The Power of God

The primary theme of "The Altar" is the incomparable and awe-inspiring power of God. The speaker addresses God directly as early as the first line, saying, "A broken ALTAR, Lord, thy servant rears" (1). In this direct address, the speaker immediately prostrates himself at God's feet, figuratively, by referring to himself as a "servant." Furthermore, he characterized the altar he presents – which he will go on to compare to his own heart – as "broken," emphasizing his status as a fallible human who is inherently sinful. From the outset of the poem, therefore, the speaker establishes a dynamic between himself and God that reflects that between sovereign and subject: the speaker is a lowly, imperfect sinner while God is all-powerful and merciful.

This concept continues through the rest of the poem, most notably when the speaker explains that "No workman's tool has touched the same...