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THE

Univerfal Prayer.

DEO OPT. MAX.

FATH

'ATHER of All! in ev'ry Age,
In ev'ry Clime ador'd,

By Saint, by Savage, and by Sage,
Jehovah, Jove, or Lord!

Thou Great Firft Cause, leaft understood:
Who all my Senfe confin'd

To know but this, that Thou art Good,
And that myself am blind;

Univerfal Prayer.] It may be proper to observe, that fome paffages, in the preceding Eay, having been unjustly suspected of a tendency towards Fate and Naturalifm, the author compofed this Prayer as the fum of all, to fhew that his fyftem was founded in free-will, and terminated in piety: That the first caufe was as well the Lord and Governor of the Univerfe as the Creator of it; and that, by fubmiffion to his will (the great principle inforced throughout the Ejay) was not meant the fuffering ourselves to be carried along by a blind determination; but the resting in a religious acquiescence, and confidence full of Hope and Immortality. To give all this the greater weight, the poet chofe for his model the LORD'S PRAYER, which, of all others, best deserves the title refixed to his Paraphrase.

Yet gave me, in this dark Estate,
To fee the Good from Ill;
And binding Nature fast in Fate,
Left free the Human Will.

What Confcience dictates to be done,
Or warns me not to do,

This, teach me more than Hell to fhun,
That, more than Heav'n pursue.

What Bleffings thy free Bounty gives,
Let me not caft away;

For God is paid when Man receives,
T' enjoy is to obey.

Yet not to Earth's contracted Span
Thy goodness let me bound,
Or think Thee Lord alone of Man,

When thousand Worlds are round:

Let not this weak, unknowing hand
Presume thy bolts to throw,
And deal damnation round the land,
On each I judge thy Foe.

If I am right, thy grace impart,
Still in the right to stay;

If I am wrong, oh teach my heart
To find that better way.

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Save me alike from foolish Pride,
Or impious Discontent,

At aught thy wisdom has deny'd,
Or aught thy Goodness lent.

Teach me to feel another's Woe,
To hide the Fault I fee;
That Mercy I to others show,
That Mercy show to me.

Mean tho' I am, not wholly fo,
Since quick'ned by thy Breath;

Oh lead me wherefoe'er I go,
Thro' this day's Life or Death.

This day, be Bread and Peace

All elfe beneath the Sun,

my

Lot:

Thou know'ft if best bestow'd or not,
And let Thy Will be done.

To Thee, whofe Temple is all Space, Whofe Altar, Earth, Sea, Skies!

One Chorus let all Being raife!

All Nature's Incense rife!

Moral Effays

ΙΝ

FOUR EPISTLES

то

Several Perfons.

Eft brevitate opus, ut currat fententia, neu se
Impediat verbis laffis onerantibus aures:

Et fermone opus eft modo trifti, fæpe jocofo,
Defendente vicem modo Rhetoris atque Poetæ,
Interdum urbani, parcentis viribus, atque
Extenuantis eas confultò.

HOR.

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