October 30th, 1710. At a Meeting of Mr. Vicechancellor, and the Heads of Colleges in the University of Cambridge, in the Vicechancellor's Chamber, in King's College, in the faid University. Whereas it hath been proved before Us, That William Whifton, Mafter of Arts, Mathématick Profeffor of this Univerfity, hath .afferted and fpread about in Cambridge, fince the 19th Day of April, 1709. divers Tenets against Religion, receiv'd and establish'd by Publick Authority in this Realm, contrary to the Forty Fifth Statute of this University. And whereas, the faid William Whiston being required and exhorted by Mr. Vicechancellor, to confefs and retract his Error and Temerity in fo doing, did refuse to make any fuch Confeffion and Retractation; It is therefore agreed and refolv'd by Us, the Vicechancellor, and Heads of Colleges, whofe Names are here under-written,that the faid William Whifton hath incurred the Penalty of the forefaid Statute, and that he be Banished from this Univerfity according to the Tenor of the fame. C. Roderick, Vicechancellor ; Fo. Ellys, Humf. Gower, Hen. James, S. Blithe, Joh. Covel, Fo. Balderfton, Gabr. Quadring, Tho. Richardson, Ch. Afhton, Bardfey Fisher, Edw. Lany. Unde venerabilis vir Dr. Roderick, Dominus Procancellarius, affidentibus & confentientibus Johanne Ellys Milite, Do&tore Gower, Doctore James, Doctore Blithe, Doctore Covel, Doctore Balderston, Doctore Quadring, Doctors Richardfon, Doctore Ashton, Doctore Fisher, Doctore Lany, Collegiorum Præfectis, fententiam ferendo decreuit, declaravit, & pronunciavit prout fequitur. (13) In In the Name of God, Amen. I Charles Roderick, Lata fuit bajufmodi fententia per dictum Dominum Now the Reader is here to Obferve, that fince all the Depofitions concerning St. Clement's Church are here given up, as being long before the 19th of April, 1709, the Date for the A& of Pardon; fince the Paffages quoted out of the Advice for the Study of Divinity, were written still earlier, and there is no pretence of the leaft Evidence that I any way publifh'd it in Cambridge; and fincc one Part of Mr. Thackham's Evidence is made no ufe of at all in this Matter, 'Tis plain that this Banifhment orExpulfion is folely groundJohn 17.3. ed on thefe Three Things. (1.) My affirming Cor. 8.6, with our Saviour, St. Paul, the Nicene, and all the Original Creeds, and moft Ancient Fathers, that the One and Only God of the Chriftians, is God the Father. (2.) My Afferting an undoubted Matter of Fact, that the Original Christian Doxology was not the Common One, but Glory be to the Father, through the Son, or, and the Son, in the Holy Ghoft, (3) My Propofing to prove that the Conftitutions and Doctrine of the Apostles, are Sacred Books of the New Teftament; and the former of of them, the most Sacred of the Canonical Books, which in time will appear to be undoubtedly true alfo. And all this is done without the leaft Offer at any Examination into the Truth or Falfhood of the fame Affertions, and fo without knowing whether the whole Proceeding be not directly Fighting against God, and Oppofing and Perfecuting the Gospel and Religion of Chrift Fefus. And if it prove fo at laft, the Authors had need to think of that timely Repentance and Retractation which they requir'd at my Hands, left their prefent Authority, and Pretence of an Univerfity Statute, fhould be too little to excufe them. at the Day of Judgment. But who should be the fecret Movers, or what fhould be the fecret Rea fons why, after fo long a Forbearance, the Vicechancellor and the Heads fhould all on a fudden, in this violent manner, refolve to Cenfure and Expel me, is too deep a Mystery for me authentickly to dive into, and fo I must leave it to another Tribunal. For certainly it could not be the Vicechancellor's own Motion originally, fince he had forborn me all along, and was now in a manner out of his Office, and was ever remarkable for Caution and Deliberation in all his Proceedings: Efpecially when I fuppofe, that neither himself, nor indeed the Major Part of his Affeffors, do at all pretend to have particularly Examin'd the Matters themselves, concerning which they took upon them to be Judges; but went plainly at Random, by their own Interpretation of an Old Statute, to Perfecute an Innocent Perfon for the fake of what they rafhly call Orthodoxy. I venture to ftile my felf an Innocent Perfon, notwithftanding this their Sentence against me, because I believe that every one of my Judges acquits (14) me me in his own Confcience, from any base or finifter Design; and is fatisfy'd, that I did no other than what is certainly every Chriftian's Duty; viz. The Declaring plainly what, upon the most compleat Examination, I was fatisfy'd were the certain Truths and Duties of Chriftianity For which yet, without fuch Examination, they have now ventur'd to Cenfure and Expel me. Which things I own I durft not have had a Hand in, in any like Cafe, for any Confideration whatsoever. But tho' they were my Judges, I am not theirs: To their own Mafter they must stand or fall. And therefore I can only commit my Caufe to God, the juft Judge of all the World, and leave it in his righteous Hands to determine between us. However, I do heartily wifh and hope, that as foon as my Papers are publish'd, they will ftill feriously confider them, and foberly reconfider this whole Matter; and that their fincere Repentance and Retractation will prevent the Danger of any future Punishment from God upon them, from that God who defireth not the Death of a Sinner, but his Repentance. Thus ended this University Profecution and Banifhment of me; at least, this is all that has been done till the Date of these Papers, without the leaft regard to Mr. Lucas's Statutes, or to my Mathematick Profefforship depending thereon: And fo without the direct affecting me as Mr. Lucas's Profeffor: How plainly foever they have depriv'd me of that Membership of the University, which till now, either by Right or by Courtely, I was entitled to.So I fhall go on no farther with this Narration.I fay in the main, affecting me as Mr. Lucas's Profeffor only, meaning thereby that I claim ftill, notwithftanding this Expulfion or Banishment, to be Profeffor of the Mathema ticks ticks of Mr. Lucas's Foundation; and have ac cordingly a juft Right to the Profits thereof, upon my doing that Duty by a Deputy, (as the Statutes direct on a long Abfence) which I cannot fo well do in Perfon. Otherwife, this Expulfion must affect me fenfibly enough, in refpect of my Maintenance: Since the Allowance to a Deputy, and the Lofs of the Advantages formerly arifing from the Courfes of Experiments, to fay nothing of those from Teaching privately in Cambridge, and the Charges and Loffes of a Removal, cannot well be eftimated under sol. a Year, which is a great Deduction out of a fmall Subfiftence. Nay, there want not those who would strain this Expulfion from the University to a Deprivation, as to my Profefforship, and fo would deprive me of almost all, but what the Charity and Kindness of Friends might afford me. Which laft Method of Support is alfo by fome envied, and complained of before-hand, as if there were no way to fatisfy. their Zeal against me, but by feeing me and my Family reduc'd to the utmoft Poverty and Distress, without a Friend to fupport and relieve me. But before I conclude, I can hardly avoid faying here, that I take the true Original Caufe of this Severity to be plainly this, That I have written feveral Unanswerable Books, which are therefore a terrible Eye-fore to those who are more concern'd for Modern Orthodoxy, and the pretended Power of the Church in Controverfies of Faith, than for the pure and undefil'd Religion of Chrift Jefus. So that when it appear'd, as it has done for a confiderable time, that none of the Learned could or durft undertake the Anfwering me, in the way of Reafon, Argument, and Teftimony, This Method of Enfnaring me by an Old Statute was thought of. And I ven ture |