Zion in Distress, Poem 1 · Part 17 – Part 21
Sion.
YOu are to wait for Gods great Diſpenſations,
At whoſe diſpoſal is the fate of Nations;
His time is beſt, and in due Seaſon he
Will bring this Beaſt to his Cataſtrophe.
He ſits in Heaven, and beholds with Scorn,
This Rebels Pride. His glorious Son that's born
Heir of the World, and Prince of Kingdoms too,
Shall ſurely Reign, becauſe it is his due;
For all to him the Soveraign Rule muſt yield;
He ſhall the Crown and Royal Scepter wield:
Nations ſhall ſerve him; Kings that have abhor'd
His Name, ſhall pay him Homage, as their Lord.
To JESVS all ſhall bow, he ſhall be King,
And to poor Sion ſhall Redemption bring.
Till this Beaſts month, and lateſt hour be ſpent,
No Humane Weapon can his Rage prevent.
To ſuffer Perſecution I'm appointed,
Till Inſtruments are choſen and anointed
For my Deliverance; your work's to pray,
And be prepared for that bleſſed day;
When Babel falls, and Sion is reſtor'd
To height of favour, with her Bleſſed Lord.
The day approaches, and if you would win
Renown by Fighting, then encounter Sin;
That home-bred Foe, which in your Boſome lurks,
And like the Venome of an Aſpick works
Through all your Vitals; 'tis the Capital
And grandeſt foe, that would betray you all;
It correſponds with thoſe that do expoſe
To torments, all that with the Bridegroom cloſe;
Till this is conquer'd, I ſhall not ariſe,
Nor be deliver'd from mine enemies.
This Traytor makes my very heart to faint,
And does occaſion moſt of my Complaint;
For by's conſpiring with the Beaſt and Devil,
I am ſurrounded with the preſent evil.
Beſides theſe Foes of my forlorn Eſtate,
There is another ſtrong Confederate,
The Proud, Imperious and Inſulting Whore,
Of whom I made a ſad Complaint before;
She with laſcivious Looks and Wanton Eyes
Prompts on to Lust and all Debaucheries;
By her ſalacious and bewitching Charms
She does intice Great Men into her Arms,
Corrupting Princes by her Incantations,
Deſtroys the brave Nobility of Nations.
Great God aſiſt me, e're my Spirits fail!
That I the State of Monarchs may bewail,
Who to her Yoke yield their Illuſtrious Necks,
And move (like Vaſſals) at her ſawcy becks.
Oh! they that ſhould My Nurſing-Fathers be,
Are Executioners of Cruelty,
By this Whores influence, the Civil Power
Is made a dreadful Engine to devour
The Saints of God, and kick at the Creator;
But let them know that Sovereign Arbitrator
Of all their Destinies, is Great and Juſt,
And can, at pleaſure, tumble them to Duſt.
What pity is't that Dukes and Noble Peers,
With other Heroes, ſhould for many years
Thus truckle to that Proud, Uſurping Whore,
And for her ſake inſlave themſelves? nay more,
Exhauſt their Treaſure, and debaſe their Name,
And bring themſelves to ſuch reproach and ſhame,
By thus ingaging in her Helliſh Plots,
Which faſtens on them Everlaſting Blots.
That ſhameleſs Strumpet, whoſe accurſed Wiles
Trappans the Conſcience, and the Soul beguiles,
When ſhe involves them in the deepeſt guilt,
She does pretend to waſh away the filth,
By impious Pardons! Yea, to ſuch an height
Does ſhe bewitch Men, that the very ſight
Of Tyburn, cannot move them to confeſs,
Their load of guilt and horrid Wickedneſs;
It is her Art, when they are parting hence,
To ſteel their Fronts with ſhameleſs impudence.
When they are drawn to a deſerved Death,
With lyes She makes them to reſign their breath.
She makes them drunk till they forget their fears,
Her Agents buzzing in their doubting Ears;
Who (like ill Angels) round about them hover,
For fear they ſhould her Rogueries diſcover.
When ſome are ſtretcht upon the fatal Block,
And Juſtice ready to diſcharge the ſtroak;
Such is the ſtrength of her Inebriation,
That they (oh horrible!) on their Sa…vation.
Proteſt they'r innocent! when all the while
No Treaſon ever did appear more vile,
Then that for which Impartial Juſtice hath
Judg'd them (as Traytors, to deſerved Death.
Rome (by their frantick Reſolutions) would
Out-face the Sun, and baffle) if She could)
The cleareſt Proofs, and ſolid'ſt Evidence
Produc'd by Heav'ns unerring Providence.
Ah! Cruel Miſtreſs of deluded Souls!
That's not content to make them arrant Fools
To loſe Eſtates and Lives, but muſt thereby
Make them ſtab Conſcience, when they come to Dye.
She, to encourage Treaſons, does prefer
Thoſe Traytor-Martyrs in her Calender.
SIONS Sons.
This Whore and Beaſt in Intereſt are ſo join'd,
That many puzzl'd are, which way to find,
whereiny the differ, pray tell us therefore,
How is the Beaſt, diſtinguiſhed from the Whore.
SION.
(a) The Pope's the Beaſt, uſurping over all,
A Power Supream and Magiſttraticall;
This Scarlet Beaſt does in the ſtricteſt ſence,
Lay claim to Secular Preheminence.
The Roman Empire loſt the Ruling Seat,
The Pope uſurpt it, and from thence grew great,
All Kings that he could by his craft allure,
Receive their Power; and Inveſtiture,
This Whore cannot be the Beaſt.
(a) 1. Becauſe the Beaſt is expreſt in the Maſculine Gender, the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition, and the Beaſt that was, and is not even HE is the Eight and of the Seven, i. e. He came up by means of the Liberty and large Revenues The Seven Heads, viz. The Chriſtian Emperors gave to the Ch… rch and Church-Men, though a diff…rent and diſtinct ſort of Government to all before it, but Myſtery Babylon is expreſt by the Feminine Gender, a Woman a Whore, Mother of Bar…; I ſaw the Woman drunk with the Blood of the Saints, … And when I ſaw her I wondered, &c.
2. The Angel deſcribes them diſtinct, the one from the other, a Beaſt and Whore, I John ſaw them as clearly diſtinct as a Beaſt is from her that ſits upon him, and I ſaw a Woman ſet upon a Scarlet coloured Beaſt, Rev. 17. 3.
3. If the Beaſt and Whore were … and the ſame, then the Whore ſets up and rides upon her ſelf▪ then which nothing can be more abſurd and ridiculous.
4. There is as real a difference between the Man of ſin, and the Wh…re or falſe Church, as is between Chriſt and the true Church: the Beaſt or Anti-Chriſt is the Head, the Whore is the Body; and indeed it was by renouncing the Headſhip and Government of Chriſt Jeſus, and eſpouſing, owning, and ſwarming to the Headſhip and Supremacy of the Pope, that firſt gave the Church of Rome, the denomination of a Whore; for a Woman that has Two Heads, Two Husbands can be no other.
5. Moreover tis evident that the Beaſt ſhall remain though in Captivity, his Power being taken away after the Whore is deſtroyed. And burned with Fire, Rev. 1). 19, 20… Dan. 726.
From him: the Whores, th' (b) Eccleſiaſtick State,
Or Romiſh Hierarchy, that take her Seat
Upon the back of this Ten horned Steed,
(Which gores my ſide, and makes my Children bleed.)
(b) Though 'tis granted the Magiſtratical Power …f Popiſh Kings in large ſence is ſingified by the Beaſt who do ſupport the Eccleſiaſtick State or falſe Church, yet Originally it more ſtrictly reſides in the Pope, for by a …olentary ſubmiſſion to him: he is become their Maſter, as Du Moulin, page 161. Obſerves their Crowns being at the Popes diſpoſal, who takes it, and gives it (ſaith he) to whom he thinks good, which things have been Noted by Buicciardine, that famous Hiſtorian, in his Hiſtory of the riſes and advancements of the Pope.
SIONS Sons.
SHall we (indanger'd by her Plots) ariſe
To curb this Whore, that our great God defies?
Why ſhould her Treaſons any more annoy
Thy precious Saints and Nations thus deſtroy,
Lets make her Drink in that invenom'd Cup
She fills for us ſhall ſhe not ſwill it up;
Will none fall on, provok't by flaming ire,
To Eat her Fleſh, and burn her in the fire?
SION.
VVHo inſtrumental in that work ſhall be;
Read well the Sacred Scriptures, you may see
Rev. Eſa. Jerem.
And ſince the matter you do underſtand,
It brings me comfort on the other hand:
As 'twas fore-told in Sacred Scripture ſtory
You are inlightnen'd with the Angels glory;
As for my Children who before did live,
Light from this Angel they could not receive.
My Children brought forth in the latter days,
Shall do great matters to Jehovah's praiſe.
I see ſome good men do deſire to know
The time when they this Whore ſhall overthrow;
I cannot blame them for this very thing,
To the whole World it will much glory bring.
Then ſhall the Goſpel through the Earth be ſpread
And Men inſtead of Husks ſhall feed on Bread;
God's Worſhip ſhall its freedom then enjoy,
Rome's Locuſt then ſhall you no more annoy.
There ſhall be then a wonderful increaſe
Of Sion's glory and of Iſrael's peace;
Then ſhall my Children in ſweet conſort ſing
Anthems of joy to the Eternal King.
No names then of diſtinction more ſhall be,
But ſpeak one Language all they ſhall agree
In peace and Oneneſs and bleſt Harmony.
But to reply to what you have requir'd,
At preſent you muſt keep your ſelves retir'd
Make no attempts untill the Lord on high,
Does give you ſtrength this Babel to defie.
You now do ſeem to lie as perſons dead,
As being unable to erect your head:
But then you ſhall appear to be alive,
The Spirit of the Lord ſhall you revive:
God hath (I know) ſet down the time exact,
When hee'l begin this ſtrange and dreadful Act,
To the confuſion of your Enemies.
When God ſhall call his Witneſſes to riſe;
Then from the Heavens, they ſhall hear a voice,
Which ſhall make all their Spirits to rejoyce.
Then ſhall they have ſo evident a call,
That they ſtraight way ſhall on this Strumpet fall.
With patience therefore wait upon the Lord,
Until his ſaving ſtrength he doth afford.
To him you are to make your ſupplication,
For from him only is my expctation.
O ſigh with me, and in your Spirits groan,
And ſend ſtrong crys up to his gracious Throne:
Give him no reſt till, (in thoſe glorious days.)
Of all the Earth, I'm made the only praiſe.
And I'll lift up my voice to God on High,
And make my moan to him, and thus will cry.