Who gave the various beings birth, That people all the spacious earth. 'Tis HE that bids the tempests rise, And rolls the thunder through the skies. Through all the earth extends his sway. His goodness all his creatures share : Then, while they all proclaim his praise, SECTION XXVI. Praise due to God for his wonderful works. MY GOD! all nature owns thy sway; Thou giv'st the night, and thou the day! When all thy lov'd creation wakes, When morning, rich in lustre, breaks, And bathes in dew the op'ning flow'r, To thee we owe the fragrant hour; her choral song, And when she pours Her melodies to thee belong! Or when, in paler tints array'd, The ev'ning slowly spreads her shade; That soothing shade, that grateful gloom, Can, more than day's enliv'ning bloom, Still ev'ry fond and vain desire, And calmer, purer thoughts inspire; From earth the pensive spirit free, And lead the soften'd heart to thee. In ev'ry scene thy hands have dress'd, Or where the shelt'ring woods are spread; Or tuneful stream that cheers the vale, Pass o'er the human scene in vain! The joys that from thy favour rise! WILLIAMS. SECTION XXVII. The happy end. WHEN life's tempestuous storms are o'er, How calm he meets the friendly shore, Who liv'd averse to sin! Such peace on virtue's path attends, That, where the sinner's pleasure ends, The good man's joys begin. See smiling patience smooth his brow! To lift his soul on high! While eager for the blest abode, He joins with them to praise the God, The horrors of the grave and hell, For HE who bids yon comet burn, No sorrow drowns his lifted eyes; His God, the God of peace and love, SECTION XXVIII. A kind and gentle temper of great importance to the happiness of life. SINCE trifles make the sum of human things, And half our mis'ry from our foibles springs; Since life's best joys consist in peace and ease, And few can save, or serve, but all can please; Oh! let th' ungentle spirit learn from hence, To all the gift of minist'ring to ease. Beyond all flatt'ry, and all price above; The mild forbearance of another's fault; The taunting word suppress'd as soon as thought: Our joys with those we love are intertwin'd: And he whose wakeful tenderness removes Th' obstructing thorn which wounds the friend he loves, Smooths not another's rugged path alone, But scatters roses to adorn his own. Small slights, contempt, neglect, unmix'd with hate, Make up in number what they want in weight: These, and a thousand griefs, minute as these, Corrode our comforts, and destroy our peace. MORE. SECTION XXIX. Simplicity. HAIL, artless Simplicity, beautiful maid, Let the rich and the proud, and the gay and the vain, No charm in thy modest allurements they find; O! would you Simplicity's precepts attend, Though cheap the musician, yet sweet is the song; Our water is drawn from the clearest of springs; From our culture yon garden its ornament finds; And we mark by our actions the days as they fly. |