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When fubterraneous fires the furface heave,
And towns are buried in the yawning grave;
Thou fuffer'ft not the mischief to prevail;
Thy fov'reign touch the recent wound can heal.
ToZembla's rocks thou fend'ft the cheerful gleam;
O'erLybia's fands thou pour'ft the cooling ftream;
Thy watchful Providence o'er all intends;
Thy works obey their great Creator's ends.
When man too long the paths of vice purfued,
Thy hand prepar'd the univerfal flood;
Gracious to Noah gave the timely fign,
To fave a remnant from the wrath divine!
One fhining wafte the globe terreftrial lay,
And the ark heav'd along the troubled fea;
Thou bad'ft the deep his ancient bed explore,
The clouds their wat'ry deluge pour'd no more!
The skies were clear'd-the mountain tops were
The dove pacific brought the olive green. [feen,
On Arrarat the happy Patriarch toft,
Found the recover'd world his hopes had loft;
There his fond eyes review'd the pleafing fcene,
The earth all verdant, and the air ferene!
Its precious freight the guardian ark display'd,
While Noah grateful adoration paid!
Beholding in the many-tinctur'd bow
The promife of a fafer world below.

When wild ambition rear'd its impious head,
And rifing Babel Heav'n with pride furvey'd;
Thy word the mighty labour could confound,
And leave the mafs to moulder with the ground.
From Thee all human actions take their fprings,
The rife of empires, and the fall of Kings!
See the vaft theatre of time difplay'd,
While o'er the fcene fucceeding heroes tread!
With pomp the fhining images fucceed,
What leaders triumph! and what monarchs bleed!
Perform the parts thy providence affign'd,
Their pride, their paflions, to thy ends inclin'd:
Awhile they glitter in the face of day,
Then at thy nod the phantoms pafs away;
No traces left of all the bufy fcene,
But that remembrance fays-The things have been!
"But(queftions doubt) whence fickly nature feels
"The ague-fits her face fo oft reveals? [breast
"Whence earthquakes heave the carth's aftonish'd
"Whence tempefts rage? or yellow plagues infeft?
"Whence draws rank Afric her empoifon'd ftore
"Or liquid fires explofive Etna pour?”
Go, feeptic mole! demand th' eternal cause,
The fecret of his all-preferving laws;
The depths of wisdom infinite explore,
And ak thy Maker-why he knows no more?
Thy error ftill in moral things as great,
As vain to cavil at the ways of fate.
To afk why profp'rous vice fo oft fucceeds,
Why fuffers innocence, or virtue bleeds!
Why monfiers, nature muft with bluthes own,
By crimes grow pow'rful, and difgrace a throne!
Why faints and fages, mark'd in ev'ry age,
Perith, the victims of tyranne rage;
Why Socrates for truth and freedom fell,
Or Nero reign'd the delegate of hell:
In vain by reafon is the maze pursued,
Of ill triumphant, and afflicted good.
Pix'd to the hold, fo might the failor aim
To judge the pilot, and the fteerage blame,

As we direct to God what fhould belong,
Or fay, that fov'reign wifdom governs wrong.
Nor always vice does uncorrected go,
Nor virtue unrewarded pass below!
Oft facred juftice lifts her awful head,
And dooms the tyrant and th' ufurper dead;
Oft Providence, more friendly than fevere,
Arrefts the hero in his wild career;
Directs the fever, poniard, or the ball,
By which an Ammon, Charles, or Cæfar fall:
Or, when the curfed Borgias brew the cup
For merit, bids the monsters drink it up;
On violence oft retorts the cruel fpear,
Or fetters cunning in its crafty fnare:
Relieves the innocent, exalts the ju,
And lays the proud oppreffor in the duft!

But, faft as Time's fwift pinions can convey,
Haftens the pomp of that tremendous day,
When to the view of all created eyes
God's high tribunal fhall majeftic rife,
When the loud trumpet fhall affemble round
The dead, reviving at the picrcing found!
Where men and angels fhall to audit come,
And millions yet unborn receive their doom!
Then thall fair Providence, to all display'd,
Appear divinely bright without a fhade;
In light triumphant all her acts be thown,
And oluthing Doubt eternal Wisdom own!

Mean while, thou great Intelligence fupreme, Sov'reign Director of this mighty frame, Whofe watchful hand, and all-obferving ken. Fashions the hearts, and views the ways of men Whether thy hand the plenteous table fpread, Or measure fparingly the daily bread; Whether or wealth or honours gild the fcene, Or wants deform, and wafting anguish stain; On thee let truth and virtue firm rely, Blefs'd in the care of thy approving eye! Know that thy Providence, their conftant friend, Thro' life fhall guard them, and in death attend; With everlasting arms their cause embrace, And crown the paths of piety with peace.

IX. GOODNESS.

Ye feraphs, who God's throne encircling fill, With holy zeal your golden cenfers fill; Ye flaming minifters, to diftant lands Who bear, obfequious, his divine commands; Ye cherubs who compofe the facred choir, Attuning to the voice th' angelic lyre! Or ye fair natives of the heav'nly plain, Who once were mortal-now a happier train! Who fpend in peaceful love your joyful hours, In blissful meads and amaranthine bow'rs, Oh lend one fpark of your celeftial fire, Oh deign my glowing bofom to infpire, And aid the Mufe's unexperienc'd wing, While Goodnefs, theme divine, the foars to fing! Tho' all thy attributes divinely fair, Thy full perfection, glorious God! declare; Yet if one beams fuperior to the rest, Oh let thy goodness faireft be confefs'd: As fines the moon amidft her starry train, As breathes the rofe amongst the flow'ry scene, As the mild dove her filver plumes displays, So feds thy mercy its diftinguifh'd rays.

This led, Creator mild, thy gracious hand, When formlefs Chaos heard thy high command; When, pleas'd, thy eye thy matchlefs works review'd,

And Goodnefs, placid, spoke that all was good!
Nor only does in heav'n thy goodness shine;
Delighted nature feels its warmth divine;
The vital fun's illuminating beam,
The filver crefcent, and the ftarry gleam,
As day and night alternate they command,
Proclaim that truth to ev'ry diftant land.

See fmiling nature, with thy treasures fair,
Confefs thy bounty and parental care;
Renew'd by thee, the faithful feafons rife,
And earth with plenty all her fons fupplies.
The generous lion and the brinded boar,
As nightly thro' the foreft walks they roar,
From thee, Almighty Maker, seek their prey,
Nor from thy hand unfated go away:
To thee for meat the callow ravens cry,
Supported by thy all-preferving eye:
From thee the feather'd natives of the plain,
Or those who range the field, or plough the main,
Receive with conftant course th' appointed food,
And taste the cup of universal good;
Thy hand thou open'ft, million'd myriads live;
Thou frown'ft, they faint; thou fimil'ft, and they
On virtue's acre, as on rapine's ftores, [revive
See Heav'n impartial deal the fruitful fhow'rs!
• Life's common bleffings all her children fhare,'
Tread the fame earth, and breathe a gen'ral air!
Without distinction boundless bleffings fall,
And Goodnefs, like the fun, enlightens all!

Oh man, degenerate man! offend no more!
Go, learn of brutes thy Maker to adore!
Shall thefe, thro' ev'ry tribe, his bounty own,
Of all his works ungrateful thou alone!
Deaf when the tuneful voice of mercy cries,
And blind when fov'reign Goodness charms the
cyes!

Mark how the wretch his awful name blafphemes,
His pity fpares-his clemency reclaims!"
Obferve his patience with the guilty ftrive,
And bid the criminal repent and live;
Recal the fugitive with gentle eye,
Befcech the obftinate, he would not die!
Amazing tendernet-amazing moft,
The foul on whom fuch mercy fhould be loft!
But wouldst thou view the rays of goodness join
In one ftrong point of radiance all divine,
Behold, celeftial mufe! yon eastern light;
To Bethlem's plain, adoring, bend thy fight!
Hear the glad meffage to the fhepherds giv'n,
Good-will on earth to man, and peace in heav'n.'
Attend the fwains, pursue the starry road,
And hail to earth the Saviour and the God!
Redemption! oh thou beauteous myftic plan!
Thou falutary fource of life to man!
What tongue can speak thy comprehenfive grace?
What thought thy depths unfathomable trace?
When loft in fin our ruin'd nature lay,
When awful juftice claim'd her righteous pay!
See the mild Saviour bend his pitying eye,
And ftop the lightning just prepar'd to fly!
(O ftrange effect of unexampled love!)
View him defcend the heav'nly throne above;

Patient, the ills of mortal life endure,
Calm, tho' revil'd, and innocent, tho' poor!
Uncertain his abode, and coarfe his food,
His life one fair continued fcene of good;
For us fuftain the wrath to man decreed,
The victim of eternal juftice bleed!
Look! to the cross the Lord of life is tied,
They pierce his hands, and wound his facred fide!
See God expires! our forfeit to atonc,
While nature trembles at his parting groan!

Advance, thou hopeless mortal, fteel'd in guilt,
Behold, and if thou can'ft, forbear to melt!
Shall Jefus die thy freedom to regain,
And wilt thou drag the voluntary chain ?
Wilt thou refufe thy kind affent to give,
When dying he looks down to bid thee live!
Perverse, wilt thou reject the proffer'd good,
Bought with his life, and ftreaming in his blood!
Whofe virtue can thy deepeit crimes efface,
Re-heal thy nature, and confirm thy peace!
Can all the errors of thy life atone,
And raise thee from a rebel to a fon!

O bleft Redeemer, from thy facred throne, Where faints and angels fing thy triumphs won! (Where from the grave thou rais'd thy glorious Chain'd to thy car the pow'rs infernal led) [head, From that exalted height of blifs fupreme, Look down on thofe who bear thy facred name; Reftore their ways, infpire them by thy grace, Thy laws to follow, and thy steps to trace; Thy bright example to thy doctrine join, And by their morals prove their faith divine!

Nor only to thy church confine thy ray, O'er the glad world thy healing light difplay; Fair Sun of Righteoufnefs! in beauty rile, And clear the mifts that cloud the inental skies! To Judah's remnant, now a fcatter'd train, Oh great Melliah! fhow thy promis'd reign; O'er carth as wide thy faving warmth diffute, As fpreads the ambient air, or falling dews, And hafte the time when, vanquish'd by thy pow'r,

Death fhall expire, and fin defile no more!

X. RECTITUDE.

Hence diftant far, ye fons of carth profane,
The loofe, ambitious, covetous, or vain:
Ye worms of pow'r ye minion'd flaves of state
The wanton vulgar, and the fordid great!
But come, ye purer fouls, from drois refin'd,
The blameless heart and uncorrupted mind!
Let your chafte hands the holy altars raife,
Fresh incenfe bring, and light the glowing blaze;
Your grateful voices aid the Mufe to fing
The fpotlefs juftice of th' Almighty King!

As only Reftitude divine he knows,
As truth and fanctity his thoughts compofe;
So there the dictates which th' Eternal Mind

To reafonable beings has affign'd;

Thefe has his care on ev'ry mind imprefs'd, The confcious feals the hand of Hear'n atteft! When man, perverfe, for wrong forfakes the right,

He fill attentive keeps the fault in fight; Demands the strict atonement fhould be made, And claims the forfeit on th' offender's head!

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But Doubt demands-"Why man difpos'd | Quit, dark Hypocrify, thy thin difguife,
this way?
"Why left the dang'rous choice to go aftray?
"If Heav'n that made him did the fault forefee,
"Thence follows, heav'n is more to blame than
No-had to good the heart alone inclin'd, [he."
What toil, what prize had virtue been affign'd?
From obftacles her nobleft triumphs flow,
Her fpirits languifh when the finds no foe!
Man might perhaps have fo been happy still,
Happy, without the privilege of will,
And juft, becaufe his hands were tied from ill!
O wondrous fcheme, to mend th' almighty plan,
By finking all the dignity of man !

Nor think to cheat the notice of the fkies!
Unfocial Avarice, thy grafp forego,
And bid the ufeful treafure learn to flow !
Reftore, Injustice, the defrauded gain!
Oppreffion, bend to eafe the captive's chain,
Ere awful Juftice strike the fatal blow,
And drive you to the realms of night below!--
But Doubt refumes-" If Juftice has decreed
"The punishment proportion'd to the deed;
"Eternal mifery feems too fovere,

Yet turn thy eyes, vain fceptic, own thy pride,
And view thy happiness and choice allied;
See virtue from herfelf her blifs derive,

A blifs, beyond the pow'r of thrones to give ;
See vice, of empire and of wealth poffefs'd,
Pine at the heart, and feel herself unblefs'd.
And fay, were yet no farther marks affign'd,
Is man ungrateful? or is Heav'n unkind:

66

Yes, all the woes from Heav'n permiffive fall,
"The wretch adopts-the wretch improves them
From his wild luft, or his oppreffive deed, [all."
Rapes, battles, murders, facrilege proceed;
His wild ambition thins the peopled earth,
Or from his av'rice famine takes her birth;
Had nature giv'n the hero wings to fly,
His pride would lead him to attempt the fky!
To angels make the pigmy's folly known,
And draw ev'n pity from th' eternal throne.

Yet while on earth triumphant vice prevails,
Celestial justice balances her fcales.
With eye unbiafs'd all the feene furveys,
With hand impartial ev'ry crime the weighs;
Oft clofe purfuing at his trembling heels,
The man of blood her awful prefence feels;
Oft from her arm, amidst the blaze of state,
The regal tyrant, with fuccefs elate,
Is forc'd to leap the precipice of fate!
Or if the villain pafs unpunish'd here,
'Tis but to make the future ftroke fevere;
For foon or late eternal Juftice pays
Mankind the juft defert of all their ways.

'Tis in that awful all-difclofing day,
When high Omnifcience fhall her books difplay;
When Juftice fhall prefent her ftrict account,
While Confcience thall atteft the due amount;
That all who feel, condemn'd, the dreadful rod,
Shall own that righteous are the ways of God!
Oh then, while penitence can fate difarm,
While ling ring Juftice yet withholds its arm;
While heav'nly patience grants the precious time,
Let the loft finner think him of his crime;
Immediate, to the feat of mercy flv,
Nor wait to-morrow-left to-night he die!

But tremble, all ye fins of blackest birth,
Ye giants, that deform the face of earth;
Tremble, , ye fons of aggravated guilt,
And, ere too late, let forrow learn to melt;
Remorfelefs Murder! drop thy hand fevere,
And bathe thy bloody weapon with a tear;
Go, Luft impure! converte with friendly light,
Forfake the mantions of d.filing night;

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“Too dread a weight for wretched man to hear 1 Too harth!-that endless torments fhould repay "The crimes of life-the errors of a day!"

In vain our reaton would prefumptuous pry;
Heaven's counfels are beyond conception high;
In vain would thought his meafur'd Juftice fcan!
His ways how different from the ways of man!
Too deep for thee his fecrets are to know,
Enquire not, but more wifely fhun the woe;
Warn'd by his threat'nings to his laws attend,
And learn to make Omnipotence thy friend!

Our weaker laws, to gain the purpos'd ends,
Oft pafs the bounds the law-giver intends;
Oft partial pow'r, to ferve its own defign,
Waps from the text, exceeding reafon's line;
Strikes biafs'd at the perfon, not the deed,
And fees the guiltlefs unprotected bleed!

But God alone, with unimpaffion'd fight,
Surveys the nice barrier of wrong and right;
And while fubfervient, as his will ordains,
Obedient nature yields the prefent means;
While neither force nor paflions guide his views,
Ev'n Evil works the purpose he puriues!
That bitter fpring, the fource of human pain!
Heal'd by his touch, does mineral health contain;
And dark affliction, at his potent rod,
Withdraws its cloud, and brightens into good.

Thus human juftice (far as man can go)
For private fafety ftrikes the dubious blow;
But Reftitude divine, with nobler foul,
Confults each individual in the whole!
Directs the iffues of cach moral ftrife,
And fees creation ftruggle into life!

And you, ye happier fouls! who in his ways
Obfervant walk, and fing his daily praife;
Ye righteous few! whofe calm unruffled breafts
No fears can darken, and no guilt infefts,
To whom his gracious promifes extend,
In whom they centre, and in whom fhall end,
Which (blefs'd on that foundation fure who build
Shall with eternal Juftice be fulfill'd:
Ye fons of life, to whofe glad hope is giv'n
The bright reverfion of approaching heav'n,
With grateful hearts his glorious praise recite,
Whofe love from darkness call'd you out to
So let your piety reactive thine, [light,
As men may thence confefs his truth divine!
And when this mortal veil, as foon it must,
Shall drop, returning to its native dust;
The work of life with approbation done,
Receive from God your bright immortal crown!

XI. GLORY.

But oh, advent'rous Mufe, reftrain thy flight, Dare not the blaze of uncreated light!

Before

Before whofe glorious throne with dread furprize
The adoring feraph veils his dazzled eyes;
Whole pure effulgence, radiant to excess,
No colours can defcribe, or words exprefs!
All the fair beauties, all the lucid ftores,
Which o'er thy works thy hand refplendent pours,
Fable, thy brighter glories to difplay,
Pale as the moon before the folar ray!

See on his throne the gaudy Perfian plac'd,
In all the pomp of the luxuriant caft!
While mingling gems a borrow'd day unfold,
And the rich purple waves emboss'd with gold;
Yet mark this fcene of painted grandeur yield
To the fair lily that adorns the field!
Obfcur'd, behold that fainter lily lies
By the rich bird's inimitable dyes;
Yet thefe furvey confounded and outdone
By the fuperior luftre of the fun;

That fun himfelf withdraws his leffen'd beam
From Thee, the glorious Author of his frame!
Tranfcendent Pow'r! fole arbiter of fate!

How great thy glory! and thy blifs how great!
To view from thy exalted throne above,
(Eternal fource of light, and life, and love!)
Unnumber'd creatures draw their fmiling birth,
To blefs the heav'ns, or beautify the earth;
While fyftems roll, obedient to thy view,
And worlds rejoice-which Newton never knew.
Then raife the fong, the gen'ral anthem raife,
And fwell the concert of eternal praife!
Affift, ye orbs, that form this boundlefs whole,
Which in the womb of space unnumber'd roll;
Ye planets who compofe our leffer scheme,
And bend, concertive, round the folar frame;
Thou eye of nature! whofe extenfive ray
With endless charms adorns the face of day;
Confenting raife th' harmonious joyful found,
And bear his praises thro' the vast profound :
His praife, ye winds that fan the cheerful air,
Swift as they pafs along your pinions bear!
His praife let ocean tl.ro her realms difplay,
Far as her circling billows can convey!
His praife ye mifty vapours wide diffufe,
In rains defcending, or in milder dews;
His praifes whifper, ye majeftic trees,
As your tops ruftle to the gentle breeze!
His praife around, ye flow ry tribes, exhale,
Far as your fweets embalm the ipicy gale!
His praife, ye dimpled ftreams, to carth reveal,
As pleas'd ye murmur thro' the flow'ry vale!
His praite, ye feather'd choirs diftinguith'd
As to your notes the vocal forefts ring!
His praife proclaim, ye monfters of the deep,
Who in the vast aby is your revels keep'
Or ye fair natives of our earthly feene,
Who range the wild, or haunt the pafture green!
Nor thou, vain lord of earth, with carelefs car
The univerfal hymn of worthip hear!
But ardent in the facred chorus join,
Thy foul tranfported with the task divine!
While by his works th' Almighty is confefs'd,
Supremely glorious, and fupremely blefs 'd!
Great Lord of life from whom this humble
Derry the pow'r to fing thy holy name, [frame

fing,

Forgive the lowly Mufe, whofe artlefs lay
Has dar'd thy facred Attributes furvey!
Delighted oft thro' nature's beauteous field
Has the ador'd thy Wifdom bright reveal'd;
Oft have her wishes aim'd the fecret fong,
But awful rev'rence ftill withheld her tongue.
Yet as thy bounty lent the reas ning beam,
As feels my conicious breaft thy vital flame,
So, bleft Creator, let thy fervant pay
His mite of gratitude this feeble way;
Thy Goodnet's own, thy Providence adore,
And yield thee only--what was thine before.

§ 54. The Day of Judgment: a Seatonian PrizePoem. By Dr. GLYNN.

THY Juftice, heav'nly King! and that great day,
When virtue, long abandon'd and forlorn,
Shall raife her penfive head; and Vice, that erft
Rang'd unreprov'd and free, fhall fink appall'd;
fing advent rous-But what eye can pierce
The vaft immeafurable realms of space,
O'er which Mefliah drives his flaming car
To that bright region, where enthron'd he fits,
Firft-born of Heav'n, to judge affembled worlds,
Cloth'd in celeftial radiance Can the Mule,
Her feeble wing all damp with earthly dew,
Soar to that bright empyreal, where around
Myriads of angels, God's perpetual choir,
Hymn hallelujahs, and in concert loud
Chaunt fongs of triumph to their Maker's praife:--
Yet will I strive to fing, albeit unus'd
To tread poetic foil. What though the wiles
Of Fancy me enchanted, ne'er could lure
To rove o'er Fairy lands; to fwim the ftreams
That through her valleys wave their mazy way;
Or climb her mountain tops; yet will I raife
My feeble voice to tell what harmony
(Sweet as the music of the rolling spheres)
Attunes the moral world: that Virtue ftill
May hope her promis'd crown; that vice may dread
Vengeance, though late; that reas'ning Pride may

own

Juft, though unfearchable, the ways of Heav'n.

Sceptic! whoe'er thou art, who say 'ft the foul, That divine particle which God's own breath Infpir'd into the mortal mass, fhall reft Annihilate, till Duration has unroll'd Her never-ending line; tell, if thou know`st, Why every nation, every clime, though all In laws, in rites, in manners difagree, With one confent expect another world, Where wickednels thall weep? Why Paynım bards Fabled Elyfian plains, Tartarean lakes, Styx and Cocytus? Tell, why Hali's fers Have feign'd a paradife of mirth and love, Banquets, and blooming nymphs? Or rather tell, Why, on the brink of Orellana's ftream, Where never fcience rear'd her facred torch, Th' untutor'd Indian dreams of happier worlds Behind the cloud-topt hill? Why in each breaft Is plac'd a friendly monitor, that prompts, Informs, directs, encourages, forbids? Tell, why on unknown evil grief attends,

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Or joy on fecret good? Why confcience acts
With tenfold force, when ficknefs, age, or pain
Stands tott'ring on the precipice of death?
Or why fuch horror gnaws the guilty foul
Of dying finners, while the good man fleeps
Peaceful and calm, and with a fmile expires?
Look round the world! with what a partial hand
The fcale of blifs and mis'ry is fuftain'd!
Beneath the shade of cold obfcurity
Pale Virtue lies; no arm fupports her head,
No friendly voice fpeaks comfort to her foul,
Nor foft-eyed Pity drops a melting tear;
But, in their ftead, Contempt and rude Difdain
Infult the banish'd wanderer: on fhe goes,
Neglected and forlorn: Difeafe and Cold,
And Famine, worst of ills, her steps attend!
Yet patient, and to Heaven's juft will refign'd,
She ne'er is feen to weep, or heard to figh.
Now turn your eyes to yon fweet-fmelling bow'r,
Where, flufh'd with all the infolence of wealth,
Sits pamper'd Vice! For him th’Arabian gale
Breathes forth delicious odours; Gallia's hills
For him pour nectar from the purple vine.
Nor think for thefe he pays the tribute due
To Heav'n: of Heav'n he never names the name,
Save when with imprecations dark and dire
He points his jeft obfcene. Yet buxom Health
Sits on his rofy check; yet Honour gilds
His high exploits; and downy-pinion'd fleep
Sheds a foft opiate o'er his peaceful couch.
Secft thou this, righteous Father! feeft thou this,
And wilt thou ne'er repay? Shall good and ill
Be carried undiftinguifh'd to the land
Where all things are forgot?-Ah, no! the day
Will come, when Virtue from the cloud fhall burft,
That long obfcur'd her beams; when Sin fhall fly
Back to her native Hell; there fink eclips'd
In penal darkness; where nor ftar fhall rife,
Nor ever funfhine pierce th' impervious gloom.
On that great day the folemn trump fhall found,
(That trump which once in heav'n,on man's revolt
Convok'd th' aftonifh'd feraphs) at whofe voice
Th'unpeopled gravesfhall pour forth all their dead.
Then shall th'affembled nations of the earth
From ev'ry quarter at the judginent-feat
Unite; Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks,
Parthians; and they who dwelt on Tyber's banks,
Names fam'd of old: or who of later age,
Chinese and Ruffian, Mexican and Turk,
Tenant the wild terrene; and they who pitch
Their tents on Niger's banks; or, where the fun
Pours on Golconda's fpires his early light,
Drink Ganges' facred ftream. At once hall rife,
Whom diftant ages to each others fight
Had long denied: before the throne thall kneel
Some great Progenitor, while at his fide
Stand his defcendants through a thousand lines.
Whate'er their nation, and whate'er their rank,
Heroes and patriarchs, flaves and feepter'd kings,
With equal eye the God of all shall see,
And judge with equal love. What though the
With coftly pomp and aromatic sweets [great
Embalm'd his poor remains; or through the dome
A thoufand tapers fhed their gloomy light,

7

While folemn organs to his parting foul
Chaunted flow orifons? Say, by what mark
Doft thou difcern him from that lowly fwain
Whofe mouldering bonesbeneath the thorn-bound
Long lay neglected? All at once fhall rise, [turf
But not to equal glory; for, alas!

With howlings dire, and execrations loud,
Some wail their fatal birth.-First among these
Behold the mighty murd'rers of mankind:
They who in fport whole kingdoms flew; or they
Who to the tott'ring pinnacle of power
Waded through feas of blood! How will they curfe
The madness of ambition! how lament
Their dear bought laurels; when the widow'd wife
And childless mother at the judgment feat [they
Plead trumpet-tongued against them!-Here are
Who funk an aged father to the grave;
Or with unkindness hard, and cold difdain,
Slighted a brother's fuff'rings.-Here are they
Whom fraud and skilful treachery long fecur'd;
Who from the infant virgin tore her dow'r,
And ate the orphan's bread; who spent their stores
In felfifh luxury; or o'er their gold
Proftrate and pale ador'd the useless heap.
Here too who ftain'd the chafte connubial bed!—
Who mix'd the pois'nous bowl;-or broke the ties
Of hofpitable friendship;-and the wretch
Whofe liftlefs foul, fick with the cares of life,
Unfummon'd, to the prefence of his God
Rufh'd in with infult rude. How would they joy
Once more to vifit earth, and though opprefs'd
With all that pain and famine can inflict,
Pant up the hill of life? Vain wish! the Judge
Pronounces doom eternal on their heads,
Perpetual punishment. Seck not to know
What punishment! for that th' Almighty will
Has hid from mortal eyes: and shall vain man
With curious fearch refin'd presume to pry
Into thy fecrets, Father? No! let him
With humble patience all thy works adore,
And walk in all thy paths; fo fhall his meed
Be great in heav'n, fo haply fhall he scape
Th' immortal worm and never-ceafing fire.

But who are they, who bound in tenfold chains
Stand horribly aghaft? This is that crew
Who ftrove to pull Jehovah from his throne,
And in the place of heaven's eternal King,
Set up the phantom Chance. For them in vain
Alternate feafons cheer'd the rolling year;
In vain the fun o'er herb, tree, fruit, and flow'r
Shed genial influence mild; and the pale moon
Repair'd her waning orb.-Next thefe is plac'd
The vile blafphemer; he whofe impious wit
Profan'd the facred myfteries of faith,
And 'gainft th' impenetrable walls of heav'n
Planted his feeble battery. By these stande
The Arch-Apoftate: he with many a wile
Exhorts them ftill to foul revolt. Alas!
No hope have they from black defpair, no ray
Shines through the gloom to cheer their finking
In agonies of grief they curfe the hour [fouts:
When firft they left Religion's onward way.

Thefe on the left are rang'd: but on the right A chofen band appears, who fought beneath

The

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