![Ecclesiastical Sonnets - Part II. - XLI - Distractions, By: William Wordsworth](https://i0.wp.com/poetrycatalog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Ecclesiastical-Sonnets-Part-II-XLI-Distractions-By-William-Wordsworth.png?resize=750%2C420&ssl=1)
Men, who have ceased to reverence, soon defy,
Their forefathers; lo! sects are formed, and split
With morbid restlessness; the ecstatic fit
Spreads wide; though special mysteries multiply,
‘The Saints must govern’, is their common cry;
And so they labour, deeming Holy Writ
Disgraced by aught that seems content to sit
Beneath the roof of settled Modesty.
The Romanist exults; fresh hope he draws
From the confusion, craftily incites
The overweening, personates the mad
To heap disgust upon the worthier Cause:
Totters the Throne; the new-born Church is sad,
For every wave against her peace unites.