Syftem of the Mathematicks, before I had amended them at Mr. Flamsteed's Admonition. It must alfo be obferved, that I hardly ever had Patience, in any of my Tables or Calculations, to find the Seconds nicely as esteeming them very troublesome to find, and of very little Confequence when they were found,: However, fince Dr. Halley's more ac· curate Tables are now to be published, these need be printed no more; but all Calculations ought to be taken from the other.

In the fame Year, 1707, I published, by the Author's Permiffion, Sir Ifaac Newton's Arithmetica Univerfalis, or Algebra, from that Copy which was laid up in the Archives of the University, as all Mr. Lucas's Profeffor's Lectures are obliged to be, and where my own Lectures were laid up accordingly: Which Algebra had been nine Years. Lectures of Sir Ifaac Newton's; but because that acute Mathematician Mr. Machin, Profeffor of Aftronomy at Gresham College (where I formerly read many Lectures for him) and one of the Secretaries of the Royal Society, has published this Work again, by the Author's later Defire or Permiffion; I lay no Claim to it. It has also been put into English from my Edition printed at London.

N. B. Mr. Cotes and I began our first Course of Philofophical Experiments at Cambridge, May 5, 1707. In the Performance of which, certain Hydrostatick and Pneumatick Lectures were compofed; they were in Number twenty-four; the one half by Mr. Cotes, and the other half by myself: K 4 Which

Which Lectures were alfo afterward made use of in the like [enlarged] Courfes, which Mr. Haukfbee and I performed many Years in London. Mr. Cotes's have been fometime ago published by his Coufin and Succeffor Dr. Smith, now Mafter of Trinity College, Cambridge: But I efteem mine so far inferior to his, and many later Books and Courses relating to fuch Matters being become common, I cannot prevail with myself fo much to revise and improve them, as they ought to be before they are fit for Publication; fo that I do not give any further Account of them in this Place. The prefent Duke of Argyle took a Copy of them long ago, when he had gone through our Course, and I fuppofe has it still by him.

In the fame Year, 1707, I preached eight Sermons at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, at the Lecture founded by the Hon. Robert Boyle, Efq; upon the Accomplishment of Scripture Prophecies; with an Appendix to the fame Purpose: To which is fubjoined, a Differtation to prove that our Saviour afcended into Heaven on the Evening after his Refurrection. 8vo. Price 3 s. 6 d.

N. B. Upon any future Edition, these Lectures are to be printed from that corrected and improved Copy which is inferted into the Collection made 1736, of all the Sermons that had then been preached at that Lecture.

N. B. I made mention in these Sermons, 1707, of the modern French Prophets, who at that Time made a great Noife amongst us, with plain Difapprobation of their Pretences: And, about the Year

1713, I held a Conference at my House, (they are my Words, pag. 68. of the first Edition of my Life of Dr. Clarke,) with. Mr Lacy, and feveral other of those Prophets; wherein I gave my Reafons why, upon Suppofition of their Agitations and Impulses being fupernatural, I thought they were evil and not good Spirits that were the Authors of those Agitations and Impulses: Where I also add, that the Heads of the Reasons I infifted on are still preserved: I fhall here therefore add those Heads in this Place, as follows.

Reasons against the new Prophets;

That their Spirit is not the Spirit of God. (1.) They father ridiculous Things upon God. (2.) They are lying Prophets, by foretelling Events that have not come to pass.

(3.) They falfely pretend to Miracles.

(4.) They permit Sin; as in Mr. Lacy's Adultery with Eliz. Grey.

(5.) They misinterpret Scripture,

(6.) They think the Scripture the Rule of Faith, contrary to all Antiquity.

(7.) They reject the Ufe of Reason.

(8.) They make it impoffible to discover falfe Prophets.

(9.) The Quakers, &c. have equal Pretences with them.

(10.) Tho' fome true Prophets might not work Miracles, nor foretell future Events, yet they never then pretended to them, as thefe have done; so none were condemned for rejecting John the Baptift, because he wrought no Mira

cles;

cles; and our Saviour fays, If I had not done among them the Works which none other Man did, they had not bad Sin..

(11.) Wild Agitations are rather Signs of dæmoniacal Poffeffions, than of a Prophetick Afflatus. (12.) They are unable to explain any difficult Scripture Prophecies.

(13.) They entertain vulgar untrue Notions in Di-
vinity; fuch as the Athanafian Trinity; the im-
perfect Canon of Scripture, &c.

(14.) The old Prophets were owned for true, by
their very
Enemies; and fo had either certain
Credentials of their own, or were attested to by
others that had fuch Credentials, &c. But 'tis
not fo here.

At laft I took Mr. Lacy by the Hand, and faid to
him, and his Companions, I hope you are boneft;
but I am fatisfied you are very weak: Which is
what I would fay to our prefent Enthufiafts alfo.
Nor was the great Bishop Lloyd's Opinion of the
French Prophets to be defpifed, who called this.
Pretence of theirs, the Devil's Banter; by their
Folly to bring the true Scripture Prophecies into
contempt.

N. B. Mr. John Weftley, one among the prefent Methodists, having already freed himself from the Folly of Calvinism; having written for the Obfervation of the old Wednesday and Friday Stations, in which I gave him my Affiftance long ago; having also preached and printed an excellent Sermon before the University of Oxford, and having lately thewed fomewhat of a true Chriftian Temper, in

unfaying

unfaying what he had heard from a very foolish Enthufiaft about Mr. Emlyn. I hope he will at last leave off his Athanafian Follies, and come intirely into old Christianity.

About August, in the Year 1708, as is noted in my Historical Preface, pag. 55, 56. I drew up a Imall imperfect Efay upon the Apoftolical Conftitutions, and offered it to Dr. Lany, our Vice-Chancellor, for his Licence, to be printed at Cambridge, but he refused to licence it.

In this Year, 1708, my great Friend Mr. Pierce, near whom I had formerly lived in intimate Friendship at Cambridge, and who was really the most learned of all the diffenting Teachers that I had known; but was at this Time a Preacher at Newberry in Berkshire; heard that I was become an heretical Eufebian, or Arian; fo he wrote me the following Letter, in the Way of a true Friend, and a good Scholar, but a zealous Athanafian.

Dear Sir,

IN

Newberry, July 10, 1708.

N feveral Companies in London (from whence I returned last Week) I met with a most displeas ing Account of you; but it being from Perfons altogether unacquainted with you, I thought it the Part of a Friend not to give Credit to it; and therefore did endeavour to quash that Kind of Dif. course, and alledg'd, what I thought rendered it improbable: But cafually meeting with a common Friend of ours, I was forc'd to believe, what was fo much against my Inclination. I need not apolo