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Where small and great, where weak and mighty, made
To serve, not suffer, strengthen, not invade;
More powerful each as needful to the rest,
And, in proportion as it bleffes, blest;
Draw to one point, and to one centre bring
Beast, Man, or Angel, Servant, Lord, or King.
For Forms of Government let fools contest;
Whate'er is beft adminifter'd is beft:

For Modes of Faith, let graceless zealots fight;
His can't be wrong whofe life is in the right;
In Faith and Hope the world will disagree,
But all Mankind's concern is Charity:

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All must be false that thwarts this One great End:
And all of God, that bless Mankind, or mend.
Man, like the generous vine, fupported lives:
The strength he gains is from th' embrace he gives.
On their own Axis as the Planets run,
Yet make at once their circle round the Sun;
So two confiftent motions act the Soul;

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And one regards Itself, and one the Whole.

Thus God and Nature link'd the general frame, And bade Self-love and Social be the fame.

ARGUMENT

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Of the Nature and State of Man with respect to

Happiness.

I. FALSE Notions of Happiness, Philofophical and Popular, answered from ver. 19 to 77. II. It is the End of all Men, and attainable by all, ver. 30. God intends Happinefs to be equal; and to be so, it must be focial, fince all particular Happiness depends on general, and fince he governs by general, not particular Laws, ver. 37. As it is neceffary for Order, and the peace and welfare of Society, that external goods fhould be unequal, Happiness is not made to confist in these, ver. 51. But, notwithstanding that inequality, the balance of Happiness among mankind is kept even by Providence, by the two Paffions of Hope and Fear, ver. 70. III. What the Happiness of Individuals is, as far as is confiftent with the constitution of this world; and that the Good Man has here the advantage, ver. 77. The error of imputing to Virtue what are only the calamities of Nature, or of Fortune, ver. 94. IV. The folly of expecting that God fhould alter his general Laws in favour of particulars, ver. 121. V. That we are not judges who are good; but that, whoever they are, they must be happieft, ver. 133, &c. VI. That external goods are not the proper rewards, but often inconfiftent

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with, or deftructive of Virtue, ver. 167. That even these can make no Man happy without Virtue: Inftanced in Riches, ver. 185. Honours, ver. 193. Nobility, ver. 205. Greatnefs, ver. 217. Fame, ver. 237. Superior Talents, ver. 257, &c. With pictures of human infelicity in Men, poffeffed of them all, ver. 269, &c. VII. That Virtue only constitutes a Happiness, whose object is univerfal, and whose prospect eternal, ver. 307. That the perfection of Virtue and Happiness confifts in a conformity to the ORDER Of PROVIDENCE here, and a Refignation to it here and hereafter, ver. 326, &c.

EPISTLE

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H HAPPINESS! our being's end and aim! Good, Pleasure, Eafe, Content! whate'er thy name: That fomething ftill which prompts th' eternal figh, For which we bear to live, or dare to die, Which still fo near us, yet beyond us lies, O'erlook'd, feen double, by the fool and wife. Plant of celeftial feed! if dropt below, Say, in what mortal foul thou deign'st to grow? Fair opening to fome Court's propitious shine, Or deep with diamonds in the flaming mine? Twin'd with the wreaths Parnaffian laurels yield, Or reap'd in iron harvests of the field?

Where grows where grows it not? If vain our toil, We ought to blame the culture, not the foil:

Fix'd to no spot is happiness fincere,

'Tis no where to be found, or every where:

'Tis never to be bought, but always free,

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And fled from monarchs, St. JOHN! dwells with thee. Ask of the Learn'd the way? The Learn'd are blind: This bids to ferve, and that to fhun mankind;

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Some

VARIATION.

Ver. 1. Oh Happiness! &c.] in the MS. thus,

Oh Happiness, to which we all aspire,

Wing'd with strong hope, and borne by full defire; That ease, for which in want, in wealth we figh; That eafe, for which we labour, and we die.

FB

Some place the bliss in action, some in ease,
Those call it Pleasure, and Contentment thefe;
Some, funk to Beafts, find Pleasure end in Pain;
Some, fwell'd to Gods, confefs ev'n Virtue vain;
Or, indolent, to each extreme they fall,

To truft in ev'ry thing, or doubt of all.

Who thus define it, say they more or less
Than this, that Happiness is Happiness ?

Take Nature's path, and mad Opinion's leave;
All states can reach it, and all heads conceive;
Obvious her goods, in no extreme they dwell;
There needs but thinking right, and meaning well;
And, mourn our various portions as we please,
Equal is Common Senfe, and Common Ease.
Remember, Man, "the Universal Caufe
"Acts not by partial, but by gen'ral laws;"
And makes what Happiness we justly call
Subfift not in the good of one, but all.
There's not a bleffing Individuals find,

But fome-way leans and hearkens to the kind:
No Bandit fierce, no Tyrant mad with pride,
No cavern'd Hermit, refts felf-fatisfy'd:
Who most to shun or hate Mankind pretend,
Seek an admirer, or would fix a friend:
Abstract what others feel, what others think,
All pleasures ficken, and all glories fink :
Each has his fhare; and who would more obtain,
Shall find, the pleasure pays not half the pain.
ORDER is Heaven's firft Law; and this confeft,
Some are, and must be, greater than the reft,

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