Page:The Bible of Nature, and Substance of Virtue.djvu/45

 A curse to their's, to our's and future age. What grief they brought themselves, to us what fears. To poor posterity what sighs, what tears? Alas, what piety! Alas, 'tis none To bend all cover'd to a senseless stone, Lie prostrate, or to visit every shrine, Or with spread arms invoke the powers divine Before their temples; whilst the altar flows With blood of beasts, and we make vows on vows. But sure 'tis piety to view the whole, And search all Nature with a quiet soul. For when we view the heavens, and how the sun, And moon, and stars, their constant courses run; Then doubts, that lay opprest with other cares, Begin to raise their head, and bring new fears. We doubt; what are there gods that rule above, At whose direction the bright stars do move? Why do not tyrants then, and mighty lords, Recall their wicked deeds, and boasting words, And fear that now revenge is surely come? Do not they tremble at approaching doom? Besides, when winds grow high, when storms increase, And scatter warlike navies through the seas; When men for battle arm'd, must now engage A stronger foe, and fight the water's rage: Doth not the trembling general prostrate fall, And beg a calm o' th' gods, or prosperous gale? In vain—The storms drive on, no offering saves; All, shipwreck'd, drink cold death among the waves. And hence we fancy unseen powers in things, Whose force and will such strange confusion brings, And spurns, and overthrows our greatest kings. Again, when earthquakes shake this mighty ball, And tottering cities fall, or seem to fall; What then if men, defenceless men, despise Their own weak selves, and look with anxious eyes For present help, and pity from the skies? What wonder if they think some powers control, And gods with mighty force do rule the whole? Wherefore that darkness, that o'erspreads our souls Day can't disperse, but those eternal rules,