The field of battle, fubject of debate;
The thing contended for, the fair estate.
The fenfe is intricate, 'tis only clear

What vowels and what confonants are there.
Therefore 'tis plain, its meaning must be try'd
Before fome judge appointed to decide.
Suppose, the fair apoftate faid, I grant,

The faithful flock fome living guide should want,
Your arguments an endless chace pursue :
Produce this vaunted leader to our view,
This mighty Moses of the chosen crew.
The dame, who faw her fainting foe retir'd,
With force renew'd, to victory aspir'd;
And, looking upward to her kindred sky,
As once our Saviour own'd his Deity,
Pronoune'd his words--"fhe whom ye feek am I."
Nor lefs amaz'd this voice the Panther heard,
Than were those Jews to hear a God declar'd.
Then thus the matron modeftly renew'd :
Let all your prophets and their fects be view'd,
And fee to which of them yourselves think fit
The conduct of your confcience to fubmit:
Each profelyte would vote his doctor best,
With abfolute exclufion to the rest:
Thus would your Polish diet disagree,

And end as it began in anarchy:

Yourself the fairest for election ftand,
Because you seem crown-general of the land:
But foon against your fuperftitious lawn
Some prefbyterian fabre would be drawn :
establish'd laws of fov'reignty

In

your

The rest some fundamental flaw would fee,
And call rebellion gospel-liberty.
To church-decrees your articles require
Submiffion mollify'd, if not entire.
Homage deny'd, to cenfures you proceed:
But when Curtana will not do the deed,
You lay that pointless clergy-weapon by,
And to the laws, your fword of justice, fly.
Now this your fects the more unkindly take
Those prying varlets hit the blots you make,
Because fome ancient friends of yours declare,
Your only rule of faith the scriptures are,
Interpreted by men of judgment found,
Which every fect will for themselves expound;
Nor think lefs rev'rence to their doctors due
For found interpretation, than to you.
If then, by able heads, are understood
Your brother prophets, who reform'd abroad;
Those able heads expound a wifer way,
That their own sheep their fhepherd fhould
cbey.

But if you mean yourselves are only found,
That doctrine turns the reformation round,
And all the reft are falfe reformers found;
Because in fundry points you stand alone,
Not in communion join'd with any one;
And therefore must be all the church, or none.
Then, 'till
you have agreed whofe judge is beft,
Against this forc'd fubmiffion they proteft :
While found and found a diff'rent sense explains,
Both play at hardhead till they break their brains;
And from their chairs each other's force defy,
While unregarded thunders vainly fly.

I pass the rest, because your church alone
Of all ufurpers best could fill the throne.
But neither you, nor any
fect befide,

For this high office can be qualify'd,

With necessary gifts requir'd in such a guide.
For that, which must direct the whole, must be
Bound in one bond of faith and unity :
But all your feveral churches disagree.
The consubstantiating church and priest
Refufe communion to the Calvinift:

The French reform'd from preaching you restrain,"
Because you judge their ordination vain

And fo they judge of yours, but donors must ordain.

In fhort, in doctrine, or in difcipline,
Not one reform'd can with another join;
But all from each, as from damnation, fly;
No union they pretend, but in Non-Popery:
Nor, should their members in a fynod meet,
Could any church prefume to mount the feat,
Above the rest, their discords to decide;
None would obey, but each would be the guide;
And face to face diffenfions would increase ;.
For only distance now preferves the peace.
All in their turns accufers, and accus'd;
Babel was never half so much confus'd;
What one can plead, the rest can plead as well;
For amongst equals lies no last appeal,
And all confefs themselves are fallible.
Now fince you grant fome neceffary guide,
All who can err are justly laid aside :
Because a truft fo facred to confer
Shews want of fuch a fure interpreter ;
And how can he be needful who can err?
Then granting that unerring guide we want,
That fuch there is you ftand oblig'd to grant ;
Our Saviour elfe were wanting to fupply
Our needs, and obviate that neceffity.
It then remains, that church can only be
The guide, which owns unfailing certainty;

Or elfe you flip your hold, and change your fide, Relapfing from a neceffary guide.

But this annex'd condition of the crown,

Immunity from errors, you difown;

Here then you shrink, and lay your weak pretenfions down.

For petty royalties you raise debate;

But this unfailing universal state

You fhun; nor dare fucceed to fuch a glorious weight;

And for that cause those promises deteft,
With which our Saviour did his church invest;
But ftrive t'evade, and fear to find them true,
As conscious they were never meant to you:
All which the mother church afferts her own,`.
And with unrivall'd claim afcends the throne.
So when of old th' almighty Father fate
In council, to redeem our ruin'd state,
Millions of millions, at a distance round,
Silent the facred confiftory crown'd,

To hear what mercy, mixt with justice, could propound:

All prompt with eager pity, to fulfil

The full extent of their creator's will.