53 hipocrisie, he maintained it by blood and rapine, till it pleas~d God tu cause that light to breake forth about Luther's time, which bath e1·er si nce bene encrea~ing, and notwithstanding all the attempts of Sathan and his ministers, will in the end grow up to a glorious flame and quite devoure that bloody city. When the wrath of pr inces and priests was in vaine at first blowne up against the professors of the gospel!, and their blood and ashes became fruitefull seed in God's field, then the old fox comes into the fold as a lamb, and seduces some of them that saw the approach of Christ's kingdome, to sett it up irregularly, and indeed, (though I know not whether they perceiv'd their owne delusion), to sett up themselves in Christ's throne, casting downe the thrones of all other magistrates, and destroying the proprieties of men, and ruling by their owne arbitrary lust, which they brought forth in the name of God's law. 1' This example was so threatning to all mankind, that the gospel! itself; by the adversaries thereof; suffer' cl much reproach upon this miscarriage; whereupon the Protestants, in all places, to clcare themselves fi·om the iust aspersions, which the Munster anabaptists and others had occasio~'d, fell into an error on the other hand, not much !esse hurtful! in the consequence; for to flatter the princes of the world, whether Popish or Protestant, they invested them with God's prerogative, and preach'd to them and the people such doctrines as only chang'd the, idoll, but left the idolatry still in practice.' P A descriptiOn of the principles of the mos;t extravagant of those whom in hi story they call Fifth Monarchy .Men, from their affecting to set up the empire of Christ as . the fifth; the Assyrian, l)ersian1 Grecian, and Roman, being the first four . ~ This could hardly be carried farther any where th an in England: where in all cases pa;;sive, in mo., t cnses at:tive obedience was indi scriminate ly inculcat ed; where two di vines stat ing in their discourses, one, H that it was the king's duty to mak e Jaws, and lhc subject\ to obey them;" <.mother1 that cc the king is not bound to observe the laws of the realm, but that his royal will and command in imposing taxes and loans
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