Verse 1
Prince of universal peace,
Destroy the enmity,
Bid our jars and discords cease,
Unite us all in thee:
Cruel as wild beasts we are,
’Till vanquish’d by thy mercy’s power,
Men, like wolves, each other tear,
And their own flesh devour.
Verse 2
But if thou pronounce the word
That forms our souls again,
Love and harmony restor’d
Throughout the earth shall reign;
When thy wondrous love they feel,
The human savages are tame,
Ravenous wolves, and leopards dwell
And stable with the lamb.
Verse 3
Bears transform’d with oxen graze,
Their young together feed,
With the calf the lion plays,
Nor rends the dandled kid;
Harshest natures reconcil’d
With soft, and fierce with meek agree,
Gentle, tractable, and mild
As harmless infancy.
Verse 4
O that now with pardon blest
We each might each embrace,
Quietly together rest,
And feed upon thy grace,
Like our sinless parents live!
Great shepherd, make thy goodness known,
All into thy fold receive,
And keep forever one.