The Altar or, Meditations in Verse On The Great Christian Sacrifice By The Author of "The Cathedral," [i.e. Isaac Williams] |
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 | The Altar |  |
5.
“Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity.”
This lamb-like spirit and this hallow'd kiss
Admitted to Thine altars thus of old,
The symbol, rite, and passport to the fold:
Union of souls which knew the chasten'd bliss
Of mutual pardon given, nor thought amiss.
Pledge of true love, that turneth all to gold,
E'en like that fabled rod in story told:
This is that love that hallows all things; this
The odorous spikenard of the costly price,
Whose fragrance fills the world unto the end;
The salt that seasons every sacrifice;
The fire which on the altar doth descend;
That love's communion sweet, which cannot blend
With hearts that harbour deadly avarice.
| The Altar | |