An Apology for the True Christian Divinity (Classic Reprint)

Lord sdoing; which, as it is marvellous in our eyes, so it will be justly a matter of wonder and astonishment to generations to come; and may sufficiently serve, if rightly observed, to confute and confoimd that atheism wherewith this age doth so much abound. As the vindication of the liberty of conscience (which thy father, by giving way to the importunate clamours of the clergy, the answering and fulfilling of whose unrighteous wills has often proved hurtful and pernicious to princes, sought in some part to restrain) was a great occasion of those troubles and revolutions; so the pretence of conscience was that which carried it on, and brought it to that pitch it came to. And though no doubt some that were engaged in that work designed good things, at least in the beginning, albeit always wrong in the manner they took to accomplish it, viz. by carnal weapons; yet so soon as they had tasted the sweets of the possessions of them they had turned out, they quickly began to do those things themselves for which they had accused others. For their hands were found full of oppression, and they hated the reproofs of instruction, which are the way of life; and they evilly intreated the messengers of the Lord, and caused his prophets to be beaten and imprisoned, and persecuted his people, whom he had called and gathered out from among them, whom he had made to beat their swords into plough-shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks, and not to learn carnal war any more: but he raised them up, and armed them with spiritual weapons, even with his own Spirit and power, whereby they testified in the streets and highways, and public markets and synagogues, against the pride, vanity, lusts, and hypocrisy of that generation, who were righteous in their own eyes; though often cruelly intreated therefor: and they faithfully prophesied and foretold them of their judgment and do
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)