So Kind a Shepherd

So Kind a Shepherd

Was there e'er so kind a Shepherd, One so gentle yet so great,

As the Saviour, who would have us Come and gather round His feet?

There's a wideness in God's mercy, Like the wideness of the sea;

There's a kindness in His justice, Which is more then liberty.

There is no place where earth's sorrows Are more felt than up in heav'n;

There is no place where earth's failings Have such kindly judgment giv'n.

For the love of God is broader Than the measure of man's mind,

And the heart of the Eternal Is most wonderfully kind.