About this time it was also that, apprehending hard Usage, and fearing I might be Cenfur'd and Excommunicated by the Convocation, without being heard in my own Vindication, I drew up a Solemn Proteftation and Appeal, to be then made, when I fhould find my felf in thofe Unhappy Circumftances. But this fhall here be omitted, because it will more naturally come in hereafter.

On Monday, March 19. the Refolutions of the Committee were laid before the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, their Prefident. On Wed nesday, March 21. the Archbishop's Answer was return'd; That he agreed with the Com,

mittee that my Book was to be taken notice

of; but as to the Manner, and whether in "the way of a Court, he would take Time for "Legal Advice. On Friday, March 23. the Upper House appointed a Committee of their whole House to Sit the Day following about my Matters; and, as far as I could learn, to examine Presidents, arifing chiefly from fome unpublished Papers of Dr. Heylin, which feemed to prove that the whole Convocation might act as a Court. And now I perceiv'd that there were Three Opinions in Convocation, as to the manner of treating me; befides that of thofe who were for a fair Examination. The firft was for the whole Convocation's acting as a Court, and proceeding to Cenfure & Excommunication immedi ately. The fecond for the Archbishop's doing the fame things, affidentibus & confentientibus Epifcopis, without the LowerHoufe; as in hisCourt of Audience. The Third, for only paffing a Synodical Cenfure on my Book, and referring the punishing me to the Bishop of the Diocese, by à Process in his own Court. On Tuesday, March

27.

27. the Bishops fent a Meffage to the Lower Houfe, that they were adjourn'd till Wednesday, April 11. and that the first thing they would then. go upon was the Method of proceeding with me. In this Interval I understood that the way which was by fome at firft propos'd, viz. of going upon my Matters much fooner, and making the Trial or Procefs more full and publick, had been overrul'd by others; and a Refolution had been taken for delay, and for proceeding more fummarily toward the Conclufion of the Seffion. During this Interval alfo I drew up the following Letter to the Archbishop of Canterbu ry, as Prefident of the Convocation: Which was dated and deliver'd to him Apr. 5. Copies of which were alfo deliver'd to the Archbishop of York; to the Prolocutor of the Lower Houfe; and to fome others; to be fhew'd, as Occafion fhould ferve: Which though it has been already made publick elsewhere, yet cannot be omitted in this its proper Place,

May it please Your Grace,

London, Apr. 5. 1711.

Since I perceive that my Hiftorical Preface has given Offence not only to feveral Good Men in particular, but to the Body of the Convocation in general; and to many others who are really defirous that Truth and primitive Chriftianity may prevail; and that not only on Account of the Manner of my Writing, which feems to be with too great Confidence and Affurance; but also because it looks like reviving the very Herefy of Arius himself, as it was condemn'd by the Council of Nice; The great Regard I have to the Peace of the Church, and my fincere defire to approve my felf to my Superiors

in

in it, have made me think it might be very proper to Address my felf to your Grace, as Prefident of the Convocation, upon this Occafion; to lay before you my fincere Thoughts as to these Matters, with the utmoft Humility and Deference That I may not be efteem'd so perverse and obftinate as not to own any Indecencies I may have been guilty of: And that I may not be charg'd with what never was in my Thoughts or Designs, with regard to the Revival of the Arian Herefy: And at the fame time to beg of your Grace to ufe your Endeavours that the Things I propofe may not any way fuffer on account of any Rafhnefs in the way of my propofing them. For as to the Manner of my Writing upon thefe Subjects, it is, I confefs, too agreeable to the Warmth and Vehemence of my natural Temper, increas'd by an hearty, and I am fure an honeft Zeal for what things foever at any time appear to me to be true, and of Importance in Chriftianity. I hope God, who knows the inmoft Receffes of my Soul, will not impute all that appears to be rafh and affuming, to fuch a proud and conceited Temper as it may feem to others to proceed from: And that he will mercifully forgive any Offences of that Nature, where he finds the Heart in the main fincere and upright; and honeftly labouring, to the beft of its Knowledge, to promote Truth and Piety in the World. And as I earnestly wish that the uncorrupt Faith and Practice of the Gospel in every Part may prevail among us, fo do I heartily defire that I may not be found Guilty of breaking any of the Rules of Chriftian Meekness, Humility, Modefty, and Deference to lawful Authority, while I am aiming to promote, to the beft of my Judgment and Ability, the Purity of Chrift's Religion among

Men,

Men

And I must own to your Grace that I am, upon Reflection, fenfible that in feveral Expreffions, and in many Circumstances of my Management, I have not always kept within thofe ftrict Rules of the Gofpel, which the Meekness and Gentleness of Chrift and his Religion requires in fuch Cafes; and that therefore I may fometimes have given Occasion of Offence to my Christian Brethren, and to those in Authority in particular: For which Faults, wherever they have appear'd, either by Word or Writing, as I do heartily beg Forgiveness of God and of good Men, fo do I faithfully promife that I will be more careful not to be Guilty of the fame hereafter. Humbly defiring that my speaking plainly what I judge to be Truth, may not be efteem'd juft Caufe of Offence ; that I be allow'd with a decent Freedom to produce all the proper Arguments and Teftimonies for what I propofe; and that I be permitted modeftly to declare what Degree of Evidence I think I have for what I affert. As to the Imputation of Arianifm, which I confefs I have not been fufficiently careful to avoid, I do declare it never was my Intention to affert the Arian Herefy,ftrictly fo called; or to revive † the Heresy of Arius, and of his peculiar Followers, as it was

N. B. By this Herefy of Arius, and of his peculiar Followers,as it was condemn'd at the Council of Nice; which afterward I explain more diftinctly, by thofe particular Novel Doctrines, and the like particular NovelExpreffions, of Arius himself which were ondemn'd at the Council of Nice; and again by those rash and Novel Affertions and Expreffions of Arius, which caus'd the Distur bances in the Church at that time, and were condemn'd by the Couneil of Nice; I meant and could mean only thofe rafh and Novel Affertions and Expreffions, which Arius and his Followers first introduc'd into the Church, or first disturb'd the Publick about: Such as v T x v. weir garrutñveu in ñv.

5

condemn'd at the Council of Nice. I guarded against this exprefsly in my Hiftorical Preface, p. 2. by a particular Declaration, that by that Arianifm which I fpeak of, I ever mean the Doctrine of that Part of the Church which was call'd Arian in the Fourth Century; and not the Doctrine of Arius himself only, with a few of his particular Followers. And this Diftinction is fo plain in all my Papers, that whereas I every where own the Doctrines of that Part of the Church in the Fourth Century, which their Adverfaries would call by the odious Name' of Arian, yet do not I in any Propofition affert thofe Particular Novel Doctrines, or ufe the like Particular Novel Expreffions of Arius himself, which were condemn'd at the Council of Nice; but ever confine my felf to the much Ancienter and more Authentick Doarines and Language of the Scripture and the moft Primitive Writers. And I take leave to obferve here a few Things farther; That the main Body of those whom their Adverfaries

Ex vdov v. For as for that Council's Anathema againft the Ufe of the Word xrisos, created, concerning our Saviour, which feems to have been brought in under the Pretence that the Arians us'd it in the very fame Senfe of the Son, and of all the Inferior Creatures; (tho' the Arians fo call'd by me,if not Arius and his peculiar Followers also, ever deny'd it) it was moft certainly the Ancient and Original Language of the Scripture, and of the firft Chriftians, and fo out of the Power of any Council whatfoever, to abrogate or condemn any more than they had Power to confecrate that novel and unfcriptural Expreffion of ¡μorn, which had been fo exprefly rejected by the Council of Antioch long before. So that, in fhort, the Council of Nice, and Arius with his peculiar Followers, were both highly to blame in thefe Matters; and ought neither of them to be followed, without better Authority, by any Chriftian.

call'd