They might fay falfe to God; for if they were
Beaten, he knew 't not, for he was not there.
But God, who their great thankfulness did fee,
Rewards them ftrait with another victory,
Juft fuch an one as Brentford; and, fans doubt,
Will weary, ere 't be long, their gratitude out.
Not all the legends of the faints of old,
Not vaft Baronius, nor fly Surius, hold
Such plenty of apparent lyes as are
In your own author, Jo. Browne, Cleric. Par.
Befides what your finall poets faid or writ,
Brookes, Strode, and the baron of the faw-pit :
With many a mental refervation,
You'll maintain liberty :-Referv'd “your own.”
For th' public good the fums rais'd you 'll disburse;
-Referv'd "the greater part, for your own purse."
You'll root the Cavaliers out, every man ;
-Faith, let it be Referv'd here "if ye can."
You'll make our gracious Charles a glorious king;
-Referv'd" in heaven"-for thither ye would bring
His royal head; the only fecure room
For kings; where fuch as you will never come.
To keep th' eftates o' th' fubjects you pretend;
-Referv'd" in your own trunks." You will defend
The church of England, 'tis your protestation;
But that's "New"-England by a fmall Refervation
Power of difpenfing oaths the Papists claim;
Cafe hath got leave of God to do the fame :
For you
do hate all fwearing fo, that when
You've sworn an oath, ye break it itrait again.
A curfe upon you! which hurts most these nations,
Cavaliers' fwearing, or your protestations?
Nay, though oaths be by you so much abhor'd,
Y'allow "God damn me" in the Puritan Lord.
They keep the Bible from laymen; but ye
Avoid this, for ye have no laity.
They in a foreign and unknown tongue pray,
You in an unknown fenfe your prayers fay;
So that this difference 'twixt you does enfue,-
Fools understand not them, not wife men you.
They an unprofitable zeal have got
Of invocating faints, that hear them not :
'Twere well you did fo; nought may more be fear'd,
In your fond prayers, than that they should be heard.
To them your nonfenfe well enough might pafs,
They'd ne'er fee that i' th' divine looking-glafs.
Nay, whether you 'd worship faints is not known,
For ye 'ave as yet, of your religion, none.
They by good-works think to be justify'da
You into the fame error deeper slide;
You think by works too justify'd to be,
And thofe ill-works-lyes, treafon, perjury.
But, oh! your faith is mighty; that hath been,
As true faith ought to be, of things unseen :
At Wor'fter, Brentford, and Edgehill, we fee,
Only by faith, ye 'ave got the victory.
Such is your faith, and fome fuch unseen way
The public faith at last your debts will pay.
They hold free-will (that nought their fouls may
As the great privilege of all mankind;
You 're here more moderate; for 'tis your intent
To make 't a privilege but of parliament.
They forbid priefts to marry: you worse do;
Their marriage you allow, yet punish too;
For you 'd make priests so poor, that upon all
Who marry scorn and beggary must fall.
They a bold power o'er facred fcriptures take,
Blot out fome claufes, and fome new ones make :
Your great lord Jesuit Brookes publickly said
(Brookes, whom too little learning hath made mad),
That to correct the Creed ye should do well,
And blot-out Chrift's defcending into hell.
Repent, wild man! or you 'll ne'er change, I fear,
The fentence of your own descending there.
Yet modeftly they use the Creed; for they
Would take the Lord's-Prayer root and branch away :
And wifely faid a Levite of our nation,.
The Lord's-Prayer was a Popish innovation.
Take heed, you 'll grant ere long it should be said,
An 't be but to defire your daily bread.
They keep the people ignorant: and you
Keep both the people and yourselves so too.
They blind obedience and blind duty teach:
You blind rebellion and blind faction preach;
Nor can I blame you much, that ye advance
That which can only fave you, Ignorance;
Though, Heaven be prais'd! 't has oft been proved
Your ignorance is not invincible:
Nay, fuch bold lyes to God himself
As if you 'd fain keep him too ignorant.
Limbus and Purgatory they believe,
For leffer finners; that is, I conceive,
Malignants only: you this trick does please;
For the fame cause ye 've made new Limbuses,
Where we may lie imprison'd long, ere we
A day of judgment in your courts shall fee.
But Pym can, like the Pope, with this dispense,
And for a bribe deliver fouls from thence.
Their councils claim infallibility:
Such muft your Conventicle-fynod be ;
And teachers from all parts of th' earth ye call,
To make 't a Council Oecumenical.
They feveral times appoint from meats' t' abftain You now for th' Irish wars a faft ordain; And, that that kingdom might be fure to fast, Ye take a courfe to ftarve them all at laft: Nay, though ye keep no eves, Fridays, nor Lent, Not to drefs meat on Sundays you 're content; Then you repeat, repeat, and pray, and pray, Your teeth keep fabbath, and tongues working-day, They preserve relicks : you have few or none, Unless the clout fent to John Pym be one; Or Holles's rich widow, the who carry'd A relick in her womb before fhe marry'd, They in fucceeding Peter take a pride: So do you; for your master 'ave deny❜d. But chiefly Peter's privilege ye choose, At your own wills to bind and to unloose.
He was a fisherman; you 'll be so too,
When nothing but your ships are left to you:
He went to Rome; to Rome you backward ride.
(Though both your goings are by fome deny'd)
Nor is 't a contradiction, if we say,
You go to Rome the quite contrary way.
He dy'd o' th' cross; that death 's unusual now;
The gallows is most like 't, and that 's for you.
They love church-mufic; it offends your fenfe,
And therefore ye have fung it out from thence;
Which fhews, if right your mind be understood,
You hate it not as mufic, but as good:
Your madness makes you fing as much as they
Dance who are bit with a Tarantula.
But do not to yourselves, alas! appear
The most religious traitors that e'er were,
Because your troops finging of psalms do go;
There's many a traitor has march'd Holborn fo.
Nor was 't your wit this holy project bore;
Tweed and the Tyne have seen those tricks before.
They of strange miracles and wonders tell:
You are yourselves a kind of miracle;
Ev'n fuch a miracle as in writ divine
We read o'-th' devil's hurrying down the fwine.
They have made images to speak: 'tis said,
You a dull image have your Speaker made;
And, that your bounty in offerings might abound,
Ye 'ave to that idol giv'n fix thousand pound.
They drive-out devils, they fay: here
To differ, I confefs-you let them in.
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