when you nicely examine that geography; which will not be neceffary the first time. You are right as to the bishop of Worcester's Bible: 'tis now grown the common Bible in the larger editions. As to the method of common-placing in an interleav'd or interlin'd Bible, 'tis not difficult. Thus upon Daniel's weeks, Dan. ix. refer to the tenth hypothefis of my New Theory, where you have my learned friend Mr. Allin's proofs, that the old year was 360 days, which year I then thought to be us'd in those weeks, and to be the very key of that prophecy. Thus alfo upon Gen. iii. 15. Note all the places whence it appears that the Meffias was to have a mother, but not a father; as I have noted them in my Boyle's Lectures, page 92, 93. A little ufe will make you ready at this way: tho' I myself rather wish I had, than really have purfu'd it all along my ftudies. But if I were to begin again I should certainly do it. The original doxology, Glory be to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Ghoft, feems to mean thus, Glory be now, and ever given to the fupreme God the Father, by the mediation of the Son, and affiftance of the Holy Spirit. I have now answer'd your particular queftions, and hope that thefe fmall additions, join'd to my former larger directions, will be of ufe to you in your ftudies, and fufficient to fet you in the right way in general which, when you have made fome progrefs in, you will be able to be your own guide in fuch matters. As to the dangers and perfecutions I have expofed myself to by my late writings, I knew my duty as a chriftian, and did refolve to hazard all in the world, rather than be unfaithful to the truths of Christ, or fuffer the church to be any longer fo grofly impos'd upon, as fhe has long been, by the writers of controverfy, and the tyranny of antichrift. Yet, bleffed be God, I have been all along fo providentially directed and preferved in this perilous undertaking, that my loffes have been none at all from the publick, and my dangers foon over: fo that I now efteem thefe facred truths paft danger of being fupprefs'd, and myself, in great part, past the danger of violence on their account. Tho', if God, fee fit, ftill farther to try me, bis will be done. The Apoftolical Conftitutions, in Greek and in Englib, are now in the prefs; as will my Essay upon them foon be alfo. But my Account of the Primitive Faith will, I hope, come to a publick examination before it is printed. I fuppofe you have feen my imperfect Essay on the Epistles of Ignatius, which I am now compleating; and which, if not throughly answered, will gain all I contend for; efpecially when the Apoftolical Conftitutions themfelves, fo undoubtedly fupported by them, appear more commonly among chriftians, and appear to be of equal authority with the four gofpels themfelves, as they really were in all the first times of the church. I pray God profper your honeft ftudies and endeavours, and make you an ufeful member of his church, and am, Your very bumble Servant, WILL. WHISTON. About this year, 1710, Menkenius, a learned man in Germany, wrote to Dr. Hudson, the learned keeper of the Bodleian library at Oxford, to procure him an account of me; whose writings then made, as he said, a great noife in Germany. Dr.. Hudfon employ'd his darling pupil and relation Mr. Fiber, my late very good friend, and very ufeful juftice of peace, at Thirlby near Bourn, Lincolnshire, but now dead, to go to my patron bishop Moor, Moor, for a character of me, who, when he had given me a very good one, faid, that "A very "good man may be mistaken.". Mr. Fisher afked his lordship, whether he would give him leave to use his name for my character: but he was unwilling to it. This account I had from Mr. Fisher himself. Some time in the fummer this year, 1710, or rather the foregoing year, 1709, it must have been, when my best friends began to be greatly affrighted at what they heard I was going about, both as to the Eufebian Doctrine, which then was univerfally called the Arian Herefy, which I had embrac'd; and as to the Apoftolical Conftitutions, which favoured that doctrine, and were by me fully afferted to be genuine. Two of them, Dr. Laughton and Mr. Prieft, came together, in a way of kindness, to diffuade me from going on, and to reprefent to me the hazards and dangers I fhould bring upon myself and my family thereby. My reply was quick: "Dr. Laughton and Mr. Prieft, you are my very "good friends, you love me well, and I love "you well, but as to what I am now about, I "know you are both quite ftrangers to thofe mat"ters, and fo your arguments cannot influence me: "but for myself, I have ftudied these points "to the bottom, and am throughly fatisfied "the chriftian church has been long and grofly "cheated in them; and, by God's bleffing, if it "be in my power, it shall be cheated no longer. "And now I have told you this, you may as well "perfuade the fun (which then fhone bright into "the room where we were) to come down from "the firmament, as turn me from this my refo"lution." Which firmness of mind foon put an end to their folicitations. The like refolute answer almoft I made to Dr. Bentley, when he once came to me at London, upon I 2 the the convocation's falling upon me afterward, and aimed prodigiously to terrify me with their irrefifti. ble authority. After which, I was hardly affaulted any more in this way; and continuing to act boldly, according to my duty and confcience, enjoyed a great calm within; how roughly foever the waves and billows abroad feemed ready to overwhelm me. Nor do I remember that during all the legal proceedings againft me, which lafted, in all, four or five years at Cambridge and London, I loft my fleep more than two or three hours one night on that account. This affords a fmall fpecimen of what fupport the old confeffors and martyrs might receive from their Saviour, when they underwent fuch miferies and torments, as we fhould generally think unfupportable by human nature. proceed; as to myfelf, when I faw that it was not unlikely that I might come into great troubles, by my open and refolute behaviour in thofe matters, and refolving to hazard all in endeavouring to reftore the religion of Chrift as he left it; which I well knew what it was in almoft every fingle point: I took particular notice of the martyrdom of Polycarp; and learned that admirable prayer of his at his martyrdom by heart: and if it fhould be my lot to die a martyr, I defigned to put up the fame prayer, in the fame circumftances; being fatisfied that no death is fo eligible to a chriftian as martyrdom, in cafe the prefervation of his integrity and a good confcience make it neceffary. But to In this year 1710, I published a first very small imperfect Effay on the Epiftles of St. Ignatius: But this was afterward greatly improv❜d, and became a large differtation, and is prefixed before thefe epiftles in the first volume of my Primitive Chriftianity Reviv'd; whither I refer the reader. About the middle of the fame year 17 10, I wrote a fmall Memorial for fetting up charity-fchools uni verfally verfally in England and Wales: It was prefented to that fociety of which I was a member, called, The Society for promoting Chriftian Knowledge; which had charity-fchools under their care; and was, I think, one of the oldest of those excellent focieties, greatly promoted, if not first founded, by my dear friend Dr, Thomas Bray. This memorial was reprinted, and subjoined to what copies I had remaining of my Primitive Infant Baptifm Reviv'd, of which presently. Since I am fallen upon the mention of Dr. Bray, I cannot but recommend a fmall book lately publifhed, by a namelefs author, concerning him; intituled, Publick Spirit illuftrated in the Life and Defigns of the Reverend Thomas Bray, D. D. late Minifter of Aldgate; which I was prefented with, when I lately, at Atherston, met with Mr. Shaw, jun. and Mr. Carpenter, Dr. Bray's very worthy fon-in-law, and fucceffor in the paftoral care of Sheldon, near Colefbill, Warwickshire, and in the patronage of the beft chriftian nobleman whom I ever knew, the good lord Digby. The contents of which book I can almost always attest to be true myself; and have ever esteem'd Dr. Bray, not as one of the greatest abilities, but, by far, the most useful clergyman, and most indefatigable promoter of religion, and of those pious defigns and focieties which conduce thereto, that I ever knew; whom I always honoured and affifted, both in the review of his catechetick lectures, and his other many charitable and christian attempts; and heard him comforting himself with those numerous good works he had fo heartily promoted near his own death. And I well remember, that he once faid to me, when he was preparing to go as a miffionary or commiffary to the Weft-Indians, and expected a good income to be provided for his fupport there," Brother Whiston, you will go with me, you fhall go halves with if I 3 " me |