Enough to humble, and to make us great,
If it prepare us for a nobler feat.
Which well obferving, he, in numerous lines,
Taught wretched man how faft his life declines:
In whom he dwelt, before the world was made;
And may again retire, when that shall fade.
The lafting ILIADS have not liv'd fo long,
As his, and DEBORAH'S, triumphant fong.
DELPHOS unknown, no Mufe could then infpire,
But that which governs the cœleftial choir.
Heav'n to the pious did this art reveal;
And from their ftore fucceeding Poets steal:
HOMER'S SCAMANDER for the TROJANS fought,
And fwell'd fo high, by her old KISHON taught:
His river scarce could fierce ACHILLES ftay;
Hers, more fuccefsful, fwept her foes away.
The hoft of heaven, his PHOEBUS, and his MARS,
He arms; inftructed by her fighting stars,
She led them all against the common foe:
But he, (mif-led by what he saw below!)
The Pow'rs above, like wretched men, divides,
And breaks their union into diff'rent fides.
The nobleft parts which in his Heroes shine,
May be but copies of that Heroine.
HOMER himself, and AGAMEMNON, fhe
The writer could, and the commander, be.
Truth fhe relates, in a fublimer ftrain,
Than all the tales the boldeft GREEKS could feign:
For, what the fung, that SPIRIT did indite,
Which gave her courage, and fuccefs, in fight.
A double garland crowns the matchless dame ;
From heav'n her Poem, and her conqueft came.
But, had like a virtue shin'd in that fair GREEK, The amorous fhepherd had not dar'd to seek,
Tho' of the Jews fhe merit most esteem
Yet here the chriftian has the greater theme:
Her martial fong describes how SISERE fell;
This fings our triumph over death, and hell.
The rifing light employ'd the facred breath
Of the bleft VIRGIN, and ELIZABETH.
In fongs of joy the Angels fung his birth:
Here, how he treated was upon earth,
Trembling we read! th' affliction and the scorn,
Which, for our guilt, fo patiently was born!
Conception, birth, and fuff'ring all belong,
(Tho' various parts) to one cœleftial song:
And fhe, well ufing fo divine an art,
Has, in this confort, fung the tragic part.
As HANNAH's feed was vow'd to facred use So, here this Lady confecrates her Mufe, With like reward may heav'n her bed adorn, With fruit as fair, as by her Muse is born! On the Paraphrafe on the LORD's Prayer, written by Mrs. WHARTON.
ILENCE, you winds! liften etherial lights! While our URANIA fings what heav'n indites : The Numbers are the Nymph's: but from above Defcends the pledge of that eternal love. Here wretched mortals have not leave alone, But are inftructed, to approach his throne: And how can he to miferable men Deny requests, which his own hand did pen?"
In the Evangelifts we find the profe : Which, paraphras'd by her, a Poem grows;
A devout rapture! fo divine a hymn,
t may become the higheft Seraphim! For they, like her, in that cœleftial choir, Sing only what the SPIRIT does infpire.
Taught by our LORD, and theirs, with us they may For all, but pardon for offences, pray..
Some Reflections of His upon the several Petitions in the fame Prayer.
IS facred naine, with reverence profound,
Should mention'd be, and trembling at the
found!
It was JEHOVAH; 'tis OUR FATHER NOW;
So low to us does heav'n vouchsafe to bow !
He brought it down, that taught us how to pray:
And did fo dearly for our ranfom pay.
His kingdom come." For this we pray
Unless he does in our affections reign:
Abfurd it were to wish for fuch a King,
And not obedience to his fceptre bring:
Whofe yoke is eafy, and his burthen light;
His fervice freedom, and his judgments right.
III." His will be done." In fact 'tis always done;
But, as in heav'n, it must be made our own:
His will fhould all our inclinations fway,
Whom nature, and the univerfe, obey.
Happy the man! whofe wishes are confin'd
To what has been eternally defign'd:
Referring all to his paternal care, ''
To whom more dear, than to ourfelves, we are.
IV. It is not what our avarice hoards up;
"Tis he that feeds us, and that fills our cup:
Like new-born babes, depending on the breaft,
From day to day, we on his bounty feast.
Nor should the foul expect above a day,
To dwell in her frail tenement of clay:
The setting fun fhould feem to bound our race,
And the new day a gift of fpecial grace..
V. "That he should all our trefpaffes forgive,"
While we in hatred with our neighbours live;
Tho' so to pray may seem an easy task,
We curfe ourselves when thus inclin'd we ask.
This pray'r to use, we ought with equal care;
Our fouls, as the Sacrament, prepare
The nobleft worship of the Pow'r above,
Is to extol, and imitate, his love :
Not to forgive our enemies alone ;
But, use our bounty that they may be won.
VI. "Guard us from all temptations of the foe :" And those we may in several stations know: The rich, and poor, in flipp'ry places stand: Give us enough! but, with a fparing hand! Not ill-perfwading want; nor wanton wealth; But, what proportion'd is to life, and health. For, not the dead, but living, fing thy praise ; Exalt thy kingdom, and thy glory raife.
Favete linguis! ****
Virginibus puerifque cante.
On the foregoing DIVINE POEMS.
W The tubject made us able to indite :
THEN we for age could neither read, nor write,
The foul, with nobler resolutions deckt,
The body ftooping, does herself erect:
No mortal parts are requifite to raise
Her, that unbony'd can her MAKER praise.
The feas are quiet, when the winds give o'er.
So, calm are we, when paffions are no more!
For, then we know how vain it was to boast
Of fleeting things, fo certain to be lost.
Clouds of affection from our younger eyes
Conceal that emptinefs, which age descries.
The foul's dark cottage, batter'd and decay'd, Lets-in new light, thro' chinks that time has made : Stronger by weakness, wiser men become,
As they draw near to their eternal home.
Leaving the old, both worlds at once they view.
UCH HELEN was! and who can blame the *
That in fo bright a flame consum'd his TROY?
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