Years together; to his own, and his Congregation's great Comfort and Satisfaction. Nay the very learned and pious Doctor Grabe was fo great an Admirer of the fame Euchariftical Form, that while he durft not receive the Communion in Publick, on Account of its prefent Deviation from all the Primitive Liturgies in fome Part of that Celebration, he did it to his great Joy and Satisfaction with Mr. Stephens, in that particular Congregation. And as to the Opinions of the Learned, whether of this, or of other Churches about it, take the fame Mr. Stephens's Account, in thefe Words.

Dead, Dedication.

Having fays he, published a Liturgy entitu† Of Prayers for the led, † The Liturgy of the Ancients reprefented, as near as • well may be in English Forms; not much different (only a little more compleat) from that Re

ftitution of the true English Liturgy attempted

by the Scotch, with the Affiftance of the principal of the English Bishops, Anno 1637. I prefented it to fome of the principal learned Men, first of the English, who much approved it, and wished it reftored by Law: Then of the Lutherans, who also approved it, and declared their Satisfaction to • communicate in that Form; and at last of the • Roman Catholicks, who had no Exception to the • Matter or Form of it.'

All that seems neceffary to be added here by me, is this, that I cannot but earnestly wish that all those learned Perfons who will not be able to disapprove of this Deffgn in Theory, would be fo Honeft, and fo Chriftian, as with me to endeavour to reduce it

to

to practice alfo. That fomewhat like this might be introduced into all Diffenting Meetings, as much better, and lefs offenfive to publick Authority, than any of the usual Extempore Prayers; and into private Families, even the Chapels of Noblemen themfelves, where it may be certainly used without the leaft Pretence of difobedience to fuch publick Authority; and where even the Law allows feveral more than the ordinary Family to be prefent also. Nay, I should think it ought to be so far from any Offence to the good Men of this Church, if it were publickly used by any of the Clergy in their Parishes also, that they should rather unite zealously for fuch its Introduction; it being nothing but their own eftablished Liturgy made more exactly Chriftian and unexceptionable. I conclude with the remarkable Words of the Prophet Jeremiah v. 16. Which are very appofite to my prefent Purpofe; and I heartily wish they might make fome Impreffion on the Christian World. Thus faith the Lord; ftand ye in the Ways and fee, and ask for the old Paths, where is the good Way, and walk therein, and ye fball find reft to your Souls.

Aug. 28, 1713.

WILL. WHISTON.

In the Year 1748, I publifhed my Sacred Hiftory of the Old and New Testament, from the Creation of the World, till the Days of Conftantine the Great: Reduced into Annals.

Containing

Containing withal the Fulfilling of Scripture Prophecies all along: A compleat Catalogue of the Eclipfes of the Sun and Moon mentioned by the Antients: Bishop Lloyd's Origines of the Jewish Church, from the Exodus out of Egypt, till the Death of Mofes. The Preface to his Expofition of Daniel's LXX Weeks. Both these never before Published: Fragments of the oldeft Gofpels: Fragments of the Acts, &c. of Peter and Paul: An Account of the oldeft Copies of the New Teftament, especially of Beza's ineftimable Greek and Latin Copy of the four Gofpels and Acts of the Apoftles, now in the Library of the University of Cambridge: From which, and from the Clermont and Alexandrian Manuscripts, Mr. Whifton's Primitive New Teftament is now published in English.

Containing alfo CLV Obfervations, for correcting the modern Errors in Sacred Chronology: For discovering the true Chronology of Peter: For determining the Authors, Times and Places of the Publication of the IV Gospels, and the other Books of the New Testament: For Correction of the Mistakes in our modern Copies; and, for ftating the proper Rules of judging about true Readings, &c. Timothy's Epistle to Diognetus, now firft put into English, and proved to be genuine. A future State frequent in the original Copies of the Old Teftament: A Confutation of Porphyry. The Martyrdom of Polycarp: The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas, with Notes: The Acts of the Council of Antioch in the Third Century, &c. A Prospect for a New and Cheap Edition of the Primi

tive Writers, and for fixing them, as lending Libraries, in every Parishof Great-Britain and Ireland,and the Plantations thereto belonging: A Table of LXXXI of Paul's Journeys and Voyages, in VII Periods, and XXXV Years after his Converfion: Together with other proper Chronological Tables and Indexes are added at the End.

London printed for the Author, and fold by John Whiston in Fleet-Street, and Francis Bishop, in Little Turn-Stile, Holborn, 1748. Price to Subfcibers Il. 6s. but to others a Guinea and half in Sheets.

N. B. When I was at Newberry, with Mr. Collet in the Week after Whitfun-Week, A. D. 1748. I met with very agreeable Company, and heard the worthy Mr. Mace preach twice on Sunday in the fame Meeting-house, where my old learned Friend Mr. James Pierce had preached, before he went to Exeter. I there also met with a very authentick Account of the impofing and oppreffive Spirit of Mr. Edward Harley, lately Earl of Oxford, and his Athanafians among the Diffenters: For he fent down an unscriptural Formulary of the Athanafian Doctrine into Cumberland, to be fubfcribed by fuch of the diffenting Preachers as defired Affiftance, out of the Diffenters Fund at London; the Difpofal whereof lay much in his Power. This was fubfcribed by four of thofe Preachers, before they were aware, and before they had confulted their Brethren. But when it came to the Turn of one of much better Confideration, he put a Stop to it, and on the contrary drew up a very excellent Declaration against fuch Impofitions,

fitions, and againft taking away the ufual Allowance to Preachers on any fuch Accounts; which was fully approved by the reft of his Brethren, and even by the four who had been betrayed into the former Subscription.

On the 19th of December, 1717, Dr. Colbatch preached his excellent Sermon in Commemoration of the Founders and Benefactors of Trinity College, Cambridge. Of which Dr. Smalridge, then Dean of Christ's Church, Oxford, faid to me, that it was fit to be read over once a Quarter by all Governors of Colleges. In this Sermon, p. 30. He speaks thus of my most intimate Friend Dr. Laughton, then a Tutor at Clare Hall, who yet was very oppofite to him in party Notions: We fee what a Con• fluence of Nobility and Gentry the Virtue of one • Man daily draws to one of our leaft Colleges:

And is it poffible that this should lye hid in an in'glorious Obscurity, when governed according to ⚫ our Statutes, and confequently filled with Perfons

every Way fit for their respective Stations?' Now this Dr. Colbatch was my particular Friend, and a Perfon of great Learning and Regard to the feverest Difcipline, and of the ftricteft Virtue; tho' that Virtue seemed to have fomewhat of the dif agreeable, as his Friend Dr. Newton of Oxford's Virtue, feems to me to have fomewhat that is peculiarly agreeable. Dr. Colbatch and I were hearty Friends to Dr. Bentley, the Master of that College, for several Years, while he appeared to act uprightly; but when he altered that his Conduct, we were both of us forced to leave him: Nay the Dr. was at length

fo