'For my flesh is meat indeed.'
-John vi. 55.
Had Jesus left his scattered fold
The legacy of pride,
Golconda's gems and Ophir's gold,
When he, their Shepherd, died;
Few would have hoarded many a gem,
Of those who shared them first;
And O, how many, even of them,
Had, in that gift, been cursed!
Had such a legacy been cast
Upon the stream of time;
Would it have come through ages past,-
Ages of night and crime?
And had it reached us all, should we
In such a boon be blessed?
O no;-a part might misers be,
And prodigals the rest.
But all may now a treasure hoard,
That ne'er engenders strife;
For we may all, around this board,
Partake the bread of life.
John Pierpont
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/hymns-for-communion-vi/