forely lament your Grace's Fall from your old pure and peaceable Chriftianity; as did the Athanafians the Fall of the Great Hoftus, from their novel and pernicious Heresy. I am, my Lord,

Your Grace's very bumble Servant,

WILL. WHISTON,

P. S. Since I have above made mention of your Grace's very useful English Edition of the Apoftolical Fathers, give me Leave to fet down here a famous Paffage out of the Principal of those Fathers; I mean Clement of Rome, one fo little favourable to the Athanafian Doctrine, that it was with fome Difficulty that he escaped the Cenfure of Blafphemy from Photius on that Account, Cod. cxxvi. and yet one whofe Name your Grace, with all the learned Chriftian World, own, after St. Paul, to have been in the Book of Life, Philip iv. 3. And see what he thought of Perfecution and of Perfecutors; even in Cafes where the pretended Criminals had the Charge, at leaft, of contradicting fome Fundamentals of the establish'd Religion, if not of Blafphemy, and of Atheism also laid upon them, in order to cover the Barbarity of their Enemies Proceedings against them. The Words are thefe, according to your Grace's own Verfion, Page 36. "Look into the Holy Scriptures, which "are the true Words of the Holy Ghoft. Ye "know that there is nothing Unjuft or Counterfeit "written in them. There you shall not find that

"righteous Men were ever caft off by fuch as "were good themselves: They were perfecuted, " 'tis true, but it was by the Wicked and Unjuft:

They were caft into Prison; but they were caft "in by those that were unholy: They were stoned; "but it was by Tranfgreffors: They were killed; "but by accurfed Men, and fuch as had taken up "an unjuft Envy againft them: And all these "Things they underwent gloriously. For what "fhall we fay, Brethren? Was Daniel caft into "the Den of Lions, by Men fearing God? Ana"nias, Azarias, and Mifael, were they caft into "the Fiery Furnace, by Men profeffing the excel"lent and glorious Worship of the most High? "God forbid! what kind of Perfons then were they "that did thefe Things? They were Men abomi"nable, full of all Wickedness; who were incenfed "to fo great a Degree, as to bring thofe into Suf"fering, who with a holy and unblamable Pur"pose of Mind, worshipped God: Not knowing "that the moft High is the Protector and De"fender of all fuch, as with a pure Confcience, "serve his holy Name: To whom be Glory for 66 ever and ever, Amen.

N. B. That I fometimes comply with Custom as to the Denomination of great Men, both in Church and State, to prevent giving too much Offence: Such as His moft Excellent Majefty: His Royal Highness: His Grace: The most Reverend or Right Reverend Father in God, &c. Without being quite fatisfied, with the Juftness of such flat

tering Titles, as Elibu calls them, Job xxxii. 21. or their perfect Agreement with the facred Writings Which rather, on all Occafions, aim to dreprefs human Pride and Vanity, and to exalt the divine Omnipotence and Authority. Accordingly, when the prefent Bishop of Durham had once told me of a Doubt he had, whether Linus mentioned by Paul with his Mother Claudia, (for fo the Conftitutions inform us fhe was vii. 46.) 2. Tim. iv. 21. Eubulus greeth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the Brethren: With no other Note of Dignity than as one of the Brethren, could be the then great Bishop of Rome; as all the Ancients agree he was. I reply'd "Bishops My Lord were not "then Right Reverend Fathers in God;" which quite filenced the Objection. And indeed not only the Corinthians, in writing to Paul the Apostle, in their Epistle preferv'd by the Armenians, ftile him no other than their Brother Paul: But God himfelf made a Law for the Kings of Ifrael, that they fhould not have their Hearts lifted up above their Brethren; meaning their Subjects. Deut. xvii. 20. And truly 'tis to me not a little Shocking, who have long convers'd with plain Clement, Bishop of Rome; plain Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch; plain Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna; and the rest of the moft Primitive Bishops, to come down to, The moft Reverend Father in God Lancelot, late Lord Archbishop of York: The moft Reverend Father in God, John late Lord Archbishop of Dublin, and then of Armagh: The Right Reverend Father in God John, late Lord Bishop of Landaff: The Right Re

verend Father in God Richard, late Lord Bishop of Lincoln: The Right Reverend Father in God Robert, late Lord Bishop of Ely: To fay nothing of any now alive: And to compare the admirable Characters, but humble Titles of the former, with the poor Characters, and fwelling Titles of the other. My Brethren thefe Things ought not fo to be.

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And now having had Occafion lately to mention Dr. Rundle, as one vehemently opposed by the Bishop of London, when the Lord Chancellor Talbot recommended him to the Court for a Bishoprick; and his Character and Affairs having made a very great Noife, it is fit that I, who knew him long and intimately, should a little enlarge upon him in this Place. I was acquainted with him firft at Oxford in the Year 1712, when I came thither to fearch for Records, relating to the Apoftolical Constitutions; and when I was endeavouring to form our Society for Promoting Primitive Chriftianity. He was, of Exeter College; and foon introduc'd himself and his Tutor Mr. Rennel into my Acquaintance: They both feemed very fenfible of modern Errors and Corruptions; and very ready to join with me for reftoring Primitive Christianity; but Mr. Rennel always feemed to think Oxford could not afford any but themselves as willing to join in fuch a Society. When Mr. Rundle came afterward to London, he became an hearty and zealous Member of our Society; and introduced into it another excellent young Man, Mr. Talbot, the Son of Bishop Talbot, who afterwards took Holy Orders, but died very young; tho' not till he had recommended

to

to his Father, who was then Bishop of Oxford, but afterwards of Durham, not only Mr. Rundle, but several others of his intimate Friends; who were greatly prefer'd by him, and at the late Queen's Recommendation before fhe died, have by the King been still higher prefer'd to be Bishops or Deans; and have I think, been some of the best that have been prefer'd in this Reign. Dr. Rundle in particular was taken into the Bishop's Bofom, and Family; and thence came into the great Favour of another of that Bishop's Sons, the truly excellent Lord Chancellor Talbot, (whofe fudden Death was the moft greatly lamented by good Men, of almost that of any one, in this Age.) However, before this Time, and before Mr. Rundle entered into Holy Orders, he became so disgusted at the corrupt State of the Church, and at the Tyranny of the Ecclefiaftical Laws, that he fometimes declared against obeying them, even where they were in themselves not unlawful; which was farther then I could go with him. For altho' I think our Saviour never gave even the Apostles themselves, much less any modern Synods or Convocations, any Power to make new Laws for Christians; he having himself delivered fuch a Body of Laws to the Apoftles, and they to us in their Conftitutions: Yet in Cafes where they are filent, and the Injunctions lawful, I always aim to go by St. Paul's excellent Rule, As far as is poffible, and as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all Men. Rom. xii. 18. Which is, I confefs, the proper Foundation of my Obedience in fuch Cafes. Now at this Time, when he had no Design to take Or

ders,