O LORD AND MASTER OF US ALL

[1]
O Lord and Master of us all,
whate'er our name or sign,
we own thy sway, we hear thy call,
we test our lives by thine.

[2]
Our thoughts lie open to thy sight
and naked to thy glance,
our secret sins are in the light
of thy pure countenance.

[3]
Yet weak and blinded though we be,
thou dost our service own;
we bring our varying gifts to thee,
and thou rejectest none.

[4]
To thee our full humanity,
its joys and pains belong;
the wrong of man to man on thee
inflicts a deeper wrong.

[5]
Apart from thee all gain is loss,
all labour vainly done;
the solemn shadow of thy cross
is better than the sun.

[6]
Our friend, our brother and our Lord,
what may thy service be.?
Nor name, nor form, nor ritual word,
but simply following thee.

[7]
We faintly hear, we dimly see,
in differing phrase we pray;
but dim or clear, we own in thee
the Light, the Truth, the Way.