The Quakers Throne of Truth Satans Seat of Lies, Title page – Dedication
The IMPOSTOR Dethron'd; OR, The Quakers Throne of Truth, Detected to bee SATANS Seat of LYES.
By way of Reply, to a Quaking and Railing Pamphlet, written by Capt. Biſhop, entituled, The Throne of Truth, exalted over the Powers of Darkneſſe.
Wherein is briefly hinted, the rottenneſs of the Quakers converſion, and perfection, in general, exemplified in this buſie BISHOP; in ſpecial inſtanced
In his Practiſes againſt the
Eſtate of the LORD CRAVEN.
Life of Mr. LOVE.
By occaſion whereof, this Truth is aſſerted, viz. If we may judge of the Conſcience, Honeſty, and Perfection of Quakers in general, by this man in particular, A man may bee as vile a perſon, as any under heaven, and yet a perfect QƲAKER.
Come down, and ſit in the dust, O Virgin, daughter of Babylon, ſit on the ground; there is no Throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans, Iſa. 47. v. 1.
Thy nakedneſs ſhall bee uncovered, yea, thy ſhame ſhall bee ſeen, v. 3.
By Ralph Farmer, a ſervant of that Jeſus Chriſt, who was Crucified at Jeruſalem, above ſixteen hundred years ago, and whoſe Blood the Quakers trample under foot, as a common thing.
Publiſhed according to Order.
London, Printed by R. I. for Edw. Thomas, and are to bee ſold at his Houſe in Green-Arbour, 1658.
The impudent and daring Proteſtation, and Appeal to God, of George Biſhop, concerning the buſineſs of the Lord Craven, whereof (as hee confeſſes) hee had the whole mannagement.
I Do declare in the preſence of the Lord, before whom I fear, who ſearcheth the heart, and tryeth the reins, and bringeth every work to judgement, that I am clear and innocent therein; nor have I uſed, nor do I know of any indirect proceeding in that whole buſineſs of Craven and Faulconer.
To the Right Honourable, William Lord Craven, Baron of Hampſteed, — Marſhall in the County of BERKS.
IT'S uſual (my Lord you know) in publiſhing books, to prefix the name of ſome worthy and conſiderable perſonage; and I now apply my ſelf to your Honour, upon ſeveral accounts.
Firſt, Tua res agitur, much of the matter enſuing concernes your ſelf.
Secondly, I never heard, but that you were a lover of your Country, alwayes with much reſpect and honour, treating and entertaining your Countrymen that came over into the Low Countryes; (the place of your reſidence, for many yeares together) and hee that loves my Country, I love him, and him I honour. As for your Adverſary (the man I here deal with) his tongue is no ſlander, for who will believe a common lyar? which whether I have made him appear to bee or no, judicet mundus.
Thirdly, I underſtand the preſent Parliament hath taken cognizance of your cauſe, and intend to conſider it next Seſsion, and I am come (in the mean time) to bring you good newes; your Adverſary quakes, which if it bee a ſymptome of true Converſion, there is hopes that confeſsion, (an ingenuous confeſsion of the whole deſign) and an endeavour of ſatisfaction (if it can bee) will follow; but fearing it may prove but a falſe birth, I have put manum obſtetricalem, in intima, ſearch'd his bowels for a real diſcovery, that the world may no longer bee deceived with a windy conception. Truly, my Lord, your caſe is hard; but what ſhall wee ſay? 'tis the fortune of the wars; and there you know (as in a common ſcuffle) many an honeſt man, that ſtands by, and means no harm, gets a knock, as well as thoſe who begun the quarrel; and this your Adverſary himſelf (who confeſſes to have had the mannagement of the whole buſineſs againſt you) ſeems to me clearly to acknowledge, as the ground of your Sequeſtration: For, in anſwer to an objection made on your Honours behalf, by your friends, in the Narrative, by them publiſhed, hee (your Adverſary) doubting of the weight and validity of the teſtimonies produc'd againſt you, ſayes, (in the fourth particular anſwer, page 22. of his book) that the time when your eſtate was ſequeſtred, was, when the Commonwealth was deeply imbroiled in wars.
And then goes on, and ſayes, (in the next page) that in ſuch times and caſes, they have many conſiderations, as the reaſon of their actions, which thoſe who are without doors, (that is, your Honour, and your friends, who were not of the Parliament) neither know, nor apprehend, nor are to take upon them ſo to do: So that here (you ſee) is Club-law, you muſt bee ſequeſtred, becauſe the Commonwealth was imbroil'd in wars; and your Honour (being out of doors) muſt neither know, nor apprehend ('tis too far above your reach) the reaſon why; nor are you to take upon you ('tis preſumption) ſo to do: For hee tells you (page 2.) that true Engliſhmen, have uſed to have Parliaments, and their Acts, as being the judgement of the whole Repreſentative of the Nation, in more veneration and eſteem, than to bee put into the ballance, with the contradictory aſſertions, of any private or byaſs'd ſpirits.
And truly (my Lord) upon this ground, we may well queſtion, whether you bee a true Engliſhman, or no, who being ſwayed by your own private intereſt, and byaſs'd with a deſire after your own eſtate again, ſhould dare now to move any thing againſt the actions of that Parliament, which (as he tells you in the ſame page, anſw. 6.) upon the proofs by him alledged, and (becauſe they were not full enough) for reaſons beſt known to themſelves, in time of general imbroilments, order'd your eſtate to bee confiſcate. So that ſtill (my Lord) you muſt take the fortune of the wars; and though your Honour, and all out of doors, know no reaſon for it, yet they did it (ſayes hee) for reaſons beſt known unto themſelves.
But will your Honour give mee leave (as a true Engliſhman) to ſay ſomething for that Parliament, and indeed for all Parliaments, and Courts of Judicature; you well know, that the manner of their proceedings, in adminiſtration of Juſtice, is much according to that Aeconomico-Political proceſs of nature in man himſelf, wherein the apprehenſive, deliberative, and concluſive faculties, (which in a word wee call common ſenſe) which is the great Judicatory in man, doth determine all things, (with a common and equal reſpect) as they are repreſented. Now the outward ſences, are the Spies and Intelligencers of the Soul, who bring in ſeveral objects (according to their reſpective natures and faculties) to bee judged of, and determined by the underſtanding. And hence wee ſay, nihil in intellectu, quod non ſit, prius in ſenſu.
Now if theſe ſenſes (either by any defect or vice in the organ, faculty, or medium, (which wee might follow with an exact and elegant Analogy) but I will avoid prolixity) If I ſay the ſenſes, either by deficiency, or redundancy, under, or over-doing, make a falſe report unto the Court (the common ſenſe) falſe judgement muſt proceed accordingly, and yet the Court blameleſs: But ſome men tell us of inferiour faculties (even in the ſoul it ſelf) which do corrupt the ſuperiour, and ſo obſtruct Juſtice, and pervert judgement: If this bee ſo, it is within doors, and I who am without, am not (I am told) to take upon mee to enquire into. All the hope is, the ſmoke of Gun-powder, (being by Gods goodneſs) diſsipated, the noyſe of Drums and Trumpets, and clattering of Armour ceaſed, and thoſe imbroilments, which hurried your eſtate into ſequeſtration, abated, and the confeſsions (and ſo the guilt) of your adverſaries diſcovered; the great Judicatory of the Nation, will bee the better able to diſcern and judge of your caſe, with ſerene judgement, and imperturb'd affections; and accordingly reſolve upon, and execute ſuch ſignal juſtice, as ſhall deliver the land from the guilt of oppreſsion, if any ſuch there bee in this particular, which is, and ſhall bee the prayer of him, who is,
My Lord, The Commonwealths, and your Honours ſervant, ſo far as your Honour is the ſervant of the Commonwealth. RA. FARMER.