THE

Universal Prayer.

DEO OPT. MA X.

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 First Cause, least understood:
Who all my Senfe confin'd

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

COMMENTARY.

Univerfal Prayer.] Concerning this poem, it may be proper to obferve, that fome paffages, in the preceding Essay, having been unjustly fufpected of a tendency towards Fate and Naturalism, 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 cause was as well the Lord and Governor of the Universe as the Creator of it; and that, by fubmiffion to his will (the great principle inforced throughout the Essay) was not meant the fuffering ourselves to be carried along with a blind determination; but a religious acquiefcence, and confidence full

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

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

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

For God is pay'd 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
Prefume thy bolts to throw,

And deal damnation round the land,

On each I judge thy Foe.

COMMENTARY.

of Hope and Immortality. To give all this the greater weight and reality, the poet chofe for his model the LORD'S PRAYER, which, of all others, best deserves the title prefixed to this Paraphrafe.

6

If I am right, thy grace impart,

Still in the right to stay;

If I am wrong, oh teach

my

To find that better way.

heart

Save me alike from foolish Pride,
Or impious Discontent,
At ought thy Wisdom has deny'd.
Or ought 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.

NOTES.

If I am right, thy grace impart,— If I am wrong, O teach my heart] As the imparting grace on the chriftian fyftem is a ftronger exertion of the divine power, than the natural illumination of the heart, one would expect that the requeft fhould have been expreffed reverfely; more aid being required to re

store men to the right than to keep them in it. But as it was the poet's purpose to infinuate that Revelation was the right, nothing could better exprefs his purpose than the making the right fecured by the guards of grace.

This day, be Bread and Peace my Lot:

All elfe beneath the Sun,

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

To thee, whose Temple is all Space, Whose Altar, Earth, Sea, Skies !

One Chorus let all Being raise!

All Nature's Incense rife!