Distressed Sion Relieved Or, The Garment of Praise for the Spirit of Heaviness. Wherein are Discovered the Grand Causes of the Churches Trouble and Misery under the late Dismal Dispensation. With a Compleat History of, and Lamentation for those Renowned Worthies that fell in England by Popish Rage and Cruelty, from the Year 1680 to 1688. Together with an Account of the late Admirable and Stupendious Providence which hath wrought such a sudden and Wonderful Deliverance for this Nation, and Gods Sion therein. Humbly Dedicated to their Present Majesties. By Benjamin Keach |
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But now alas! new griefs do me surround,
Groans from the North my mournful Soul confound,
My Muse must now take wing and swiftly fly,
To have a view of Scotland's misery.
Be silent and attend; you soon will hear,
Their dismal cries will penetrate your Ear.
The Sufferings of my Children here were bad,
But in that Nation they were far more sad;
No place more like to France man ever saw,
Where Arbitrary Power stood for Law.
Men of all Ranks were seized, and did lye
In noisome Jayls, yet knew no reason why;
And to insnare them, swarms of cursed Spies
Abroad are sent under a false disguise,
Who strove t'incense them to dislike, and hate
The King, and all his Ministers of State:
And to extort some words from them, that so
They thereby might unwary Souls o'rethrow.
Groans from the North my mournful Soul confound,
My Muse must now take wing and swiftly fly,
To have a view of Scotland's misery.
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Their dismal cries will penetrate your Ear.
The Sufferings of my Children here were bad,
But in that Nation they were far more sad;
No place more like to France man ever saw,
Where Arbitrary Power stood for Law.
Men of all Ranks were seized, and did lye
In noisome Jayls, yet knew no reason why;
And to insnare them, swarms of cursed Spies
Abroad are sent under a false disguise,
Who strove t'incense them to dislike, and hate
The King, and all his Ministers of State:
And to extort some words from them, that so
They thereby might unwary Souls o'rethrow.
If they found any pious, just and good,
Then many snares were laid to suck their Blood,
By those vile Emissaries, who were sent
On purpose to intrap the Innocent,
Suborned Witnesses imployed were,
Who for their wages any thing would Swear,
Whereby Mens Lives, Estates and Honours too
Are all indangered; were they High or Low.
The Chiefest Peers, and Worthiest Patriots
Had many times the most unhappy Lots;
Unless they'd be Debaucht, down they must go,
And suffer as the meanest Rebels do.
If to Gods Laws Men faithfully do stand,
And won't be Subject to the Kings command;
Refusing what their Conscience offends
Th' are judg'd, To Cæsar then to be no Friends.
Some Men they try'd, and on that very day
Condemned, and their Lives were ta'ne away.
No Pray'rs nor Intercessions will they hear
A little time to grant them, to prepare
For Death; nay, they did impiously say,
Hell was too good for Rebels, such as they.
Then many snares were laid to suck their Blood,
By those vile Emissaries, who were sent
On purpose to intrap the Innocent,
Suborned Witnesses imployed were,
Who for their wages any thing would Swear,
Whereby Mens Lives, Estates and Honours too
Are all indangered; were they High or Low.
The Chiefest Peers, and Worthiest Patriots
Had many times the most unhappy Lots;
Unless they'd be Debaucht, down they must go,
And suffer as the meanest Rebels do.
If to Gods Laws Men faithfully do stand,
And won't be Subject to the Kings command;
Refusing what their Conscience offends
Th' are judg'd, To Cæsar then to be no Friends.
43
Condemned, and their Lives were ta'ne away.
No Pray'rs nor Intercessions will they hear
A little time to grant them, to prepare
For Death; nay, they did impiously say,
Hell was too good for Rebels, such as they.
Yea, they made Laws the thoughts of men to reach,
Whom of ill words or deeds none could impeach.
If of the Government they evil think,
They of Deaths bitter Cup are sure to drink.
Sometimes they wheedl'd them to a Confession,
Promising Life upon the same condition.
Come, come (say they) freely to us declare
What your conceptions of the Government are,
Speak what you think; sure you are not afraid,
Nor will disown what you so lately said?
Dissemble not in matters of your Faith,
Since you remember what the Scripture saith,
That they who won't confess Christ Jesus here,
He will not own them when he does appear.
Subscribe to your Profession; you shall see
How very kind and merciful we'l be.
Speak man! and let's your Testimony have,
If you will both your Soul and Body save.
Whom of ill words or deeds none could impeach.
If of the Government they evil think,
They of Deaths bitter Cup are sure to drink.
Sometimes they wheedl'd them to a Confession,
Promising Life upon the same condition.
Come, come (say they) freely to us declare
What your conceptions of the Government are,
Speak what you think; sure you are not afraid,
Nor will disown what you so lately said?
Dissemble not in matters of your Faith,
Since you remember what the Scripture saith,
That they who won't confess Christ Jesus here,
He will not own them when he does appear.
Subscribe to your Profession; you shall see
How very kind and merciful we'l be.
Speak man! and let's your Testimony have,
If you will both your Soul and Body save.
Thus do they mock them with Expostulations,
As Priests and Jesuits do in Popish Nations:
But all the time they hide their cruel hate,
While thus they craftily expostulate.
For in the Council Men concealed stood
To witness what they said, and shed their Blood;
And thus with them they dealt most treacherously,
And many of their Lives depriv'd thereby.
And when they came to dye they beat a Drum,
Lest to the light their wickedness should come.
A very bad Cause sure, that could not bear
The dying words of those that Sufferers were;
But those that wary are, and won't accuse
Themselves of ought, they barbarously use
With Engines of most horrid cruelty
Tormenting them; they rather chose to die.
The torturing Boot, and burning Matches too,
They made these innocent Souls to undergo;
And after all were Sentenc'd unto death,
And villainously were depriv'd of Breath.
Some that were guiltless, yet were Sentenced
To lose their Ears, and then be Banished;
And after this again Examin'd were
Whether to their Opinions they adhere,
If so; a second Sentence doth succeed,
And they are instantly condemn'd to bleed.
As Priests and Jesuits do in Popish Nations:
But all the time they hide their cruel hate,
While thus they craftily expostulate.
For in the Council Men concealed stood
To witness what they said, and shed their Blood;
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And many of their Lives depriv'd thereby.
And when they came to dye they beat a Drum,
Lest to the light their wickedness should come.
A very bad Cause sure, that could not bear
The dying words of those that Sufferers were;
But those that wary are, and won't accuse
Themselves of ought, they barbarously use
With Engines of most horrid cruelty
Tormenting them; they rather chose to die.
The torturing Boot, and burning Matches too,
They made these innocent Souls to undergo;
And after all were Sentenc'd unto death,
And villainously were depriv'd of Breath.
Some that were guiltless, yet were Sentenced
To lose their Ears, and then be Banished;
And after this again Examin'd were
Whether to their Opinions they adhere,
If so; a second Sentence doth succeed,
And they are instantly condemn'd to bleed.
Thus multitudes of Men and Families
Were ruined by such Barbarities,
Extravagant Fines, and long Imprisonment,
And all the Hellish ways Rome can invent
Were exercis'd severely on all those
Who Popery and Slavery durst oppose.
Were ruined by such Barbarities,
Extravagant Fines, and long Imprisonment,
And all the Hellish ways Rome can invent
Were exercis'd severely on all those
Who Popery and Slavery durst oppose.
Yea, they not only took their Lives away,
But their good Name seek likewise to destroy,
By representing them as Mortal Foes
T'th' King, and that they did his Power oppose.
Thus was our Saviour dealt with by the Jews,
And thus did they his blest Apostles use;
Hoping, that by their heaping infamy
Upon good men, they would obnoxious be
Unto the Censure of the Mobile;
And by this their Infernal Policy
Induce them all Religion to decry;
Especially if they be Men of Name,
As many were whom they sought to defame;
And hereby thought all Piety to root out,
Their vile Intrigues with ease to bring about;
For when Men all Religion do defie,
They'll quickly suck in Rome's Idolatry.
But their good Name seek likewise to destroy,
By representing them as Mortal Foes
T'th' King, and that they did his Power oppose.
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And thus did they his blest Apostles use;
Hoping, that by their heaping infamy
Upon good men, they would obnoxious be
Unto the Censure of the Mobile;
And by this their Infernal Policy
Induce them all Religion to decry;
Especially if they be Men of Name,
As many were whom they sought to defame;
And hereby thought all Piety to root out,
Their vile Intrigues with ease to bring about;
For when Men all Religion do defie,
They'll quickly suck in Rome's Idolatry.
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