 | The bishops downefall |  |
THE Bishops downefall OR, THE PRELATS Snare.
Briefly discovering them to have been the sole authours of all our miseries both in Church and State, the fomenters of all the Ielousies betwixt the King and his Sujects.
And the supposed evill Counsellours, who have brought this heavy accusation upon those worthy members of the House of Commons.
A Poeme:
Humbly dedicated to this Honourable City, which by sad experience have found the same to be true.
Whereunto is added a hearty exhortation to all good Christians, to joyne in prayer, that God would be pleased to heale all the breaches, these enemies of our Church have made, and to restore a happy union betwixt the King and his People.
Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion. Psal. 129. verse 5.
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Rouse, up the rage of thy invective rimes,
Vnto the world proclaime the plots of those
That would Christ from his sacred throne depose,
I meane the prelates, whose insulting pride
Begot these evills and would more beside.
Let no distracted feares possesse thy heart,
With humble boldnesse to the world impart,
The joyfull tydings and what cause we all
Have to triumph in these proud prelates fall
Not as they'r men wee do their downefall pray
But as they'r foes to Christ our King wee may.
And (reader) here observe how heaven's high hand
Doth all their plots and consultations Brand
With ruine to themselves: how they'r betray'd?
Caught in a snare which their owne hands have made
2
His wisedome makes Achitophell a Foole,
Here likewise view the spring from whence doth flow
The streames of all distempers, hence doth grow
Those great convulsions in our Church and State
Which makes the Christian world to wonder at,
'Tis not the Brownist, nor the Puritan
Nor the Tumultuous Prentises that can
Raise these combustions; they are but the fruit
Which soone would wither if the cursed root
Were once destroyd, tis these whom wee may well.
Terme the sole troublers of our Israell,
These are the flaming meteors, that portend
Destruction to our Kingdome, these do bend
Their forces, and have labour'd to bring in
That cursed Monstrous beast; the man of sinne.
These nourish supperstition mentall vice
These would the precious soules of men entice
To Idolizing vanities, Tis these
That are the courts best parasites, they please
The eares of Princes with their flattering baites,
But all their counsells prove but vaine deceits
That tend to ruine, not their Soveraignes good:
They aime at honour, and they thirst for blood.
They're those malignant spirits that oppose
The Kingdomes good, they are the Kingdomes foes,
The wholesome lawes those worthles do prepare
For all our goods, by them they blasted are,
Like Sampsons foxes they have rais'd a fire
That will our state consume: but wee desire
The god of peace he would vouchsafe to heale
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For these conspire our ruine, and foment
The discords twixt our King and Parliament
These are the cursed authors of our feares
They have breath'd poyson in the sacred eares
Of Princes in all ages: and I doubt
(If once their treacherous counsells were found out)
They would appeare the men that have abused
Those worthy members that stand now accused
Our choisest plants these Locusts doe annoy
These Catter-pillers doe our fruits destroy.
But that a venging hand that judgeth right
Will one day bring your counsells all to light
And then all those that 'gainst his Church conspir'e
Shall find hee is an all consuming fire:
And vengeance will be recompenc'd on those.
That are the Churches and the Kingdomes foes.
T'was well proud prellates, t'was a happy houre,
That you were sent for safety to the Tower
Had you beene out, and this division beene
A wretched case I feare yee'd all beene in
The Prentises with one consent doth sweare
They would in peeces all those Magpies teare.
That you were sent for safety to the Tower
Had you beene out, and this division beene
A wretched case I feare yee'd all beene in
The Prentises with one consent doth sweare
They would in peeces all those Magpies teare.
Here (reader) breifely mayst thou take a view
Of what sad ruin's likely to ensue,
Upon our state, what mischiefes are begot
By those proud Prelates, how they cast a blot
Upon the glory of our Soveraignes fame
How they disturbe our peace, and sure the blame
Will one day light upon their heads, that raise,
The fire of this rebellion in our dayes.
Of what sad ruin's likely to ensue,
Upon our state, what mischiefes are begot
By those proud Prelates, how they cast a blot
Upon the glory of our Soveraignes fame
How they disturbe our peace, and sure the blame
Will one day light upon their heads, that raise,
The fire of this rebellion in our dayes.
4
Thus are the prelates prou'd in the state to bee
The cursed authours of our misery
And in the Church, O there like Wovles they teare
The Flock of Christ, they hunt the Lambs, they beare
The sole command of soules, aud voyd of sence
They play the Tyrants o're the conscience
Like treacherous swaines, they drive their flocke to streames
That are corrupted, and denies them meanes
Of wholesome food, and Wolfe like to their power
They would the sacred flocke of Christ devoure.
Yea in a word should I at large relate
What evills they have wrought in Church and State.
How they doe from Gods sacred precepts vary
How they in all things are to Christ contrary
I might whole vollumes fill yet ne're the lesse
Should not one footstepp from the truth digresse
This is a subiect I confesse would yeild
Abundant matter, tis a spatious feild
In which my muse may wander, but that I
Have to my selfe proposed brevitie.
Let this suffice to let my Reader know,
Gods vengance waits the prelates overthrow.
Yet one word more, Since these proud imps of Rome
The cursed authours of our misery
And in the Church, O there like Wovles they teare
The Flock of Christ, they hunt the Lambs, they beare
The sole command of soules, aud voyd of sence
They play the Tyrants o're the conscience
Like treacherous swaines, they drive their flocke to streames
That are corrupted, and denies them meanes
Of wholesome food, and Wolfe like to their power
They would the sacred flocke of Christ devoure.
Yea in a word should I at large relate
What evills they have wrought in Church and State.
How they doe from Gods sacred precepts vary
How they in all things are to Christ contrary
I might whole vollumes fill yet ne're the lesse
Should not one footstepp from the truth digresse
This is a subiect I confesse would yeild
Abundant matter, tis a spatious feild
In which my muse may wander, but that I
Have to my selfe proposed brevitie.
Let this suffice to let my Reader know,
Gods vengance waits the prelates overthrow.
Have sought our ruine, and Contriv'd a Doome
For those braue worthies, Let's with one Consent
Ioine all in prayers for our parliament
That God would all their Consultations blesse
Add Crowne their Labours with a full successe
That hee would graunt them Courage to defend
The Innocent from wrong: that hee would send
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Protect them from all close Conspiracies
That god would please to op'e our Soveragines eyes
To view the cause of all our miseries
And that at last hee may discerne twixt those
His Loyall subiects and his trayteous foes
That all our great divisions may bee
Cemented in the band of amitie
That King and People may conioyne in one
T' advance Christs scepter, and t' exalt his throne
Which is our soules desires, Let each one then
That wisheth peace to Zion, say, Amen.
FINIS.
| The bishops downefall | |