''If we omit [the chance for a new government] now . . . Massanello . . . may sweep away the liberties of the continent like a deluge.''
Question: What kind of figurative language does Thomas Paine use here?
Answer: Simile.
Explanation: A simile uses the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind. It is used to make a more vivid description of a situation, thing or person and It uses the words ''like'' and ''as'' to compare.
In the text, Thomas Paine uses the figurative language simile. We know this because he mentions the liberties of the continent being swept away like a deluge. He compares the liberties of the continent being taken away to the destruction or elimination (''swept away'') that a deluge (a severe flood) causes.