits:
  And greeting angels round thy path
  Throng from the jasper gates.

  ``Servant of God, well done!''
  The judgment is His own:--
  Pass to the Inner Light, and sit
  With Him upon His throne.

1. Ampton, Suffolk
2. Haddon Hall, Derbyshire, July, 1836
3. Sacred to the Memory of E. S.
4. Summit of Skiddaw, July 7, 1838
5. Homer

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