On his own reason safer ’tis to stand,
  Than be deceived and damn’d at second-hand. 260
  But you, who Fathers and Traditions take,
  And garble some, and some you quite forsake,
  Pretending Church-authority to fix,
  And yet some grains of private spirit mix,
  Are like a mule, made up of differing seed,
  And that’s the reason why you never breed;
  At least not propagate your kind abroad,
  For home dissenters are by statutes awed. 
  And yet they grow upon you every day,
  While you, to speak the best, are at a stay, 270
  For sects, that are extremes, abhor a middle way. 
  Like tricks of state, to stop a raging flood,
  Or mollify a mad-brain’d senate’s mood: 
  Of all expedients never one was good. 
  Well may they argue, nor can you deny,
  If we must fix on Church authority,
  Best on the best, the fountain, not the flood;
  That must be better still, if this be good. 
  Shall she command who has herself rebell’d? 
  Is Antichrist by Antichrist expell’d? 280
  Did we a lawful tyranny displace,
  To set aloft a bastard of the race? 
  Why all these wars to win the Book, if we
  Must not interpret for ourselves, but she? 
  Either be wholly slaves, or wholly free. 
  For purging fires Traditions must not fight;
  But they must prove Episcopacy’s right. 
  Thus those led horses are from service freed;
  You never mount them but in time of need. 
  Like mercenaries, hired for home defence, 290
  They will not serve against their native prince. 
  Against domestic foes of hierarchy
  These are drawn forth, to make fanatics fly;
  But, when they see their countrymen at hand,
  Marching against them under Church-command,
  Straight they forsake their colours, and disband.

   Thus she, nor could the Panther well enlarge
  With weak defence against so strong a charge;
  But said:  For what did Christ his Word provide,
  If still his Church must want a living guide? 300
  And if all saving doctrines are not there,
  Or sacred penmen could not make them clear,
  From after ages we should hope in vain
  For truths, which men inspired could not explain.

   Before the Word was written, said the Hind,
  Our Saviour preach’d his faith to human kind: 
  From his apostles the first age received
  Eternal truth, and what they taught believed. 
  Thus by Tradition faith was planted first;
  Succeeding flocks succeeding pastors nursed. 310
  This was the way our wise Redeemer chose
  (Who sure could all things for the best dispose),
  To fence his fold from their encroaching foes. 
  He could have writ himself, but well foresaw
  The event would be like that of Moses’ law;
  Some difference would arise, some doubts