The sonnet begins by affirming that all people—kings, beggars, and regular folk—have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, united in their imperfection regardless of status. It then shifts to the cross, where Christ’s mercy reigns, offering salvation to all who stand equal before it. Redemption, however, comes only to those who repent and believe, their sins broken by Christ’s power, granting them new life through grace.
Beneath the heavens’ vast and boundless gaze,
All souls have strayed from glory’s perfect light,
Each heart, though bold, in sin’s dark tangle sways,
And none can claim a pure and spotless right.
The king, the beggar, regular folk, all fall,
No crown nor want nor common trade can save,
For guilt unites them under mercy’s call,
Where shadows cloak the path from womb to grave.
Yet at the cross, where Christ in mercy reigns,
All stand as one, salvation’s arms embrace,
Repentance flows, belief in Him sustains,
A flood of grace redeems through boundless faith.
There sin’s grim hold by Christ’s own hand is torn,
And souls are saved where boundless life is born.
Passionately Pursuing Christ 