George Herbert(1593–1633)
The Altar
A broken A L T A R , Lord, thy servant rears,
Made of a heart, and cemented with tears:
Whose parts are as thy hand did frame;
No workman's tool hath touched the same.3
A H E A R T alone
Is such a stone,
nothing but
Thy power doth cut.
Wherefore each part
Of my hard heart
Meets in this frame,
To praise thy Name:
That, if I chance to hold my peace,
These stones to praise thee may not cease.4
Oh let thy blessed S A C R I F I C E be mine,
And sanctify this A L T A R to be thine.