Far Off Our Brethren’s Voices

Far off our breth­ren’s voic­es

Are borne from ali­en lands

Far off our Fa­ther’s child­ren

Reach out their wait­ing hands:

Give us

they cry

our por­tion;

Co-heirs of grace di­vine:

Give us the word of pro­mise

Give us the Three­fold line.

Yea

though the world of wa­ters

Between us ev­er rolls

No ocean wastes may sev­er

The bro­ther­hood of souls.

Far from us

they are of us;

No bound of all the earth

May part the sons and daugh­ters

Who share the se­cond birth.

One stand­ard floats above us

One old his­tor­ic throne;

In near­ness or in dist­ance

In loy­al faith we own.

So in the things eter­nal

Adore we at one shrine;

And with the na­tion’s ban­ner

Rear we the Church’s sign.

In hap­pi­est

home­ly com­mune

When sweet­est songs are sung

Awakes those ali­en ech­oes

One sac­red mo­ther tongue.

Then let us praise to­ge­ther!

Together let us pray

And go to­ge­ther home­ward

Upon the an­cient day!

Together

heav’n­ward

home­ward;

For ev­er in our view

One spi­ri­tu­al ci­ty—

Jerusalem the new;

For ev­er draw­ing near­er

To One be­loved

ado­red

The Cru­ci­fied who bought us

The crowned

in­car­nate Lord.

Lord God! Eter­nal Fa­ther!

Send down the Ho­ly Dove

For His dear sake who loved us

To quick­en us in love;

Bless us with His com­pass­ion

That we

or ere we rest

May work to bless our breth­ren

And

bless­ing

be more blest.