ons of the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth, to underftand them by, [as he faid in his Conference with me,] fhall not be the Guide of my Faith. And indeed, if he had added, that we cannot well understand those of the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth, till we also have the Explications of the Seventh, Eight, and Ninth Centuries, he had Spoken notably, and faid more for the Primitive Antiquity of the Novel Doctrines of Popery than any Body. But I know Dr. Grabe has no fuch Notions; and fo they are not at all to be charg'd upon him. December 16. 1708. WILL. WHISTON. Soon after this began the Correfpondence by Letters between my Excellent Friend Dr. Bradford and my felf, occafion'd by fome Reports fpread of me in London, with Relation to himfelf, and our common and highly valued Friend Dr. Lucas. There pafs'd in all, Three or Four Letters on each Side: But because the Two first were the most Material, and I find my self not to have preferv'd the Copies of my Answers any farther, as thinking it probably of no Confequence, I fhall only tranfcribe the Doctor's Two former Letters and my Answers to them, as follows.. SIR, London, Decemb. 28. 1708. BY what you faid when laft in Town, I had fome Expectation of feeing you here about this Time; but not being certain of your Intentions, I was oblig'd to trouble you with these Lines upon the Occasion following. Dr. Lucas and and I have each of us feverally been inform'd,that in difcourfing on the Subject which was the Matter of our Debate when we faw you, you have faid that He and I were of the fame Mind with you. You cannot but remember, Sir, that both of us did in very good earneft endeavour to convince you that you was in the Wrong's and were fo far from being convinc'd by you, that we urg'd (as to us appear'd) several strong Arguments against your Perfuafion. And if you act by the Rule of Chriftian Charity you ought to believe that, if we were fatify'd with what you offer'd in defence of your Sentiments, we would not from any Worldly Confiderations perfift in denying it. I cannot therefore afcribe this Accufation to any thing elfe, but that Zeal with which you have entred into. your New Scheme; which it feems appears to you fo clear that you determine that every honeft Man muft be of your Mind; and he that does not own himself to be fo cannot be fincere. As to Dr. Lucas, he defires me to affure you, that the more he thinks of the Matter, the farther he is from approving your Judgment in this Inftance. As to my felf, I have entred upon the Course I promis'd, viz. to take into serious Confideration the Authorities on which you depend, beginning with the Conftitutions. And I cannot forbear telling you, that there appear to me fo many Marks of Forgery in them, that I wonder how a Perfon of your Judgment can give fuch Deference to them. They feem to me a Compofition of fome Antient Customs and Opinions, and fome other of much later Dáte, and by no means to be depended upon till we have a fure Method of diftinguishing one from the other. And whatever you may think of Dr. Grabe, he tells me he is perfectly of the fame Mind with me herein. What Account he has from Vienna I do not know: but I believe you will hear that from himself, he being lately come to Town. And if you fhould find your felf mistaken in the Conftitutions, I hope you will think it reasonable to reconfider your other Authorities alfo, and not venture to expofe your Thoughts to publick View till you have heard what your Friends have to offer against them. However, tho' you are at Liberty to determine for your felf, both what you will think, and what you will do, yet Juftice will oblige you to let your Friends think and fpeak for themfelves, and to charge them with holding no other Opinions than what themfelves do own: and I am fure, that if you keep to this Rule you must allow me to be utterly diffatisfy'd with what you have drawn up in the Papers you left with me; tho' at the fame Time I retain a very great Efteem for your Perfon, and am with all Sincerity, SIR, Your affectionate Friend SAM. BRADFORD. My Reply to this Letter was as follows, Dear SIR, Camb. Decemb. 18. 1708. Received yours, which occafion'd fome Wonder and Surprize in me; altho', after this Account from you and Dr. Lucas, as well as from the Retreat of another Perfon once in great part of my Mind alfo, I shall no more wonder wonder at the like Procedure in others, of less Courage, Integrity, and Impartiality. Your Letter; inftead of bringing any Original Teftimonies against my Account, which is the Principal Point, and without which all you can fay, will at last come to Nothing, brings me the News, you have been mifmform'd as well as Dr. Lucas, that I charge you both with Arianifm, or that in general you are of my Mind, which is utterly falfe, as all I converfe with can testify. In fome things, and thofe of Confequence, you were both of my Mind when I was with you. Whether you have chang'd your Opinions fince, I know not: and in fuch Points where we were of a Mind I fuppofe I may have faid fo; and when I know that either of you have alter'd your Mind, I will certainly fay fo alfo. But why you believe the Idle Mifrepresentations that of Course will pass abroad,, I do not underftand. I do not defire to know either your or Dr. Lucas's Opinion for my own Satisfaction, for I have taken my Notions from the only competent Witneffes, the Original Authors themfelves; and am not to be perfuaded by any Opinions of the Eighteenth Century, that thofe of the First and Second were other than Arian. You speak of your and Dr. Grabe's Opinion about the Constitutions. Dr. Grabe's I well know from his Spiciligium in Print, and from a particular Converfation, and it's well that his is alfo in Print, or else it would be faid that I mifrepresent him alfo. You ftrangely impofe on your felf when you think that fome Alterations and Interpolations made, fince their first Collection, imply that the Paffages I depend on are fuch fince 'tis moft plain, that every individual Inftance of that Nature was made by the Church, and by the Orthodox, nay fome directly agains the the Arians. And not one Example has ever yet been produc'd, I think, of an Arian Corruption or Interpolation in the whole Work. I put this very Question to Dr. Grabe, whether he had met with any Arian Interpolations in them? And upon a little Confideration he could name none. And I expect it of you, as the Right of Truth and Sincerity, that you put that very Question to him, and own his Anfwer, whether it will not agree to the fame Thing. So that the Constitutions are now ftronger against the Orthodox, than if they were uncorrupted, as still appearing Arian, after all thofe Corruptions to the contrary. If you can fee no Force in this Reafoning I cannot help it; nor fhall pretend to prove the Genuine Antiquity of the Conftitutions here, as referving it for a Book by it felf, which is now almoft perfected; and will not fear all the little Exceptions that Modern Orthodoxy has help'd Men to raise in a clear Cafe: altho' my own Opinion was fix'd in all but one point before I faw thofe Conftitutions, by the other Testimonies. Dr. Grabe's Opinion is in pag. 45. in thefe Words: Id omnino videtur certum, Librum iftum ex traditionibus quas Ecclefie ab Apoftolis bic illic prædicantibus, & Ecclefiaftica negotia ritè conftituentibus acceperunt ac religiofe obe fervarunt, compofitum fuiffe; & quidem fub finem feculi primi, aut faltem ipfo feculi fecundi initio, Pray take his Book, and read the Words there with your own Eyes; for, fince you suppose me to have falfify'd, in declaring your and Dr. Lu cas's Opinions, you may fufpect even the fairhefs of my tranfcribing his Words. Tho' truly, after all, I fear 'tis not fo much your Belief that I charg'd you with what you never faid, as an unbecoming fear of unacceptable Imputations, if your real Thoughts fhould appear in Publick, (e) which |