FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155  
156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   >>   >|  
as fair as by her Muse is born! 130 [1] 'Writing grace': Moses. ON THE PARAPHRASE OF THE LORD'S PRAYER. WRITTEN BY MRS WHARTON. Silence, you winds! listen, ethereal lights! While our Urania sings what Heaven indites; The numbers are the nymph's; but from above Descends the pledge of that eternal love. Here wretched mortals have not leave alone, But are instructed to approach His throne; And how can He to miserable men Deny requests which His own hand did pen? In the Evangelists we find the prose Which, paraphrased by her, a poem grows; A devout rapture! so divine a hymn, It may become the highest seraphim! For they, like her, in that celestial choir, Sing only what the Spirit does inspire. 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 SAME PRAYER. 1 His sacred name with reverence profound Should mention'd be, and trembling at the sound! It was Jehovah; 'tis Our Father now; So low to us does Heaven vouchsafe to bow![1] He brought it down that taught us how to pray, And did so dearly for our ransom pay. 2 _His kingdom come._ For this we pray in vain Unless he does in our affections reign. Absurd it were to wish for such a King, And not obedience to His sceptre bring, Whose yoke is easy, and His burthen light, His service freedom, and his judgments right. 3 _His will be done._ In fact 'tis always done; But, as in heaven, it must be made our own. His will should all our inclinations sway, Whom Nature, and the universe, obey. Happy the man! whose wishes are confined To what has been eternally designed; Referring all to His paternal care, To whom more dear than to ourselves we are. 4 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 breast, From day to day we on His bounty feast; Nor should the soul expect above a day, To dwell in her frail tenement of clay; The setting sun should seem to bound our race, And the new day a gift of special grace. 5 _That he should all our trespasses forgive_, While we in hatred with our neighbours live; Though so to pray may seem an easy task, We curse ourselves when thus inclined we ask, This prayer to use, we ought with equal care Our souls, as to the sacrament, prepare. The noblest wor
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155  
156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
PRAYER
 

Heaven

 

Nature

 
universe
 

Referring

 

paternal

 

designed

 

eternally

 

confined

 

wishes


sceptre

 
burthen
 

obedience

 
Absurd
 
service
 

heaven

 

inclinations

 

freedom

 

judgments

 

Though


neighbours

 

hatred

 

special

 

trespasses

 

forgive

 
sacrament
 

prepare

 

noblest

 

inclined

 

prayer


depending

 

breast

 
avarice
 

hoards

 

affections

 

tenement

 

setting

 

bounty

 

expect

 

dearly


Evangelists
 
miserable
 

requests

 

paraphrased

 

WRITTEN

 
highest
 

seraphim

 
divine
 
devout
 

rapture