Next time someone tells you that Christians only believe in God because they're afraid of hell, you might share this with that person.

O God, I love thee, I love thee --
Not out of hope of heaven for me
Nor fearing not to love and be
   In the everlasting burning.
Thou, thou, my Jesus, after me
   Didst reach thine arms out dying,
For my sake sufferedst nails and lance,
Mocked and marrèd countenance,
   Sorrows passing number,
   Sweat and care and cumber,
Yea and death, and this for me,
   And thou couldst see me sinning:
Then I, why should not I love thee,
Jesu so much in love with me?
Not for heaven's sake; not to be
Out of hell by loving thee;
Not for any gains I see;
But just the way that thou didst me
I do love and I will love thee:
What must I love thee, Lord, for then? --
For being my king and God. Amen.

-- Gerard Manley Hopkins

As you can see, the Book of Uncommon Prayer has some pretty great selections from Hopkins. But I noticed that my favorite is missing. Fortunately, Diane has already posted it here, so you can have a Hopkins twofer!

Comments

[labrialumn]

I like the old Book of Common Prayer, too. FWIW.

The old form can be found on the web for reading, too.