“JUDGE NOT.”
Judge not of others’ lives by yours,
Unless your own is pure.
You know not what the others bear
Or what they may endure.
Temptations may have been too strong,
And they, alas! too weak
To cope with all the sins in life,
And purity aye seek.
Heredity is oft the cause;
And e’en the strongest mind
May find it hard to overcome;
For it, to sin may bind.
And yet there is a power within
To overcome all ill.
By cultivating this high power
All thought of sin we kill.
Yet “do not judge lest you be judged.”
Look deep in your own heart,
And you may find some secret sin
That of your life is part.
If you are sinless, then you may
The first stone throw at them;
If it recoils and falls on you,
Yourself you must condemn.
There are so many pitfalls deep
At every turn of road;
And all life’s paths so devious,
So heavy is life’s load
That man must carry up life’s hill,
Too oft he falls by way;
But he has strength to bear the load
If he God’s laws obey.