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That Railing Herauld of th'Assyrian Host,
The foul-mouth'd Rabshakeh, that man of Boast,
Who from Senacherib, Assyrian's King,
Did a proud Message unto Judah bring;
When he design'd the faithful Jews to draw
From their Observance of the holy Law,
He labour'd to perswade them they had left
The way of God already, and bereft
Themselves, by that means, of all ground of hope
That God would them defend. This was the scope
Of his false Reas'ning with them: If, said he,
Ye answer, In the Lord our God trust we;
Is not that He, whose Altars and High-places
Your Hezekiah takes down and defaces;
And hath to Judah and Jerus'lem said,
Your Worship at this Altar shall be made?
By this, he hop'd their Confidence to shake,
In God the Lord, and them distrusted make
Of God's Protection, and from thence afford
An open Ear to his seducing Word.
And that he might the more amuze them, he
Pretends his Mission from the Lord to be.
Am I, says he, come up without the Lord
Against this place, to put it to the Sword?
The Lord (adds he; for in a Lye he'll stand)
Unto me said, Go up against this Land.
Then let not Hezekiah make you trust
Still in the Lord, saying, The Lord (who's just)
Will surely us deliver, and this City
Shall not be subject to Assyria's Pity.
To this effect that Wretch, with strained Voice
Proclaim'd, and in his Lewdness did rejoyce
A little while; but, e'er 'twas long, the Rod
Taught him what 'twas to Rail at Israel's God.
The foul-mouth'd Rabshakeh, that man of Boast,
Who from Senacherib, Assyrian's King,
Did a proud Message unto Judah bring;
When he design'd the faithful Jews to draw
From their Observance of the holy Law,
He labour'd to perswade them they had left
The way of God already, and bereft
Themselves, by that means, of all ground of hope
That God would them defend. This was the scope
Of his false Reas'ning with them: If, said he,
Ye answer, In the Lord our God trust we;
Is not that He, whose Altars and High-places
Your Hezekiah takes down and defaces;
And hath to Judah and Jerus'lem said,
Your Worship at this Altar shall be made?
By this, he hop'd their Confidence to shake,
In God the Lord, and them distrusted make
4
An open Ear to his seducing Word.
And that he might the more amuze them, he
Pretends his Mission from the Lord to be.
Am I, says he, come up without the Lord
Against this place, to put it to the Sword?
The Lord (adds he; for in a Lye he'll stand)
Unto me said, Go up against this Land.
Then let not Hezekiah make you trust
Still in the Lord, saying, The Lord (who's just)
Will surely us deliver, and this City
Shall not be subject to Assyria's Pity.
To this effect that Wretch, with strained Voice
Proclaim'd, and in his Lewdness did rejoyce
A little while; but, e'er 'twas long, the Rod
Taught him what 'twas to Rail at Israel's God.
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