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ther Day, whatever Prudence or Discretion may prevail with you to do now. Erafmus, and Father Paul, faw in great part the Truths of God, but would not venture this Worlds difadvantages for them. I am fure, I would not be in either of their Cafes at the Day of Account for all this World; and pray my Friend confider whether you will venture the fame. Men footh one another up in very great Sins, and then presume upon God's Mercy. I really believe the Method you and others take in this cafe is no fmall wickedness; and pray be fecure of your Steps in a Point of this moment, whether you will defire another Day to be found a fincere Promoter of the Religion, the unpolluted Religion of Chrift, or a Complier with and Promoter of the Corruptions of Men, of Antichriftianifm it felf? However, I have now difcharged my own Confcience, and shall be easie at home, do you as you pleafe. I care not to defcend to thofe little things you fay in your Letter, because they difcover only want of fomewhat more fubftantial; and when I fee you, I can better tell you how weak they are. ly fince our Saviour fays, The Father is greater than I; and affures us moft exprefly, That he did not know the Time of the Day of Judgment: I may add fince the Scripture and no lefs than Twenty of the Antenicene Fathers fay, That God Created, or Made, his Son; that he is his Krioua, minua, or Spynu, I think you ought to own and ufe the Sacred and Primitive Language, and Expreffions, and Truths; and if you fee reafon to add any thing by way of Explication, let it be as Explication: the exprefs Words and Affertions themselves being ftill freely own'd. If you will not comply fo far to affift that Honeft and Chriftian Defign I am upon, when your, and

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and a few others Courage and Plain-dealing would go fuch a great way towards its accomplishment, you must use your freedom, but muft certainly give an account to God of your Conduct, as I know I muft alfo of mine. I am with all Sincerity and Affection,

I

Your very loving Brother,

and Humble Servant,

WILL. WHISTON..

London, Mar. 22. 1708.

Did not defign to trouble my good Friend any farther by Letter, but to wait till I had an Opportunity of propofing to his cooler Thoughts what I had to offer in Perfonal Conference; but his laft to me extorts one more from me, that I may for once be as free with him as he is with me. It had been but fair, Sir, to have convinc'd my Judgment, before you proceeded to cenfure my Practice; and to have let me told you I was convinc'd, before you rafhly concluded it to be fo. I always have profefs'd to you, and now repeat it, that I am by no means fatisfied with your Scheme on the Subject in debate, but am verily perfuaded that you affert what you cannot prove; and that the Authorities you cite, do not only fail of Evidence, but feveral of them do directly contradict you. I did not think what I urg'd was to be reckon❜d amongst fuch little Things as you care not to defcend to take into your confideration; nor did I in the leaft decline anfwering your Arguments in hopes of an Aufwer elsewhere. For I af fure you I am refolv'd by God's Grace, not to

fuffer

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fuffer my Judgment to be over-rul'd, either by you or your Anfwerer, (whoever he fhall be,) nor will your rafh Cenfures affright me into the doing what you fay Two of your Cambridge Friends have determin'd to do, till I fee better Reasons for it than yet I do. Let me therefore admonish you, my Friend, once more to forbear judging your Brethren, till you know their Hearts better than they do themselves, & to permit them to speak and act for themselves, without being deem'd Hypocrites and Worldlings, because they don't agree to your Sentiments or Practices. But I have done writing on this Argument at prefent, remembring an ufual faying of Dr. Whitchcott, when he perceiv'd any grow warm in Difcourfe; Let us leave off. I perceive 1 am like to do you no good, and you (by making me, as warm as your felf) may do me burt. However, let us not ceafe to love and pray for each other, in which nothing fhall be wanting on the of him who is,

Dear SIR,

yo

SIR,

Your Faithful Friend
and Servaat

part

SAMUEL BRADFORD.

Camb. March 25. 1709.

OUR ftrange and unexpected refentment of my Chriftian Freedom with you in my laft, puts me in mind of that Obfervation, that of all Men thofe of the Clergy are the most uneafie at Reproof and Government. And if good Dr. Bradford cannot bear it, whom can we except that can? I told you plainly of your Du

ty,

ty, and what I know to be your Duty, i. e. without regard to this World, to impartially examine the Points now in difpute; and fo far as you are fatisfied to act alfo, and to encourage the Defign of bringing all to the Primitive Standard. Thus to Baptize by Immersion: To avoid eating of Blood, and Things ftrangled: To invocate only the Father and the Son, without meddling with Philofophick Notions about the Confubftantiality or metaphyfick Eternity, which only were deriv'd from Platonifm, and Difputes with the Old Hereticks, and embrac'd first at Rome, are, without question, Plain Duties of Chriftians. And if you cannot bear to be told fo, 'tis no part of your Sincerity, but a branch of fome other Nature. I blefs God, I have all along readily comply'd with my Duty in thefe Points, when by fearching I found them to be fo. And I do know the Old State of Religion too well, to doubt about things fo plain as thefe are. But that you should not bear the motion of omiffion as to the Tapfenfian Creed, the most certain and indefenfible remains of Antichriftianifm among us, I am a little furpriz'd, and can by no means reconcile it with that Opinion I have of your uncommon Sincerity and Integrity. I confefs it gives me a ftrange difguft at the Spirit of Orthodoxy when I hear you, and Dr. Lucas, and Mr. Bennet, making poor Evafions, and Excufes, and putting unnatural Conftructions on Words, that you may make a fhift to palliate the use of that Creed, which the Wife and Good Men of our Church have been fo long afham'd of; and feveral have omitted without Publick Notice. Nor do I know how to reconcile, with your Judgment the oppofing a very few doubtful Texts and Teftimonies, against that vaft current of plain ones on the other fide, which I have pro

duc'd,

duc'd. When I mention'd no lefs than Twenty Antenicene Fathers who freely said our Saviour was Made or Created, by God; or was a Creature whilft but One Pope of Rome, in the latter part of the Third Century, ever excepted against it, that I can find inftead of examining whether Ifaid true,you alledge that you imagine that Irenæus, &c. have a few Testimonies which do not quite come up to Arianifm. I defire you not to be either Arian or Orthodox,but to examine the Propofitions in which I have included the Christian Faith, as it was at firft, and to fhew me how any may be alter'd to agree better with the Original Teftimonies. Tho' after all, I do not yet find that those Teftimonies do require any fuch Alteration; I mean on account of plainer and stronger, and more numerous Teftimonies on the other fide; for till fuch appear, you your felf, I fuppofe in your cool Thoughts, will not defire an Alteration. Indeed, if you continue in that Temper with which you wrote your laft Letter, I fhall not be fond of any more Intercourfe of this Nature, tho' I believe I have fuch Evidence to produce for the Conftitutions, the Arian Conftitutions, as deserves the ferious Confideration of all true Chriftians; I mean of those who make the Revelations of our Lord and his Holy Apoftles, the real Guides of their Faith and Practice. If you dare not in earnest venture to be of that. Number, I have nothing more to fay to you, but muft leave you to answer your Conduct another Day. I hope I may be in London in about a Fortnight. If You, and Mr. Clarke, and Mr. Hoadly, nay and Dr. Lucas alfo, will spend a few Hours or Days in examining my Effay on the Conftitutions with me, coolly and impartially, you fhall then all judge whether I have spoken fo pofitively, with

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