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| FATHER of all! in every age, | |
| In every clime adored, | |
| By saint, by savage, and by sage, | |
| Jehovah, Jove, or Lord! | |
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| Thou Great First Cause, least understood; | 5 |
| Who all my sense confined | |
| To know but this, that Thou art good, | |
| And that myself am blind; | |
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| Yet gave me, in this dark estate, | |
| To see the good from ill; | 10 |
| And binding nature fast in fate, | |
| Left free the human will. | |
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| What conscience dictates to be done, | |
| Or warns me not to do, | |
| This, teach me more than hell to shun, | 15 |
| That, more than Heaven pursue. | |
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| What blessings Thy free bounty gives, | |
| Let me not cast away; | |
| For God is paid when man receives, | |
| T’ enjoy is to obey. | 20 |
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| Yet not to earth’s contracted span | |
| Thy goodness let me bound, | |
| Or think Thee Lord alone of man, | |
| When thousand worlds are round: | |
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| Let not the weak, unknowing hand | 25 |
| Presume Thy bolts to throw, | |
| And deal damnation round the land, | |
| On each I judge Thy foe. | |
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| If I am right, Thy grace impart, | |
| Still in the right to stay; | 30 |
| If I am wrong, oh! teach my heart | |
| To find that better way. | |
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| Save me alike from foolish pride, | |
| Or impious discontent, | |
| At aught Thy wisdom has denied, | 35 |
| Or aught Thy goodness lent. | |
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| Teach me to feel another’s woe, | |
| To hide the fault I see; | |
| That mercy I to others show, | |
| That mercy show to me. | 40 |
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| Mean though I am, not wholly so, | |
| Since quickened by Thy breath; | |
| Oh, lead me wheresoe’er I go, | |
| Through this day’s life or death. | |
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| This day, be bread and peace my lot, | 45 |
| All else beneath the sun, | |
| Thou know’st if best bestowed or not, | |
| And let Thy will be done. | |
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| To Thee, whose temple is all space, | |
| Whose altar earth, sea, skies, | 50 |
| One chorus let all beings raise, | |
| All nature’s incense rise! | |
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