CHARGE AGAINST MR. OWEN. 177 



of deposing, a king by any son of Adam may 

 be slaughtered ; and tbat it is justice and no mur 

 der ; and tbat their subjects are absolved of their 

 allegiance, and the kings themselves exposed to spoil 

 and prey. I said before, that I would not argue 

 the subtlety of the question : it is rather to be spoken 

 to by way of accusation of the opinion as impious, 

 than by way of dispute of it as doubtful. Nay, I 

 say, it deserveth rather some holy war or league 

 amongst all Christian princes of either religion for 

 the extirpating and rasing of the opinion, and the 

 authors thereof, from the face of the earth, than the 

 stile of pen or speech. Therefore in this kind I will 

 speak to it a few words, and not otherwise. Nay, I 

 protest, if I were a Papist I should say as much : 

 nay, I should speak it perhaps with more indigna 

 tion and feeling. For this horrible opinion is our 

 advantage, and it is their reproach, and will be their 

 ruin. 



This monster of opinion is to be accused of three 

 most evident and most miserable slanders. 



First, Of the slander it bringeth to the Christian 

 faith, being a plain plantation of irreligion and 

 atheism. 



Secondly, The subversion which it introduceth 

 into all policy and government. 



Thirdly, The great calamity it bringeth upon 

 Papists themselves ; of which the more moderate 

 sort, as men misled, are to be pitied. 



For the first, if a man doth visit the foul and 

 polluted opinions, customs, or practices of heathenism, 



VOL. VI. N 



