If he, fupreme director, were not near, Vain were our hope, and empty were our fear; Unpunish'd vice would o'er the world prevail, And unrewarded virtue toil-to fail! The moral world a fecond chaos turn, And nature for her great fupporter mourn! Even the weak embryo, ere to life it breaks, From his high power its slender texture takes ; While in his book the various parts inroll'd Increafing, own eternal wifdom's mould. Nor views he only the material whole, But pierces thought, and penetrates the foul! Ere from the lips the vocal accents part, Or the faint purpose dawns within the heart, His steady eye the mental birth perceives, Ere yet to us the new idea lives:
Knows what we say- ere yet the words proceed, And ere we form th' intention, marks the deed. But confcience, fair vicegerent-light within, Afferts its author, and restores the scene; Points out the beauty of the govern'd plan, "And vindicates the ways of God to man." Then facred mufe, by the vaft profpect fir'd, From heaven defcended, as by heaven inspir'd; His all-enlightening omniprefence own,
Whence first thou feel'ft thy dwindling presence His wide omniscience, juftly grateful, fing, [known; Whence thy weak science prunes its callow wing! C 2
And blefs th' eternal, all-informing foul, Whofe fight pervades, whofe knowledge fills the whole.
As the eternal and omniscient mind, By laws not limited, nor bounds confin'd, Is always independent, always free, Hence shines confefs'd immutability! Change, whether the spontaneous child of will, Or birth of force,—is imperfection still. But he, all-perfect, in himself contains Power felf-deriv'd, for from himself he reigns! If, alter'd by conftraint, we could fuppofe, That God his fix'd stability fhould lofe; How ftartles reafon at a thought fo ftrange! What power can force omnipotence to change? If from his own divine productive thought, Were the yet ftranger alteration wrought; Could excellence fupreme new rays acquire ? Or strong perfection raise its glories higher? Abfurd!his high meridian brightness glows, Never decreases, never overflows!
Knows no addition, yields to no decay, The facred blaze of inexhauftless day! Below, thro' different forms does matter range, And life fubfifts from elemental change,
Liquids condenfing, fhapes terreftrial wear, Earth mounts in fire, aud fire diffolves in air; While we, enquiring phantoms of a day, Inconftant as the fhadows we furvey, With them, along time's rapid current pafs, And hafte to mingle with the parent mafs; But thou, eternal Lord of life divine! In youth immortal shalt for ever fhine! No change fhall darken thy exalted name, From everlasting ages ftill the fame.
If God, like man, his purpose could renew, His laws could vary, or his plans undo; Defponding faith would droop its cheerless wing, Religion deaden to a lifelefs thing: Where could we, rational, repose our trust, But in a power immutable as just ? How judge of revelation's force divine, If truth unerring gave not the defign; . Where, as in nature's fair according plan, All fmiles benevolent and good to man. Plac'd in this narrow clouded spot below, Darkly we see around, and darkly know! Religion lends the falutary beam,
That guides our reason thro' the dubious gleam;
Till founds the hour!- when he who rules the skies,
Shall bid the curtain of omniscience rife!
Shall diffipate the mists that veil our sight,
And show his creatures
Then, when aftonish'd nature feels its fate, And fetter'd time fhall know its latest date! When earth fhall in the mighty blaze expire, Heaven melt with heat, and worlds diffolve in fire! The universal system shrink away,
And ceafing orbs confess th' almighty sway : Immortal he, amidst the wreck secure, Shall fit exalted, permanently pure!
As in the facred bufh, fhall fhine the fame, And from the ruin raise a fairer frame.
Far hence, ye vifionary charming maids, Ye fancied nymphs that haunt the Grecian fhades; Your birth, who from conceiving fiction drew, Your felves producing phantoms as untrue; But come, fuperior muse! divinely bright, Daughter of heaven, whofe offspring still are light; O condefcend, celestial facred gueft,
To purge my fight, and confecrate my breast; While I presume omnipotence to trace, And fing that power, who peopled boundless space. Thou prefent wert, when forth th' Almighty rode, While chaos trembled at the voice of God: Thou faw'ft, when o'er th' immenfe his line he drew, When nothing from his word existence knew:
His word, that wak'd to life the vast profound, While conscious light was kindled at the found:. Creation fair furpriz'd th' angelic eyes,
And fovereign wisdom saw that all was wife : Him, fole almighty nature's book difplays, Diftin&t the page, and legible the rays: Let the wild fceptic his attention throw To the broad horizon, or earth below; He finds thy foft impreffion touch his breast, He feels the God,—and owns him unconfefs'd: Should the ftray pilgrim, tir'd of fands and skies, In Lybia's wafte behold a palace rise,
Would he believe the charm from atoms wrought?" Go, atheist, hence, and mend thy jufter thought. What hand, almighty architect! but thine, Could give the model of this vaft defign? What hand but thine adjust th' amazing whole And bid confenting fyftems beauteous roll: What hand but thine fupply the folar light? For ever wafting, yet for ever bright:
What hand but thine the azure convex spread? What hand but thine trace out the ocean's bed? To the vast main the fandy barrier throw,
And with that feeble curb restrain the foe? What hand but thine the wintry flood affwage, Or ftop the tempest in its wildest rage? Thee infinite! what finite can explore ? Imagination finks beneath thy power;
« PreviousContinue » |