ries, and fo pleased himself when he found one Gentleman, Mr. Anthony Collins, to affirm nearly as he did, tho' with a quite different Design, that Jefus Chrift dealt in Allegorical Prophecies, tho' not in Allegorical Miracles; that before he died he feems hardly to have known himself whether he really believed the Chriftian Religion or not.

This is a true Account of this unhappy Man, with his unhappy Allegories: And ought to be a Caution to all fuch as Study the original Books of our Religion, how they follow Philo and Origen, and the like Allegorifts, of which hardly the least Traces appear among either the Jewish or Gentile Christians, till after the Destruction of Jerufalem; which was thirty-eight Years after the Death of our Saviour: And to which the fatal Introduction of the impure Book of Canticles into the Canon of the Old Teftament, foon after that Time, may moft probably be ascribed.

On Feb. 21, 1714, being Lord's-Day, I baptized Mr. John and Mrs. Elizabeth Shelfwell, with the Trine Immerfion, &c. According to the Form published by myself in the forementioned Liturgy of the Church of England, reduc'd nearer to the Primitive Standard; and adminifter'd to them both Confirmation and the Eucharift; about feventeen Communicants present.

Not long afterward, the fame Year 1714, Mr. Hauk fbee and myself published A Courfe of Mechanical, Optical, Hydrostatical, and Pneumatical Experiments; as performed by us: In twenty Copper Plates, briefly explained. This has been feveral

Times printed, and belongs to the Course itself.

4to. Price 5 s.

5s.

The fame Year 1714, Mr. Humphrey Ditton, and myself published, A new Method of Difcovering the Longitude by Signals. 8vo. The fecond Edition is far the most compleat; and was printed the next Year 1715. Price 2s.

In this laft Year 1715, I published A Vindication of the Siylline Oracles, with the genuine Oracles themfelves, and the ancient Citations from them, in their Originals, and in English: Befides a few brief Notes. 8vo. Price 2 s. 6d.

N. B. On Eafter-Day 1715, we began to have a folemn Affembly for Worship, and the Eucharist, at my House in Cross-Street, Hatton-Gar den: According to the Form in my Liturgy, (about fifteen Communicants prefent.) On Whitsunday the fame Year, we had a fecond folemn Affembly for the fame Purpose: Which was continued feveral Years, at least three Times in a Year: At Eafter, Whitfuntide, and Christmas.

1.

N. B. In Pursuance of my Propofals for erecting Societies for Promoting Primitive Christianity, fuch a Society was erected about this Time: And met weekly at the Primitive Library, which was at my House in Cross-Street, Hatton-Garden (in which House I have heard the famous Mr. Flamsteed once also lived.) It lafted about two Years, from July 3d, 1715, to June 28, 1717. Of which Society, its Chairmen, and Secretary, and Rules, See Dr. Clarke's Life, 1ft Edition Page 86-91.

However I will here add one particular Circumftance,

cumstance, not related; elsewhere, which concerns this Society. When we first met, and were very defirous no Bar should be laid in the way of any that pretended to be Chriftians from joining with us. Mr. Joshua Martin, the most learned of all the People called Quakers that I ever knew, offered himself to be a Member, and was readily received as fuch. I then proposed, that we should use fome fhort Collects, taken out of our Common-Prayer Book, before we began, and after we ended every Meeting, to implore the Bleffing of God upon our Enquiries. To which Propofal all readily agreed but Mr. Martin, who intirely fcrupled joining with us in fuch Prayers, unless when the Spirit moved him. Which occafioned a good deal of Difficulty to the Society. Yet at laft we agreed to leave him to himfelf, to stay either with his Hat on or off, as he pleafed, and he gave us leave to fay our Prayers ourfelves; nor did he ever difturb us: Nor was he afterward an unuseful Member, when he came to the Society. Only I cannot but obferve, that when after many Years Intermiffion, an Attempt was made for reviving that Society, and he was defired to return to it, he commended the Defign, but feemed unwilling to join in it. I fufpect the Refult of fome of his former Enquires made him fenfible that Examination would not turn out to the Advantage of his Friends, and he had not Courage enough to think of leaving them. However, I must do him the Juftice to fay, that he it was who firft put me upon writing the Sheet I lately published, for reconciling the four Evangelifts as to their feveral Narrations; about our Saviour's Resurrection.

The

The fame Year 1715, I published several Papers relating to my Caufe before the Court of Delegates, viz.

I. Mr. Whifton's Reafons against that Procedure, already mentioned.

II. The Articles exhibited against him by Dr. Pelling in that Cause.

III. Mr. Whiston's Defence of himself from those Articles.

To which was added,

IV. His Letter to Dr. Sacheverel.

V. His Letter to the Bishop of London, with the Answers.

VI. His Letter to Mr. Broughton, and Mr. Broughton's Anfwer, 8vo. Price 3 s. But these two laft Letters being on both Sides much too warm, and of little Confequence, may be omitted hereafter: Nor need the Letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Page 96-100, be here reprinted any more; it having been printed elsewhere: Nor need the Obfervations on Dr. Clarke's Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity be reprinted here; they being printed at the End of my fifth Volume, The Recognitions of Clement; and the Teftimonies there included, more fully in my Letter to the Earl of Nottingham, and its Defence; of which hereafter.

Memorandum, That a little before the famous total Eclipfe of the Sun, April 22, this Year 1715, I publifhed two Schemes of that Eclipfe: The latter of which is inferted into that larger Collection of Schemes; and Account of that and of the next

total

total Eclipfe of the Sun, May 11, 1724, which I published a little afterward, and together, rolled, amounted to 7 s. tho' my own later Scheme of the Eclipfe, in 1715, was but 2s. 6d.

N. B. This moft eminent Eclipfe, 1715, was exactly foretold by Mr. Flamsteed, Dr. Halley, and myself: Its Beginning came to one Minute, and its End within four of the Calculations. And it was, perhaps, more exactly obferved by the French Aftronomers in London, and by our own at the Royal Society, and elfe where, than any other Eclipfe ever was. I myself by my Lectures before; by the Sale of my Schemes before and after; by the generous Prefents of my numerous and noble Audience; who at the Recommendation of my great Friend, the Lord Stanhope, then Secretary of State, gave me a Guinea apiece; by the very uncommon Present of twenty Guineas from another of my great Benefactors, the Duke of Newcastle; and of five Guineas at Night from the Lord Godolphin; gained in all about 120/. by it. Which in the Circumstances I then was, and have fince been, destitute of all Preferment, was a very feasonable and plentiful Supply: And, as I reckoned, maintained me and my Family for a whole Year together.

Another remarkable Circumftance relating to this Eclipfe, that I had from the Lord Forfar, deferves to be particularly remembred; which was this; when Mr. Flamsteed's, Dr. Halley's, and my Schemes, foretelling to a Minute, when the Sun

would