The Church Militant :: :: University of Virginia Library

The Churches Brood seduc'd with Monkish Lies
And Mechaes Dreames, the Gospel they misprize;
Mungrells themselves, then Mixt Religions flow,
Yet some reclaim'd, their Mothers Voyce did know.

About the Yeare Six Hundred Sixty Sixe,
Strife dimm'd the use of the true Crucifixe.
For Pictur'd Saints the Greek Imperiallists
Began to taxe our Westerne Latinists,

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Whose Right or Wrong Serenus, Gregory,
And Epiphane did long afore descry.
Some priz'd those Types, like Bookes, to edifie:
Some them defi'd, least Gulls them Deifie.
Some thought their sight did quicken much the sence,
Whilst others held they dull'd the Conscience.
But to summe this: we must our Bodies yeeld
As Mindes to serve the Lord, or lose the Field.
We outwardly must to Gods Rites attend,
As inwardly on his Good Gifts intend,
For what the Heart adores, the Tongue sounds out,
The Knee bowes to, the Sight puts out of doubt.
Then, Agars seed prevail'd to Tyrannize,
Popes to usurpe, and both to Sympathize
With Satans Genius, by false masked zeale
To over-sway Christs Church and Common-weale,
Fraud taught them first to crouch and to dissemble,
Then Fiends train'd thē to make their Foes to trēble.
Thus darkned stood our Westerne Hemisphere,
Till She that's with the Sun cloth'd did appeare.

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By Trumpets sound, and Printings Mystery,
Recalling home her Strayes from Popery.
Among which Lutes harmoniously Divine,
Would I could thrust this Oaten Pipe of Mine.

But was Our Church on Earth invisible
Till Luthers Time? No sure. Most visible
She lay to Saints, though to some Romish hid,
Like Diamonds in Mines, yet clearly did
She breath in Christ, although not eminent
To Carnall Eyes, or on a Hill transparent,
Yet Catholick, and through the World diffus'd,
She sojourned with Holy Rayes infus'd,
Like a Poore Pilgrim, one while in the East
She liv'd retir'd. Another while the West,
She put in mind of Jeremiaes Threnes:
Anon the Northerne-Iles, and Isters Fennes
She visued, and oftentimes the South,
Or all at once she wakened from their Sloth,

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Which fruitfull Greece, and rich Arsaces Land
Could testifie with Ethiopiaes Strand:
Which Chams Tartaria and the Moguls Ground
Could blaze how she Nestorians did confound.
Which Snow, Moschoes Clime could justifie;
Yea, many in our West could verifie,
That she, Good Soule, with Teares and Doctrine sound
Sought to redeeme them in Hells Fetters bound,
And on Christs Merits onely to rely
Without Distrust or Ambiguity,
Tendring her Glosse Christs Gospel to expound,
But most were deafe, or would not heare her Sound,
For either in a Tongue unknowne, by roat,
Or carnally they would her Dictates note.
Nay, when she would indifferent things to use
Permit her Babes, her Love they would abuse;
And for her Care, her Champions they would raze
Out of their Files with Curst Anathemaes.
Yet some of better Mould attentively
Gave eare; and these I praise deservedly.

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Some Godly Monkes, and the Old Saxon Bede
Shew us what Life a Christian ought to lead.
He dying wisht, at Cutbert wrote, that Men
Would read Gods Word, and humane dreams contemn
To which Good End himselfe in English Tone
Christs Gospel left according to Saint Iohn.
Those Holy Monks liv'd not on others sweat,
Nor idly did by Strangers Tythes get Meat,
But earn'd repast in Gardens by the Spade,
Or in soule weather by some Houshold Trade.
To keep their thoughts frō sensual Plots they wrought,
And on High Dayes or Festivals they taught
Their Auditours what sence Christs Mystery
Beares to imprint his Passions Memory;
Or Catechis'd the weake and tender Braine
With Scriptures Text, and intelligible straine,
But when the Lumbards were by Charlemaine
Represt, then Popes rais'd up their Peacocks Traine,
With Carnall Sence and Carnall meanes support,
Transforming Rites ingrosse stupendious sort,

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And by Degrees transferr'd to Catholickes
Traditions hatcht by Former Heretickes.
What Wheele is this? what strange Extravagance?
Religious Rome, like Dina, gads to Daunce.
Nay more, she paints her Face, like Jezabel,
Darkning those Gifts, wherein she did excell,
She that most Honour'd was next Salems Church,
Spreads Lying Dreames, and now lives by the lurch.
She, that was once the Westernes sacred Dame,
Converting Heathen Soules unto the Lambe,
Usurps Saint Peters Place with Lofty Style,
Depraves Gods Gifts, and reares up Babels Pile.
She, that was Chast, delights to play the Queane,
And more then Good to practize Deeds obsceane,
But these are Trifles in respect of those
Great Sinnes, to which she will henceforth dispose
Her Whoorish will, for wicked Sodomy
She will commit, cheat men with Alchimy;
She will proud Nembrod from Damnation free,
And will besamt false Magus for a Fee.

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She will Create New Christs, burn Saints, force Hell,
Mew up Gods Word, and Vertue quite expell.
She Christendome will topsie-turvie turne,
Dethrone her Kings, and make their Subjects mourne,
But here the Comfort lyes: though Rome playes false,
And Nero-like, debauch'd, yet all her Brawles,
Plots, Menaces, and Tortures cannot stop
The Pens of Some the Truth to underprop
With Learned Workes, to blaze in every Age
Her Breach of Faith, and tyrannizing Rage.

Tho strong Conceit of the States Holinesse,
Saint Peters Keyes, and Shrines did so possesse
Remoter Braines, that Rome they did prefer
Before all Climes. Thither Cadwallader
Our Brittish King for Refuge in Distresse,
And sundry Others went for Happinesse,
As they then dream'd: Some for Mona stick Rest:
Some to become there by such Merits Blest

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And if Ravennaes Feare, and Lumbards Sway
Had not then blockt them in their Pilgrims way,
With dangers by Banditi in some Straight
About the Alpes, where Theeves for Preyes awaite,
(Such was the Blindnesse of that Ages Zeale)
Romes Mart had greater been, more lowd her Peale,
As sithence for her Marchandize encrease
Fell out, though to their Losse of Inward Peace.

While Rome thus vaunted of Imagery,
Greece seconded her Sinfull Mystery.
And though New Rome long struggled with the Old,
Yet now her Keyes then Ice become Cold:
And so prevail'd damn'd Errour at the last,
That Nicens second Councell made agast
Our Christian Church, when that Romes glorious Head
She saw Accurst, and yet themselves mis-led
Would set forth Acts for Images Adore,
Which their Greek Church condemned had before.

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Honorius was most justly Censured,
But Idolls use they ill determined.
For Heresie the Romaine Pope they quail'd,
Yet Heresie within themselves prevail'd;
And what the Former Age brookt as a Booke,
An Image now like to a God they tooke,
And held an Idoll in no lesse esteeme
Then Pagans did to honour Dagon seeme,
This Ages Griefe I point at, that the East
We may conclude as faulty as the West.
None can excuse themselves. Aswell New Rome,
As did the Old, for Antichrist made roome.
Because, like Rome, a Mungrell Faith they chose,
The Greeks their Fame of Iconomaches lose.
Yet this stole in but like an Ague Fit,
They soone recover'd, and confounded it.

They did not since so Superstitious grow,
To vow that Service which to Christ they owe,

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They kneel'd not downe, nor crav'd deafe Idolls ayde,
As if their Church to Baal they had betray'd.
They minister the Cup unto the Lay;
Their Clergy-men doe Marry to this day;
And in the Mother-Tongue the Gospel read,
Not like the Westernes Rome so much misled.

And yet no doubt their Church went much astray
In many points, though not so grosse a way,
As Rome. They held, and made apparant Boast
Of idle Quirkes about the Holy Ghost,
That they might share, and be intangled in
The Mystery of the Lewd Man of Sinne.
For which Foule Crime, and Depravation, Christ
Did then with-draw his Grace, and in that Mist,
The Dragon did worke on their Enemies,
As on their Wits, their Empire to surprize,
And to prey on their Chiefe Metropolis,
As Turkes still doe. And all for their amisse.

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Ere I conclude this Ages Century,
I must not over-slip, how Zachary
The Romaine Pope against Gods Word gave way
From Childerick the Crowne to put away,
And to Depose the French Mens Lawfull King
On Pipins Plea, and for no other thing
Then for a slothfull Life, and that a Bee
Was fitter then a Drone to Over-see
And Rule a Realme, that he tooke all the Care,
While Childerick lay still in Pleasures Snare,
Or lull'd a sleep, not caring but for Ease,
Whereby he did the Common-wealth displease.
On this surmize, the Pope gave his Assent,
That the Poore King be to a Cloister sent
And shorne a Monke, that Pipine weare the Crowne,
The lawfull Heires from Native Right quite thrown.
For this good Turne the Pope to gratifie,
The Franks New King combin'd to fortifie

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Saint Peters Seat against the Lumbards strength,
That he Ravenna forc'd to yeeld at length.
The Yeare of Christ Seven Hundred Fifty Sixe,
When men did much on Outward Objects fixe,
Then Constantine to Pipine in the West
Sent first the use of Organs from the East,
In imitation of King Davids Harpe,
A Godly Use, though Some thereat doe carpe,
Which though Pope Paul the First did not abhorre,
Yet afterwards he dar'd that Emperour
With Curses for opposing Images:
On these Popes doated so with Passages
Of Glorious Shewes, that Adrian Peter all
In Silver cloath'd, and Paul with Golden Pall.

Thus by Degrees Rome that was fam'd for Chaste,
Began to paint her Face, and proye unchaste.
But though Popes daub'd, & were more proud become,
Others went Plaine like Old Religious Rome;

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And in Our West will so continue still,
Till to adore False Christs, Fiends bane their Will.
All were not Bad; although the Head was craz'd,
The Lord yet some of Romes poore Members grac'd.
No doubt, He blest some of the Romain Brood;
Caiphas was Bad, but Nichodemus Good.
When that Elias thought the Church downe reel'd,
Sev'n Thousand were to Baal that never kneel'd.
As in the East, so in the West there were
Thousands which then from Idolls did forbeare,
Fixing their onely Faith on Maries Seed,
The Churches Head, which ransom'd Evaes Deed.

Now the first use to Christen Bells began,
Whereby (I thinke) they Baptisme did profane,
When they deprav'd the Rites of Sacred Font,
Wherewith to type the New-man we are wont.