I Have Scorned The Deeper Dealings

This is a poem I wrote about self-denial.

I have scorned the deeper dealings in dark Amsterdam's dread dens.
I have prated on the prairies; I have fasted in the fens.
Now, still, I seek that fruit where all joy's beginning's end,
And You are here and love and great,
Offering grace in Your mandate.
How can I deny the body unless you snatch me and transcend?

You have loved the deeper dealers in dark Amsterdam's dread dens.
You were broken in the brooks; You were fettered in the fens.
You have offered bread and wine, that my meets its end.
And You are here and love and vision,
Offering grace in Your commission.
I will step into the world, if Your hands my knees will bend.