In Secret, and inglorious did remain,
And the Plot thought the Project of his Brain.
The Baalites thus encourag’d by Success,
Increase their Hopes, and their black Projects bless:
Like the bold Titans, Plot on Plot they lay,
And Heav’n it self with impious Arms essay.
A new Invention wrought in Hell below,
The Jews, and their Religion to o’erthrow;
They bring to light, with this their Hopes they raise,
And for dire Plots, think they deserve the Bays.
This Engine stronger than th’ old Roman Ram
For Battery, by a new name call’d Sham,
With well learn’d, and successful Arts they use
To overthrow the Syn’gogues of the Jews,
Their Worship and Religion to confound.
And lay their Glorious Temple on the Ground.
With this new Engine, they a Breach had made,
By which they hop’d the Loyal Jews t’ invade.
With Troops of Treasons, and Rebellious Plots,
Led on by Villains, perjur’d Rogues and Sots;
And with such Arms, in Hells black Work-house form’d,
The peaceful Jews they violently storm’d;
Who ’gainst the Ba’lites Plots had no defence,
But God, their Laws, and their own Innocence.
83 Among the Princes of the Jewish Race,
For Wisdom, Hushai had the Chiefest Place,
Prudent in Speech, and in his Actions close,
Admir’d by all, and feared by his Foes;
Well skill’d, and knowing in the Jewish Laws,
Able to plead, and to defend a Cause,
Of piercing Judgment, and of pregnant Wit,
Did once Chief Judge of all Judea sit;
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Was then esteem’d the Honor of the Gown, And with his Vertues sought to serve the Crown, Till Foes procur’d him Amazia’s Frown. | } |
Then he descended from the hight of Place,
Without a Blemish, and without Disgrace;
Yet inly griev’d; for he could well divine
The Issue of the Baalites curs’d Design,
To see Religion, and God’s Righteous Cause,
The Ancient Government, the Nation’s Laws,
Unpropping, and all ready strait to fall,
And the whole Race of Jews made Slaves to Baal:
With Zeal inspired, boldly up he ’rose,
To wrestle with the King’s, and Nation’s Foes;
And tho’ he was with Wealth and Honor blest,
He scorn’d to give his Age its needful Rest:
He learn’d, that man was not born for himself,
To get great Titles, Names, or sordid Pelf,
To wear a lazy Life, himself to please,
With Idleness, and with luxurious Ease:
When he beheld his Country in distress,
And none the Danger able to redress,
He did resolve, tho’ not affecting Fame,
Or to obtain a Patriot’s Glorious Name,
His Rest, his Life, his Fortune to expose,
Rather than see his Countrey’s dangerous Foes
Run on uncheck’d, till they had brought the Land,
To their, and to a Baalite King’s Command.
He could not therefore so himself forget,
To see the Barques of Government o’erset;
But with his Skill he help’d the Boat to trim,
And boldly did oppose Eliakim.
84 Eliakim was Brother to the King,
From the same Loins, and Royal Seed did spring;
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Of Courage bold, and of a daring mind, To whom the King, ev’n to Excess was kind; And tho’ he had a Son, for him the Crown design’d. | } |
Sweet Azaria, like the beauteous Morn,
Whence all Sweets flow, did once that Court adorn,
A budding Rose, whose Beauty’s newly blown,
Or like a Cedar on Mount Lebanon:
He in his Father’s Grace, and Favor grew,
And towards him the People’s Eyes he drew.
He was by most belov’d, admir’d by all,
For’s Zeal to God, and’s Hatred unto Baal:
But ah! this mov’d the cursed Baalite’s Hate,
Disturb’d his Peace, and Troubles did create.
What can’t Design and Hellish Malice do?
With Lyes they close this Noble Prince pursue.
They think his Father too indulgent grown,
Whose Love had many Blessings on him thrown,
But what exceeded all the rest beside,
He chose the sweet Jerusha for his Bride:
A Blessing he esteemed far above
The Crown, and all things but his Father’s Love:
For that he still above his Life did prize,
Dear as his Fame, and dearer than his Eyes.
Below his Feet, for that he all things trod,
Adoreing nothing more except his God.
Young as he was, he had acquired Fame,
His Breast infired with a Warlike Flame,
In Foreign Wars, his Courage he had shown,
Had Lawrels won, and brought home fair Renown:
Happy, most happy, till with wondrous Art,
His Foes had wrought him from his Father’s Heart;
And so much Power on Amazia won,
He by Degrees, grew jealous of his Son.
And who for this can Amazia blame,
If that the King the Father overcame?
For Crowns by Kings esteemed are more near,
Than Children, or than Sons, belov’d more dear.
85 His Foes, Baal’s Friends, had laid their artful Snairs,
Hight’ned his Father’s Jealousies and Fears,
And made each innocent Action of the Prince,
To give his Jealous Father an Offence.
If with wise Hushai they the Prince did see,
They call’d their Meeting a Conspiracy,
And cry, that he was going to rebell:
Him Absalom they name, Hushai Achitophel.
With Slander thus the Prince they did pursue,
Aiming at’s Life, and the wise Hushai’s too.
When they much pleased, and triumphing saw,
The King his Royal Favors to withdraw,
Which like a Spring on him before did flow,
And from him, all on others to bestow:
Defenceless left, naked, almost forlorn,
Subject to every trifling Rhimers Scorn,
And beyond Jordan by their malice drove,
No Succor left him but the People’s Love;
(For he was still their Darling and Delight,
Because they saw he was no Baalite,)
Their Hopes now almost at their Height did seem,
To place the Crown upon Eliakim.
The Jews, God’s People and peculiar Care,
For their true Worship still most zealous were;
That Jewel seem’d most pretious in their Eyes,
And it above all Humane things they prize.
No Torments could make them their Faith deny,
They willingly for their Religion die:
Their Liberties were also dear to them,
Sprung from a free, and not a slavish Stem,
Th’ Egyptian Bondage for their Souls unfit,
They never in Judea would permit;
Their own known Laws, they willingly obey,
Hate Tyranny and Arbitrary Sway:
Nor did they many Priviledges want,
Kept from the Time they first the Land did plant;
For which to Death they lawfully would strive,
If injur’d by their King’s Prerogative:
86 For some of them have try’d to break the Bound,
And did like Ethnick Kings, their People’s Freedom wound,
So Rehoboam caus’d them to rebell,
And lost at once ten Tribes of Israel.
No people were more ready to obey
Their Kings, who rul’d them by a gentle Sway,
Who never sought their Consciences to curb,
Their Freedom or Religion to disturb.
To such they always open-hearted were,
For them, they neither Coin, nor Blood would spare.
Such Kings might their Prerogatives improve,
And rule the Jews, ev’n as they pleas’d with Love;
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But stiff indeed they were, and moody grew, When Tyrants did with cruel Stripes pursue Them sore oppress’d, and sometimes murmur’d too. | } |
Kings they had try’d of ev’ry sort and size.
Best govern’d by the Warlike and the wise.
Tho’ Kings they lov’d, and for them Reverence had,
They never would adore them as a God.
God’s Worship, and their Laws they did prefer,
They knew, them men might by bad Councils Err.
Tho’ Loyal, yet oppress’d, they did not fear
To make their heavy Grievances appear.
This was indeed the Humor of the Jew,
The People by Complaints their Griefs would shew;
And never would, in truth, contented seem,
Untill redress’d by their wise Sanhedrim.
Thus now the Jews, tho’ free from ill Design,
In their Religious Cause together joyn:
They cast their Eyes on Amazia’s Son,
Who, without Arts the People’s Love had won:
Full of tormenting Jealousies and Fears,
Eliakim a dangerous man appears:
The sober part of the whole Sanhedrim,
Desire to keep Judea’s Crown from him:
For they foresaw if he should wear the Crown,
Baal’s Worship he’d set up, and God’s cast down:
That all the Nations must be Slaves to Baal,
Suffer in Flames, fly, or ’fore Idolls fall.
87 Great were their Fears, but yet they did abhor
The very Thought of a dishonest War:
For they had seen the Kingdom’s many Scarrs,
Th’ unseemly Marks of former Civil Wars.
They Amazia lov’d and wish’d him well,
Resolve to suffer rather than rebell;
Yet openly declare free from all Stain,
How much they hate a Baalite should Reign;
And for this Cause, and for this Cause alone,
Eliakim they’d put by from the Throne.