THE ROD OF RECOMPENSE OR THE HAND OF JUSTICE.  
In the Punishment of the ENEMIES of CHURCH & STATE, BY God's Providence and Justice brought about, after they had by the space of eighteen years afflicted and tormented both.  
Written by JOHN CONSET, D. in Physic.  PSALM 9.16. 
The Lord is known to execute Judgement, and the wicked shall be trapped in the work of his own hands.  
For the poor shall not always be forgotten, the patiented abiding of the meek shall not perish for ever.  
For when he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembreth it, and forgetteth not the complaint of the poor.  
London, Printed by T. R. for the Author, A. D. 1660.   

THE ROD OF RECOMPENSE OR THE HAND OF JUSTICE.  

I  
THE branch which late I reached to the just,  
Portending Peace  
And much increase  
Of hap to those who must  
Acknowledge God's high power in Restauration,  
Of them and theirs from this late desolation.  
It's message ended, now becomes a rod  
Of Recompense to those, who man or God  
Of late contemned, counting nothing holy  
Which did not tend to th' advance of their folly.  
Nor spared to scourge with insolence the just,  
And them to trample in the abject dust.  
These Nimrods' now by a most just succession,  
Must mount the scene to answer their oppression.   

II.  
Thus have you seen the Providence divine  
From captive thrall  
Of late recall,  
And end their woes in fine  
Who did with patience kiss their Sovereign's hests,  
Them deigning for a while (to be oppressed)  
Unto their Tyrant foes to give: But lo,  
How he rewards their patience, and how  
He crowned their sufferings with much consolation,  
And clears their innocence by this Restauration.   

III.  
Whilst those who late their stern oppressors were,  
Are captive made,  
And in a shade  
Of pensive dreary care  
Benighted, and their horrid guilt loud cries  
For vengeance on their retchless Butcheries  
And Providence reads lectures of Instruction  
To after-Ages; in their just destruction.   

iv  
Not long it is since the black lines of woe,  
Did much o'er cloud  
And sore enshroud  
By this our common foe,  
Those radiant Beams of Royal Majesty,  
Which erst enlightened faithful loyalty:  
As Phoebus fills the lesser stars with light,  
Whose sole Eclipse benights their glory bright.   

V  
But now the radiant beams from Gods high favour,  
Th' Eclipse remove,  
And in his love  
He (appearing a Saviour  
To King and people) those black lines outraced,  
Their comely visage which had so defaced;  
And brings on th' Scene their active cruel foe,  
Which thus had drawn on them these lines of woe.   

VI  
Not long it is since these black sons of error  
Rebellious Fry  
And progeny  
And to just men a terror  
Mounted on their usurped Throne did shine  
With rays of Pomp and Triumph; But in fine  
Their lustre proves like that which doth proceed  
From those false fires which mists and vapours feed.   

VII.  
Mean while these meteors daily breath out woe,  
Or captive thrall  
To the loyal  
Who in their tract to go  
Refuse; and therefore cruel servitude,  
Or vassa lage to them they do conclude.  
Nay death and Martyrdom must be their end,  
Who to their rage will not assistance lend.   

VIII.  
But now behold these Titans brought to thrall  
By those who late,  
Did satiate  
By their distress & fall.  
The spleen and envy of these Tyrants fell,  
Who now must change their Throne into a cell:  
Their Triumphs into Dirges must they turn,  
And those who long have laughed, must learn to mourn  
From whence they came, to that they must return.   

IX.  
Like Infects they from corrupt matter came,  
By th' heat of War  
And cruel jar  
Late brooded, to the same  
Must they dissolve like those Egyptian flies,  
Bred but to plague our Country for its vice:  
But through repentance God hath them remanded,  
Back to their cells again, when th' judgement's ended   

X.  
Their threas must they into petitions change,  
Who did rejest  
With dire aspect  
(When others torments strange  
Enforced to sue for mercy) their Petition;  
And charged them (Loyal) with some foul sedition.  
Steeling their faces with harsh lines of Terror,  
Miscalling truth with Epithets of error;  
These may entreat, but justly are forlorn;  
Their Terrors turned into contempt and scorn.   

XI.  
These are the men who trusted not in God,  
But in their strength  
And at the length  
Did sway the ruling rod.  
And rather chose sins pleasures for a season,  
Might their enjoyments be, though haughty treason  
'Gainst God and man the same conferred, than dure  
Affliction with God's people, who abjure   

XII.  
That gain or pleasure which with God's behest  
Doth not agree  
But when they see  
What to their souls seems best  
Do choose it, though claged with clods of affliction,  
Or veiled and shadowed with clouds of dejection.  
For well they know, that to their present grief  
Joy shall succeed, and they shall find relief.   

XIII.  
But these, believe not God for future good  
But what they see,  
They take to be  
The only chiefest good.  
And wholly bend their thoughts that to attain  
(Gods hests neglecting) make their God their gain,  
To which they sacrifice their whole endeavour,  
And by this homage from their Maker sever,  
Only in word they'll own Him; but in deed,  
Their own devices, not his word, they'll creed.   

XIV.  
They spared no ill to bring about their end,  
Be't King to kill,  
Or other ill  
Whereto their actions tend  
They wallow in all worldly joys, and still  
(As if no God there were) their Genius fill  
With all delights; Gods Word they only used  
As servant to their lusts, thus it th' abused.   

XV.  
And sigh they saw no Judgement them over take,  
As if God's word  
Did not afford  
A Rule for us to make  
Our Guide to holy life, they laid aside,  
And their success they make their only guide  
To prove God's approbation, but behold  
Their Mediums bad, and their conclusion cold.   

XVI.  
Lo he who 'gainst his Sovereign's life did plead,  
And did attain  
He should be slain,  
Who was our chief & head.  
He for his own life pleads, but is denied,  
Sith at his instance our dear Sovereign died.  
He could not happy be while Charles did live,  
Nor we, except to him his meed we give:  
His passed sweets must we repay with sour,  
His Sunshines turned to Tempests tossing shower.   

XVII.  
And he whose frothy Rhetoric did move  
By subtle words  
Which nought affords  
But shows of what they love.  
The silly ones (to second his design)  
Their Rings, their lives and all for to resign  
To his disposal, lo now he wants breath,  
Or words to plead, and save himself from death.   

XVIII.  
Full often hath this Miscreant abused  
That sacred place,  
Whence rays of Grace  
By God's Word are diffused  
Amongst poor Mortals them to light into  
The way of Peace, there did he choose to do  
His Antic Pageants; making it a stage  
Of Drollery to the profane phrantique age.  
God thus permitting him uncurbed to run  
From ill to worse, till th' height of ills he had done,  
And last the guerdon of those ills hath won.   

XIX.  
And those who erst in pomp and Triumph led  
Armies at Will  
Do now want skill  
To guard their tottering head.  
Their force is scattered, and their army's shaken,  
For Gods just judgement hath them overtaken,  
Their valours daunted, and their Crafts out-vied,  
And their designs made void on every side.   

XX.  
For he who from his Throne beholdeth all,  
Which under th' Sun  
By man is done,  
Or on this stable ball  
Doth come to pass, permits man's cursed invention  
Sometimes to take effect, but with intention  
When he his whole achievement hath attained,  
And th' sum of all his wicked hope hath gained,  
To let him see his hand can quickly foil  
His greatest Fortress, and it give to spoil.   

XXI.  
When therefore you oppression do behold  
Within a land  
Long time to stand,  
Let not your faith be cold.  
But know who heaven, and earth, and all hath made,  
(Though long he suffer) yet by him's over swayed  
The powers therein contained; and ' it's He,  
Who all Oppressors and un●ust doth see,  
And will in time their injuries repay,  
Avenge their wrongs at last, though long he stay.   

XXII.  
Most true it is we had deserved his ire  
Against his hest  
(For ever blest)  
By our rebellion dire,  
With haughty spirits spurning, and with scorn  
Rejecting his commands; His patience worn  
With our rebellious wanton carriage, turning  
To wrath and fury, 'gainst our vices burning.   

XXIII.  
Therefore he gave us to the Philistim  
To be dejected  
And afflicted  
By their tortures grim,  
Who spoiled our houses, and our lands did take  
To their possessions, and our Church did make  
A Den for foxes, or for Owls a nest.  
Ourselves their Captives whom they robbed of rest,  
Our women from their pleasant places they  
Cast out, and made our joys become their prey.   

XXIV.  
Thus were we toiled with fell servitude,  
Until at length  
God showed his strength,  
Our sorrows to conclude.  
And did remove from us his scourging hand,  
When gained the end of his Afflictions, and  
Reclaimed us from sinning, than he throws  
Into the fire of vengeance these our foes;  
Whom by success he made a Rod to us,  
Now burns the same, our woes concluding thus.   

XXV.  
Let not therefore God's patience you incite  
With violence  
To innocence  
To offer shrewd despite.  
For sure you shall by woeful trial find,  
He all your wrongs will treasure up in mind,  
And at the length, he vengeance on your head  
Will fierce repay, either alive or dead.   

XXVI.  
Now sith, O Lord, thy justice doth thus sure  
Avenge all wrong  
Which here is done,  
And doth also procure  
In spite of ill relief to th' wronged flock,  
Who fly to thee as their faith's surest rock.  
Let us beware how we do thee provoke,  
To lay on us thy scourge, and fatal stroke.  
And let's in faith and fear wait for thy favour,  
That here and after thou mayst be our Saviour.   
AMEN.  
DEO GLORIA.