He'd two strong horns; he order'd earth and man
To woo his brother beast as sovereign ;
Deceiv'd with miracles, display'd by craft,
And forg'd to cheat weak minds at his behest.
He then a pompous beastly Image* made,
This idol order'd to be worshiped,
And those refusing all to be destroy'd,
Forbade them trading in his large domain
Who would not to his impious laws conform.
A DISCIPLE OF THE MESSIAH.
How glorious, holy church, thy majesty, Ere thou wast wedded to state policy!
Sweet Muse, be't thine her then blest state to sing, Make her primeval glory grace thy song!
True knowledge, streaming from Jehovah's throne Dispelling ignorance as the rays of morn Chase flying night as they approach her shore, And waken sleep kind industry to cheer,
Wings earth and cheers the long benighted mind, Displays a God above the skies enthron'd;
Each herald of eternal wisdom treads
The path that to His holy temple leads.
From her celestial throne the mystic Dove
Bears pure instruction and fraternal love;
Her flamy tongues, by sacred zephyrs wing'd,
Give holy conquest o'er the barren mind,
The Pope almost all commentators say.
Make Rome's proud warriors tremble by the force
Of their heart-searching, powerful, eloquence.
Humility's soft wreath their brows adorn,
The pride and pleasures of the world they scorn;
They bear the standard of redeeming grace,
Its motto mercy, love, good will, and peace;
The brilliant colours of God's love display,
The high commands of their great Lord obey,
By faithful manifestoes, they declare
The conquest gain'd by great Messiah's power,
And cause the Savage, and the learned Jew,
And false philosophy, the truth to know.
The waken'd soul but to her God aspires,
Nor worldly honors, nor rewards desires;
The Saviour's wisdom only gives her law,
No other mandates will her mind obey;
His Holy spirit rests upon her head,
Her tabernacles are His choice abode ;
Her holy Pastors' will, their only aim,
Are men reclaiming from the bonds of sin.
In such blest hands the holy gospel spread, More superstition slew the more appear'd Defenders of its word, convincing sign It's reign's supernal, and its grace divine. From purest source truth unpolluted flow'd, And kings reclaim'd her blessed cause espous'd; Hell's altars fell, its idols kiss'd the dust
And she o'er falsehood sov'reign power possest.
Great God, Thy people comforted rejoice,
The mountains bow, the lowly vallies rise;
Peace waves the olive branch, and praises sings,
Love joins the lay, and grace the chord sustains;
The hill, the dale, the wood, the flow'ry plain,
Resound with anthems honoring Thy name,
Each passing gale's with pious song perfum'd
Sonorous flowing from the heart reform'd.
O happy state, fruit of redeeming grace,
Which here gives joy, hereafter happiness!
These words momentous, truths of vast import,
Were never by these holy seers forgot,
"My kingdom's not a kingdom of this world,*
"My grace is free, and can't for pay be sold;
"They are not Mine who teaching will presume
"For lucre's sake in My most holy name;
"And I alone am Shepherd of the flock,†
"Who shall of lasting happiness partake;
"No other way but that I came to lead,
My Father wills, shall man to heaven guide.‡”
But, listening Muse, thou must in doleful strain Sing hell's recruiting of her cursed reign ; Tell, as mankind celestial light withstood So from their bosoms her bright radiance fled.
* See Matthew chap. vi. +Ibid John chap. vi.
Ibid Matthew chap. xi.
Great Mammon, clad in monarch's state attire,
In golden car, with pride for charioteer,
Rose from Erebus* fiery banks express
The souls of men by bribery to possess ;
To rattle in their ears his golden box,
And, with the clink, the wand'ring mind to coax.
To quit its God, and give the bending will
To be subservient to his tempting call:
And priestly councils charm'd with notes so sweet,
That soon his music was their chief delight.
From Pandemonium Beliel arriv'd,
And 'mid his compeer's friends his pleasures strew'd,
Who pick'd with greedy grasp each gaudy flower
This polite courtier threw hearts to allure
To serve his cause, turn gospel piety
To sensual pleasure, and profligacy ;
Make priesthood Dagon's horrid shape display,
Pretend much piety, but lust obey;
And proudly rear aloft a monster's head,
With heart that loved gold, but never God.
O, weep thou, now the dreadful moment's near,
When truly few Emanuel's laws revere !
Church ardent courted lasting happiness,
By nuptial bands, with state licentiousness;
State craft approving thus to be alli'd
Between the two the Gordian knot was ti'd ;
And this foul union quickly made appear
A two horned beast, or Babel's scarlet whore.*
God's faithful church beholds the deed with scorn,
Angelic harps the mournful dirge attune,
A lowering frown o'erspreads the wondring skies,
The howling tempest heavenly ire portrays,
Fell pestilence its partner havock leads,
Before the pining blast bright nature fades ;
Earth trembles, and at each convulsive throe
The lofty city bows in ruins low.t
Advance in countless swarms Gog's savage tribes
From caverns where chill Boreas resides
To send infuriate storm o'er Autumn's bloom,
Make pining winter spread her dreary gloom,
And blighted nature in the snowy bed,
A sleeping lie, her wither'd face to hide,
Who nations sweep, like the destroying flood,
And ev'ry footstep mark with human blood.
Discourag'd learning vanish'd, wisdom fled,
And ignorance bestrode the track they led;
Kings, nations, fell by the tremendous shock,
No power but priestcraft brav'd the dreadful stroke,
She, 'mid the mighty wreck, in splendour stood,
And soon o'er all display'd a crowned head.
* This union is finely portrayed by the scarlet whore, or apostate church, riding upon the Beast, or temporal government.
In the fourth and fifth centuries most dreadful earthquakes laid in ruins numerous cities and towns in Europe and Asia; in 552 a plague be
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