Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A40403
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An epistle written from Lucifer, Prince of darkness vnto his well-beloved children the persecuting popish prelats / set forth by Thomas Francklin.
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Francklin, Thomas, 17th cent.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing F2089; ESTC R16114
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4,337
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10
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AN EPISTLE Written from LUCIFER Prince of Darkenesse Vnto his Well-beloved Children The Persecuting Popish Prelats Set forth by Thomas Francklin LONDON Printed Anno Domini 1642. An Epistle written from Lucifer c. I Lucifer Prince of darknesse and profound heavinesse Emperor of the high mysteries of the King of Acheron Captain of the Dungeon Erebus King of Hell and Comptroller of the Infernall fire To all our Children of pride and Companions of our Kingdom and especially to our Princes of the Church of this latter age and time of which our Adversary Iesus Christ according to the Prophet saith I hate the Church or Congregation of the wicked send greeting and wish prosperity to all that obey our Commandements as also to those that be obedient to the Laws of Sathan already enected and that are diligent observers of our behests and precepts of our decrees Know yee that in times past certain Vicars or Vicegerents of Christ following his steps in Miracles and Vertues living and continuing in a beggerly life converted in a manner the whole World from the yoke of our tyranny unto their Doctrine and manner of life to the great derision and contempt of our prison-house and Kingdome and also to the no little hurt and prejudice of our jurisdiction and authority nor fearing to hurt our fortified power and to offend the Majesty of our Estate For then received we no tribute of the world neither did the miserable sort of common people rush at the gates of our deep dungeon as they were wont to do with continuall pealing and rapping but then the easie pleasant and broad way which leadeth to death lay still without great noyse of trampling travailers neither yet was trod with the feet of miserable men And when all our Courts were without sutors Hell then began to houle And thus continuing in great heavinesse and anguish was robbed and spoiled Which thing considered the impatient rage of our Stomack could no longer suffer neither the ougly wretchlesse negligence of our great Captain generall could longer endure it but we seeking remedy for the time that should come after have provided us of a very trim shift for instead of those Apostles and other their adherents which draw by the same line of theirs as well in manner as Doctrine and are odious enemies unto us we have caused you to be their Successors and put you into their places which be Prelats of the Church in these latter times by our great might and subtiltie as Christ hath said of you They have reigned but not by me Once we promised unto him all the Kingdomes of the world if he would fall down and worship us but he would not saying My Kingdom is not of this World and went his way when the multitude would have made him King But to you truely which are fallen from the State of Grace and that serve us in the Earth is that my promise fulfilled and all terrene things by our meanes which we have bestowed upon you are under government For he hath said of us as ye know The Prince of this world cometh c. and hath made us to raigne over all the children of unbeliefe therefore our adversaries before mentioned did patiently submit themselves unto the Princes of the world and did teach that men should doe so saying Be ye subject to every creature for Gods cause whether it be to the King as most chiefest And againe Obey ye them that are made rulers over you c. for so their Master commanded them saying The Kings of the heathen have dominion ouer them c. But I thinke it long till we have poured our poyson upon the earth and therefore fill your selves full And now be ye not onely unlike those fathers but also contrary unto them in your life and conditions and extoll your selves above all other men Neither doe ye give to God that which is Gods nor yet to Coesar that which is his but exercise ye the power of both the swords according to our decrees making your selves doers in worldly matters fighting in our quarrell intangled with secular labours and businesse and clime ye by little and little from the miserable estate of poverty unto the highest feats of all honours and the princely places of dignity by your devised practises and false deceitfull wiles and subtilties that is by hypocrisie flattery lying perjury treasons deceits symony and other greater wickednesse then which our infernall furies may devise for after that you be by us advanced thither where ye would be yet that must not content you nor suffize you but as greedy starulings more hungry then before ye must suppresse the poore scratch and rake together all that comes to hand perverting and turning every thing topsi-turvey so swolne that ready to burst for pride living like leachers in all corporall delicatenesse and by fraud directing all your doings you challenge to your selves names of honour in the earth calling your selves Lords holy yea and most holy persons Thus either by violence ye raven or else by ambition and subtilty ye pilfer away and wrongfully wrast and by false title possesse those goods which for the sustentation of the poore members of Christ whom from our first fall we have hated were bestowed and given consuming them as ye our selves list and therewith ye cherish and maintain an innumerable sort of Whores strumpets and Bauds with whom ye ride pompously like mighty Princes farre otherwise going than those poore beggerly Priests of the Primitive Church For I would ye should build your selves rich and gorgeous pallaces fare like Princes eating and drinking the most daintiest meats and pleasantest wine that may be gotten and hoard and heap together an infinite deale of treasure not like to him that said Gold and silver have I none yea ye serve and fight for us according to your wages O most exceptable society and fellowship promised unto us by the Prophets and of those Fathers long agoe reproved Whilest that Christ called thee the Sinagogue of Sathan and likened thee to the mighty Whore which committed Fornication with the Kings of the Earth the adulterous Spouse of Christ and of a chaste person made a Strumpet Thou hast left thy first love and cleaved unto Us O our beloved Babylon oh our Citizens which from the transmigration of Jerusalem come hither We love you for your deserts We rejoyce over you which contemne the Lawes of Symon Peter and embrace the Lawes of Symon Magus our friend and have them at your fingers end and exercise the same publikely buying and selling spirituall things in the Church of God and against the Commandement of God ye give benefices and honours by Petition or else for mony for favour or else for filthy service And refusing to admit those that be worthy to Ecclesiasticall dignities and referring those that be unworthy you call into the inheritance of Gods Sanctuary Bauds lyars flatterers your Nephewes and your own Children and to a childish Boy ye