THE CHARITY CHURCH REARED OPPOSITE THE
PRISON GATE.
“Glory to God! the faine is raised!
And they who the most have given
Will rank far over the niggard souls
On the seats of a higher heaven!”
The seats in heaven are for the just,
And neither bought nor sold:
God is not bribed with granite dust,
As men are bribed with gold.
Tho’ soar the dome, and spread the wall
In pillared glory dight-
They weigh not, should you sum them all
The Jewish widow’s mite.
Were Christ to pass your pompous pile,
He’d spurn it where it stands,
And say: “my father dwelleth not
“In houses made of hands.”
“Do justice!- help the poor and weak!-“
“And let the oppressed go free!
“In lowly, loving hearts I seek
“The temples fit for me!”
With feet, not minds, that move to God,
And prayer from lip alone,
The modern Pharisees make broad
Phylacteries of stone.
But, when are balanced act and thought
Attesting saints shall read
How oft against each other brought
The motive blots the deed!
More righteous far shall then appear,
Before the Judgment-throne,
The holiness of flesh and blood,
Than holiness of stone.
(Ernest Jones)
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Based on Topics: Man Poems, God Poems, Mind Poems, Heaven Poems, Gold Poems, Justice PoemsBased on Keywords: faine, bribed, attesting, phylacteries, judgment-throne