England and Wales, dated June 10, 1710; of which already. This Treatife of Infant-Baptifm was afterward reprinted, without any Alterations, and added to the small Edition of my four Volumes.

Now the Occafion of my Discovery of this antient Error, of the Baptifm of uncatechiz'd Infants, was a Question put to me by Mr. me by Mr. Shelfwell, when I was preparing to baptize him and a Sifter of his, who were good Chriftians, excepting that they had never been baptiz'd before, whether I fhould not think it were better, if Baptism were deferred till after Instruction, than used before it? My Answer was this, that I muft honeftly confefs I should myself have thought fo: But that I was no Legislator, and fo fubmitted to what I then took to be a Law of Chrift. Conftitut. VI. 15.

"you also baptize your Infants, and bring them up "in the Nurture and Admonition of God?

For

fays he, fuffer the little Children to come unto me, and forbid them not." When Mr. Shelfwell was gone, I reflected upon what had been faid, and was diffati fied that I had been forced to allow that, in my Opinion, this Law of Chrift was not fo right as it should be. Whereupon I immediately set myself to examine, what the New Testament, and the most early Fathers meant by the Words which they used, when they fpeak of Baptifm of Infants, or Little Children, I mean, výπia & waidia, and which they esteemed not incapable of that holy Ordinance. And I foon discovered, that they were only those that were capable of Catechetick Inftruction, but not fit for understanding harder Mat

ters;

Fers; and that none but fuch Infants and little Children were ever, in the first and fecond Century, made Partakers of Baptifm. This' most important Discovery I foon communicated to the World, in this Paper; which both Bifhop Hoadley and Dr. Clarke greatly approved; but ftill went on in the ordinary Practice notwithstanding. I fent this Paper alfo, by an intimate Friend, Mr. Haines, to Sir Ifaac Newton, and defired to know his Opinion: The Answer returned was this, that they both had discovered the fame before: Nay, I afterward found that Sir Isaac Newton was fo hearty for the Baptifts, as well as for the Eufebians or Arians, that he fometimes fufpected these two were the two Witnesses in the Revelation. See Authen. Rec. Part II. Page 1075. And Friendly Address to the Baptifts, Page 14, 15.

I now defire my Readers to divert a little from my Books of Learning, to take my Account at large of what highly concerned me and my Family, with Relation to Dr. Thomas Turner's great Benefaction to the Corporation, for Relief of poor Widows ard Children of Clergymen: Which, tho' it were not written and dedicated to the Governors and Benefactors of the Corporation, 'till May 1731, when my Family was in Diftrefs; yet does it really belong to this Year 1712, when I fent the Letter therein contain'd to Dr. Turner.

Mr.

Mr. Whifton's Account of Part of Dr. Thomas Turner's great Benefaction to the Corporation for Relief of poor Widows and Children of Clergymen.

Humbly dedicated to the Governors and Benefactors of that Corporation.

T cannot be unknown to many of this Society,

that Dr. Thomas Turner, Brother to Dr. Francis Turner, late Bishop of Ely, continued Prefident of Corpus Chrifti College in Oxford; a Place of about 300l. per Annum, for about 12 Years: That he continued alfo Rector of Tharfield, near Royston; a Living of near 300l. per Annum, for about the fame twelve Years: And that he continued alfo Prebendary of Ely; which Prebend was worth about 120l. per Annum, for the fame Time, I mean all thefe after the Impofition of the Abjuration Oath, A. D. 1702. It cannot alfo but be well known to this Society in general, that the fame Dr. Turner gave to them by Will, not much less than 200007. as the Infcription on his noble Monument, at Nine Churches, Northamptonshire, which Imyself have feen, fully informs us. But then, by what Means, upon what Occafion, and by whofe Lofs he came to die poffefs'd of fuch good Preferments, and was able to become fo great a Benefactor to the Society, I fuppofe, but very few of its Members do at all know; nor do they, probably, in the least ima

gine, that one, comparatively fo poor and fo low in the World as myself, has been, in no small Measure, the Perfon who occafion'd and enabled him to be fo great a Benefactor: Which yet is the certain Truth; altho' I have not hitherto infifted on any equitable Right for my Family on that AcCount: Nor indeed had I now done it, had I not been constrained by almost a constant Series of Difappointments elsewhere, in providing a competent Maintenance for fome of them: Yet is it by no Means improper for me to address myself on behalf of my Children to this Society; which was instituted for the Widows and Children of Clergymen only; because they all bear the nearest Relation to the Clergy, and are both by their Father's and Mother's Side, the Children, the grand Children, and the great grand Children of Clergymen; if that may deferve any Confideration with this Society.

Be pleased therefore to know, that upon the Impofition of the Abjuration Oath, A. D. 1702, to be taken by all in Church Preferments, by Aug. 1, on Penalty of voiding all fuch Preferments, Dr. Turner went down from London to Oxford, July 28th, with a Refolution not to take the Oath, but to quit all bis Preferments: That the A. B. of Canterbury, Dr. Tenifon thereupon wrote immediate Word of fuch his Refolution to the Bp. of Ely, Dr. Patrick; that fo he might have Time to think of a proper Succeffor to his Prebend of Ely: That Bp. Patrick did, in the moft kind but unexpected Manner, immediately, with his own Hand, write to me to Cambridge, to come to Ely, to take that Prebend: And

that

that accordingly I did then go to Ely, with a full Expectation of returning back a Prebendary of that Church. But as foon as I came thither, I met the Bishop with a second Letter to me in his Hand upon that Subject; which Letter will fully prove the Truth of my Narration hitherto. And tho' I cannot yet find the first Letter, this, which I have now by me, will of itself abundantly fupply the other's Place alfo. It was in thefe Words.

Good Sir,

H

Ely, Aug. 18, 1702.

AVING the Intelligence which I fent you about Dr. Turner, from no lefs Person than his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury; I thought it might be relied on; for he faid he had it from good Hands. But hearing it contradicted, I wrote to his Grace, to know whether there were anyCertainty in it, and by the laft Poft received an Answer; that he doth not know what to believe, Reports are fo various. Certain it is he went on the 28th of July from London, with a Refolution not to take the Oath, but quit all his Preferments: And yet on the 3d of August, one of my Acquaintance came through Oxford, lay there all Night, and dined with the Head of a Houfe next Day, and was with feveral others, but heard not one Word of his laying down his Prefidentship, as was reported. This he told me here last Week: And on Sunday I faw a Letter to one in this Town, from a Fellow of his Col lege, who fays, he faw their Prefident, Dr. Turner, at Prayers that Day in the Chappel, which was Р

the