Today's Beautiful Gem: `Gather Us In' by George Matheson (1842-1906).

"Gather us in, Thou Love that fillest all;
Gather our rival faiths within Thy fold.
Rend each man's temple veil and bid it fall,
That we may know that Thou hast been of old; Gather us in.

"Gather us in: we worship only Thee;
In varied names we stretch a common hand;
In diverse forms a common soul we see;
In many ships we seek one spirit-hand; Gather us in.

"Each sees one colour of Thy rainbow light,
Each looks upon one tint and calls it heaven;
Thou art the fullness of our partial sight;
We are not perfect till we find the seven; Gather us in.

"Thine is the mystic life great India craves;
Thine is the Parsee's sin-destroying beam;
Thine is the Buddhist's rest from tossing waves;
Thine is the empire of vast China's dream; Gather us in.

"Thine is the Roman's strength without his pride;
Thine is the Greek's glad world without its graves;
Thine is the Judaea's law with love beside,
The truth that censures and the grace that saves; Gather us in.

"Some seek a Father in the heavens above,
Some ask a human image to adore;
Some crave a Spirit vast as life and love;
Within Thy mansions we have all, and more; Gather us in."

Om s'aantih: Peace! - J. K. Mohana Rao

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