Anno, 1522. Did arise in Saxony, Nicholas Stork, who boasted of dreams and visions and rejected the Scripture, as being a carnal and literal rule; Antinomians call it carnal, literal and legal. From him and others arose Thomas Mun•erus, about Ann. 1524. who styled himself in his letters, Thomas Muncer, the servant of God, with the sword of Gideon against the ungodly. This man being hungry for glory, hunted for Luther's name to his new designs, but not obtaining it, said Luther lopped, but rooted not out Antichrist: that Luther's carnal and literal Gospel was worse then the Pope, and therefore cried down books, and the letter of Scripture; and said, the Spirit was leader and rule to believers. As Mistress Hutchison of N. England being demanded pa warrant for her private assemblies and teaching, said she walked by the rule of the new creature; which rule she said was the Spirit, but could not give Scripture for it; so the Antinomian Del in her very Grammar, saith, qhe knoweth no laws in Gods Kingdom the Church, but three. 1. Th• law of a new creature, 2. the law of the Spirit of ⟨p. 7⟩life that is in Christ. 3. The law of love, not one word of the Scripture here, its but a dead Letter; Antinomians, Familists, Nicholai•ans, Enthusiasts, Sweckfeldians, Libertines, go no higher, that they may abase the Scriptures. Luther wrote to the Senate of Mulhuysen a famous Town in Thuringia, to beware of the wolf Muncer. Henry Pfeiffer a Monk,3 did blow up Muncerus, he boasting of a vision from Heaven, gathered troops to the field. The Princes of Saxoni, Hess•n, and Brunswick, the Count of Manfield, and the Princes in Sweden, Thuringia Alsa•ia, Franconia, Bavaria, Austria, and Styria, subdued and killed the Boors, or Husbandmen and Rustics,4 who were sick of love for Muncer's Liberty, or rather licence due to them, as the false Prophets said, under the New Testament; on a hill near Frankbusen, Muncer drew up and cried, The Sword of the Lord, and of Gideon against New Testament taskmasters, he meant Princes, and lawful Magistrates, yet was Muncer taken in the Town Frankbusen, and Pfeiffer also, near Isewick, and Muncer having feigned himself sick, and despairing, he and his Prophet were hanged, An. 1525. By these and other the like bloody inspirations, were above a hundred thousand killed.
ANno, 1522. Did arise in Saxonie, Nicholas Stork, who boasted of dreames and visions and rejected the Scripture, as being a carnall and literall rule; Antinomians call it carnall, literall and legall. From him and others arose Thomas Mun•erus, about Ann. 1524. who stiled himselfe in his letters, Thomas Muncer, the servant of God, with the sword of Gideon against the ungodly. This man being hungry for glory, hunted for Luthers name to his new designes, but not obtaining it, said Luther lopped, but rooted not out Antichrist: that Luthers carnall and literall Gospel was worse then the Pope, and therefore cryed downe bookes, and the letter of Scripture; and said, the Spirit was leader and rule to believers. As Mistris Hutchison of N. England being demanded pa warrant for her private assemblies and teaching, said she walked by the rule of the new creature; which rule she said was the Spirit, but could not give Scripture for it; so the Antinomian Del in her very Grammer, saith, qhe knoweth no laws in Gods Kingdome the Church, but three. 1. Th• law of a new creature, 2. the law of the Spirit of ⟨p. 7⟩life that is in Christ. 3. The law of love, not one word of the Scripture here, its but a dead Letter; Antinomians, Familists, Nicholai•ans, Enthusiasts, Sweckfeldians, Libertines, goe no higher, that they may abase the Scriptures. Luther wrote to the Senate of Mulhuysen a famous Towne in Thuringia, to beware of the wolfe Muncer. Henry Pfeiffer a Monk,3 did blow up Muncerus, he boasting of a vision from Heaven, gathered troops to the field. The Princes of Saxoni, Hess•n, and Brunswick, the Count of Manfield, and the Princes in Sweden, Thuringia Alsa•ia, Franconia, Bavaria, Au•tria, and Stiria, subdued and killed the Boures, or Husbandmen and Rusticks,4 who were sick of love for Muncers Liberty, or rather licence due to them, as the false Prophets said, under the New Testament; on a hill neer Frankbusen, Muncer drew up and cryed, The Sword of the Lord, and of Gideon against New Testament taskmasters, hee meant Princes, and lawfull Magistrates, yet was Muncer taken in the Town Frankbusen, and Pfeiffer also, near Isewick, and Muncer having fained himself sick, and despairing, he and his Prophet were hanged, An. 1525. By these and other the like bloody inspirations, were above a hundred thousand killed.
- pRise a•d reign. p 36.Rise a•d reig•. p 36.
- qDel. s•r. 26.
- 3Henry Pfeiffer and Muncer their seditious spirits and miserable end.Henry Pfeiffer and Muncer their sedi•ious spirits and miserable end.
- 4Great tumults to the killing of above an hundred thousand through Germany and about by the Antinomian spirits impulsion which wa•t•th the light of Scripture.
