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Love all the faith and all th' allegiance then,
For Nature knew no right divine in Men;
No ill could fear in God, and understood

A sov'reign being but a sov'reign good.
True faith, true policy, united ran;

235

That was but love of God, and this of Man.

240

Who first taught souls enslav'd, and realms undone,

Th' enormous faith of many made for one;

246

That proud exception to all Nature's laws,
T' invert the world, and counterwork its cause.
Force first made conquest, and that conquest law,
Till superstition taught the tyrant awe;
Then shar'd the tyranny, then lent it aid,
And gods of conqu❜rors, slaves of subjects, made:
She 'midst the lightning's blaze and thunder's sound,
When rock'd the mountains and when groan'd the
ground,

She taught the weak to bend, the proud to pray
To Pow'r unseen, and mightier far than they;
She from the rending earth and bursting skies
Saw gods descend, and fiends infernal rise;

250

Here fix'd the dreadful, there the bless'd abodes; 255
Fear made her devils, and weak Hope her gods;
Gods partial, changeful, passionate, unjust,
Whose attributes were rage, revenge, or lust;
Such as the souls of cowards might conceive,

And, form'd like tyrants, tyrants would believe. 260

Zeal then, not Charity, became the guide,

And hell was built on spite, and heav'n on pride:
Then sacred seem'd th' ethereal vault no more;
Altars grew marble then, and reek'd with gore:
Then first the flamen tasted living food,
Next his grim idol smear'd with human blood;
With Heav'n's own thunders shook the world below,
And play'd the god an engine on his foe.

So drives self-love, thro' just and thro' unjust,
To one man's pow'r, ambition, lucre, lust :
The same self-love in all becomes the cause
Of what restrains him, government and laws.
For what one likes if others like as well?

265

What serves one will when many wills rebel?
How shall he keep what, sleeping or awake,
A weaker may surpise, a stronger take?
His safety must his liberty restrain;
All join to guard what each desires to gain.
Forc'd into virtue thus by self-defence,
Ev'n kings learn'd justice and benevolence :
Self-love forsook the path it first pursu'd,
And found the private in the public good.
'Twas then the studious head or gen'rous mind,
Foll'wer of God, or friend of human-kind,
Paet or patriot, rose but to restore
The faith and moral Nature gave before;

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275

280

285

Relum'd her ancient light, not kindled new :

If not God's image, yet his shadow drew ;'
Taught pow'r's due use to people and to kings,

Taught nor to slack nor strain its tender strings, 290
The less or greater set so justly true,

That touching one must strike the other too,
Till jarring int❜rests of themselves create
Th' according music of a well-mix'd state.

Such is the world's great harmony, that springs 295
From order, union, full consent of things;

[made Where small and great, where weak and mighty, To serve, not suffer; strengthen, not invade; More pow'rful each as needful to the rest,

And in proportion as it blesses blest;

Draw to one point, and to one centre bring
Beast, man, or angel, servant, lord, or king.
For forms of government let fools contest;
Whate'er is best administer'd is best :

300

For modes of faith let graceless zealots fight;
His can't be wrong whose life is in the right.
In faith and hope the world will disagree,
But all mankind's concern is charity:

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All must be false that thwart this one great end;
And all of God that bless mankind or mend.

310

Man, like the gen'rous vine, supported lives; The strength he gains is from the embrace he gives.

On their own axis as the planets run,

Yet make at once their circle round the sun;
So two consistent motions act the soul,

315

And one regards itself, and one the whole.

Thus God and Nature link'd the gen'ral frame, And bade self-love and social be the same.

318

VOL. III.

Of the Nature and State of Man with

respect to Happiness.

THE ARGUMENT.

I. False notions of happiness, philosophical and popular, answered, from v. 19. to 27. II. It is the end of all Men, and attainable by all, v. 29. God intends happiness to be equal; and, to be so, it must be social, since all particular happiness depends on gene. ral, and since he governs by general, not particular laws, v. 35. As it is necessary for order, and the peace and welfare of society, that external goods should be unequal, happiness is not made to consist in these, v. 51: but, notwithstanding that inequality, the balance of happiness amongst mankind is kept even by Providence by the two passions of hope and fear, v. 70. III. What the happiness of individuals is, as far as is consistent with the constitution of this world; and that the good Man has here the advantage, v. 77. The error of imputing to virtue what are only the calamities of nature, or of fortune, v. 94. IV. The folly of expecting that God should alter his general laws

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