From what feem'd horror, and despair,

The richest harvest rofe;

And gave me in the nod divine

An abfolute repofe.

Of all the plunders of mankind,
More grofs, or frequent, none,
Than in their grief and joy mifplac'd,
Eternally are shown.

But whither points all this parade?
It says, that near you lies
A book, perhaps, yet unperus'd,
Which you should greatly prize:

Of felf-perufal, science rare!

Few know the mighty gain;

Learn'd Prelates, felf-unread, may read
Their Bibles o'er in vain :

Self-knowledge, which from heaven itself

(So fages tell us) came, What is it, but a daughter fair Of my maternal theme?

Unletter'd, and untravel'd men
An oracle might find,

Would they confult their own contents,

The Delphos of the mind.

Enter your bofom; there you

'll meet

A revelation new,

A revelation perfonal,

Which none can read but you;

There

There will you clearly read reveal'd
In your enlighten'd thought,
By mercies manifold, through life,
To fresh remembrance brought,
A mighty Being! and in Him
A complicated friend,

A father, brother, spouse; no dread
Of death, divorce, or end:

Who fuch a matchlefs friend embrace,
And lodge him in their heart,
Full well, from agonies exempt,
With other friends may part:
As when o'erloaded branches bear
Large clusters big with wine,
We scarce regret one falling leaf
From the luxuriant vine.

My short advice to you may found
Obfcure, or fomewhat odd,

Though 'tis the best that man can give,"Ev'n be content with God."

Through love He gave you the deceas'd,
Through greater took him hence;
This reafon fully could evince,
Though murmur'd at by sense.

This friend, far past the kindest kind,

Is paft the greatest great;

His greatness let me touch in points
Not foreign to your state;

His eye, this inftant, reads your heart;

A truth lefs obvious hear;

This inftant its moft fecret thoughts

Are founding in his ear:

Dispute you

this? O ftand in awe,

And cease your forrow; know,

That tear, now trickling down, He faw

Ten thoufand years ago;

And twice ten thoufand hence, if you
Your temper reconcile

To reafon's bound, will he behold
Your prudence with a smile;

A fmile, which through eternity
Diffuses so bright rays,
The dimmeft deifies e'en guilt,
If guilt, at laft, obeys:

Your guilt (for guilt it is to mourn,
When such a sovereign reigns)
Your guilt diminish; peace purfue;
How glorious peace in pains!

Here, then, your forrows cease; if not,
Think how unhappy they,
Who guilt increase by streaming tears,
Which guilt should wash away;

Of tears that gush profuse restrain ;
Whence burst thofe difmal fighs?
They from the throbbing breast of one
(Strange truth!) moft happy rife;

Not

Not angels (hear it, and exult!)
Enjoy a larger share

Than is indulg'd to you, and yours
Of God's impartial care;

Anxious for each, as if on each
His care for all was thrown;

For all his care as abfolute,

As all had been but one.

And is He then fo near! fo kind!-
How little then, and great,
That riddle, man! O! let me gaze
At wonders in his fate;

His fate, who yesterday did crawl
A worm from darkness deep,
And fhall, with brother-worms, beneath
A turf, to-morrow fleep;

How mean!-And yet, if well obey'd
His mighty Master's call,
The whole creation for mean man

Is deem'd a boon too fmall :

Too fmall the whole creation deem'd
For emmets in the duft!

Account amazing! yet most true;
My fong is bold, yet just :

Man born for infinite, in whom

No period can deftroy

The power, in exquifite extremes,

To fuffer, or enjoy;

Give him earth's empire (if no more)
He's beggar'd, and undone !
Imprifon'd in unbounded space!
Benighted by the fun!

For what the fun's meridian blaze
To the most feeble ray

Which glimmers from the distant dawn
of uncreated day?

'Tis not the Poet's rapture feign'd
Swells here the vain to please ;
The mind most sober kindles most
At truths fublime as thefe;

They warm ev'n me.-I dare not say,
Divine ambition ftrove

Not to blefs only, but confound,

Nay, fright us with its love;

And yet fo frightful what, or kind,

As that the rending rock,

The darken'd fun, and rifing dead,
So formidable spoke ?

And are we darker than that fun?

Than rocks more hard, and blind?
We are ;-if not to fuch a God

We

In agonies refign'd.

Yes, ev'n in agonies forbear
To doubt almighty love;
Whate'er endears eternity,
Is mercy from above;

VOL. III.

K

What