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the twelfth Inftant, which makes me think he chang-
ed his Mind when he was gone from London; and
hath qualified himself to keep his Preferments:
However it be, I intended very fincerely towards you,
who may
look upon it as a Token of my future
Kindness, if it be in my Power.

Yours

SY. ELIENS.

But then, not long after I was returned from Ely to Cambridge, a very good Friend of mine, Mr. Lunn by Name, lately Archdeacon of Huntingdon, who had been made acquainted with the Impofition that Dr. Turner had put upon the World, and upon the Bishop of Ely in particular; and after what an unwonted Manner I had loft my Preferment; came and told me, "that if he had as good a Pro"mife, from the the Bishop of Ely, as I had, he would "foon be a Prebendary there; that Dr. Turner had

not taken the Oath: But upon Advice that a Blot "was no Blot till it was bit, he acted as if he had taken it, and so retrain'd his Preferments without taking it at all: Upon this Information I had great Debates with myfelf; the Refult of which was, that I would enquire after Dr. Turner's Character; and if I found it a bad one, I would not scruple to discover the grand Secret, and endeavour to difpoffefs him, and recover my Prebend; but if it proved a good one, I would not do fo, but content myself with my prefent State, and truft the

good

good Providence of God to make fome farther Provifion for me and my Family, which was then ftrait enough, in fome other Way, to me more un- Į exceptionable. Upon which Enquiry, finding that the Doctor's Character was not only in general a good one, but that he was one of the greatest Exemplars and Promoters of Learning, Virtue, and good Difcipline in the University of Oxford, I refolved to keep that grand Piece of Knowledge fecret; and accordingly did fo: And fuffered him all along to enjoy all his Preferments, without the leaft Moleftation: And this notwithstanding the additional Confirmation I fome Time afterwards had of his not having taken the Oath, from both Sir Peter King, afterward Lord Chancellor; and Dr. Rundle, afterward Bishop Rundle; who themselves knew Dr. Turner's Cafe: To whom I then communicated my Knowledge of it also, and to no other Persons living. However, about ten Years after, when my Banishment from the University of Cambridge had brought my Affairs low, and reduc'd me to feek the greatest Part of my daily Bread in the wide World, I thought proper to let Dr. Turner know the Circumftances I was in, and to inform him what Expectations I had then to partake of his Chriftian Compaffion and Charity; which I did by the followlowing Letter.

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1

Hon. Sir,

Lower End of Cross-Street, Hatten Garden, October 25, 1712.

HO' I am not perfonally known to you, yet

THO

are your Circumftances and mine fuch, as make it not improper for me to addrefs myself to you. 'Tis not impoffible but you may have heard, that fome Years ago, when the Oath of Abjuration was impos'd, you declar'd-yourself intirely diffatiffied therewith; and when by Confequence your Prebend of Ely would have been void by your Refusal of that Oath, I was the Perfon on whom Bishop Patrick intended to beftow it: As accordingly his Lordship was pleas'd to write to me to come to Ely to take it; which I did accordingly. At which Time News was come that you did not openly refuse the Oath, nor quit any Preferment thereupon; and fo that Matter was over for the prefent. Upon this, tho' I was pretty authentickly inform'd that you had never taken that Abjuration Oath; (which I have fince heard confirm'd from more Hands than one, and thofe fuch as I believe may be depended on ;) and tho' it was in my Power to have made full Enquiry, and thereupon to have vacated your Preferments, and to have fucceeded to one of them, yet would I not then nor fince do it, and that chiefly on account of that very good Character which I heard of you, and which has been all along confirm'd to me: And because I was very unwilling to enjoy any Advantage which muft arife from a fort of Profecution or Perfecution of a very good Man, who out of a real Principle of Conscience, was unwilling legally to qualify himself for his Preferments,

which

which I abhor'd 'to do. And you will eafily fuppose, that I have been as fecret in this Matter fince, as in Bishop Patrick's Days. Now this being the Cafe, that you, by my Silence enjoy great Advantages and Preferments, while I am under Banifhment and Profecution, as to what fmall Place and Profits I enjoy'd, and am indeed forc'd to be beholden to the Generosity of fome good Friends for Part of my Support; I think it very reasonable to inform you of this Matter, and of the forgoing Circumftances; and to hint to you my Expectations from you: For fmce I loft a very good Preferment by my Regard to your Confcience, which accordingly you still enjoy, I think you cannot excufe yourself from affording me fome confiderable Affiftance now I am, on the like Account of Confcience, depriv'd at leaft of the prefent Advantage and Income of that fmall Imployment or Preferment which I had in the University. And I do verily believe I have given the World as convincing Evidence, that what I have done is truly and really from that honeft Principle, as you can eafily give that your avoidence of the Abjuration Oath was fo. I heartily with that all doubtful Oaths, Tefts, and Subfcriptions were taken away; and that all Chriftians might unite to enquire after and obey only thofe Doctrines, Laws, and Difcipline which were originally established by Chrift and his Apoftles. But in the mean time, 'tis fit that all really good Men, who are forced to undergo any Sort of Difficulties on Accountofonfcience, be willing to affift and fupport each other in all their NeP 3

ceffities

ceffities which arife on that Account: Which is all that is defired and expected by

Your very humble and obedient Servant,

WILL. WHISTON.

And here the Society may please to obferve, that although this Letter produced not the leaft Effect in Dr. Turner, to my Advantage, nor did I ever receive any Sort of Anfwer to it, yet was I willing to fuppofe that it was ftill a Scruple of Confcience, and an Opinion eafily gone into, by Perfons of his Education and Notions, that " fupporting me "would be fupporting an Heretick, and encouragແ ing his Herefy against the Church;" which prevented the Effects of his Compaffion and Charity towards me: So that I fill kept the grand Secret to myself, not only during the Life of Bishop Patrick, who had promised the Prebend to me; but alfo during the Life of my own Patron Bp. Moor, till Dr. Turner's own Death: After which the Discovery could void none of his Preferments. And I must needs fay, that notwithstanding Dr. Turner's Hardship to me in refufing me any Affiftance, and the many other Hardships I have elsewhere met with in my temporal Affairs, yet have I been fo far from repenting of my Procedure, with Regard to Dr. Turner, that I have ever taken true Pleasure and Satisfaction in it; and in particular have ever rejoic'd that I have thereby been a Kind of joint Benefactor with him, to fuch Clergymens Widows, and Orphans, and their Families, as are in greater Distress than myself and my own Family have hitherto been. However, tho' I am and have long been my

felf

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