W OULD'ST thou before the altar place thy gift,
Thou who canst hold thy fellow-creature slave,
First from his neck the yoke of bondage lift,
And then of God and him forgiveness crave.

Till this be done, the word of holy writ
The folly of the offering implies,
Oh! read, mark, learn, and inly ponder it,
" I will have mercy, and not sacrifice! "