THE

UNIVERSAL

PRAYE R.

DEO OPT. MAX.

THE

Univerfal Prayer.

DEO OPT. MAX.

ATHER of All! in ev'ry Age,

F 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 Sense confin'd

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

Univerfal Prayer.] It may be proper to obferve, that fome paffages, in the preceding Essay, 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 system was founded in free-will, and terminated in piety: That the first caufe 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 Ejay) was not meant the suffering ourselves to be carried along by a blind determination; but the refting in a religious acquiefcence, and confidence full of Hope and Immortality. To give all this the greater weight, the poet chose for his model the LORD'S PRAYER, which, of all others, best deserves the title refixed to his Paraphrafe.

Yet gave me, in this dark Eftate,
To fee the Good from Ill;
And binding Nature faft 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 shun, 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
To find that better way.

heart

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 fhow 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.

Lot:

This day, be Bread and Peace my
All elfe beneath the Sun,
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!