ore;
Whole false Religion was but loose, and few
Could bear the Righteous Strictness of the true.

Thus these Disciples of the hellish Brood,
Disguis'd, among the _Jews_, themselves intrude,
And with the purer Wheat, their Tares they sow,
Saw their bad Crop near to an Harvest grow,
And hop'd that they again should rule the State:
For e'er the days of good _Jehosaphat_,
Through all the Land _Baal_'s Worship was allow'd,
And King and People to gross Idols bow'd.
The Priests, like Bloody Tyrants did command;
They and their Gods, did wholly rule the Land;
And every one who would not bow to _Baal_,
Fled thence, or else by Fire, or Sword did fall:
But that good King a Reformation made,
Their Idols, and their Groves he quite destroy'd;
In every place their Altars overthrew,
And _Chemarims_ he banished or slew.
Since when (except in _Athaliah_'s Reign,
Who for a space, set Idols up again,
Tormenting those to Death who would not turn,
And did the _Jewish Rabbins_ slay or burn)
These crafty Priests, by Plots did never cease,
To spoil the Beauty of _Judea's_ Peace.
Whilst _Joash_ reign'd, by sly and subtil Arts,
They first estrang'd from him his Peoples Hearts.
Saw Faction's Sparks, and unseen blew the Fire,
Till Rebells 'gainst that good King did conspire:
Then Cursed _Zabed_ of proud _Ammon_'s Line,
And _Moabitish Jehozabad_ joyn,
And to their Side some _Pharisees_ they drew,
(_Joash_ did to their Sect no Favor shew)
And th' _Essens_, who then daily numerous grew,
Rebell, and their good King, like Murtherers, slew.
Then _Amazia_ over _Jordan_ fled,
Till God had struck the Tyrant _Zabed_ dead;
When all his Subjects, who his Fate did moan,
With joyful Hearts, restor'd him to his Throne;
Who then his Father's Murtherers destroy'd,
And a long, happy, peaceful Reign enjoy'd.
Belov'd of all, for merciful was He,
Like God, in the Superlative Degree.
The _Jewish_ Sects he did not seek to quell,
Yet Laws he made they might no more rebell:
Wisely about them made of Laws a Fence,
Yet kind, would not oppress their Conscience.
The _Pharisee_, a very numerous Sect,
Above the rest were in their Worship strict:
In their own _Synagogues_ he let them pray,
And worship God after their stricter way.
In Peace all liv'd, and former strife forgot,
The _Chemarims_ and Hell had hatch'd a Plot:
A Plot form'd in the deep Abyss below,
Law and Religion both to overthrow.
The King was by their Bloody Swords to fall,
That all _Judea_ mig