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GATHER US IN, THOU LOVE THAT FILLEST ALL

Scripture Verse

Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 8:11

Introduction

portrait
George Matheson
(1842–1906)

Words: George Ma­the­son, Sac­red Songs 1890.

Music: Pe­ni­ten­tia Ed­ward Dearle, 1874 (🔊 ).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Dearle (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els), would you send us an e-mail?

Lyrics

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—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 land.

Each sees one col­or 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.

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.

Thine is the Ro­man’s strength with­out his pride;
Thine is the Greek’s glad world with­out its graves;
Thine is Ju­dea’s law with love be­side,
The truth that cen­sures and the grace that saves.

Some seek a Fa­ther in the heav’ns 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.