In February 1732, Mr. John Baron was made Dean of Norwich. This very good, modeft, and religious Man, and excellent Paftor of a Country Parish Ditchingham, was in A. D. 1698 and 1699, poffeffed of about 20 l. a Year of the Tithes of Keffingland, a Village but three Miles off Lowestoff, and annexed to it. He had been educated under Mr. Robinfon, one that taught young Men who were bringing up to be diffenting Teachers. But upon fome Doubts he had about going on in that Way, and fome Letters that paffed between us thereto relating, he left the Diffenters, and came over to the Church of England; and at length accepted of the Deanry of Norwich, but refused the Bishoprick when it was offered him. However, upon our firft Acquaintance he seemed uneafy at retaining thofe Church-lands, which yet came to him by Inheritance, and offered them to be fettled on the Church for eight Years Purchase, or 160 . which moft kind Offer tempted me to try my Friends for the Purchase of them: which was likely then to be for my own confiderable Advantage alfo. I remember that the Bishop gave 51. Dr. Prideaux 10 l. the Lord Weymouth 10 l. &c. fo that I at length made it up within 50 l. which I advanced myself, or reckoned myself fo much out of Pocket. But ftill I got the Money paid, and the Title was vefted in me; but so, that I always intended not to keep it in my own Family, but in due Time, when I had repaid my felf, to transfer my Right to the Vicarage for ever. Yet did there fome unexpected Circum stances . ftances intervene : For when I was admitted Mathematical Profeffor, A. D. 1703, which voided my Living, yet did it not void my Title to thefe Tythes. Accordingly I kept them for fome Years, till upon my Banifhment from the Univerfity, the Revenues of my Profefforship were taken away from me; and moft Men would have thought that I might, in this Cafe, keep this small Remains for my Family. However, I being always defirous to do what Equity rather than Law could oblige me to, I offered, when Dr. Trimnel was Bishop, upon my being reimburst the 50 7. which I reckoned was not cleared to me, to fettle' it abfolutely upon the Vicarage for ever, and trust myself and my Family to the Divine Providence. Accordingly it has been between thirty and forty Years fettled upon that Vicarage. Only I muft do the present Incumbent Mr. Tanner the Justice to acknowledge, that he has now, for many Years, of his own Accord, fent me out of it five Guineas every Christmas: For which I must own myself greatly obliged to him. Nor did Dean Baron forget me at his Death, but ordered his Executors to make me a Prefent of 20 l. as did Mr. Leigh, an Irish Gentleman, a most dear Friend of mine, and an excellent Chriftian, order me the like Sum of Irish Money by his Will. Mr. Brockman alfo left me by Will 10 7. by Will 10 7. which with a fmall Farm of my own near Newmarket, the Queen's Bounty of 40 l. clear, Sir Joseph Jekyl's Annuity for Life of 20-7. a Year clear, with Eclipfes, Comets, Lectures of several Sorts in London and elsewhere, and fome Benefactions by Perfons now alive, and the greatest of all by Mr. Jobs Bromley of Horfeheath, Cambridgeshire, has made me up fuch a Competency as has greatly contented me, and made me to go on all along comfortably in my Studies. In the Year 1732, I wrote a Paraphrafe on the Book of Job; with a Preliminary Differtation and Obfervations fubjoined. To which I lately added a very small Differtation on the Book of Ecclefiaftes, to fhew that it is a Collection of Solomon's Reflections, about Points of the greateft Confequence: The moft of them when he was a religious Man, in his firft and laft Days: But feveral of them when he was irreligious and fceptical, during his Amours and Idolatry. This Book is not yet printed. In the fame Year 1732, I publifhed a Vindication of the Teftimony of Phlegon: Or, an Account of the great Darkness and Earthquake at our Saviour's Paffion, defcribed by Phlegon. Being an Answer to Dr. Sykes's Differtation concerning that Eclipfe and Earthquake, 8vo. Price 1 s. In the Year 1733, I published a Map of Europe, with the Course of eight remarkable Eclipfes of the Sun, drawn upon it. An open Sheet. Price 1 s. In the fame Year 1733, I published An Enquiry into the Evidence of Archbishop Cranmer's Recantation: Or, Reafons for a Sufpicion that the pretended large Copy of it is not genuine. 8vo. Price 6 d. About About the fame Year 1733, Dr. Secker was made Bishop of Oxford, and Rector of St. James's: This is the Living where that great Man Dr. Samuel Clarke had formerly been Rector,and preached with great Succefs and Reputation, for many Years. And Pity, great Pity it is, that fo very worthy a Person, and so indefatigable a Paftor of that large Parish, as Dr. Secker is, fhould appear fo grofly unacquainted with primitive Christianity, as diftinct from the prefent Settlement of the Church of England, whereby the great Light afforded by Dr. Clarke might have been carried on nearer to Perfection, and to the Restoration of that moft holy Religion, not which Lutber, Calvin, Knox, Cranmer, &c. &c. have left us, but which our bleffed Saviour delivered to the Apostles. Whereas I perceive Bishop Secker ventures to excufe what he is himself afhamed to justify, even the monstrous Athanafian Creed itself, with all its Curfes: And pretends it was permitted to stand in our Proteftant Common Prayer Book, to invite the Papists to continue in our Communion: While among the Lutherans it is only read once a Year, upon Trinity Sunday: And while our firft English Common Prayer Book appointed it only to be read on the fix great Feftivals; but fince the Church of England has amended, or rather corrupted that first and best Common Prayer Book, it is appointed to be read upon feven other Holidays, or thirteen Times in all. Nor are the poor Apologies, or rather Excufes that his Lordfhip made for the foolish Niceties of that Creed, better than may at any any Time be made for the Niceties of Tranfubstantiation, and the other groffeft Errors of Popery. 'Tis always for certain better to correct modern Errors and Miftakes by our original Standards, than to apologize for, or excuse those Errors and Mistakes. Only I fear Dr. Secker, with the Generality of his Brethren, inftead of defiring to know more of the genuine Religion of our Saviour, as he left it, in its primitive Purity, are fuffering themselves to fink into almost as grofs Ignorance of Chriftian Antiquity, and of the two first Centuries, as the Popish Bishops were funk into before the Proteftant Reformation; particularly in the Doctrine of Athanafianifm. Tho' I dare venture to affure them, that let the Laws go on as they please, and the Practice of the poor oppreffed Clergy of our Church be never fo conformable, the Light of primitive Truth shines too bright in Christendom to be thereby any longer extinguished or eclipfed. The Athanafian Herefy is even here fo low, that the principal Examiners give it up, and no Perfon of Note for Learning has dared these many Years to publish any Thing in its Vindication. Nor do I find any confiderable Party among us, but the weakest of all our present Sects, the Calvinifts, that fhew any Concern for it. As to Germany, Enquiry goes on there fo faft, that I believe it cannot hold long among the learned Proteftants of that Country. For Switzerland and Bafil, one of their most learned Profeffors, Mr. Wetstein, who was feveral Years ago profecuted there for Arianifm, and forced |