“His religion was a thing altogether apart from his worldly concerns. He knew nothing of it as a holy principle, directing and controlling his daily life, making the latter conform to the requirements of the gospel.”
We people in the pews all looked at him,
A gentleman whom no one might besmirch,
Piously poised, impeccable and prim.
And he was always quietly polite,
Sincere and humbly human when he talked,
And when he sang he hit the notes alright,
“Hosannas” as epiphanies concoct.
And he was kind—yes, kinder than a saint—
If humorless, reserved in etiquette,
A man of God, in all ways free from taint,
His enviable life such no one would regret.
Except if you believe an unpaid slave
Deserves some compensation for his work,
But Christianity adjures: Behave,
We’ll whip your hide if you dare try to shirk.