EBEN EZER, As a Thankefull Remembrance of Gods great goodnesse unto the City of BRISTOLL, in preserving them from the Forces of Prince
Rupert without, and a Treacherous plot within, to betray the City to them
the seventh day of
March 1642.
T. P. dedicates this.
Exod. 12. 14.
‘And this day shall be unto you for a memoriall.,
ver. 42. It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord.’
Iudg. 5. 11.
‘They that are delivered from the noise of Archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his Villages in
Israel.’
O Thou who dost excell the highest praise,
Thou wonder-worker, life and length of dayes,
Thou never-failer in the mount to thine,
Onely wise, present, in each place and time,
What
Brazen Colume, or what
Marble stone,
Shall we
ingrave thy noble Acts upon?
This
act, thy strange
act, counterplotting those
Blood-thirsting
(Foraine and
Domesticke) foes?
O native
City how canst thou be still?
What would'st have more thy mouth with
praise to fill?
Is
health, or
wealth, or
plenty worth the having?
Or
seed immortall, sent thee for
soule-saving?
Or
Life, that blessings make the rest to thee
Matters of
praise? then sing a part with me.
Septembers seventh was thankfull for the
Scots,
And we not for our
selves, whose lives by
lots
Like
Hamans bloody prodigy was cast
This present
March? it might have beene our last,
The rising
Sunne might warme our frozen brest,
More then a falling.
Scots then, now we had rest.
Startle
the Muses, rattle
up the Quires,
Of sweetest Musicke,
Citizens Bonfires,
Let
Bels, and
Cannons roare, your joyes
expressing;
Young
Men and
Virgins, in your comely
dressing,
A way to
Church in
flockes, the touling
Bell
Toules now for
Heaven, is not for death or
Hell:
Each
streete is echoing praise, the
sword is staid,
The
horned Rammes in
Isaaks place are laid:
So let them
perish and indure
disgrace,
That Traytors prove unto their
native place.
The
King of heaven our gracious
King preserv,
But those that doe his
Grace pretend to serve,
I wish they may prove upright, faithfull,
good,
But for to
plot to shed their Neighbours
blood,
As some have done, and in this
plot would doe,
They prove no lesse then King and Kingdomes foe.
O
Prince of
Peace, let it not seeme too great,
That
Prince and
Peeres, and
Peoples hearts may meet,
And all in
unity and
peace as one,
Build
Zions walls, and downe with
Babylon,
Till when, for mercies let us
thankfull be,
And untill then, never unbend our knee.
So praise, and pray, and Fast and pray agen,
Vntill the God of
Peace shall say
Amen.
Printed at London for Michael Sparke senior, 1643.