Shall mastiffs, by the collars pull'd,

Engag'd with bulls, let go their hold?

710

And Saints, whofe necks are pawn'd at stake,
No notice of the danger take?

And know them, both in foul and confcience,

725

Given up t' as reprobate a nonfenfe

As fpiritual outlaws, whom the power
Of miracle can ne'er reftore.
We whom at first they set-up under
In revelation only' of plunder,
Who fince have had fo many trials
Of their incroaching felf-denials,
That rook'd upon us with design

730

And made us ferve as minifterial,

Like younger fons of Father Belial :

740

And yet, for all th' inhuman wrong

They 'ad done us and the Caufe fo long,

Nor hang us, like the Cavaliers;
Nor put them to the charge of jails,
To find us pillories and carts'-tails,
Or hangman's wages, which the state
Was forc'd (before them) to be at ;
That cut, like tallies to the ftumps,
Our ears for keeping true accompts,
And burnt our veffels, like a new

Seal'd peck, or bufhel, for being true;
But hand in hand, like faithful Brothers,
Held for the Caufe against all others,
Difdaining equally to yield
One fyllable of what we held.

750

755

760

But join'd our Gifts perpetually

Against the common enemy,

770

Although 'twas our and their opinion,

Each other's church was but a Rimmon :
And yet for all this Gofpel-union,

And outward fhew of Church-communion,
They'd ne'er admit us to our shares,
Of ruling church or ftate affairs,

Nor give us leave t' abfolve, or sentence
T'our own conditions of repentance;

But fhar'd our dividend o' the Crown
We had fo painfully preach'd down,
And forc'd us, though against the grain,
T' have calls to teach it up again;

775

780

For 'twas but justice to restore.

The wrongs we had receiv'd before;

And, when 'twas held forth in our way,
We 'ad been ungrateful not to pay ;

785

Who, for the right we 've done the nation,
Have earn'd our temporal falvation,

But whether that be fo or not,

We've done enough to have it thought,

800

And that's as good as if we 'ad done 't,

And eafier pafs'd upon account:

For if it be but half deny'd,

'Tis half as good as justify'd.

The world is naturally averfe
To all the truth it fees or hears,
But swallows nonfenfe, and a lye,
With greediness and gluttony;

And though it have the pique, and long,
"Tis ftill for fomething in the wrong;

As women long, when they 're with child,
For things extravagant and wild;
For meats ridiculous and fulfome,

And, when of nothing 'twas begun,
Rais'd funds, as ftrange, to carry 't on ;
Trepann'd the state, and fac'd it down,

830

With plots and projects of our own;

And if we did fuch feats at first,

What can we, now we 're better verft ?
Who have a freer latitude,

835

In juft fo many years of blood,
That, multiply'd by Six, exprest
The perfect number of the Beast,
And prov'd that we must be the men
To bring this work about again;

And those who laid the first foundation,
Complete the thorough Reformation:
For who have gifts to carry on

So great a work, but we alone?

What Churches have such able pastors,

845

850

And precious, powerful, preaching Masters ?

Poffefs'd

Ver. 841.] Burton, Prynne, and Baftwick, three notorious ringleaders of the factions, juft at the beginning of the late horrid Rebellion.