Before the air its bofom did unfold,
Or burnish'd orbs in blue expansion roll'd;
She fung how Nature then in embryo lay,
And did the fecrets of her birth display.
When after, at th' Almighty's high command,
Obedient waves divided from the land;
And shades and lazy mifts were chac'd away,
While rofy light diffus'd the tender day;
When uproar ceas'd, and wild confufion fled,
And new-born Nature rais'd her beauteous head;
She fung the frame of this terreftrial pile,
The hills, the rocks, the rivers, and the foil;
She view'd the fandy frontiers, which restrain
The noify infults of th' imprifon'd main ;
Rang'd o'er the wide diffufion of the waves,
The moift coerulean walks, and fearch'd the coral caves.
She then furvey'd the fluid fields of air,
And the crude feeds of meteors fashion'd there;
Then with continued flight the fped her way,
Mounted, and bold pursued the fource of day;
With wonder of celeftial motions fung,
How the pois'd orbs are in the vacant hung,
How the bright fluices of ætherial light,
Now fhut, defend the empire of the night,
And now, drawn up with wife alternate care,
Let floods of glory out, and spread with day the air.
Then with a daring wing the foar'd fublime,
From realm to realm, from orb to orb did climb:
Swift through the fpacious gulph fhe urg'd her way, 605
At length emerg'd in empyrean day;
Where far, oh far, beyond what mortals fee,
In the void diftricts of immenfity,
The mind new funs, 'new, planets, can explore,
And yet beyond can ftill imagine more
Thus in bold numbers did,th' adventurous Mufe
To fing the lifeless parts of Nature chuse;
And then advanc'd to wonders yet behind,
Survey'd and fung the vegetable kind ;
Did lofty woods, and humble brakes review,
Along the valley fwept, and o'er the mountain flew.
Then left the Mufe the field and waving grove,
And unfatigued with grateful labour ftrove
To climb th' amazing heights of fenfe, and fing
The power perceptive, and the inward spring
Which agitates and guides each living thing.
Erect the beating heart, the channels frame,
She next effay'd the embryo's rife to trace From an unfashion'd, rude, unchannel'd mass: Sung how the fpirits waken'd in the brain Exert their force, and genial toil maintain;
Unfold entangled limbs, and kindle vital fame
How the fmall pipes are in meanders laid,
And bounding life is to and fro convey'd ;
How fpirits, which for fense and motion serve,
Unguided find the perforated nerve,
Through every dark recefs pursue their flight,
Unconscious of the road, and void of fight,
Yet, certain of the way, ftill guide their motions right.
> From thence a nobler flight she did effay,
The mind's extended empire to furvey.
She fung the godlike principle of thought,
And how, from objects by the fenfes brought,
The intellectual imagery is wrought;
How the the modes of beings can difcern,
A nice respect, a meer relation learn;
Can all the thin abstracted notions reach,
Which Grecian wits, or, Britain, thine can teach.
Thus has the Muse Arove to display a part
Of those unnumber'd miracles of art,
Of prudence, conduct, and of wife defign,
Which to th' attentive thought confpicuous fhine.
Still, vanquish'd Atheists! will you keep the field,
And, hard in error, ftill refuse to yield?
See, all your broken arms lie spread around,
And ignominious rout deforms the ground;
Be wife, and once, admonifh'd by a foe,
Where lies your ftrength, and where your weakness, know
No more at Reason's folemn bar appear,
Hardy no more fcholaftic weapons bear;
Difband your feeble forces, and decline
The war; no more in tinfel armour shine;
Nor shake your bullrush spears, but swift repair
To your ftrong place of arms, the fcoffer's chair;
And thence, fupported with a mocking ring,
Sarcaftic darts and keen invectives fling
Against your foes, and fcornful at your feafts
Religion vanquish with decifive jefts;
Arm'd with refiftlefs laughter, Heaven affail,
Relinquish Reafon, and let Mirth prevail.
Good Heaven! that men, who vaunt difcerning fight,
And arrogant from wisdom's distant height
Look down on vulgar mortals, who revere
A Caufe Supreme, should their proud building rear
Without one prop the ponderous pile to bear!
How much the Judge, who does in Heaven prefide
Re-mocks the fcoffer, and contemns his pride !
Behold, the fad unfufferable hour
Advances near, which will his error cure ;
When he compell'd shall drink the wrathful bowl,
And ruin'd feel immortal vengeance roll
Through all his veins, and drench his inmost soul.
O'erwhelm'd with horror, funk in deep despair,
And loft for ever, will the wretch forbear
To curfe his madness, and blafpheme the power
Of his juft Sovereign, which he mock'd before?
Hail, King Supreme! of Power Immense Abyss!
Father of Light! Exhaustless Source of Blifs!
Thou uncreated, Self-exiftent Cause,
Control'd by no fuperior Being's laws,
Ere infant light effay'd to dart the ray,
Smil'd heavenly fweet, and try'd to kindle day :
Ere the wide fields of æther were display'd,
Or filver stars coerulean fpheres inlaid;
Ere yet the eldest child of Time was born,
Or verdant pride young Nature did adorn;
Thou art; and didft eternity employ
In unmolefted peace, in plenitude of joy,
In its ideal frame the world, defign'd
From ages paft, lay finish'd in thy mind.
Conform to this divine imagin'd plan,
With perfect art th' amazing work began.
Thy glance furvey'd the folitary plains,
Where fhapeless fhade inert and filent reigns;
Then in the dark and undiftinguish'd space,
Unfruitful, uninclos'd, and wild of face,
Thy compass for the world mark'd out the deftin'd
place.
Then didst Thou through the fields of barren Night
Go forth, collected in Creating Might.
Where Thou almighty vigour didst exert,
Which emicant did this and that way dart
Through the black bofom of the empty space :
The gulphs confefs th' omnipotent embrace,
And, pregnant grown with elemental feed,
Unfinish'd orbs and worlds in embryo breed.
From the crude mass, Omniscient Architect,
Thou for each part materials didst select,
And with a mafter-hand thy world erect.
Labour'd by Thee, the globes, vast lucid buoys,
By Thee uplifted, float in liquid fkies:
By Thy cementing word their parts cohere,
And roll by Thy impulfive nod in air.
Thou in the vacant didft the earth fufpend,
Advance the mountains, and the vales extend;
People the plains with flocks, with beafts the wood,
And ftore with fcaly colonies the flood.
Next, Man arofe at Thy Creating Word,
Of Thy terreftial realms vicegerent lord.
His foul, more artful labour, more refin'd,
And emulous of bright Seraphic Mind,
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