Mr. Profeffor,

The Vice-Chancellor does not think it fit to give an Imprimatur to it: He thinks it is not Orthodox.

Upon this I went in fome Time to London, in order to print it there. But was delay'd by Reafon of fomewhat that happen'd upon the Learned Dr. Grabe's Perufal of it, and upon my Difconrse with him about it. This Matter occafion'd a current Report of my having falfely related what pafs'd between us, infomuch that a Learned Foreigner, (who was defired by feveral confiderable Men at Oxford to enquire about me, and discourse me, when he came to Cambridge, as he did accordingly) was fo Zealous for Orthodoxy as to fend a particular Letter to Cambridge, as from Dr. Grabe's contrary Relation, to my Difparagement. To this Letter I immediately made my Anfwer. Take therefore the whole of this Matter in the very Words of this Foreigner's Letter, and in my own Words, then fubjoin'd thereto, as follows:

I

F

Mr. Wilkins Letter to Mr. Hues, Fellow of
Jefus-College.

Reverend SIR,

Oxford, Nov. 22.1708.

Cannot but gratefully remember the great Kindness and Civility you have been pleas'd to bestow on me when I was at Cambridge: So that in a great. Measure I profefs my felf to be in your Debt: Which that I may pay, your felf muft give me an Occafion. Not long after I

came

came from your Univerfity, Dr. Grabe came to Oxford; and as he is used to be kind and free with me, I told him about Mr. Whiston's Defign: But he knowing every Thing very well, especially of Clement's Conftitutions, (which Mr. Whiston thinks to prove Genuine, tho' he is never able to do't,) wonders that Mr. Whiston pretends to fay that (he) Dr. Grabe is in this Thing of his Opinion. Nay, he is so far from that, that he thinks himself oblig'd to write against Mr. Whi fton, affoon as his Treatife comes out. The Reason is this: Mr. Whiston (as you know) was laft Michaelmas at London; and in his ftaying there thought to print the Constitutions of St. Cle ment, with fome Annotations, which fhould eftablish his following Tract of Arianifm. Tho' before he went to his Bookfeller, he came to Dr. Grabe, directed by the Spirit of God, to whom he fhewed his Treatife, written in English, defiring to give his Cenfure. But Dr. Grabe looking in his Prefence over his Treatife oculo curforio, anfwer'd him with fuch Arguments that Mr. Whi Ston promis'd him not to print it now, till he had feen the MS. of Vienna; (containing these Clement's Constitutions,) which, as Dr. Grabe fays, will knock him down with one Shock; and Mr. Whiston himself told Dr. Grabe that he would think himself wrong if he could procure him the Sight of that Manufcript. Concerning his Arianifm, Dr. Grabe could never bring him to fpeak of it: At least as Dr. Grabe urg'd Bishop Bull's Works, and his own Annotations upon him,Mr. Whiston faid thefe very Words; I have, nothing to fay against your Notes upon Dr. Bull's Tract. How does that agree with his Ob Rinacy that he ufes at Cambridge? Sure he that hath read the Fathers but of late, and not all, but fome few, is not a true Judge of the Do

Arine taught by them, which requires 20 or 40 Years to do. But I am afraid I detain you long with my trifling Letter: I muft beg your Pardon and Excufe for the Faults I have committed therein. Pray remember me kindly to Mr. Ockley, and believe me that I am in all Sincerity,

Dear SIR,

Your ever Affectionate Friend,
and Humble Servant,

DAVID WILKINS.

An Account of what pass'd between Dr. Grabe and Mr. Whifton about Michaelmas laft at London, So far as relates to Mr. Wilkins's Letter.

2

Mr. Whiston coming to Dr. Grabe, and bringing him an Effay on the Apoftolical Conftitutions, left it with him for his Perufal and Opinion. When Mr. Whiston came for his Papers, Dr. Grabe faid, he had read them but once but that he defign'd to read them again, had not his Bufinefs about the Septuagint hindred him; Sheet of which was just then come from Oxford. Dr. Grabe both then and before feem'd highly pleas'd with the Defign; faid more than once that he had, but the Day before Mr. Whifton came, had an Impreffion upon him to write to Vienna for a fmall MS. mention'd in his Spicilegium [p. 287. Tom. 1.] which was likely to give Light who was the Collector or Writer of thefe Conftitutions. Since Dr. Grabe," tho' he'own'd the first Book written by Clemens, as being his Stile, and could not deny the Fifth. Book to be written in the Weft, where Clement liv'd; yet fuppos'd Ignatius the Collector of the Second

Book,

Book, as having feveral of his Words and Expreffions, as Hippolytus was the Collector of the Eighth. But own'd, with great Zeal and Concern in general, the genuine Truth and Apoftolical Antiquity of this Collection; excepting fome Points wherein the later Alterations in the Church's Difcipline had occafion'd Alterations in this Collection. Mr. Whiston faid that fuch Alterations he did not deny; but that for the Doctrine he thought it wholly Right, and agreeable to the Scripture, and the other Antient Books now extant; and particularly had met with no Examples of any Arian Interpolations; and defir'd Dr. Grabe to tell him whether he knew of any. Dr. Grabe paus'd, and gave no Examples; appearing utterly at a lofs for any but all along own'd his high Efteem for thefe Conftitutions, and that feveral Years ago he offer'd to have fet out a new Edition of them; and faid it was his Opinion, that till the Three first Centuries are made our Rule; and particularly thefe Conftitutions reftor'd to be the Guide of the Church, inftancing in the Form of Confecration of the Eucharift, which was always at firft according to that in the Eighth Book, he expected no Amendment, nor better Times. In all which, Mr. Whiston fully agreed with him, and told him, that he had written a Direction for Studies to the fame Purpose, which he defign'd to propofe to the World; and that he had made an. Extract of the Teftimonies of the earliest Times about fome of the great Points of our Religion : in the very Method Dr. Grabe propos'd for the Determination of Modern Controverfies. Mr. Whiston did not tell Dr. Grabe that he had found the Original Doctrine to be that of the Arians: nor did Dr. Grabe, he fuppofes, at all know be fore that that was his Opinion. Nor indeed

had

had they any direct Difcourfe about that Mat ter at all. Only on the mention of Hyppolitus, Mr. Whifton faid, that the common Citations in Bishop Bull out of him were of weak Authority; as being either Suppofitious or very doubtful, as to our Saviour's Divinity: but that Dr. Grabe had given us more Authentick ones from him in his Additions to Bishop Bull on the fame Subject: [which Mr. Whifton had inferted into his prefent Extract, but that they were later than the Times he confin'd himself to.] After all, Dr. Grabe was fo kind as to inform Mr. Whiston of Two eminent Citations of the Conftitutions; the one by Origen, the other by Chryfoftom, which Mr. Whi fton thank'd him heartily for: And Dr. Grabe also promis'd to write immediately to Vienna for the foremention'd fmall MS. [not for the Conftitutions themselves,] that if poffible we might have fome more Light in this Matter before Mr. Whiston publish'd his Effay; to which Mr. Whi fron readily agreed. Afterward, Dr. Grabe met with Mr. Whiston in the Street, and ask'd him why he said the Paraphras'd Epiftles of Ignatius [or the larger Epiftles] were written in the Second Century? Mr. Whifton reply'd, Because all the Characters in them were no later.

I believe that Mr. Wilkins wrote the Account above-mention'd, because I fee it under his own Hand; but that Dr. Grabe ever gave him that Account, as it is there contain❜d, I do not believe. Nor, fince I find Mr. Wilkins's Heat and Mistakes, fhall I much value his Account of what pafs'd between him and my felf at Cambridge, He that imagines 20 or 40 Years Study neceffary to know the meaning of Authors, who may be carefully read over in a part of one Year; and dares not truft Authors of the First, Second, and Third Centuries, till he has the Explicati

ons