University of Virginia Library

As Confounding Languages Forerun
The Fall and slavery of Babilon,
So Canting brought the thorow-Reformation
T' inslave and over-run the English Nation.

All this is Right—but 'tis a Fiction
To pass the Trick upon Conviction,
Or put it on th' Accompt of Conscience
Or opend eies,—a Flam, and Nonsense:
'Tis Temper make's a Renegado,
To which Conviction's but a Shadow.

Their Perilous Designes upon
Hierusalem and Babilon,
Which, being faythfully expounded,
Meant only Cavalliere and Roundhead,
Two Names the Rabble understood
Both went by in the word of God.

T' assume the Cause like th' old Croysado,
And weare it only for a Shadow,
Set up above all Ordinances,
But only those of Dreames, and Traunses,
As if the Powr of Godlines
Were but a Lunatique Disease,
And all New-lights but meare Effects
Of th' Incubus, and Apoplex.

Despise the Common-Prayer, as vaine
And Superstitius, and Profane,
Because they meet with no Occasions
To shew by reading Dispensations,
And ablest Saint[s] can make no shifts
To hold forth, the meanest of their gifts.

What was once but mere pretence
Is now made good by Providence.

All Miracles of Furthest Places ceast,
And wonders of the Revealation-Beast:
Whose Feats, that had so long, and oft appeard,
The Joy, and Admiration of the Heard:
And had a Magique Influence to win,
And whistle all the Long-ear'd Rabble in.
Had been so many yeares, in Publique shown
That now they were grown out of Date, and known.
And brought to a Generall Nauseous lothing,
Men would not see, not heare of them for nothing:
The Heavy'st Blockheads Scornd, and over-reacht,
Th' Impertinent Designes, they Prayd and Preac[h]t.
All Characters of either Good, or evill,
That walkd in utter Darknes, like the Devill:
Or usd to lurke in one anothers shapes,
Broke out in Murthers, Thieverys, and Rapes:
And that which had before been understood,
For Good, Prov'd Bad, but seldom Bad the Good.

As Evill Spirits, have been, in Adust,
Black Choler, sayd, to find a Tempting Gust
(From whence their own Familiar-Imps, like Leaches
Are Nursd, and Suckled, at the Teats of witches)
So crazd Phanatiques make The Just, and Good,
Take Pleasure in their Bishops-footed Bloud:
And from their Foul unwholsom Constitutions,
Derive their Spiritual Graces, and Infusions.

A Mungrel-Breed of Men, as Cross, and Aukerd,
As those that were Producd, by Stones cast Backward:
Or Evangelique Myrmidons, turnd Saints,
From Busy, and Pragmatique swarms of Ants:
That strive to cheat their Publique Interests,
As Rookes to Pilfer one anothers Nests.

So Oliver, when he had sought the Lord,
But was affeard to give him back his word,
Had Dund his Privy Counsellers to Dun him,
To take the Crown, and Royalty upon him.
Had Forgd him selfe an Answer, and Subornd,
His Pack of Seers, what should be Returnd:
But durst not undertake it, for his Eares,
And upstart Saints, as wel as Cavalliers.

'Tis now the most Impertinent, and vaine,
Of all the Hopes we once had, to Complaine.
And no less Mad, to Dream awake of Force,
As long as all the British world Concur's:
When those we freely Made, the supreme Powrs,
The English Nation, have Disposd of ours
Impossible, by us, to be Restord;
By Acting Politiquely, above Boord,
But by the craftier Intrieges of State,
T' Impose, and Juggle, and Insinuate:
The Devils Dark Georgiques, which some write,
He Practices, to sow his Tares by Night
Heapes-up, and Spreads his Dong, on Barren Soyles,
To bring up Plenteous weeds of New Turmoyles:
To make us, undertake, to Prog, and Tamper:
Between the Hall below, and Painted Chamber:
For who but we alone, are Fit, and Able,
To Manage so Mysterious a Cabal?
Have Gifts, and Dispensations Necessary,
Such wonderful out-goingses to Carry?
Wee who have been bred-up, and Edifyd
To steare Designes of Providence, and Guide:
Have Powr to Rais them, for the Causes service,
Supplys of Mony, Able men, and Purveyse;
It is but only shifting of the Scene
For th' Antient Actors, to come in agen:
The Plot, Designe, and Actors, are the same
Persue the self-same Argument, and aime:
When all the Church Preferments in the Nation,
Are but one Generall Impropriation.
Which tho w' Indeavor to Inlarge, and Stretch
Wil never, to our Hopes, and Projects reach:
Altho w' have Bred-up all our Ablest Pupils
In all the Curiositys of Scruples:
To know why Horrid Crimes are swallod easy
And little Faylings Difficult, and Queasy:
The sevrall Methods of Improving Scismes,
Upon the Least, and Slightest Criticisms:
As those that could not beare with Bays, and Rings
Made nothing of the Heads, and Bloud of Kings.
'Twil serve to make our Former Doctrine good,
The Covenant can never be withstood:
Nor any Powr on Earth prevayl against
The soveraine Right, and Intrest of the Saints;
Who Human Nature æqually Improve,
By vice below, as wel, as Grace above:
And carry all their Actions, closer then
The Good or Bad of other Pious Men.
For when Religion's settled in a state
'Tis nothing, but a Church Incorporate,
In which, both Saints, and Sinners are inrould,
And all their Gifts by æqual Charter Hold:
A spiritual Rabble, where the Bad, and Good,
Are undistinguisht Priviledge allowd;
And when 'tis Renderd Uniforme, is made,
And Regulated only like a Trade;
Designd for Natural, and Carnal Ends,
And not Religious unity of Friends:
So all our zealous taking Parts, and Siding
At first grew out of Nothing, but Dividing:
And all our Prizes, Playd at Fasts, and Prayer,
And Holding-forth, but New Designs, to share;
When Saltmarsh, Sedgwick, Arrowsmith, and Jenkins
Had Jealous Eies of one anothers Sinkings
And evry Pretious, and Enlightend Brother,
Suspected th' over-Earnings of another:
'Twas only sharing of our Dividends
That first of all, Divided Saints, and Friends
Untill they turnd to Sects, that had their Being
From mutual Jealousy, and Disagreeing.
Did nothing but from others Lights Dissent,
As stubbornly as Laws and Government.

When all their Saints, for virtu, and Religion,
Might have been Chaplains to the Devil Legion:
And when the Independent Disciplin
Had turnd us out, and brought their own tribe in:
The Good old Cause became another thing,
To make their Patriarch Oliver a King:
Which those that had been most Imployd upon,
Obstructed all, that others would have don;
Provd Brethren of a Negative Profession,
With Independent Consciences, and Reason.
Tho No men else Free wil so much Disown,
And what th' are most Devoted to, Cry down:
Had rather suffer all the Despratst Ills,
Then to be Debard the wretchedst of their will:
And when wee by th' Immutable Decres
Of Providence, can Sentence whom we Please,
They gave themselvs, a voluntary warrant,
Of æqual Powr, to execute before hand:
Enabled both the one, and th' other Saint
Like Æacus, in Hell, and Rhadamant;
As both a Judge to Destiny, and Sherife
T' Arraine, Condemn, and hang-up or Reprieve:
That servd for Partys, witnesses, and Jurys,
And Executioners to all the Furys.
And scornd as much In Spirituals t' obey,
As in Profane Ingagements, but for Pay.
Were wont the Christian Faith t' adulterate,
With Jewish Principles of Church and State,
And cobbled a Religion up, that's neither,
The New, nor Old, but forgd of both together,
Made Peacefull Precepts o' th' New testament,
For Rapine, Bloud, and war, as Pertinent
As Orthodox, and Apostolique Hold
As all the Desolations of the old
For since both æqually wee, Scripture name,
In all things else they ought to be the same.

A Levits Concubine, that Nation stood
In more Distruction, Massacres, and Bloud
Then Greece, and Troy did either give, or take,
In ten yeares time, for Bewteous Hellens sake:
And, if they were so lavish of their Bloud,
Why should the Saints less Freedom be allowd?
Especi[a]lly that have so great a Stake,
Deposited for what they undertake?

Which makes some other Zealots, to Proscribe
And worry all, that are not of their Tribe:
Omit no time t' Increase, and Propagate
The mutual correspondences, of Hate:
For no wars else, of Turks, and Renegados,
Were ever so Inhuman, as Croysados.
That Breaking Ground Accompt as th' only Course,
Of taking in the Gates of Heavn, by Force:
Or working in a Strong fortification,
The very same with working-out Salvation;
And therefore spends his Longs, and melts his Greace,
In Picking Quarrels with the Publique Peace:
And where there was no kinde of Government,
About Absurd Dividing it Dissent;
For no seard Conscience ever was so fell
As that, which has been burnt with zeal.
At conventicle Dutys, do's but say
His more then Houres Canonique, and not Pray.
Who censure, and condemne the Papist[s] for't,
Because they do the same thing, but more short;
That Bear's up Confidently, by mere force
Of Ignorance, against his Governors,
Indures no Power on Earth to be supreme,
As Empty Boates sayl best against the Streame.
For Nonsense being neither False nor true,
A little wit to any thing, may Screw!
Tell all the sottish Tales of Former Clergies
And lay 'em only to the Moderns Charges
That make the Independent-Church Metropolis,
Of all their Simoniacall Monopolys:
And forcd the Brethren to conforme to one,
That in their Hearts, and Principles had none.
But like the Antient Sanctum of the Jews,
Held nothing else, but Lumber, and old shoos!
And since Christ, when he was to be betrayd,
Appeard Impatient of his b'ing Delayd
He is more civil, when it lights in's way,
And has a Special care he should not stay.

For as the Turkish Sultan makes his Farms,
To beare him Mighty Crops of Men at Armes:
And evry Cuntry Messuage, and Timar,
Instead of Beasts to breed him Men of war.
So where the Brethren Are Impourd, They turn
To Bloud, and Massacres, the whole Concern:
And make all Cuntrys serve for Nurserys,
To furnish Desolation, with Supplys:
And tender Consciences, are always found
Of such Recruits, to bee the Richest Grounde.

For the Religion, when it wages war
It go's against its Native Character,
Yet nothing has a greater Powr to further
Their out-ward men, then Sacriledg and murther.

And as their Interests agree, or Differ,
Make evry man a Saint, or unbeliever.

That leave the Church, their Hives, like Swarms of Bees,
To build in Rotten Holes, or Hollow Trees.