their epiftle 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 fubjects. Deut. xvii. 20. And truly 'tis to me not a little fhocking, who have long convers'd with plain Clement, bishop of Rome; plain Ignatius, bishop of Antioch; plain Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna; and the reft of the moft primitive bishops, to come down to, The most reverend father in God Lancelot, late lord archbishop of York: The most 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 reverend 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 swelling titles of the other. My brethren, these things ought not jo to be.

And now having had occafion lately to mention Dr. Rundle, as one vehemently oppofed 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, fhould 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 conftitutions; 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 chriftianity; but Mr. Rennel always feemed to think Oxford could not afford any but themselves as willing to join in fuch a fociety. When Mr. Rundle came afterward to London, he became an hearty and zealous member of our fociety; and introduced into it another excellent young man, Mr. Talbot, the fon of bishop Talbot, who afterwards took holy orders, but died very young; tho' not till he had recommended to his father, who was then bishop of Oxford, but afterwards of Durham, not only Mr. Rundle, but feveral 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 ftill higher prefer'd to be bishops or deans; and have I think, been fome of the beft 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 fons, the truly excellent lord chancellor Talbot, (whofe fudden death was the most greatly lamented by good men, of almoft that of any one, in this age.) However, before this time, and before Mr. Rundle entered into holy orders, he became fo difgufted at the corrupt ftate 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 apoftles themselves, much lefs any modern fynods or convocations, any power to make new laws for chriftans; he having himfelf delivered fuch a body of laws to the apostles, 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.

Rom. xii. 18. Which is, I confefs, the proper foundation of my obedience in fuch cafes. Now at this time, when he had no defign to take orders, 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 Kempfton, Efq; near Bedford, to teach his only fon; 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 "Kempton, 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"fure, 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 fhame, "who am fifteen years older) fo ready in the "fathers and ecclefiaftical hiftory; and indeed "fo learned in all fciences; but what gives a luftre 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 primitve chriftians in the first 79 century.

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But now when I was bufy in looking into the character of old chriftian books, and had a great mind to have the fibylline 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 myfelf, with the very kind and very valuable affiftance of my fon-in-law, Samuel Barker, Efq; of Lyndon, in the county of Rutland. [Whofe Hebrew gramP4

mar,

mar, which he has been fo many years about, if once perfected, and publifhed, 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 fon-in-law, Mr. Barker, and his affiftance to me in this particular cafe, I must do him the justice to own farther, his very great affistance to me on many other occafions alfo; not only by furnishing me with many of the best ancient books, proper to my defigns, which I was no way able to purchase myself, but by adding frequently his own great fagacity 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 eafily 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 so zealous for religion, as a member of our fociety, 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 ufe himself to; which made that real confeffor, Mr. Emlyn, then fay," that "Mr. Rundle did not feem cut out for fuch fuffer

ings as confeffors are to expect." Accordingly Mr. Rundle once invited me to eat a cheefe-cake, as he termed it, with Mr. Talbot, and himfelf: to which invitation I agreed, without fufpicion of any particular defign. But when I came I found fuch a collation of wine and fweet-meats prepared, as little correfponded to the terms of the invitation. After fome time the grand fecret was difclofed, and I was in

formed

formed 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 anfwer from me; 66 I "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 furprize and anfwer, Mr. Arthur Onflow, fometimes chairman of that fociety, 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 between Mr. Rundle and me for many years, infomuch that he was afraid to meet me, my reproofs were fo fharp, and he was fo little able to bear them. However, when he had taken his doctor's degree, and great preferment at Salisbury and Durham, I was informed, that tho' he had appeared so zealous before for the genuine antiquity of the apoftolical conftitutions, he faid 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

66

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 ftomach there, that it never recover'd its natural temper, even when he lived very abftemiously afterward. But then it must be observed farther, that after many years had cooled much of that vehemence which I long had used towards him, a fpecimen 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