Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

and Quickness, by the Compafs of his Reading, and by his great Memory, he omits nothing, that can be urged or wiredrawn to fupport any Sentiments he efpoufes; as is manifeft from many of his theological Works.

He is an upright and very religious Man, and a moft zealous Chriftian; leading a moral Life; as is common to moft, who are ftyled Hereticks; cultivating (a) in himself, and promoting in others fuch Virtue and Learning, as he thinks would conduce most to the Honour of God, by manifefting the Greatnefs and Wisdom of his Works; renouncing Glory, Riches, and Eafe (which he might have had with the Applaufe of all, and Envy of none) and willingly and courageously undergoing Obloquy, Poverty, and Perfecution (all three whereof have been his Lot, and the two former will be always) for the Sake of a good Confcience; deeming Prudence to be the worldly Wisdom condemn'd by CHRIST and his Apostles, and Concealment of religious Sentiments to be a great Crime; and unmoved by the Example of feveral (b) learned Divines, who, as is well known, have great Prudence, and, thro' Fear of the Ignorant, the Bigots, and the Crafty, (who govern the two former) do, moft of all Men, conceal their religious Sentiments, from the World; which, if they happen in Confidence to discover to him,

(a) Hale's Diffi. and Dise. p. 16, &c.

() Erafmi Epiftolæ p. 501. 507. 583. 672. See also Whif ton's Reflections on a Difcourfe of Free-thinking, p. 53. Id. Prim. Chrift. Vol. 1. Hift. Pref. p. 27.

he

he without Scruple publishes (c) in Print; facrificing his Understanding to the Obedience of Faith, and believing Mysteries; and not rejecting even the Athanafian Creed itself (tho', in his Opinion, contradictory in itself, and to Reason) but only as not grounded on Scripture and Antiquity; following fome Practices how rigid and feemingly ridiculous foever, and how remote foever from the Practices of the Age and Country, wherein he lives, which he thinks required by CHRIST and his Apostles (which has made some People wonder, that he continues, as in the Time of his Darkness, to fhave his Beard, contrary to the express Declaration of the (d) Apoftolick Conftitutions); finding out and feeing clearly the Revolutions of all the following Ages, both paft and to come, in the Writings of the Prophets, and in the Revelation of St. JOHN; taking up with all Manner of falfe Proofs in Behalf of Christianity, fuch as forged Books, forged Paffages, precarious Suppofitions, Tales, and fham-Miracles, as well as with the moft fubftantial Proofs; endeavouring (e) to explain Scripture Difficulties; wherein, tho' he, like others, who have meddled with the fame Subject, has not fucceeded, as Dr. HARE fays, yet he has shewn his Zeal; holding (ƒ)

(c) See his Hiftor. Pref. and Allix's Remarks on Whiston's Papers.

(d) Apoftol. Conftit. 1. 1. c. 3.

(e) Hare's Diffic. and Difcourag. p. 7. See Whifton's Dedication to his Chron. p. 4.

Whifton's Pref. to Letter to the Earl of Nottingham, p. 7.

a Society

a Society in his own Houfe of honest and inquifitive Men of all Parties and Notions among Chriftians, in order to fearch after, and find out, genuine and original Chriflianity; and in fine, as much in earneft, as fome others seem to be in jest.

He is the very Reverse of many moft eminent Divines. He thinks himself obliged in Confcience to be dutiful, fubmiffive, and loyal to his Majefty, to whom he has fworn Allegiance; and it is not a Church Point with him to act one Way and pray and fwear another, or not to be in earneft in thofe two moft ferious and folemn Actions. He speaks what he thinks, and is not guilty of the Contradiction of making the Chriftian Religion a Matter of great Importance, and yet concealing his Thoughts about the Particulars of that Religion; any more than he is of profeffing a Religion, which he does not believe. He pays no Regard to fashionable Doctrines; nor to fashionable Divines, who. in Obedience to one another and in Harmony, vary, change, and regulate the Faith of the Vulgar. He will not be bound by Articles, which he has fubfcribed, but renounce them, when he judges them erroneous; nor will he fubfcribe Articles, which he does not believe true, or fubscribe them in Senfes contrary to those defign'd by the Impofers. He renounces all Preferments, and will not fo much as receive Money from (g) infidel Hands. And he thinks him

(g) Second Append. to Hift. Pref. p. 58.

felf

felf obliged to imitate the Apostles in their low State; and he believes it no lefs inconfiftent with Christianity, to aim at and contend for, and to poffefs that worldly Greatnefs and Wealth, which their pretended Succeffors of the Romish Church enjoy and contend for as due to them by the Gospel, than to contradict the Apostles in other Refpects.

He is a zealous Member (b) of the Church of England, as by Law eftablish'd; keeping to that Church; though feveral Parts of the Worship therein perform'd be, in his Opinion, Blafphemy and Contradiction; tho' he knows he hears daily the moft abfurd, fophiftical, declamatory, and factious Difcourfes from the Pulpit; tho' he be attack'd and abused on moft Sundays from that high Place, to the Understanding of the Auditory, who on fuch Occafions turn their Eyes upon him; tho' he be refused to partake of the bleffed Sacrament, which (i) goes near his Heart; and though he be forbid coming to Church by the Rector of his Parish, who has endeavour'd to fet the Mob upon him.

But his Judgment does not feem to be equal to his Sagacity, Learning, Zeal, and Integrity. For, either through the Prejudices of Education, which he ftill retains, or through fome Superftition, which, notwithstanding his Examination, sticks by him, he seems ftill quali

(b) Papers relating to Mr. Whitton's Caufe. p. 168, 171. (i) Poftfcript to his Hift. Pref. p. 72. Papers relating to bis Caufe. p. 156, &c.

[blocks in formation]

fy'd to admit the moft precarious Suppofitions, and to receive many Things without the leaft Foundation. The Warmth of his Temper difpofes him to receive any fudden Thoughts, any Thing that strikes his Imagination, when favourable to his preconceived Scheme of Things, or to any new Schemes of Things, that ferve, in his Opinion, a religious Purpose. And his Imagination is fo ftrong and lively on these Occafions, that he fometimes even fuppofes Facts, and builds upon those Facts. Thus, for Example, he acted in the (k) Case of an Arabick Manufcript (whereof he understood not one Word), which he hoped was or took to have been a Tranflation of an antient Book (1) of Scripture, belonging to the New Testament, and written by the Apostles, styled, the Doctrine of the Apostles, and proposed to publifh it as fuch. But when it came to be read by Men skilful in the Arabick Tongue, it proved a Tranflation of another Book before extant in Print in its original Language. And thus, tho' he be a Lover of Truth, yet by his Warmth of Temper he is drawn in and engaged fo far in the Belief and Defence of many Things, as gives a Turn to his Understanding, and thereby makes his Conviction of Mistakes in fome Cafes difficult, and in others, perhaps, impoffible.

He did, foon after his Conviction of the Errors of his Education, in a proper Manner,

(k) Advertif. before Prim- Chrift, Vol. I. p. 1. (1) Reply to Allix, p. 33.

both

« ForrigeFortsæt »