The doctrine had caught the souls of Harrison and other men of action, hitherto classed as Anabaptists or Seekers.

Now, so far there was no harm in it, nor could any of the orthodox who rejected it for themselves dare to treat it as one of the heresies to be restrained by the Civil Magistrate.

Evidently, however, there was a root of danger.

What if the Fifth-Monarchy men should make it part of their faith that the saints could accelerate the Fifth Monarchy, and that it was their duty to do so?
Then their tenet might have strange practical effects upon English politics.
Already, in the time of the Barebones Parliament, there had been warnings of this, the Fifth-Monarchy men there, or outside the Parliament, having distinguished themselves by an ultra-Republicanism which verged on Communism, and also by their zeal for pure Voluntaryism in Religion and the abolition of a paid Ministry and all express Church machinery.

The fact had not escaped Cromwell, and in his speech at the opening of the present Parliament he had taken notice of it.