and very much unacquainted with chriftian antiquity that think fo. Nor, indeed, have I heard that any one truly learned master of chriftian antiquity, has ever faid fo. What is then the meaning of all these learned thanks, and this learned noife from the clergy, about my lord Nottingham's anfwer; I believe the thinking part of mankind obferve, that to the Answer itself there is a Poftfcript, wherein my lord Nottingham, an eminent peer of Great Britain, has openly declared for church power, and for perfecution; and that binc ille laudes! bine gratie. But thofe laft words, church power and perfecution, brings me naturally to the present bill for fubfcriptions, and for an inquifition to fupport them. Yet certainly, my lord, this unhappy nation has, of late, had oaths enow, tefts enow, fubfcriptions enow impofed upon them: certainly this unhappy nation has, and that in great measure, by fuch means, fufficiently funk the real and confcientious regard to Almighty God; to his true religion, and to all common honesty, justice, truth, and integrity; unless the nation be refolv'd utterly to exclude thofe few, very few honest men, and fincere chriftians; I mean thofe who are fuch by thorough examination and conviction; who still remain, from the common privileges of men and of chriftians, on that very account; and of fet purpose determine to felect thofe, and those only, for indulgence and preferment, who, with or without conviction, according to M. Hobbes's notion, will always be as near as poffible, to the legal and establish'd religion, whatfoever it be. Nor indeed, my lord, if the publick proceeds much farther in this way, will there be almoft any openly honeft men, and fincere chriftians, that dare to appear publickly in these kingdoms. However, my lord, if the church and ftate do refolve to quench those small remnants of learning, justice, and inte

grity, which ftill remain among us, by the introduction of an boly office into thefe kingdoms, with your grace at the head of it; it would certainly be convenient, for its future reputation, that the feveral forts of blafphemy referred to in the prefent bill, may be diftinguish'd by feveral forts of penalties; and that blafphemy against Almighty God himfelf, or against his Only Begotten Son; or against his Holy Spirit, fhould be punished fomewhat more feverely than blafphemy against Athanafius: which yet I perceive is not taken care of in this bill; which emendation I would therefore humbly offer to your grace's confideration. I conclude with two plain obfervations; the one made by an honeft Italian, who, in the fincerity of his foul, turned protestant, and came into England, in expectation of finding true religion and piety to flourish here; it was under the miniftry of the earl of Oxford, when, upon his great difappointment, he faid to me with great grief, No religion in Italy: No religion in England: all politicks, politicks. The author of the other shall be nameless, but he is one that for fome time has carefully obferv'd the circumstances of ecclefiaftical affairs, and of the principal ecclefiaftical perfons in these nations; and begs of your grace, and of all others concern'd, feriously to reflect upon it, before it be too late. Happy, faid this perfon, is that man who is not made a worfe christian by being made a bishop; and thrice happy. that man who is not made a much worse chriftian, by being made an archbishop.

1

I might here add fomewhat concerning certain discoveries of my own, of very great confequence, as to the facred fcriptures, and, particularly, the facred chrónology that lies now by me, no ways unworthy of your grace's, or of the learned's confideration, and patronage: the substance of fome part whereof I had, indeed, thought long ago to Р

have

have communicated to your grace, before it were printed; but fince you feem to me now to have engaged yourself for modern church power, inftead of primitive chriftian difcipline, and for perfecution, inftead of examination in the moft facred matters: I have no more to fay, but fhall forely lament your grace's fall from your old pure and peaceable christianity; as did the Athanafians the fall of the great Hofius, from their novel and pernicious herefy. am, my lord,

I a

Your Grace's very humble Servant,

WILL. WHISTON.

P. S. Since I have above made mention of your grace's very ufeful English edition of the apoftolical fathers, give me leave to fet down here a famous paffage out of the principal of thofe 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 fee 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 alfo 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 fcriptures, which are the true words of the Holy Ghoft. Ye "know that there is nothing unjust or counterfeit "written in them. There you fhall not find that " righteous

66

εξ righteous men were ever caft off by fuch as "were good themfelves: they were perfecuted, "'tis true, but it was by the wicked and unjust: "they were caft into prifon; but they were caft "in by thofe that were unholy: they were ftoned; but it was by tranfgreffors: they were killed; "but by accurfed men, and fuch as had taken up an unjust envy against them and all thefe things they underwent gloriously. For what fhall we fay, brethren? was Daniel caft into "the den of lions, by men fearing God? Ananias, "Azarias, and Mifael, were they caft into the "fiery furnace, by men profeffing the excellent " and glorious worship of the Moft High? God "forbid! what kind of perfons then were they

that did these things? they were men abomi"nable, full of all wickedness; who were incenfed "to fo great a degree, as to bring thofe into fuf"fering, who, with a holy and unblameable 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, "ferve his holy Name: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

ઠંડે

For a farther demonftration of this archbishop's prodigious change of conduct, take thefe words of his own letter to the fuperintendant of Zurich, publifhed at Zurich, and afterwards here, in a paper then printed, which I have by me, as follows:"Some of our bishops, fays he, are labouring to "pull down the church in which they minifter; and "to introduce fuch licentioufnefs, as would over"throw the grace of the Holy Spirit, the divinity "of Christ, and all other fundamental articles of 66 our religion. That it is to be lamented by all,

that thefe grievous wolves are not only not driven away from the sheepfold, but are received within P 2

"the

"the walls of the church; and, what is more, pre"ferred to its honours, its offices, and its govern

ment! that the miniftry, who have nothing at "heart but their own power, and the prefervation "of their places, because they think by tolerating "and promoting these men, they shall ingratiate "themselves with the populace, are therefore en62 tirely careless what becomes of the church, of "the faith, or of religion; in fhort, of Jefus Chrift "himself, and of his truth.-That he should think "himself guilty of betraying the faith, if he did "not, whenever opportunity ferved, anathematize thefe hereticks and enemies of our religion."

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 most Excellent Majefty: His Royal Highness: His Grace: The moft Reverend, or Right Reverend Father in God, &c. Without being quite fatisfied, with the juftnefs of fuch flattering titles, as Elibu, in our verfion, calls them, Job xxxii. 21. or their perfect agreement with the facred writings which rather, on all occafions, aim to deprefs human pride and vanity, and to exalt the divine Omnipotence and Authority. Accordingly, when the present 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 greeteth 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 apoftle, in