not own the plain Truths of God, when they' lie under the Odium of Men. Good My Lord, what is the Duty of honeft Men, of good Chriftians, of Clergy-men, of Bifhops of the Church in this cafe? Your Lordship is too well acquainted with the first Books of our Religion not to guefs in part at my meaning. And, if you could have laid afide Prejudice for the prefent Eftablishment, must have feen long fince that the modern Notions are and only can be fupported by the former Methods. And can your Lordfhip in Confcience go on to fupport them? Dare your Lordship difcourage this honeft Attempt to correct them? I take the most peaceable and prudent Method I can of propofing these things to publick Examination: And I hope to have a Copy ready for your Lordship's Perufal and Correction in a fhort time. But as to the Thing it felf, I am refolv'd by the Grace of God to propofe it to the World; and am fo fully affur'd in the main of the Truth and Impor tance of these things, that I am refolv'd to endeavour their Corrections; and if Occafion require,to perifh in the Attempt. And if fuch as your Lordship, who are bound by all the Ties of Truth, Sincerity, and Chriftianity to affift and fupport me, do on the contrary, difcourage and reject me, I muft appeal to the Juftice of an higher Tribunal to judge between us. I have written to both the Archbishops, and am preparing two Copies for them; One of which I will endeavour may be fent to your Lordship. As to my felf, upon a through Examination, I am fatisfy'd that the common Doctrines have no more Foundation in genuine Antiquity, than Purgatory and Tranfubftantiation: and I fully believe are the first part of the Antichriftian Corruptions; in cafting out of which therefore

I

I have all the Reason in the World to expect your Lordship's Concurrence. And fince your Lordship is fo throughly fenfible of the Antichristianism of Popery, I would fain know how the Confubftantiality and Coequality of the Holy Ghost to the Father and the Son, on which foon followed his Invocation, which only ftands upon one Letter of Pope Liberius or Damafus, can by your Lordship be look'd on under any other Denomination? That wicked State arofe very gragually and I fear the Reformed Churches have not yet caft out all the Relicks of it till this Day. Your Lordship will forgive the Boldness of this Address, on Account of the Importance of the Points concern'd, and of your Lordfhip's Knowledge of the Sincerity of the Propofer, who is with great Submiffion and Refpect,

Your Lordships most obliged

and Obedient Son and Servant

WILL. WHISTON.

To this Letter I received no Reply till the following April: when his Lordship was pleas'd to fend me a very long Letter; relating chiefly to fome other Debates between us. What there in directly concerns this Matter I fhall here tranfcribe.

SIR,

IN your Letter of September 18. you tell me you were not a little furpriz'd at the Contents of my Second Letter. I affure you I am very much grieved, at what I read in your Anfwer to it. There are fuch Things as would dishearten me from writing to you any farther concerning

concerning thefe Matters; but that the Matters themselves are fuch as are of very great concern to the Christian Faith, and to the Peace and Unity of the Church. These great and publick Concerns are much endanger'd by your exceffive gratifying of your Love of Novelty. It is plainly Natural to you, as all your Friends too well know. But to our greater forrow it is visibly grown, and daily increases, by your indulging your felf fo much in it. When you came first to publish this in Writing of Books, you began with Philofophical Matters: From thence you went on to Scripture-History; and from thence to the Prophecies of Scripture. Now at last you are come to Matters of Faith. Wherein I doubt not to find you are as grofly mistaken as I am fure you are, and I will prove it to you, in every one of the Books you have publish'd hitherto. I except only your firft Book, because in that, as I underftand, Mr. Keill has taken you to task, and I am told he handles you fomewhat feverely. With what Juftice he does it I leave to the Judgment of the Virtuofi. My grief is much increas'd by reading those vehement Declarations you make of a full Refolution to go on in the Work that I fo earnestly defir'd you to put a stop to, till you had advis'd with your Friends. And, as it were on purpose, to take away all hope of your hearkning to any Advice, you tell me, If this proceeding of yours be efteemed Pride, and Vanity, and Obftinacy, and Heretical Pravity, you must be content with thofe Imputations. Would to God there were no Occafion for any of these. Indeed I cannot charge you with Pride and Vanity in any other Inftance than what I have met with in your Writings. But I cannot deny that in them I have feen fo much Appearance of these Things,

things, that I know not how to excufe you from either of them. And therefore there being great Reason to believe, that there must have been fome Sins of Yours that have provoked God to fend this heavy Judgment upon you, in fuffering you to write and publifh fuch Things as you have done, and are now doing, and knowing no other Sins to charge you with but thofe of Pride, and Vanity, I am of Opinion that those are the very Sins that have given that Provocation to God. Pray think of it, as it highly concerns you to do, before you go any farther in the Work that you have now in your Hands. As for Obftinacy, and Heretical Pravity, I am forry to tell you I fee too much of both these in your fecond Letter now before me. And if the Imputation of Obftinary be juft, then it highly concerns you to take heed of the laft Imputation, I mean that of Heretical Pravity, for if that be juft alfo, and you think to pass it over by faying as you do, I am content to bear it, nay more, I am refolved to go on, tho' I perish in the Attempt; what will this come to at laft? I tremble to think of it; if God fhould once withdraw his Grace, and give you up to him whofe Work you are doing., God will defend his Church against all you can do: But for your felf, if you go on, your End will be miferable. Yet I hope better; and therefore I will endeavour to make you fee whither you are going. I befeech God my Endeavours may have that bleffed Effect. In what you tell me of the Work you are about, you begin with a very bold Cenfure of that Confeffion of Faith which is often us'd in our Church, and which, as I mention'd to you before, our Church faith is commonly call'd the Creed of Athanafius. You call it the Creed of Vig. Tapf. though that is more,

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than you know. But be it fo. Vigilius was one of thofe Orthodox Bifhops that were under the heavy Perfecution of those Arian Kings of the Vandals, about A. D. 500. and then he did write Books against the reigning Herefie; which, for concealment fake, he put out in the Name of S. Athanafius. Thus did fome of the Jews in Times of Perfecution, write Books against Heathen Idolatry. One that is call'd the Wifdom of Solomon: Another call'd the Book of Baruch; whereof also part is called the Epiftle of Feremiah. I cannot commend them, that to conceal themfelves ufed thefe Arts; But nevertheless their Books were highly approv'd. Infomuch that they were read by the Hellenift Jews in their Synagogues, and fo coming into the Chriftians Hands, they were also read in Chriftian Churches, in and next after the Apostles times. The Cenfure you pafs upon that Creed is in thefe Words, That Creed is most evidently a grofs Corruption; compos'd under and establish'd by the Antichriftian Church; and a great Shame to all Prote stants that it is not yet excluded. This is indeed a thing not to be endur'd; that any Member of a Chriftian Church, fhould take the Liberty to himfelf, to throw fuch a Cenfure upon any part of its Liturgy, .efpecially on a Confeffion of Faith that is enjoyn'd by Authority to be us'd in the publick Offices of the Church; and not only fo, but to cry Shame upon the Church for continuing it. All that can be faid for you in this Cafe, is only that you do it in a private Letter to a Friend, acquainting him with your Opinion of the Thing, and your Reafon for it; promifing you will publifh nothing of your Opinion, nor of your Reafons, till first you have communicated them to the two Archbishops of this Church. Upon thefe Terms I go on with

you;