 | Jones Very : The Complete Poems |  |
The Christ
'Tis not by water only but by bloodThou comest in the flesh, great Prince of Peace!
John is thy witness in the cleansing flood,
But thou art from above, and must increase;
Thou bidst us suffer on the accursed tree,
Where thou wast nailed for sins thou couldst not know;
That by thy blood from death I might be free,
And in thy kingly stature daily grow;
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As thou hast died for me and all before;
And win the crown of light from thee in heaven,
By wearing here the thorns thy temples wore;
And loving as thou loved, who sweat within
Great drops of blood unseen for unseen sin.
Poem No. 728; late 1838–early 1839
| Jones Very : The Complete Poems | |