quote · Legacy record
Half mankind maintain a churlish strife With Him, the Donor of eternal life, Because the deed, by which His love confirms The largess He bestows, prescribes the terms. Compliance with His will your lot ensures, Accept it only, and the boon is yours. And sure it is as kind to smile and give, As with a frown to say, Do this and live.
Half mankind maintain a churlish strife With Him, the Donor of eternal life, Because the deed, by which His love confirms The largess He bestows, prescribes the terms. Compliance with His will your lot ensures, Accept it only, and the boon is yours. And sure it is as kind to smile and give, As with a frown to say, Do this and live.
Approximate author period: c. 1765 AD · early modern
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- William Cowper
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Approximate author period: c. 1765 AD · early modern
author lifetime midpoint (1731–1800)
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations (catalogued1888) (1888 AD)
Page 667 · printed citation: Cowper · subject: WILL—WILLING
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.