and his Councell which needs no long answer For whereas I had said nothing against them hee would make mee criminous by way of inference and insinuation and the like concerning Major General Desborow to whom for advantage hee will afford a title of honour whom hee sayes I intimated to have been easily and mischievously instrumental to wicked ungodly and unchristian practises 't is wonder hee did not directly charge mee But let any man read what I have therein written and say wherein have I abused him And thus much I say as to that as I hope the Major General and others in power did not by their lenity intend to countenance such practises before So now seeing what their lenity may produce they will not bee so easie to bee intreated for the future which was that and all I aimed at and the like envious dealing hath hee in the matter of Colonel Scroop and there hee charges mee with flattering him So that let mee speak how I will I must it seems bee concluded an offender But hee alledges I had spoken against him why what of this Because I deal plainly with a man when I finde hee doth ill may I not therefore commend him when hee doth well Is not this an argument of ingenuity I hope hee will pardon mee this offence And truly had I not apprehended him really to have disclaimed these Quakers as I then believed hee did I should not have made that honourable mention of him And I confesse had hee been still here in power over us I might well have been thought in so doing to have flatter'd him but it is well known when hee was here I did it not and lesse reason to do it now in that he is absent But I must here observe what George sayes concerning him which very much tends to the justifying of my Narrative concerning the rise growth and setling of the Quakers among us by the over-topping and over-bearing of our Magistrates and making them Cyphers by a forraign power so that they could not reform things though they had a will to it for page 106. George sayes hee Col. Scroop was so far from denying the Quakers to speak publikely that hee said to Dennis Hollister by name that if the Magistrates did put them in prison one day hee would put them out the next which no doubt Dennis acquainted them with for their incouragement which very likely made them so bold and daring and to out-face as they did the Magistrates and not to care for their commands to depart the City How will revenge and malice blinde a man to tell all which hee had better forborn As for the remainder ejusdem farinae which follows it is a further discovery of the same spirit which I shall passe over intending as the Lord shall give time and opportunity to give a full and distinct answer to the particular of Thomas Evens for as for Morgan Lloyd whose doctrine he sayes I had reproached and concerning which hee sayes hee sent mee a sober note to reason with mee publikely in my Steeple-house as hee calls it which I refused To that I say it 's not so I did not reproach his doctrine for I knew not what it was nor heard it that I took offence at and justly was that any man should intrude and thrust himself yea force himself into my Pulpit upon a day and at a time which was not assigned for Publike Lecture whereas himself and Erbury had not long before made a kinde of a publike contest to the disturbance and unsetling of the people in another Congregation Erbury at that time being sufficiently known to bee tainted with unsound opinions and Lloyd himself much disliked And truly to speak my minde in this matter if Morgan Lloyds note had been or were to that purpose I suppose that Minister that in these brawling and heretical times shall entertain motions for publike contests with such as run up and down and make it their businesse to wrangle and contend in things doubtful and uncertain shall not provide for his own peace nor the peoples establishment in the truth by giving them entertainment If the doctrines wee teach were unsound or our selves not able to discharge our duty it would bee a favour for some to come and help us when orderly and peaceably sent or called but otherwise for men of unquiet and rambling spirits to impose themselves upon us is neither Christian nor civil And I conceive those who are careful to preserve the people from infection do not well to encourage much lesse to invite them Nor are the people competent Judges in doubtful matters and are as I said before much swayed by the impudence and confidence of a bold and daring Opponent I have now but two or three things more to speak to and so I shall come to deal by way of charge upon my Adversary wherein I shall have so much matter as that I must of necessity avoid all debates and altercations with him in matter of doctrine and this upon a double account First because their doctrines judgement and way of arguing are sufficiently known and answered already and I am not willing to draw the same Saw of contention everlastingly not caring for the last word in the quarrel And secondly lest by taking up too much time in those things of which the reader may be else-where better satisfied as in Mr. Thomas of Vblegs most sober and Christian answer Mr. Baxter Mr. Ford and others I bee prevented of what I principally intended which is to discover the hypocrisie and unsoundnesse of a Quakers conversion and to exemplifie it in this man in particular which you see I have in part performed by discovering his railing lying and malicious dealing in which trade hee still continues and therefore page 47. hee charges mee that I would have joyned my self as a member of Hollisters Congregation but finding by discourse with him that there was no place for my imperious proud and pragmatical Mastership over them they heard no more of mee in that particular till the state of things were changed and then I became an adversary to separated Churches and to that in Bristol especially this is the full of the charge This story I assure my self hee had from Dennis But how doth hee know that Dennis sayes truth To this I oppose this true relation when Thomas Evens came first to this City I desiring to know him fully had a purpose to invite him to my house to dinner and understanding that hee would bee at the house of Robert Purnil in an evening went thither where I met him and most I think of that Congregation at an exercise of Religion where I continued Mr. Evens being the man that then exercised wherein something being delivered unsound and erronious I forbore for divers reasons to speak to it till most of the company were dismissed when conceiving it convenient I told him of that erronious doctrine which hee had delivered and spake fully to
's very like if the Lord prevent not Magisterially and Dictator-like almost in Cathedra to bee resolved That wee neither have nor had true Churches or Ministers among us and that wee must renounce our Ordination take it up from the people and so make all new after a mode which yet our eyes nor the eyes of our Fore-fathers have ever seen or their eares ever heard of To effect this have those Emissaries of the Roman Faction no doubt stirred up and set on foot these obstreporous Quakers though the generality of them suspect no such matter to cry down our Churches Ministers and Ordinances to whom they have now drawn in heads and pens more subtil and able who aliud agentes as it were do that for them which they themselves in their own persons openly were not able to effect or accomplish who doth not with fear and sadness that doth consider foresee that lamentable result that 's like to follow upon the contests raised and encreasing between our brethren of the Presbyterian and Independent perswasion and which by the heat and opposition of persons of ability on both sides are like to grow more high than ever But if my poor low voice might bee heard between them and Oh that the Lord would perswade them to hear I should say as Abraham to Lot Let there bee no strife between you for you are Brethren and I should beseech them in Josephs language to his Brethren Fall not out by the way But if I cannot bee heard I make this protestation disclaimer and prayer Lord let not my soul come into the secrets and let mee never partake of the delicacies of those men who make Schismatical separation destroying those Churches and Ministery wherein and by whom blessed be God thousands have been converted and saved and who are willing to reform and conform according to what is revealed in the Scripture Sure I am and experience the Mistress even of fools hath made it good unto the world that Discipline and Government in the Church hath ever since the reformation from Popery kept the Reformed Churches free from Heresie and Blasphemy getting head among them and if there were danger of an inrode and an incursion by the abuse of Government hee shall come little short of an Ideot and wise men will easily acknowledge it that doth not perceive that no Government at all every one being left to his own fancy will much more do it It 's a strange piece of madness not to put a difference between inforcing men to Religion and tolerating all Religions to the hazzarding of the true Or if putting a difference Matchivilianisme shall so far prevail with any as that so they can secure their own interests they care not for the concernments of Jesus Christ and his Gospel As for my own former undertakings by the help of the Press I have but endeavoured to discover these upstart enemies and adversaries to the truth who privily brought in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them By occasion whereof I have raised up this home-bred Adversary my own Countryman by hinting only at whose impostures in this kinde the impostume is broken and much filth and quitture hath been vomited forth from it in most unchristian railings lyings and reproachings who yet withal pretends to higher measures of Saintship and perfection than ordinary which considering and well knowing the man and his practises I concluded this with my self that if wee might judge of the conscience honesty and perfection of the Quakers in general by this man in particular wee may well assert this viz. A man may bee as vile a person as any under heaven and yet a perfect Quaker which after a brief discourse of the conversion and perfection of Quakers in general I have endeavoured to demonstrate from the practises and doings of him in special and this in his dealings in the matters of the Lord Craven and Mr. Love the ones Estate and the others Life The materials I have built my discourse with in the matter of the Lord Craven are two printed pieces the one entituled A true and perfect Narrative of the several proceedings in the case concerning the Lord Craven wherein are set forth the whole proceedings together with the Indictment Tryal and Conviction of Faulconer of Perjury in that information upon which the Lord Cravens Estate was sequestred which piece was printed and published by the friends of the Lord Craven the other is a piece entituled The Lord Cravens Case c. with a short examination of that former Narrative and this latter was written by Bishop himself in excuse and defence of himself and Faulconer of which book hee printed so few and so disposed of them as that I could not get one either here or at London until by providence I was directed to send to himself to borrow it And this I did because in his Pamphlet against mee hee quotes it and refers to it for clearing as hee thought of his innocency which if hee had refused to lend mee I intended to acquaint the world that hee had quoted his book to clear himself which could not bee come by which it may bee hee feared and therefore sent it mee or otherwise by the disposing of Divine Providence the time being come for the discovery of his deep hypocrisie hee was over-ruled so to send it For his own Confessions therein contained and Faulconers Confession upon his death-bed of that perjury which Bishop would in his book free him from being conferred and compared the whole practise and whence it arose and how it was carried on is manifestly discovered as in the discourse following to which I have added a little of his dealings against Mr. Love to let him and the world see whether hee bee not also a blood-sucker Could I have gotten his other book called A Short Plea c. which hee also published against Mr. Love I doubt not but thence I should have made a further discovery of him but hee dealt as subtilly in this as in the former printed so few as that they cannot bee gotten But I suppose what I have done is sufficient the improvement I make of the whole is this to let the world see how deeply and closely wickedness may lye lurking in our natures and what a desperate evil Hypocrisie is that a man may continue in such wickedness unrepented of and yet think himself a Saint and to have attained to perfection If by what I have herein done I may bee instrumental to bring him to repentance or his case may bee as a Pillar of Salt to season and caution others I shall bee abundantly satisfied in my labour and shall when I know it give God the glory In the mean time I rest Reader Thine and the Churches Servant RA. FARMER THE IMPOSTOR DE THROND OR The Quakers Throne of Truth Detected to be Satans Seat of LIES IT 's the great Criterion and distinguishing Character of the Generation of Quakers among us that
they pretend to greater measures and higher stature in Christ and Christianity then others to have attained even to perfection such perfection as to be without sin in their persons This to be so is manifest by their reproaching and vilifying the Ministers of the Gospel and their Doctrine in this point though we teach and press perfection as the white to be aimed at and as that which every true Christian must and doth endeavour after not as though he had already attained either were already perfect but following after if that he might apprehend that Phil. 3. 11 12 13 14. for which also he is apprehended of Christ Jesus and which he shall attain unto when he hath attained unto the Resurrection of the Dead And although we say and teach that there is a measure of perfection even in this life attainable and that personal too consisting in sincerity integrity and uprightnesse of heart walking in all good conscience both towards God and men And that we must and do daily cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit 2 Cor. 7. 1. perfecting holinesse in the fear of God Although I say we preach and press and by grace received practise this yet this will not content them No less then such a manner and such a measure of Christ within them as shall put them out of need of Christ without them will serve their turn If this be not so they have no cause to charge us as they do for we do with all seriousness possible profess and urge a necessity of Christ within us renewing transforming and changing us from our dead and perishing estate in nature and conforming and making us more and more like unto himself by grace and the mighty and powerful operations of his Spirit within us When we sin which we would not do giving the grace of repentance and the exercise of it unto us Rom. 7. By his mediation and intercession in heaven procuring pardon and peace for us and as our Head and King by degrees subduing our sins and iniquities which are our greatest enemies under us This is our Doctrine this we profess preach and practise And for the truth of this that we do so even all of us unanimously and with one mouth I appeal to the whole world to bear us witness But this I say our present Adversaries disapprove of their perfection is of another nature a high form of perfection absolute and entire wanting nothing And we are with them false teachers because we say we cannot here attain it To argue this a little because 't is cardo caput controversiae the great and main thing they seem to drive at and to profess witness their morese and severe carriage and conversation their demure looks their abstinences in meats and drinks the pulling off their Points Laces and Ribons from their cloaths their separating and withdrawing from the society and familiarity of all others as unclean and polluted And last of all witness their living without and despising all former Ordinances and Administrations since Christ and his Apostles as if too low and mean and not suiting with their perfection We shall therefore a little examine this matter and try their Title and doubt not but upon trial we shall finde them as those in the Revelations whom the Angel of the Church of Ephesus tried Rev. 2. 2. who said they were Apostles and were not and so were discovered to be liars Perfection then is two-fold Doctrinal and Practical Doctrinal perfection is such a height and measure of knowledge as beyond which a man cannot go To be perfect in knowledge Practical Perfection is such a measure of holiness as not to sin at all at any time in any thing but to be perfect in the measure of every grace and in the practise of every duty I suppose this is so plain a distribution of humane perfection absolute as is very clear and obvious And if our Adversaries mean less then this they fall in with our Doctrine and then they quarrel and charge us wrongfully Now if I shall shew from Prophotical and Apostolical Doctrine and consequently from the Doctrine of Christ that perfection in either kinde Doctrinal or Practical is not in this last sense in this life attainable then the Quakers are found to be out of the Doctrine of Christ and are hypocrites and liars and it will not need many words to prove either And first for Doctrinal Perfection that we cannot here attain that full measure of knowledge allotted us that one place of the Apostle is a sufficient testimony 1 Cor. 13. 9 10. We know in part and we Prophecie in part but when that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away And ver 12. For now we see through a glass darkly but then face to face Now I know in part but then I shall know even as I am known If any shall be either so simple or perverse as to question whether the Apostle speak this of our imperfect state in this life in point of knowledge I shall not think him worthy of an answer the clearness of the truth will sufficiently argue such a mans imperfection And as for Practical perfection that we cannot here attain such a measure of holiness as not to sin at all at any time in any thing but that we may be absolutely perfect in the measure of every grace and in the practise of every duty I shall not need heap testimonies a few places will sufficiently evidence this truth without any further argumentation 1 Kings 8. 46. There is no man that sinneth not Prov. 20. 9. Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin Eccles 7. 20. There is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not These are the testimonies of Solomon More might be produc'd from the Old Testament take onely two from the New The first from St. John 1 John 1. 8. If we I John and the Saints to whom he wrote If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us The next from St. James Ja. 3. 2. In many things not in a few only we offend all So that here we attain not a sinless perfection we shall not here be I say fully like Christ in holiness or knowledge this is reserved for hereafter and this the same St. John attesteth 1 Jo. 3 2. Beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is when we shall see him as St. Paul sayes before face to face then our imperfect measures shall be made perfect That which there follows in John and other places produced for perfection intend it and press it viz. absolute perfection as our duty and the matter of our endeavour Thus from Canonical truth I have