out ground or not. If If you are then fatisfy'd, we may then go all hand in hand to promote their reception; if not, we may leave thofe Papers to the Examination of others. For, as I have not done without great Evidence what I have done already, fo do I verily believe I have ftrong, very ftrong Evidence, for the Genuine and Apoftolick Authority of the Constitutions. And if you are once convinced of that, tho' you will not hear me, yet do I hope you will hearken to the Apoftles of our Lord in thefe matters. But to return to, and go on with my Narra tive; which has been, as it were, interrupted by the Letters to and from my Lord of Worcefter and Dr. Bradford, with the other intervening Matters. After I had received both the ArchbiShop's Anfwers to my former Letter above recited; by both which I was defir'd or advis'd to fend my Papers in Writing before I ventured to Print; I refolv'd to comply with their Graces Inclinations. Accordingly, befides the one imperfect Copy without, Notes, and the other more compleat one with them, which I had before written with my own, Hand; I did alfo transcribe a Third Copy my felf, and procur'd a Friend to transcribe a Fourth alfo, for the fame Purpose: and then at laft I fent a Copy to each Archbi Shop, and at the fame Time took the boldness to write them a Second Letter upon the fame Subject: a true Copy whereof here follows. (f) May I May it please your Ġrace, Camb. Fan. or Feb. 1708. Have now prefum'd to fend the MS. Papers I formerly mention'd, containing the Account of the Faith of the Two firft Centuries concerning the Trinity and Incarnation; which Account feems to me fo certain and undoubted, that I cannot but think it fufficient to fatisfy all honeft, free, and impartial Enquirers: Nor to be otherwife evaded but by judging of the Faith and Practice of the First and Second Centuries, by the Writers of the Fourth and Fifth, contrary to the plain Declarations of all thofe Catholick Authors themselves which liv'd in the fame Primitive Ages: which how very abfurd and unreasonable it is I leave to all Mankind to determin. Nor is there indeed occafion for a great part of the Teftimonies here produc'd; fince the Apostles of our Lord themselves, in their genuine Constitutions do, by St. Clement, moft clearly affure us of the Truth of the fame Doctrines: I have had Occafion to take Notice of feveral great Miftakes in the Right Reverend and very Learned Bishop Bull concerning thefe Articles, which I could not avoid without betraying the Truths of God Almighty; fince I think he has too often perverted Them, and the Teftimonies in Antiquity belonging to them. And I hope your Grace and his Lordship will forgive me if I venture to fay, that I value thofe facred Doctrines reveal'd by our Lord and his holy Apoftles, and a fteady regard to them, fo far as I can poffibly discover them, much beyond the Reputation or Efteem of any Mortal Man whomfoever. Nor can I forbear to wifh that his Lordship's plain Failure in fo celebrated a Work, may be a Warn ing to all the Learned hereafter, how they write in the ufual Way of modern Controverfy; which has too long, by much, been the Bane of the Church of Chrift; and to all the Unlearned, how they truft to fuch Writings in the Determination of their Faith and Practice: whereas a full and impartial Collection of all the Original Texts and Testimonies relating to any Subject, fuch as I have attempted in thefe Papers for the Trinity and Incarnation, is certainly the only fair and unexceptionable Method, in order to a folid Sa+ tisfaction. As for any Reply that may at any Time be made to me, I fhall not at all value it, unless it not only gives a plain Answer to those here alledg'd, but alfo produces more numerous and more plain Original Texts and Teftimonies on the other fide; which yet I know to be abfolutely impoffible. Two Things I earnestly beg of your Grace, in order to the through Correction of Modern Errors, and the obtaining the Divine Bleffing on our Enquiries: The First is, that your Grace would conjure those Learned Men, to whofe Examination you may please to commit these Papers, that they would examine fairly without Prepoffeffion; that they would communicate their Obfervations as they occur; and that they would declare their Thoughts openly and freely relating to these Matters, without any Regards but thofe to Truth, Sincerity, and a good Confcience; or elfe all their Enquiries and Examinations will be to little purpose. The Other is, that your Grace would alfo pleafe to confider of the great Pollution of God's Sacred Worship among us by the continuation of that Corrupt and Antichriftian Creed of Vigilius Thapfitanus; which is fo grofly falfe and ungrounded, that none who impartially xamine, can read or join in it but he muft cer (fa) tainly ; tainly do it dubitante, if not alfo renitente Confcientia. Nor is there, I believe, any Thing of this Nature in the Antichriftian Church her felf more unjustifiable. I muft here own to your Grace, that an honest Zeal for the Original Simplicity of the Chriftian Faith and Practice and an hearty Indignation against the unhappy Methods and Inftruments whereby they have both been fo long, and fo fadly corrupted, may perhaps have fometimes betray'd me to an indecent Warmth against fuch Things or Perfons as appear'd to me moft highly culpable in those Matters; which yet on a friendly Intimation I promife shall be corrected before these Papers are expos'd to a more Publick Confideration. I defire to offend no body; but only to rouze Men out of their Lethargy in thefe Matters, and excite them to their plain Duty, in diligently fearching after, and fincerely embracing the Doctrines and Practices of our old undefiled Religion; not as it has been of late, but as it was Originally understood and obferv'd in the firft and pureft Ages of the Gofpel; that fo all Chriftians, as far as poffible, may with one Mind and Mouth glorify the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in the fame manner as was done in the very firft Times of Chriftianity than which fure no truly honeft and pious Man can defire a greater Bleffing in this World. Were I not entirely fecure of your Graces real Concern for Truth and Piety, and of your favourable Opinion of my Sincerity in aiming to promote the Designs of both; and were not the Sacred Doarines and Rules of our Religion here explain'd of the greatest Importance to the Church of Chrift, I fhould not venture thus freely and boldly to addrefs my felf to you: nor would fuch an Addrefs at all become me. But as it was was the Courage and Integrity of the first Chriftians which, under God, propagated our Holy Religion in its Infancy in the World; fo a proportionable Courage and Integrity ought not to be wanting in any who in earnest attempt a Reformation therein. Nor therefore will your Grace, I hope, blame the Freedom and Refolution I have ever fhewed in this Matter. What I now do is, I am perfuaded, the bounden Duty of every fincere Chriftian, much more of every faithful Minister of the Gofpel: Among whom I had much rather be esteem'd by My Lord and Saviour, even under the bittereft Reproaches and Calumnies among Men, than at the Expence of a good Confcience, and the Hazard of being unfaithful to the Truths of God, enjoy all the Reputation and Advantage this World can I am, May it please your Grace, with all due Gratitude for paft Favours, with all becoming Humility and Submiffion, afford me. Your obliged, and moft WILL. WHISTON. To this fecond Letter I have never receiv'd any Answer from either of the Archbishops. But they were both fo fair as not only to perufe my Papers themselves, (in which perufal My Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, as I'am certainly inform'd, fpent no fmall Time; and compar❜d the Originals alfo for greater Satisfaction;) but encourag'd others to follow their Example,by committing the fame to feveral Learned Men alfo for their Perufal and Opinions. Those who an one Occafion or other have perused them, fo far (f3) as |