good, this allow'd, would make all Actions done in the Freedom of the human Will not good; but they must have the Affiftance of Grace, or the holy Spirit, before they can be fo: Save me alike from foolish Pride, At ought thy Wifdom has deny'd, As there are Abundance of good Things, which, as Mr. Pope here expreffes, are lent us, (for they are only fo) it thould not make us proud, for Pride is Folly; where the moft Perfection is, there is the leaft Pride, and where all Perfection is, there is none at all: The Satisfaction arifing from the Consciousness of Wisdom or Virtue, is a natural Complacency in the Mind; but Pride is a Pain ; even to the very Soul it puffs up, befides that, we are so far from having Motives to be proud, that every Minute of our Life carries Teaching enough with it to make us humble, and as nothing we poffefs fhould elevate us, or make us too full of ourfelves, fo nothing withheld from us, fhould we wifh to know or chjoy, much lefs difquiet ourfelves, or grow impioufly dif contented, but with Patience, Thankfulness, and Humility, receive the Bleffings Providence has feen fit to hand to us Teach me to feel another's Woe; L That Mercy Ito others fhow, Thefe Lines exprefs a very great and extenfive Charity, many wou'd have afked for Power to relieve the Diftreffles and Woes of others; but knowing that the greatest Motive to Compaffion is feeling the like Distress T Diftrefs in ourselves, Mr. Pope defires to be taught to feel another's Woe, and then not unlike that Paffage in the Lord's Prayer, which renders it impoffible to be offer'd by the Merciless without praying for their own Condemnation: Forgive us our Trefpaffes, as we forgive them that trespass against us. Mr. Pope calls out for Mercy, and only fuch Mercy as he shows to others. This is an apparent Proof, that notwithftanding in the wrangling Way of Wit he might feem to refent Things for a great while, either that he thought he was doing Good as a Reformer, or vindicating the Rights and Liberties of Mankind, as a free-born Man and a Philofopher; that in the last Refult of his Idea all Offences were the Subjects of Mercy, and fuch Mercy as in this folemn Manner he has afk'd of Heaven: c. Mean tho' I am, not wholly fo, The only Confideration that could divert him from the Thoughts of his own Littleness, was, not that he was a rational Creature endow'd with noble Faculties, that he was Lord of himself and had a Freedom in his own Will, could begin Motion, and fet forth Matter in numberlefs Forms of his own Defign, by the Power of Mechanism; nor that he was to take a Place among immortal Beings, tho' thefe Things might all have been mention'd without Prefumption and with Thankfulness: No, he rather chufes to value himself wholly upon the Power that quicken'd him, and which he defires ftill to lead him thro' Life this Day, if I am allotted to live thro' this. Day, but if my Days are all number'd, then thro' the the Death of this Day; that is, he defires whether Life or Death, or whatever elfe may happen, that Providence will always be his Guide, and thro' all Difficulties and Difafters his Creator will ftill be his Support. This Day, be Bread and Peace my Lot; Thou knowst if best bestow'd, or not; Here again he gives into the Lord's Prayer, Give us this Day our daily Bread; and afterwards, Thy Will be done. But except Bread he asks nothing but Peace; he does not afk for Power, for Riches, for Length of Days, or even Wisdom, much lefs Revenge, 'tis PEACE alone; for what are all earthly Things, Mitres, Coronets, and Crowns, if Peace be wanting? And if Peace be not wanting, then I afk again, what are all earthly Things, Mitres, and Coronets, and Crowns? God only knows, whether those Things are best bestow'd on us or no; but he has declar'd, that without Peace ye cannot be in the right Path, for his Ways are Ways of Pleafantnefs, and all his Paths are Peace; true Peace, not an unreal and falfe Peace, only fuch in Appearance, but a Peace that furpaffeth all Understanding; that is, what is inconceivable by a finite and human Mind, how there fhould be fuch a Peace, or what it is that causes fuch a calm and home-felt Pleasure in the Soul, 'till they acknowledge it to be the Peace of God, and the Effect of his infinite Goodness and Power, which are not to be comprehended even by the Angels: For who shall fathom Infinity? ་་ To To thee, whofe Temple is all Space, It fignifies nothing where we pay our Adoration, feeing his Temple and his Altar are every where, not confin'd to Mecca, to Jerufalem, or Rome; and continual Praises are his. For tho' Man were to be mute, and should deny with his Tongue; his very Being, as all other Beings do, would praife him; his Works praise him and proclaim him great. This is what David intends, when he calls out upon Things inanimate, the Stars, the Sea, the Earth, the Hills, to praise the Lord. This is the great Chorus of Nature, and the continual Incenfe, arifing from the -Order and Difpofition of the Universe, and the va rious animated and intelligent Beings exifting; of →whom, perhaps, but very few are known to us. The Thought of worfhipping without Church or Altar, form'd by Men, is very noble; for what is more ridiculous than to fuppofe, that the Deity cannot be rightly ador'd, prais'd, or pray'd to, without Man prepare the Place, and adjust the Ceremony? It is obfervable, that Mr. Pope is fo fenfible of the continual Praise arifing from the Creation, that he calls out upon all Being, and all the Incense of Nature, bidding it to rife, at the fame Time that he knew it was continually rifing. So the Pfalmift, tho' he knew the Works of the Creation were praifing the Lord, fays, (naming many of them) Praise ye the Lord. salone This Prayer is the firft of the Kind, which (as I believe) was ever made by any Profeffor of the Romish Church: But Mr. Fope must be judg'd very gently here, for, more especially in his latter Time, he he was exceeding moderate; and never a flaming Zealot. This Prayer breathes nothing but Humili ty, Charity, and Peace, and is without any Pomp in the Phrafe, (which here was purposely avoided) very excellent, and worthy much Confideration and Attention. After thefe Things Mr. Pope gave Reft to his Pen, being able to write little, by Reafon of the Weaknefs of his Eyes, and other bodily Infirmities; and finding his Strength entirely give Way, he began to think that his Days, which had been prolong'd paft his Expectation, were drawing to a Conclufion: However, he was carry'd to the Hot Well at Bristol, (having been us'd before moftly to go to Bath) where fometimes there were finall Hopes of his Recovery; he feem'd at first to receive a little Benefit by the Air, and the Profpect, (which he oftentimes faid was the finest he ever faw) delighted him; but making too free with Purges, he grew worse again, and feem'd defirous to draw nearer Home, which by Degrees he did, and on the 12th Day of December in the Year of our Lord, 1743, ftill declining, and wholly refign'd to Death, made his Will in Manner and Form as follows: 1 I N THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. 1 Alexander Pope, of Twickenham, in the County of Middlefex, make this my last Will and Teftament. I refign my Soul to its Creator, in all humble Hopes of its future Happiness, as in the Difpofal of a Being infinitely good. As to my Body, my Will is, That it be buried near the Monument of my dear Parents at Twickenham, with the Addition, after the Words filius fecit-of thefe only, Et fibi Qui obiit Anno 17. Etatis and that it be carry'd • 2 a |