Or, fairly matched, in furious battle join
For and against the sponsors and the sign;
Copes, hoods, and surplices the Church miscall,
And fiercely run their heads against the wall;
Far different care is mine; o’er earth to see
Diffused her true essential piety.”
He then refers to the great revival of religion within the Church, and adds:—
“For her, whom her apostate sons despise,
I offer up my life in sacrifice,
My life in cherishing a parent spend,