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change one Scheme of evil Rules of Government for another; without returning, as we ought to do, to our Primitive Chriftianity; which owned no Laws, but the Laws of God, by his Meffiah. And I greatly fear that God Almighty, our Great Creator and Legiflator, will never be at Peace with thofe that own him in thofe Capacities by Words, till they own him by Facts and Actions alfo, and in earnest fubmit to his Authority, by governing themselves according to the Divine Laws in the Old Testament, excepting the Ceremonial; and according to the Laws of Jefus Chrift in the Apoftolical Conftitutions and Canons, and the other Books of the New Teftament; none of which any of our present Courts of Justice seem to have any Regard to. For Example, the Laws of God do not allow us to put any one to Death for Stealing: [See Mr. Overal, Page 415-420 priùs. Yet do we venture upon it by the Laws of the Land.] The Laws of God make Death the certain Punishment of Adultery: [Levit. xxi. 9. Deut. xxii. 21, 22.] But we excufe it, and only lay a Fine upon the Offender. How fuch great and good Men as the Lord Chief Justice Hale could go on all their Lives in fuch a Contradiction to Divine Laws, 'tis hard to imagine.

(2.) Proteftants have refufed to examine the Apoftolical Conftitutions, with the other most Primitive Books of Chriftianity, in order to the Amendment of their prefent Errors and Enormities, and this for the laft 40 Years together. This I can myself fully testify, from the Refusal of the Church of England to examine all thofe Original Records

which I have fo long laid before them. Nay fo refolute were the Heads of the University of Cambridge, and the Convocation against such Examination and Amendment, that my bare Propofals for fuch Examination and Amendment were deemed criminal, and were charged upon me as Inftances of Heretical Pravity by both those Bodies; and made ufe of in order to my Expulfion and Excommunication. Yet hear the inoffenfive and ferious Manner in which I all along address'd myself to this Church, no fewer indeed than fix several Times before this ; though all to no Manner of Purpose.

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O that I might live to fee, (they are my very Words) that happy Day here in Great Britain, • when publick Authority, Ecclefiaftical and Secular, fhould depute a Committe of learned, impartial, and pious Men, with this Commiffion, That they diligently, freely, and honestly examine her present Conftitution in all its Parts, and bring in an unbiafs'd and unprejudic'd Account ' of her Defects and Aberrations, whether in • Doctrine, Worship, or Difcipline, of all Sorts, from the Primitive Standard, in order to their effectual Correction and Reformation. Then would our Sion be indeed a Praife in the Earth; the Darling and Pattern of all the other Pro• teftant Churches in the World; and by fuch an • illustrious Precedent, would effectually recommend the like Reformation to all the other Churches, and fo become the Foundation and Centre of their Unity, Love, and Peace; and thereby most effectually haften the coming of that glorious Day of God, 2 Pet.

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2 Pet. iii. 12. when, according to our Lord's moft fure Promife, and that of the Father also,

we look for new Heavens and a new Earth; a C new and better State of the Church here on Earth ; wherein Righteousness will dwell, till it end in the glorious Millennium, the Kingdom of our Lord, advanced to its higheft Perfection, and spread over the Face of the whole World, till the Confummation of all Things.'

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(3.) Our Proteftant Church of England, together with the other Proteftant Churches every where, have not only refused to examine and amend their prefent evil Constitutions, but they have withal conftantly refused even to tolerate primitive Chriftianity, at least these last thirty-four Years. This appears by the humble and ferious Address I made to the Princes and States of Europe in the Year 1716, if not for the Admission, yet at least for the open Toleration of the Chriftian Religion in their Dominions: Wherein I demonftrated, (1.) That none of them do, properly fpeaking, admit, or openly tolerate the Christian Religion in their Dominions at this Day. (2.) I give an Account what are the true Occafions why it is not admitted, or openly tolerated by them. (3.) I give fome Reafons, why they ought to admit, or at leaft openly tolerate this Religion. I also (4.) make an earnest Address to the feveral European Princes and States, grounded on the Premifes, for the Admission, or at leaft the open Toleration of the fame Chriftian Religion in their Dominions. [See before, Page 250281, 282.] But all was to no Manner of Purpofe,

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and without the leaft publick Notice taken of it, that I know of, by any body till this very Day. However, I am willing to hope, that upon the Score of the late Murrain, Meteors, Earthquakes, Storms, and the Dread of more fuch Judgments, I may now be better hearkened to.

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(4.) The Proteftants, as well as the Papifts, curfe the Eufebians, or Primitive Chriftians, in the continued Ufe of the horrible Athanafian Creed. This I mentioned in that remarkable Letter which I wrote to the prefent Archbishop of Canterbury, Jan. 23, 1747-8. [Page 407. priùs.] in the Words following: If our thirteen Times a Year C curfing the Eufebians, or Primitive Christians, by publick Authority, in the Athanafian Creed, were • once corrected; our Manners in Court and Country throughly amended; and our Prayers, on all fuch Occafions, were more folemn and ferious 'than they now are, we might hope that God • would pity us, and our dumb Creatures, and procure both them a Releafe from this Diftemper, ⚫ and ourselves a Deliverance from the Effects of

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it, and from thofe other great and amazing Judgments which I fully and fuddenly expect, as a • Confequence of what is already begun, and this upon the most authentick Evidence [of Scripture Prophecies.']

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To this Clause the Archbishop returned me no Anfwer. But whether the frightful Signs fince that Time have procured his Injunction to his Chaplains never to use that Creed in his Chapel at Lambeth,

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or elsewhere any longer, I do not yet know. This Creed is used but once a Year by the Lutherans, as I have been informed, I mean on Trinity Sunday only. How often it is used in the publick Service of the Church of Rome I do not yet know; while in Scotland, and among our Diffenters, it is not used at all. Nor indeed, was its Ufe in the Church of England fo horrid, while the Clergy thought they had fome Pretence to believe the Athanafian Doctrine, especially by thofe who fuppofed it fundamental, and so had fome Excufe for the Use of the main Parts of the Athanafian Creed: (Though the Use of the Damnatory Sentences was always inexcufable.) But fince that Athanafian Doctrine has been of late found, for certain, to be no better than a monstrous Popish Herefy, and all the truly Learned have many Years deferted its Defence, the Belief of that monstrous Doctrine, and much more the Use of that horrible Creed, are become plainly intolerable. I may myself, at leaft, be allowed to write thus freely, fince I have not only long and throughly confuted that Doctrine itself, but because it was that Creed, which, a very few Years ago, forced me away from all Communion with the Church of England, as has been largely related before in thefe Memoirs, Page 458, 459, 460-492

509. And the Ufe of which at this Day I take to be an intire Degradation of all the Clergy that use it, and fuch a Degradation as the moft fincere Repentance will only procure their Admiffion among the Laity ever afterwards. This will be thought by the Clergy very harsh Doctrine, an hard Saying,

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