N. B. This Dr. Afhton publifhed himself many years ago, an excellent edition of Origen, Пep Evs. After which I asked Dr. Bentley, then Master of Trinity College, and Regius Profeffor of Divinity, why they did not banish Dr. Afhton, as they had done me for Arianifm? fince he had publish'd the groffeft Arian book extant in all antiquity; as this treatife of Origen's is known to be. He replied; but the Notes are Orthodox. To which I answered, will orthodox Notes make an Arian book other than Arian?

In the fame year 1739 I published A Collection of Original Texts and Teftimonies of Antiquity that relate to Chriftian Difcipline, with Notes. As alfo An Humble and Serious Addrefs to the Clergy, for the Reftoration of the fame Difcipline, 8vo. Price Is. 6d.

N. B. Since the publication of this pamphlet, I have met with light as to both thofe practices, which I doubted of when I firft wrote it, pag. 44. I mean the anointing the fick with oil, which I have very lately fatisfied myself to be certainly a Christian duty at this day; as has already appeared; and the use of incenfe at the Eucharist; which I have found not to be fo.

In the year 1740 was publish'd at Utrecht, by that prodigy of a young man, Mr. Philip Baratier, A Chronological Enquiry about the most ancient Bishops of Rome, from Peter to Victor; with four other differtations about the Apoftolical Conftitutions, and Ignatius's Epifiles, &c. Of which I gave an account in my three Tracts, p. 43-89. Out of which I got far more light, as I there profefs, in feveral points relating to the original state of Christianity, than from all the other writings that have been publish'd, fince I first publish'd my own

:

Works

Works thereto relating, p. 45. where alfo I have ordered this addition to be made in any future edition of thofe tracts: that "till Mr. Baratier "wrote upon thefe Conftitutions, and Ignatius's

..

larger Epiftles, like a real fcholar, and one "well verfed in Chriftian antiquity, thefe pre"cious remains of the Apoftolical Age were hard"ly looked into with the leaft degree of judg"ment and impartiality by any of the learned; " even fince I published them, and wrote fo fully " and largely in their vindication. The learned "Mr. le Clerk wrote against the Conftitutions. fo "poorly, in the preface to his edition of Cotele"rius, that I had not patience to confute him.

and for the learned Dr. Whitby, he was fo fe"cure of their being fpurious at random, that he "feemed to think them unworthy of any scholar's "confideration. He only faying, as I have "heard as to my believing them genuine, that "this was for a Madman to do, or rather for one worse than a madman. Non fani effe hominis, non fanus juret Orejtes. To fuch a degree of "contempt have the original laws of Chrift "therein contained been reduced among the most learned modern Chriftians!

66

66

In the next year, 1740, I publifhed a Treatife, entituled, The Eternity of Hell Torments confidered: or, a Collection of Texts of Scripture, and Teftimonies of the Three FirftCenturies relating to them. With Notes and Obfervations, 8vo. Price 2 s.

9

In the following year, 1741, I publish'd An Appeal to xxx primitive Councils against the Athanafian Herefy. A fingle sheet, as an Appendix to the Athanafian Forgeries already mentioned. 8vo, Price 3d. Which together prevent all poffible Pretences for the Vindication of Athanafianifm hereafter by Learned Men.

N. B. Upon

N. B. Upon occafion of these perfectly unanfwerable papers, it may not be amifs to take notice of a thin quarto book, printed in Germany; which contains a collection of the Thefes of many young men, who were candidates for degrees there, to confute my doctrines; and without oppofing which doctrines, I fuppofe they could not obtain thofe degrees: and to obferve what poor replies they were fometimes able to make to my ftrongeft arguments, fo that when I read fome of them, I could hardly forbear fmiling at them; nor can I fuppofe they were all unapprized of that their ftrength. Whence we may easily learn how very weak arguments, joined to great prejudices and great interefts in this world, can overbear the ftrongeft arguments,

N. B. To confirm this laft reflection, give me leave to produce Mr. Godfrey Washington of Peterboufe, in Cambridge, as an example, perfectly unparallel'd in this way: this Mr. Washington was an exceeding good and religious man, and one of the best pastors of a parish in Cambridge; a through Athanafian, but by no means acquainted with Chriftian antiquity; tho' he was my particular friend, and took the principal care of the charity-fchools when I was banished; which burden till that time had chiefly been laid upon me. Mr. Washington was fo terribly affrighted at the information he had received, that I had produced a very great number of primitive teftimonies against the Athanafians: I faid he had received information of this, for I never heard that he durft read any of them himfelf, that I was told he faid, "That if there were in antiquity one teftimony "in forty for the doctrine of the church, he " would continue an Athanafian ftill." A very moderate proportion this, to be contented withall! and yet in fome of the principal points hardly to be

made

made out. The fame Mr. Washington being one of thofe members of the Univerfity of Cambridge that had 30 l. a year given them by the Bishop of London's project for preaching at Court, in order to induce the Univerfity to favour the Court, chofe once to preach there against the Arians, from Mark xiii. 32. Of that day and bour knoweth no one, no not the angels that are in Heaven, neither the Son but the Father; which with its parallel, as read in the original copies. Mat. xxiv. 36. Neither the Son, but the Father only, are the strongest texts against the Athanafians, in the whole New Teftament: he efteeming his caufe gain'd, if he could vindicate the hardest text of all on the other fide. His vindication confifted in this, that Chrift was not bound to tell the whole truth in this Matter; and tho' he did really know the day and hour of the future judgment, yet he might deny that he knew it. He illuftrated the point by this parallel cafe:" fuppofe faid he, you fhould go to the first minifter (Sir Robert Walpole) and ask him to tell you some secret of ftate policy, do you think he would tell it you truly? by no means: so that our zealous Athanafian, rather than give up his opinion, would fuppofe our bleffed Saviour to be more fly and knavish than a prevaricating Minifter of State; while he could put the enquirer off with a fhuffling anfwer, without telling a direct untruth: but our Saviour is fuppofed to tell a direct untruth in the cafe before us. This account would be almost incredible, but that I was told it immediately by one of the auditors, Mr. Whately, who was almoft in an agony at what he had heard; and did not know who was the preacher, till by his defcription of white hair and other circumstances, I easily discover'd it to be no other than my old friend Mr. Webington. But to proceed;

In

In August this year, 1741, died my great and good friend Mr. Thomas Emlyn; who had been a much earlier and a much greater fufferer and confeffor for Old Christianity than Dr. Clarke, or myfelf, or any other Unitarian that I knew of. My thoughts of whose character I fhall defire my readers to take, from part of my letter to his fon, Sollom Emlyn, Efq; Barrifter at Law, my very worthy Chriftian friend (who has fo faithfully written his father's own life, and his father's account of Dr. Clarke, that I can myself atteft to much the greatest part of both their contents). This letter was written immediately after I heard of his death, in the words following.

I

་

Dear Sir,

upon

Lyndon, August 15th, 1741.

Did not receive your melancholy letter, till the fame day that the public news informed us of the death of your father, tho' fon John had given us notice of it before. I fincerely condole with yourself, Mrs. Emlyn, and his other relations and friends the lofs of one whom we all greatly and justly loved, on account of his perfect integrity, ftrong judgment, great courage, and most Christian temper; which were especially fhewn in making a good confeffion of fome of the most important truths of our holy religion; and that not only of late, when that confeffion is (God be praised) not of fuch ill reputation, or fo dangerous, but when it was under the greatest odium, and expofed men to terrible penalties. Accordingly, I look upon his loffes and fufferings in Ireland as next to martyrdom; for which he was well prepared; and Iefteem him as the firft and principal confeffor with us, for thofe articles of Primitive Christianity; nor are what Dr. Clarke,

or