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crafty, (who govern the two former) do, most of all men, conceal their religious fentiments from the world; which, if they happen in confidence to difcover to him, he without fcruple publishes (c) in print: facrificing his understanding to the obedience of faith, and believing myfteries; and not rejecting even the Athanafian creed it felf (tho' in his opinion contradictory in it felf, and to reafon) but only as not grounded on fcripture and antiquity: following fome -practifes how rigid and feemingly ridiculous foever, and how remote foever from the, praatifes of the age and country, wherein he lives; which he thinks requir'd by CHRIST and his apostles (which has made fome people wonder, that he continues, as in the time of his darkness, to have his beard, contra ry 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 Reve lation of St. JOHN: taking up with all manner of falfe proofs in behalf of christianity, fuch as forg'd books, forg'd paffages, precarious fuppofitions, tales, and fham-miracles, as well as with the most fubftantial proofs: T 2

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

(d) Apostol, Conftit: 1. É; §. 3.

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endeavouring (e) to explain fcripture difficulties; wherein, tho' he, like others, who bave meddled with the fame fubject, has not fuccceded, as Dr. HARE fays, yet he has fhown his zeal: holding (f) a fociety in his own house of honeft and inquifitive men of all parties and notions among chriftians, in order to fearch after, and find out, genuine and original chriftianity; and in fine, as much in earneft, as fome others feem to be in jeft.

He is the very reverse of many most eminent divines. He thinks himself oblig'd in confcience to be dutiful, fubmiffive, and loyal to his Majesty, 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 those two most serious and folemn actions. He fpeaks what he thinks, and is not guilty of the contradiction of making the christian 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 diyines, who, in obedience

to

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

(f) Whifton's Pref. to Letter to the Earl of Nottingham, P. 7.

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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 fubfcrib'd, but renounce them, when he judges them erroneous; nor will he fubfcribe articles, which he does not believe true, or fubfcribe them in fenfes contrary to thofe defign'd by the impofers. He renounces all preferments, and will not fo much as receive money from (g) infidel hands. And he thinks himfelf oblig'd to imitate the apoftles in their low eftate; and he believes it no lefs inconfiftent with chriftianity, to aim at and contend for, and to poffefs that worldly greatness and wealth, which their pretended fucceffors of the Romish church enjoy and contend for as due to them by the gofpel, 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; tho' feveral parts of the worship therein perform'd be, in his opinion, blafphemy and contradiction; tho' he knows he hears daily the most abfurd, fophiftical, declamatory, and factious difcourfes from the pulpit; tho' he be attack'd and abus'd on moft fundays from that high place to the understanding of the auditory, who on fuch

occa

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

(b) Papers relating to Mr. Whilton's Cause, p. 168—

171.

occafions turn their eyes upon him; tho' he be refus'd to partake of the bleffed facrament, which () goes near his heart; and tho' he be forbid coming to church by the rector of his parish, who has endeavour'd to fet the mob upon him.

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But his judgment does not seem to be equal to his fagacity, learning, zeal, and integrity. For, either thro' the prejudices of education, which he still retains, or thro' fome fuperftition, which, notwithstanding his examination, sticks by him, he feems ftill qualify'd to admit the most precarious fuppofitions, and to receive many things without the leaft foundation. The warmth of his temper difpofes him to receive any fudden thoughts, any thing that ftrikes his imagination, when favourable to his preconceiv'd scheme of things, or to any new schemes of things, that serve, 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 thofe 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 ancient book (1) of fcripture, belonging to the New Teftament,

(i) Poftfcript to his Hift. Pref. p. 72. Papers relating té his Caufe, p. 156, &c. (k) Advertif. before Prim. Chrift, Vol. 1, p. i. (1) Reply to Allix, P. 33.

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stament, and written by the apostles, ftyl'd, the doctrine of the apostles, and propos'd to publifh it as fuch. But when it came to be read by men skilful in the Arabick tongue, it prov'd a translation 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 engag'd 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, both by difcourfes and writings, declare openly his religious fentiments, which as an honest man he could not conceal. And he most fubmiffively addrefs'd (m) himself, in particular, to both the archbishops, and to feveral of the bifhops, and other learned divines, and to the convocation, and to both the univerfities, offering to lay before them papers for their examination, which have been fince publish'd; wherein he pretended to discover the true, old, ori ginal chriftianity, from which all chriftians had for many ages before the reformation departed, when, according to him, a part only of primitive christianity was reviv'd. But this

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(m) See his Hiftorical Preface.

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