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THE UNIVERSAL PRAYER.
By the AUTHOR of the ESSAY on MAN.
LONDON: Printed for R. DODSLEY, at Tully's-Head, in Pall-mall. MDCCXXXVIII. (Price Six-Pence.)
THE UNIVERSAL PRAYER.
[]‘DEO OPT. MAX.’
I.
FATHER of All! in every Age,
In every Clime ador'd,
By Saint, by Savage, and by Sage,
Jehovah, Jove, or Lord!
II.
Thou Great Firſt Cauſe, leaſt underſtood!
Who all my Senſe confin'd
To know but this,—that Thou art Good,
And I my ſelf am blind:
[4]III.
Yet gave me, in this dark Eſtate,
To ſee the Good from Ill;
And binding Nature faſt in Fate,
Left Conſcience free, and Will.
IV.
What Conſcience dictates to be done,
Or warns me not to doe,
This, teach me more than Hell to ſhun,
That, more than Heav'n purſue.
V.
What Bleſſings thy free Bounty gives,
Let me not caſt away;
For God is pay'd when Man receives,
T'enjoy, is to obey.
[5]VI.
Yet not to Earth's contracted Span,
Thy Goodneſs let me bound;
Or think thee Lord alone of Man,
When thouſand Worlds are round.
VII.
Let not this weak, unknowing hand
Preſume Thy Bolts to throw,
And deal Damnation round the land,
On each I judge thy Foe.
VIII.
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.
[6]IX.
Save me alike from fooliſh Pride,
Or impious Diſcontent,
At ought thy Wiſdom has deny'd,
Or ought thy Goodneſs lent.
X.
Teach me to feel another's Woe;
To hide the Fault I ſee;
That Mercy I to others ſhow,
That Mercy ſhow to me.
XI.
Mean tho' I am, not wholly ſo
Since quicken'd by thy Breath,
Oh lead me whereſoe'er I go,
Thro' this day's Life, or Death:
[]XII.
This day, be Bread and Peace my Lot;
All elſe beneath the Sun,
Thou know'ſt if beſt beſtow'd, or not;
And let Thy Will be done.
XIII.
To Thee, whoſe Temple is all Space,
Whoſe Altar, Earth, Sea, Skies;
One Chorus let all Being raiſe!
All Nature's Incence riſe!
FINIS.
- Citation Suggestion for this Object
- TextGrid Repository (2020). TEI. 3702 The universal prayer By the author of the Essay on man. University of Oxford Text Archive. . https://hdl.handle.net/21.T11991/0000-001A-5BB3-4