ders, but rather defired to proceed in my downright upright Way, and to hazard all he had for promoting Primitive Chriftianity, he was recommended to John Cater of Kempton Efq; near Bedford, to teach his only Son; where I was once with him, and where another Time my old Friend Mr. John Lawrence was with him; whofe Character, at that Time of his Life, take from the fame Mr. Lawrence's Letter to me." When I came from Aynho, "I found a Letter from Mr. Cater inviting me to

Kempfton, whither I accordingly went.-And "because I found there the most agreeable Conver "fation, especially in Mr. Rundle, I could not "but communicate to you fome Part of my Plea"sure, after a pretty deal of Perfecution I have "met with from my Neighbouring Clergy. I was "furpriz'd to find fo young a Man, (to my Shame, "who am fifteen Years older) fo ready in the "Fathers and Ecclefiaftical History; and indeed "fo learned in all Sciences; but what gives a "Lufter to all, fo ftrictly fober, ferious, con"fciencious, (what fhall I fay) fo daringly good ❝and honeft in Principle, that I thought myself to live amongst the Primitive Chriftians in the first ❝ Century.

But now when I was bufy in looking into the Character of old Chriftian Books, and had a great Mind to have the Sibylline Oracles, fo frequently quoted by the Primitive Chriftians, throughly enquired into, I defired Mr. Rundle to undertake that Work; but he foon found the Tafk too hard for him; fo I was forced to examine them myself,

with the very kind and very valuable Affiftance of my Son-in-Law, Samuel Barker, Efq; of Lyndon, in the County of Rutland. [Whofe Hebrew Grammar, which he has been fo many Years about, if once perfected, and published, would fhew how much original Authors, even in understanding that Language, would outgo all the modern Hebrew Grammars whatsoever.] Of which Oracles I have spoken already. But now I have mentioned my Son-in-Law, Mr. Barker, and his Affiftance of me in this particular Cafe, I must do him the Juftice to own farther, his very great Affiftance to me on many other Occafions alfo; not only by furnishing me with many of the beft ancient Books, proper to my Designs, which I was no way able to Purchase myself, but by adding frequently his own great Sagacity and Exactnefs in Examination, to my own Discoveries; in which Affiftance none but my old bofom Friend, Mr. Richard Allen, Fellow of Sidney College, Cambridge, of whom I have made frequent mention in my Writings, but now in Paradife, can at all be compared to him. Nor is it easily poffible for one Man to be more obliged to another than I and my Family have long been to Mr. Barker, may God Almighty reward him for the fame both in this and the next World.

Now altho' Mr. Rundle was at firft fo zealous for Religion, as a Member of our Society, yet did not he keep himself in fo temperate and abftemious a Way of living, as one that feemed difpofed to be a Confeffor ought; to use himself to; which made that real Confeffor, Mr. Emlyn then say," that

Mr.

"Mr. Rundle did not seem cut out for fuch Suffer"ings, as Confeffors are to expect.

Accordingly Mr. Rundle once invited me to eat a Cheese-cake, as he termed it, with Mr.Talbot; and himself: To which Invitation I agreed, without Sufpicion of any particular Defign. But when I came I found fuch a Collation of Wine and Sweat-meats prepared, as little correfponded to the Terms of the Invitation. After fome Time the grand Secret was disclosed, and I was informed that they were both determined to fign the thirty-nine Articles, and take Holy Orders, and Preferment. This greatly furpriz'd me, and occafioned this fhort but sharp Answer from me; .. [ 65 understand you well; you are going to leave "the Paths of Uprightness to walk in the Ways of "Darkness, and I will have nothing more to do "with you." Now what wonder foever may poffefs other People, at this my Surprize and Anfwer, Mr. Arthur Onflow, fometimes Chairman of that Society, and one that held a frequent Correfpondence with Mr. Rundle by Letters, for a great while together, before this Time, will not I am confident wonder at either of them; to whom I appeal upon this Occafion. From this Time an intire Breach was made betwen Mr. Rundle and me for many Years, infomuch that he was afraid to meet me, my Reproofs were fo Sharp, and he was fo little able to bear them. However, when he had taken his Doctor's Degree, and great Preferment at Salisbury and Durbam, I was informed, that tho' he had appeared fo zealous before for the genuine Antiquity of the Apoftolical Conftitutions, he faid

now,

now, they were not written 'till the fourth Century; I reply'd, feverely, "Make but Dr. Run"dle Dean of Durham, and they will not be writ"ten 'till the fifth Century." Nor did the Doctor's great Preferment fucceed well with him; while by indulging himself in fine coftly Eating and Drinking at Durham, he fo fpoiled the Tone of his Stomach there, that it never recover'd its natural Temper, even when he lived very abftemiously afterward. But then it must be obferved farther, that after many Years had cooled much of that Vehemence which I long had ufed towards him, a Specimen of which the Reader may fee in my Life of Dr. Clarke, Page 38, 39. and when we were come into a kind of Friendship again, (as I must do him the Juftice to fay, he was always of a very kind, generous, friendly Difpofition, and afforded me in particular, confiderable Affiftance in the laft Years of his Life, and even near the very Time of his Death, when he wrote me a kind Letter to fend for ten Guineas, when he was hardly able to write; and therein defired ἀληθεύειν ἐν ἀγάπη to his laft Moments) when I fay we came into a kind of Friendship again, it happened that an unlucky Imputation was laid upon him by Mr. Venn, Minifter of St. Antholin's, one that I was well acquainted with, and had a good Opinion of also; as if Dr. Rundle had fpoken fceptically concerning Abraham's offering up his Son Ifaac. I never met with the Words charged upon him, fo I cannot give them my Reader; the Difcourfe was in the Company of Dr. Robert Cannon, when Mr. Venn was by: This

was fo charged upon him by Mr. Venn, in a Letter to the Bishop of London, and the Charge fo profecuted, that it was likely to be urged publickly and legally against him, when Dr. Rundle was to be confirmed by Dr. Paul. I being, as I have already faid, well acquainted with the Accufer and the Accufed, went to them both; and upon hearing what Mr. Venn teftified, and knowing that Mr. Chubb, of Sarum, with whom Dr. Rundle, as Archdeacon there, was well acquainted, had taken particular Offence at that Part of the Sacred Hiftory, and had published a Pamphlet against it, which I had feen; and thence began to be very fceptical: I fufpected strongly that Dr. Rundle had been to blame, and had faid more than became a Believer of the Bible to fay. Accordingly I went to him, and told him of my Sufpicion: Dr. Rundle, in his Anfwer, utterly denied the Charge: But ftill did not impute any wilful Falfchood to Mr. Venn; but rather thought the Words might belong to Dr. Cannon, and by a Miftake of the Speaker, be afcribed to him: Which Dr. Cannon, we all knew used to say, that "If he had been a Juftice of "Peace in the Days of Abraham, and seen him "about to offer up his Son for a Sacrifice, he "would have laid him by the Heels." I charged Dr. Rundle farther, that there was Reason to suspect he had learned that Profaneness of Mr. Chubb's Pamphlet, or his Converfation upon it. He reply'd, that Mr. Chubb's Pamphlet did not come out 'till a Year or two after this Conversation, whence arofe the prefent Imputation. In this I did

not

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