Zion in Distress 2, Postscript
A POSTSCRIPT: Or, an After-Word to ENGLAND.
TO thee, O Land, this after-word I write,
Which doth love darkneſs, and abhor the light;
I finiſh can't this Work, until that I,
Againſt thy wickedneſs do teſtifie;
And do pronounce the Righteous Gods decree,
Which will with vengeance executed be
In a ſhort time; and that becauſe thou haſt,
Let Zion, like a barren Field, lie waſte:
She hath bin trod upon in great diſdain,
And yet from thee no comfort could obtain;
Thou haſt not ſuccour'd her in great diſtreſs,
Nor helped her, though in the Wilderneſs:
She, as a ſtranger, fain would ſo…ourn here,
But thou not willing art, as doth appear,
Her to imbrace; no nor the Goſpel neither,
But fain thou would'ſt be rid of them together.
Alas, thou ſinful Nation, moſt unwiſe,
That hates thy friends, and loves thy enemies;
What wilt thou do over a little ſpace?
I much lament thy ſad and heavy caſe;
Thy ſins more vile then Sodoms doth abound:
Some Righteous ones, indeed, in thee are found,
Or elſe, before this time, I fully know,
God had, like Sodom, wrought thy overthrow.
God hath with great compaſſion born with thee,
But yet thou art as vile; this I do ſee:
Judgements therefore already are begun,
And God will make thee bow ere he has done;
He'l break thy heart, and make thee for to cry,
Lord, I have ſin'd, thy Name I glorifie.
God hath begun to make thy people few,
And made them know, that they are like the dew,
Which early paſſeth, when the Sun doth riſe,
Or like the Shadow which ſo ſwiftly flies.
The glory of thy City God hath ſtain'd,
Which like a Queen ſo long a time hath reign'd.
But yet, the worſt, O England, is behind;
Alas, theſe judgements I do clearly find,
Have made thee worſer then thou wert before;
Inſtead of healing, they have made thy ſore
Appear ſo dangerous, that I do ſee,
There is no help, nor cure now for thee.
Wo, wo, unto all people high and low,
My Soul doth mourn and bleed, becauſe I know
The day of vengeance doth draw very near,
Wherein all people ſhall cry out with fear;
They then will weep, and bitterly will mourn,
And curſe the day that ever they were born
To ſee ſuch dayes, the which will ſurely come,
Which will be like, though not the day of doom.
Thou wilt repent that ere thou didſt provoke
The Righteous God; for why, his dreadful ſtroke
Will be ſo ſore, that ſome will ſeek to die;
But Death, alas, from them away will fly;
While others they their bitter dayes ſhall end,
A juſt reward, from God, whom they offend.
Some now there be alive, which ſhall behold,
The dreadful things which to thee have bin told.
With Nineveh, therefore, with ſpeed repent,
If happily thou mayſt Gods Wrath prevent;
Which otherwiſe will come on thee, O Land,
Before which Wrath, alas, no fleſh can ſtand.
Ceaſe to do evil, I do thee adviſe,
Learn to do well, I do thee advertiſe;
Break of all yoaks, ſet the oppreſſed free,
And labour for a Chriſtian Liberty.
The Pope, that Helliſh Beaſt, do thou withſtand,
And all who ready are at his command,
To yeeld unto that wicked bloody Whore,
Who thinks to have the day again once more;
Do thou in time their purpoſe fruſterate,
Who enemies are both to Prince and State.
Yeeld thou obedience unto God and King,
Rebellion is a vile and curſed thing;
which I exhort thee to defie and hate,
And utterly for to alominate:
For like the ſin of witch-craft, 'tis I know,
And thoſe that guilty are God will o'erthrow.
If thou this counſel take, I dare not ſay,
But God may turn his furious wrath away;
And thou mayſt notwithſtanding at the length,
Shine forth in glory and in perfect ſtrength.
FINIS.
End of the text · Benjamin Keach, Zion in Distress 2 (1666)