Anti-Achitophel | Page 6

to
find Wealth might his vast pomp supply,
(For costly Roofs befit a

Lord so high)
No Arts were spar'd his Luster to support,
But all
Mines searcht t'enrich his shining Court.
Then Heav'n was bought,
Religion but a Trade;
And Temples Murder's Sanctuary made.
By
_Phineas_ Spear no bleeding _Cozbies_ groan'd,
If _Cozbies_ Gold
for _Cozbies_ Crimes aton'd.
With these wise Arts, (for Humane
Policy
As well as Heav'nly Truth, mounts Priests so high)
'Twixt
gentle Penance, lazy Penitence,
A Faith that gratifies both Soul and
Sense;
With easie steps to everlasting Bliss,
He paves the rugged
way to Paradice.
Thus almost all the Proselyte-World he drives,

Whilst th'universal Drones buz to his Hives.
Implicite Faith Religion
thus convey'd
Through little pipes to his great Channel laid,
Till
Piety through such dark Conduits led,
Was poyson'd by the Spring on
which it fed.
Here blind Obedience to a blinder Guide,
Nurst that
Blind Zeal that rais'd the Priestly pride;
Whilst to make Kings the
Sovereign Prelate own,
Their Reason he enslav'd, and then their
Throne.
The Mitre thus above the Diadem soar'd,
Gods humble
servant He, but Mans proud Lord.
It was in such Church-light
blind-zeal was bred,
By Faiths infatuating Meteor led;
Blind Zeal,
that can even Contradictions joyn;
A Saint in Faith, in Life a
Libertine;
Makes Greatness though in Luxury worn down,
Bigotted
even to th' Hazard of a Crown;
Ty'd to the Girdle of a Priest so fast,

And yet Religious only to the wast.
But Constancy atoning Constancy,

Where that once raigns, Devotion may lye by.
T'espouse the
Churches Cause lyes in Heav'ns road,
More than obeying of the
Churches God.
And he dares fight, for Faith is more renown'd
A
Zealot Militant, than Martyr crown'd.
Here the Arch-Priest to that
Ambition blown,
Pull'd down Gods Altars, to erect his own:
For not
content to publish Heav'ns command,
The Sacred Law penn'd by
th'Almighty Hand,
And _Moses_-like 'twixt God and _Israel_ go,

Thought _Sinai_'s Mount a Pinacle too low.
So charming sweet were
Incense fragrant Fumes, }
So pleas'd his Nostrils, till th'Aspirer
comes }
From offering, to receiving Hecatombs; }
And ceasing to
adore, to be ador'd.
So fell Faiths guide: so loftily he towr'd,
Till

like th'Ambitious _Lucifer_ accurst,
Swell'd to a God, into a Fiend he
burst.
But as great _Lucifer_ by falling gain'd
Dominion, and ever in
Damnation reign'd;
And though from Lights blest Orb for ever
driven, }
Yet Prince o'th'Air, h'had that vast Scepter giv'n, }
T'have
Subjects far more numerous than Heav'n. }
And thus enthron'd, with
an infernal spight,
The genuine Malice of the Realms of night,
The
Paradise he lost blasphemes, abhors,
And against Heav'n proclaims
Eternal Wars;
No Arts untry'd, no hostile steps untrod,
Both against
Truths Adorers, and Truths God.
So Faiths faln Guide, now _Baals_ great Champion raign'd; Wide was
his Sway, and Mighty his Command:
Whilst with implacable revenge
he burn'd,
And all his Rage against Gods _Israel_ turn'd.
Here his
invenom'd Souls black gall he flings,
Spots all his Snakes, and points
his Scorpions stings:
Omits no Force, or Treacherous Designe,

Blest _Israel_ to assault, or undermine.
But the first Sword did his
keen Malice draw,
Was aim'd against the God-like _Deborah.

Deborah_, the matchless pride of _Judah_'s Crown,
Whose Female
hand _Baal's_ impious Groves cut down,
His banisht Wizards from
her _Israel_ thrust,
And pounded all their Idols into dust.
Her Life
with indefatigable pain,
By Daggers long, and poysons fought in vain:

At length they angry _Jabins_ Rage enflam'd,
_Hazors_ proud
King, for Iron Chariots fam'd;
A Warriour powerful, whose most
dreadful Hoast
Proclaim'd Invincible, (were humane Boast

Infallible) by haughty _Sisera_ led,
'Gainst _Deborah_ their bloody
Banners spread.
Here _Deborah_ her _Barak_ calls to War;

_Barak_, the Suns fam'd fellow-traveller,
Who wandring o're the
Earths surrounded Frame,
Had travelled far as his great Mistress
Fame.
Here _Barak_ did with _Deborah's_ vengeance fly,
And to
that swift prodigious Victory,
So much by Humane Praises undefin'd,

That Fame wants Breath, and Wonder lags behind.
To Heav'ns
high Arch her sounding Glories rung,
Whilst thus great _Deborah_

and _Barak_ sung.
_Hear, oh ye Princes, oh ye Kings give Ear,
And _Israels_ great
Avengers honour hear.
When God of Hosts, thou _Israels_ Spear and
Shield,
Wentst out of _Seir_, and marched'st from _Edoms_ field,

Earth trembled, the Heaven's drop'd, the Clouds all pour'd; The
Mountains melted from before the Lord;
Even thy own _Sinai_
melted into streams,
At _Israels_ dazling Gods refulgent Beams.
In
_Shamgar_ and in _Jael's_ former days,
The wandring Traveller
walked through by-ways.
They chose new Gods. No Spear nor Sword
was found,
To have Idolatry depos'd, Truth Crown'd,
Till I alone,
against _Jehovahs_ Foes;
I _Deborah_, I _Israels_ Mother rose.

Wake _Deborah_, wake, raise thy exalted Head;
Rise _Barak_, and
Captivity Captive lead.
For to blest _Deborah_, belov'd of Heav'n,

Over the Mighty is Dominion given.
Great _Barak_ leads, and
_Israels_ Courage warms;
_Ephraim_ and _Benjamin_ march down
in Arms:
_Zebulon_ and _Nepthali_ my Thunder bore,
_Dan_ from
her Ship, and _Asher_ on the Shore.
Behold _Megiddoes_ waves, and
from afar,
See the fierce _Jabins_ threatning storm of War.
But
Heav'n 'gainst _Sisera_ fought, and the kind Stars
Kindl'd their
embattel'd Fires for _Deborah's_ Wars,
Shot down their Vengeance
that miraculous day,
When _Kishons_ Torrants swept their Hosts
away.
But curse ye _Meroz_, curse 'em from on high.
Did the
denouncing voice of Angels cry;
Accurst be they that went not out
t'oppose
The Mighty _Deborah's_, God's, and _Israel's_ Foes.

Victorious _Judah!_ Oh