ARON'S ROD: OR A Scourge for the Malicious Slanderers of the TRIBE of LEVI.  

AT first Man was Created free from Vice,  
And swayed his Sceptre over Paradise.  
Enjoyed all Pleasures, till unhappy Eve,  
●id his unthinking Soul with sin deceive:  
●hich made him eat, and by his Taste he fell  
●nder the sentence of an endless Hell.  
●ur Great Creator in process of time  
●●gan to pity fallen Adam's crime,  
●nd to that end to Mortals he made known  
●is Sacred Sanctions which they all should own.  
●nd more to keep Rebellious man in awe,  
●is Lusts were bounded by his Sacred Law:  
●hat fallen man did he observe but this,  
●ho he had Failings might not lose his Bliss.  

●hus Heaven resolved to make him truly blest,  
●ent him the best of Guides a Picus Priest,  
To guide him to his Home his place of Rest.)   
sometime frail man embraced the Priest and Law.  
●nd then his Spirit kept his Flesh in awe.  
The name of Schism for long time was hid  
Man watched his Paths and minded what he did.  
schism! the name was strange, dissenting too,  
〈◊〉 thing the ancient Levites never knew:  
One God they only served, to one did pray,  
All men obeyed in a conforming way,  
Each Israelite his Love to God expressed  
They honoured God in Reverencing his Priest.  
Thus 'twas till wicked man indulged each sin,  
Revolted from his God and Priests again,  
Then Schism like a Thief came creeping in.   

O Heavenly Powers who view the hearts of men,  
Inspire my Muse, and guide my injured Pen,  
Kindle an Holy Passion in my Breast  
Let my incensed Quill enjoy no rest (Pious Priest.)  
Till I have shamed your Foes and cleared your  
Let my enraged Pen in strokes of blood  
Lash all Schismatics, and defend the Good.   

Ah Blessed Albion, happy fertile Isle,  
Thou second Canaan, thou most blessed Soil,  
Thou art well manured and most heavenly dres●  
And well instructed by thy painful Priest,  
Who like a careful Shepherd will not sleep  
When Wolves are ne'er to captivate his sheep.  
Endeavours still to increase his Heavenly bree●.  
And often fasts himself whilst others feed,  
They're not well pleased to see the Wolves devo●●  
Their little Lambs by Arbitray Power,  
But like the Gods they always strive to move  
Th'Impious world to Peace with Songs of Love  
They still detect Impostures which deceive:  
Their Heavenly Lives would make a Jew believe.  
Nor is the King, his Throne or Kingdom blest  
Without that good that Godlike man a Priest.  
Without them all things vanish as a smoke,  
And all Affairs with evil aspects look.  
With Raptures filled, their hearts with heavenly flame  
Defy great Titles, and a specious Name.  
The Barthened Axles of the world would break  
If once the Levites should but cease to speak,  
The solid Orb would to a Chaos turn,  
The Elements would sigh, the Rocks would mourn.   

Near to the Thames a stately Fabric stands  
Whose lofty Turrets look around the sands,  

Whose Cedar studs no Fate can e'er molest,  
Where lives a Levite, whom the world calls Priest  
(Ah happy place enjoying such a Guest)   
His Soul's adorned with Grace, his Head with years,  
His life's a glory to his hoary hairs.  
This Holy Levite did King James Enthrone  
Not (as supposed) by inventions of his own,  
But only as a Levite ought to have done.  
For James was Heir Presumptive to the Crown,  
●nd 'twas K. James not he that did K. J. pull down  
●●e as he ought his Sovereign's will declared,  
And yet how soon he in affliction shared!  
Poor Levy's Tribe was almost brought to shame  
Scarce daring once to own old Levy's name;  
Him the Nonconforming Crew disgraced,  
With them his Conscience for his Interest past.  
Old Levy's Soul abhorred a Romish Shroud,  
And all the Clamours of the senseless crowd.   

Unhappy James, unhappy restless fate!  
That brought on thee a Nonconforming hate.  
●●st thou abridged us of our Common-Prayer,  
●●kt out a Bishop, put a Cobbler there;  
Rend off the Surplice, tore the Holland-sleeves,  
And made the House of God a Den of Thiefs.  
Had you in season published a Decree,  
That every man should pray Ex tempore.  

Had you but pulled off every Levite's Gown,  
Took the Mitre from each Bishop's Crown,  
And so have tumbled all Religion down.   

Had you commanded Levy to revoke,  
And ordered every man to preach in's Cloak,  
'Twould but have been a Nonconforming Joke.   
You might have now been some where 〈◊〉  
It might have been a closer place than Fran●●  
But not to give them all, was to depose  
Ex tempore Champions, and enthrone y●●  
But now you see the effects of it at last.  
With Con's and Non's, and Negatives you 〈◊〉  
They who betrayed your Father heretofore  
With Reforms, Nonforms, and a thousan●  
Taught you a form you never knew bef●●●  
They made the form in which you lost 〈◊〉  
But Gods knows in what form you went away.  
By Nonconforming to the Levites then,  
And by conforming to Nonforming men,  
You lost your Sceptre and your Diadem  
Good Levy seeing how the cause declined,  
How Nonconforms with other Forms were  
Wisely retired to his silent Clel.  
To wait the Issue of what soon befell.  
The Great Nassau invited o'er the Main,  
Rome and Geneva's Cause grew to a wain.  
Then pious Levy (as he ought) came down  
To bid our David welcome to the Town.  
How happy is that Crown, how blessed the●  
Guarded by Levites, fears no sudden fate?  
Tyranny never can create a King,  
The People chose him, he deserves the t●●●●  
But Levy Anoints him, brings the Offering  
'Tis Levy 'noints his Sacred Head with Oy●  
'Tis Levy Prays, and Crowns, has all the 〈◊〉  
Tho it was not for this Nassau came o'er,  
But only ancient Freedoms to restore.  
To Thump and kick the Babilonish Whore.  
Had Nassau failed, the world's designs were  
The name of Levy in oblivion lost.  
But William prospers (as Heaven averte his 〈◊〉  
His Foes may frown, but he's defended sti●●  
His preservation too we must ascribe  
Next under God to pious Levy's Tribe:  
Guarded by juster Heaven and them, bears 〈◊〉  
Scorns the hate of each dissenting tool,  
Who turn God's Servants unto Ridicule.  
The Church pretents to keep no Civil Rig●●●  
Levy's Divine; but who are Gib●onites?  
Levy has all the Civil Claims forsaken.  
And to his God, his Church, and King b …  
… o than have's Religion left i'th' lurch,  
●●●ld choose to die a Martyr for his Church.  

Will to Heaven's, wholly he resigned  
— no, 'tis below, good Levy's Godlike mind;  
Heavenly spirit is too well refined.   
〈◊〉 at Court thy absence many mourn,  
〈◊〉 eager eyes, expect thy blessed Return.  
●●●e from thy Cell, come to thy Princess Court,  
… ther the chief of thy blessed Tribe resort.  
●●y Retirement be not so extreme,  
〈◊〉 the Enemies of thy God Blaspheme.  
●here was a time when every Blockhead ruled,  
●●●n Loyal Wits by senseless Knaves were gulled,  
●●●n Treason was become a common trade,  
Love and Nature seemed retrograde.  
●●●n all the Land was in a senseless maze;  
'twas esteemed a virtue to be base.  
●●●n each Achitophel's cursed Counsel stood,  
〈◊〉 none were punished, but the Just and Good.  
●●…t Charles was murdered at his Palace-gate,  
〈◊〉 base Mechanics ruled the Church and State.  

●●…es were banished, all was overswayed,  
●●…ers and Weavers preached, and were obeyed,  
●●…ll was Law, (not Gospel that they said)   

Heir apparent to the Crown was fled,  
●other exiled, and his Father dead,  
●●…e compelled (poor Prince!) to seek for bread.   
Land was deluged o'er with guilt and blood,  
'twas no wonder— All did what they would;  
●ing, no Common-Prayer, was all their cry,  
… ormers all, must Nonconform or die.  
〈◊〉 was then so full of guilt and sin,  
… odd given o'er, and Sects in shoals came in,  
〈◊〉 Rump uncertain, who was in the right,  
… ved for all (except the true) to fight.  
… ous of Sects, they dare not trust their own;  
〈◊〉 as they made no sport, they'd hinder none.  
Layick had a Religion of his own:  
〈◊〉 all the Land was even Pagans grown.  
establish no Religion was their care.  
〈◊〉 ●eath to name the King or Common-Prayer.  
〈◊〉 ●ame of Levy was extinguished quite.   

Nonconforms made the People's light,  
Levy's Tribe went mourning up and down,  
… oned by every Scribbler in the Town;  
Wand'ring in deserts, clothed in Camel's hair,  
(As in old time, the good Disciples were)  
Had nothing to support their souls but prayer.  
Their Pulpits were usurped, their Lands must be  
Preys for Quacksalvers in Divinity.  
If they'd not conform, to Nonconformity.  
This Reverend Laud did feel; this his offence  
He lost his head for being true to's Prince.  
A Man so just, so loyal, and so good,  
Deserves Incomiums to be wrote in Blood.  
If there be Charms in verse, that can awake  
Cold Ashes from their silent Urns, and make,  
Heroic Dust, that sleeps in Sheets of Lead,  
Throw off their marble Blankets from their Best.  
Then let my Muse, though she has little Art,  
Attempt to act the Witch of Endor's part.  
Nay greater things than ere her Charms could do,  
To raise both Samuel and Ely too.  
Rife reverend Laud, and tell the World thy Story,  
In thee we lost our Priest, in Charles our Gleey.  
Methinks I see how this blessed Martyr died,  
Like Virtue, with a Vice on either side.  
Oh! what a cursed Power did Albion awe;  
That murdered Men for keeping Moses' Law.  
Thus, for a time, things in Confusion stood;  
The Land was gluted with new Sects, and Blood.  
Thus Slaves and Subject Ruled with great Pride,  
Enriched themselves, and beggared all beside.  

And thus it was, till Fortune faced about,  
And he who made this damned rebellious Rout▪  
Just like a Candle, in a stink went out.   
One of their Gang, more damned than all the r●●●,  
Usurped (a cursed Wretch!) the name of Priest.  

A Priest he was, but such as Baal Employs,  
To broach new Sects, and belch out Perjuries;  
To preach up Schism, and to publish lies.   
Unworthy of the Reverend Title Man,  
No more of Levi's Tribe than Gad or Dan:  
No Parts, no Learning; never did commence,  
Yet much admired—  
(Not for his Wit, but for his want of Sense.)  
A sotish Blockhead, void of all that's good.  
Expert, at nothing, but at Lies and Blood,  
Yet him the Crowd adored, and him they lov'●  
Him the Innocent ignorant Mob approved.  
H● who so much blasphemed the Name of King,  
D●● make his Exit in a hempen String.  
And he, who Justice had so long defied,  
Was nabed at last, and then unpitied died.  

The Prince returned (with him the Levites too.)  
Each Nonconforming Traitor had his due;  
Who made their Exits as did canting Hugh.   
The Prince came in; the People all obey.  
With Joy they Bless, and celebrate the Day.  
The Good divide the Trophies; share the Spoil:  
(A just Reward for all their Care and Toil.  
And then the Loyal Cause did soon prevail,  
And the dissenting Crew as soon turn tail.  
The Thread of their tyrannic Reign was spun,  
And he was happiest who could swittest run.  
Those painted Sepulchers, are black within,  
Like wainscot Walls they all are lined, (with Sin).  
Long Prayers they make, but on a mere pretence,  
As void of holy Zeal, as of common Sense.  
Ere many Years they fall to plot again,  
And seek to breviate pious Charles' Reign;  
And in a grand and Nonconforme Cabal;  
Ungrateful they! again to ploting fall:  

Engaged poor Monmouth in this grievious Crime  
(As afterwards again they did all Lime,)  
To make him King before's appointed time.   
But Heaven, who the black Intrigue had seen,  
Unmasked the Ploters, and stepped in between.  
It was not long ere Charles his Life laid down,  
And James succeeded—  
As Heir presumptive to the Albion Crown;  
And then again the Ammonitish Crew,  
Afresh Rebel, again they Plot anew:  
Monmouth in all haste must now come, 〈◊〉  
To thump the Sides o'th' Babilonish W●●●●  
But for want of Ammunition lost the da …  
Thanks to his trusty Trout, the Valiant  
Who like a lusty Fellow run away.  
James knowing well the weakness of hi● 〈◊〉  
Being tied by his Oaths, and Albin's La●  
Liberty of Conscience did ordain;  
Not out of Conscience, but of mere De …  
And who more busy, who did more re …  
To pay their Homage at his Catholic 〈◊〉  
Who fawned upon him more, Ye Nons t …  
Who still advised him, what you'd have 〈◊〉  
Was it not you that did the Bishop's Job 〈◊〉  
Was it not by the Advice of P— and 〈◊〉  
In Shoals you flocked about him—  
And though he granted what you ere could 〈◊〉  
You were not pleased; you knew not what 〈◊〉  
And though 'twas you helped raise him to the 〈◊〉  
You was the first that helped to pull him 〈◊〉  
(Although in that your Wisdom more was 〈◊〉  
And then the Levites called the great Na●●  
To regulate and justify the Law;  
And keep bad Men, as you may be, in 〈◊〉  
May he with Victory his Foes pursue: 〈◊〉  
The adverse side, where ere he comes, 〈◊〉  
That as by a Power Divine he gained the 〈◊〉  
His Sword may cut each Graft of Schism  
May Levies Tribe increase, and greater 〈◊〉  
May William live, be great, and prospe●  
To be a Plague to France, and Rome, an●  
May Fortune still attend that mighty P●●●●●  
And give you Freedom in the Future T …    
FINIS.