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truly Primitive Faith, and Practice and Difcipline; that when our Saviours, Kingdom begins, it may be establish'd upon the very fame Foot whereon it was Originally fettled in the first Times of the Gofpel. I am with all Respect, Duty, and Obfervance,

Your Lordships, most obedient
Son and Servant,

WILL. WHISTON.

To this Letter my Lord Bishop of Worcester was pleas'd to answer in a little Time. Such Parts of which his Second Letter, as concern the present matter, I fhall here transcribe.

SIR,

You

Hartlebury-Castle, Sep. 8. 1708.

"Our Letter of August 26. came to me not till Sunday the fifth Inftant: And then having feveral Letters of Bufinefs to write by the MondayPoft, I was conftrain'd to put off the answering of your's to the prefent. But I cannot answer it now as I would if I had Time to confider. For, to do any thing to the Purpose, I must have more Time than Men of quicker Parts need. God help me, my Parts have been always very flow, and are fo now more than ever, by Reafon of my Age; and will be more and more fo to the End of my Life. But to husband the little Time I have to write by this Poft, I will fhorten my Work, and speak of nothing more than the Things I find in your Letter. the Account you are pleas'd to give me of the Work you are about, I am glad to fee this in the

In

firft Place, that you are no Socinian. God be thanked for that. But then you own your self not to be fatisfied with the Creed of Vig. Tapf. and fome ther Novelties. By the Creed of Vig. Tapf. I fuppofe you mean the Confeffion of our Chriftian Faith, which is commonly called the Creed of St. Athanafius: That, you know, is the Title that is given it in our Liturgy. But what then are thofe other novel Notions, as you call them? Are they likewife fuch as are own'd by our Church? If they are not, I have no more to say to them in this Place. But if they are, then I have the fame to say for them, as I have for the Creed above-mention'd. I am heartily forry for that which you fay, that you are not fatisfy'd with them. But if that be all, you may keep your Diffatisfaction to your felf; if you find it very uneafy, you may try how it may be remov'd by Reading, or Conference, or the like; always joined with Prayer to God, Eph. III. 15. And, if you are fure you are in the Right in any Matter, whereing you have the Church's Judgment against you, yet you fhould be very careful not to break the Peace of the Church by Writing against it. If it were but one Brother that would take Hurt by your Writing, the Apoftle faith, It is not good to venture That, Rom. XIV. 21. even though you know you are in the Right: For, as it followeth, Haft thou Faith? barve it to thy felf. How much more when the Peace of the Church you are of, is to be broke or weakned by it? I know nothing can excufe you from this, unless the Church holds fome damnable Error; and that in the Cafe you are speaking of, must be fuch an Error as the Church hath been in ever fince, the Third Century. Can you think this is poffible? I am fure it is very unlikely. What? that any Part of the Faith once deliver'd

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the Creed of Vigilius Thapfitanus. One that knows the Original State of Chriftianity fo well as your Lordship, might as well fay the fame of the Worfhip of Images, but that violent prepoffeffion for what is in the Church hinders the plaineft Truths from being believ'd. That Creed is most evidently a grofs Corruption, compos'd under, and establish'd by the Antichriftian Church; and a great fhame to all Proteftants that 'tis not yet excluded. But that is only one Point. My defign is general, to give an Authentick Account of the moft Primitive Faith in these matters in the very Words of Scripture, and the firft Writers. And if Perfons of your Lordship's Character fhall difcourage this Honest and Chriftian Design, I fhall be obliged to let all the Church fee how grofly they have been impos'd upon, by putting all the Teftimonies into English. Give me leave to reafon freely with your Lordship, because it is in behalf of the Original Chriftian Faith, against the Corruptions of Philofophy and Tyranny: Pagan Philofophy and Antichriftian Tyranny. What is Popery and Prieft-craft, if this be not fo? to fupprefs or corrupt the Ancient Books: to vouch fpurious or fufpected Authorities to make Metaphyfical Niceties, Articles of the Chriftian Faith to overlook or evade exprefs Teftimo, nies to put forc'd and abfurd Interpretations on the plain Words of Scripture: to lay afide the undoubted Genuine Work of Clemens Romanus, I mean the Apoftolical Conftitutions; and the Original, Jewish, and Gentile Liturgies contain'd in the Seventh and Eight Books of it; in comparison of which, all the Books of Divinity now extant, excepting the Sacred ones, are inconfiderable and all this for fear of the Imputation of Arianifm, i. c. because we dare

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not own the plain Truths of God, when they lie under the Odium of Men. Good My Lord, what is the Duty of honeft Men, of good Chriftians, of Clergy-men, of Bifhops of the Church in this cafe? Your Lordship is too well acquainted with the firft Books of our Religion not to guefs in part at my meaning. And, if you could have laid afide Prejudice for the prefent Establishment, muft have feen long fince that the modern Notions are and only can be fupported by the former Methods. And can your Lordship in Confcience go on to fupport them? Dare your Lordship difcourage this honeft Attempt to correct them? I take the most peaceable and prudent Method I can of propofing these things to publick Examination: And I hope to have a Copy ready for your Lordship's Perufal and Correction in a fhort time. But as to the Thing it felf, I am refolv'd by the Grace of God to propofe it to the World; and am fo fully affur'd in the main of the Truth and Importance of these things, that I am refolv'd to endeavour their Corrections; and if Occafion require,to perish in the Attempt. And if fuch as your Lordship, who are bound by all the Ties of Truth, Sincerity, and Chriftianity to affift and fupport me, do on the contrary, difcourage and reject me, I must appeal to the Juftice of an higher Tribunal to judge between us. I have written to both the Archbishops, and am preparing two Copies for them; One of which I will endeavour may be fent to your Lordship. As to my felf, upon a through Examination, I am fatisfy'd that the common Doctrines have no more Foundation in genuine Antiquity, than Purgatory and Tranfubftantiation: and I fully believe are the first part of the Antichriftian Corruptions; in cafting out of which therefore

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