Verse 1
Ye Levites hir’d who undertake
The awful ministry
For lucre or ambition’s sake,
A nobler pattern see!
Who greedily your pay receive,
And adding cure to cure,
In splendid ease and pleasures live
By pillaging the poor:

Verse 2
See here an Apostolic priest,
Commission’d from the sky,
Who dares of all himself divest,
The needy to supply!
A primitive example rare
Of gospel-poverty,
To feed the flock his only care,
And like his Lord to be.

Verse 3
Jesus, to us apostles raise,
Likeminded pastors give
Who freely may dispence thy grace,
As freely they receive:
Who disengag’d from all below
May earthly things despise,
And every creature-good forego
For treasure in the skies.

Verse 4
The sons of consolation these
As sent by thee approve,
Who nothing have, yet all possess
In their Redeemer’s love:
The mourners for Thyself to chear,
Thy ministers employ,
With tidings glad of pardon here,
And heaven’s eternal joy.