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his nephew for a pupil. But his health did not permit him to go on in that way; and therefore, resigning his pupils to Mr. Laughton, he became chaplain (for he had taken orders) to Dr. Moore Bishop of Norwich. During the time of his being chaplain to that Prelate, which was from 1694 to 1698, he published his first Work, intituled, "A new Theory of the Earth, from its Original, to the Consummation of all Things; wherein the Creation of the World in Six Days, the universal Deluge, and the general Conflagration, as laid down in the Holy Scriptures, are shewn to be perfectly agreeable to Reason and Philosophy, 1696," 8vo. *

In 1698, Bishop Moore gave him the vicarages of Lowestoft and Kissingland, by the sea-side, in Suffolk; upon which he quitted his place of chaplain, and was succeeded by Mr. (afterwards the celebrated Dr.) Clarke, who was then about 24 years of age. He went to reside upon his living, and applied himself most earnestly and conscientiously to the

* Mr. Whiston relates that this book was shown in manuscript to Dr. Bentley, to sir Christopher Wren, and especially to sir Isaac Newton, on whose principles it depended; and though Mr. John Keill soon after wrote against it, to demonstrate that it could not stand the test of Mathematicks and sound Philosophy, yet it brought no small reputation to the author. Thus Mr. Locke, mentioning it in a letter to Mr. Molyneux, dated Feb. 22, 1696, says, "I have not heard any one of my acquaintance speak of it but with great commendations, as I think it deserves; and truly I think it is more to be admired, that he has laid down an hypothesis, whereby he has explained so many wonderful and before inexplicable things in the great changes of this globe, than that some of them should not easily go down with some men; when the whole was entirely new to all. He is one of those sort of writers that I always fancy should be most esteemed and encouraged-I am always for the builders, who bring some addition to our knowledge, or at least some new things to our thoughts." This work of Mr. Whiston has gone through six editions; but no considerable additions, as he informs us, have been made to it since the third.

+ It appears by Kennett's "Case of Impropriations," that the vicarage of Kissingland was augmented by several contributions collected by Mr. Whiston,

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care of souls. He kept a curate, yet preached twice a Sunday himself; and, all the summer season at least, read a catechetic lecture at the chapel in the evening, chiefly for the instruction of the adult *.

In 1699 he married Ruth Antrobus, daughter of the Rev. George Antrobus, Master of Tamworth school; by whom he had several children, three of which survived him.

In 1701, he was called to be sir Isaac Newton's deputy, and afterwards his successor, in the Lucasian Professorship of Mathematicks; when he resigned his livings, and went to Cambridge.

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In 1702, he published, "A short View of the Chronology of the Old Testament, and of the Harmony of the Four Evangelists," in 4to; and in March 1702-3, Tacquet's Euclid, with select Theorems of Archimedes, and Practical Corollaries," in Latin, for the use of young students in the University. This edition of Euclid was re-printed at Cambridge in 1710; and afterwards in English at London, under his own inspection. He tells us, that it was the accidental purchase of Tacquet's own Euclid at an auction, which occasioned his first application to mathematical studies. In 1706, he published an "Essay on the Revelation of St. John;" in 1707, "Prælectiones Astronomicæ;" and sir Isaac Newton's "Arithmetica Universalis," by the author's permission.

The same year, 1707, he preached Eight Sermons "Upon the Accomplishment of Scripture Prophecies," at the Lecture founded by the Hon. Mr. Boyle; which he printed the year after, with an appendix to the same purpose. About August 1708, he

He has recorded an instance or two, which shew how zealous he was for the promotion of piety and good manners, one of which very well deserves to be mentioned here. The parish-officers applied to him once for his hand to a licence, in order to set up a new ale-house; to whom he answered, "If they would bring him a paper to sign for the pulling an ale-house down, he wald certainly sign it; but would never sign one for setting an a.ohouse up.", † See p. 505.

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drew up an "Essay upon the Apostolical Constitutions;" and offered it to the Vice-chancellor, for his licence to be printed at Cambridge; but was refused it. He tells us, that he had now read over the two first Centuries of the Church; and found, that the Eusebian, or commonly called Arian, doctrine was, for the main, the doctrine of those ages: and, as he thought it a point of duty to communicate what he had thus discovered, so his heterodox notions upon the article of the Trinity were now pretty generally known.

In 1709, he published a volume of "Sermons and Essays on several Subjects:" one of which is to prove, that our blessed Saviour had several brethren and sisters, properly so called; that is, the children of his reputed father Joseph, and of his true mother the Virgin Mary *.

In 1710, he published "Prælectiones PhysicoMathematicæ, sive Philosophia clarissimi Newtoni Mathematica illustrata;" which, together with the "Prælectiones Astronomica" before mentioned, were afterwards translated and published in English; and it may be said, with no small honour to the memory of Mr, Whiston, that he was one of the first, if not the very first, who explained the Newtonian philosophy in a popular way, and so that the generality of readers might comprehend it very tolerably.

About this year, 1710, Menkenius, a very learned man in Germany, wrote to Dr. Hudson, the keeper of the Bodleian Library at Oxford, for an account of Mr. Whiston; "whose writings then made," as he said, "a great noise in Germany."

It has been stated in some former account of Mr. Whiston, that he had at one time embraced the

* Dr. Clarke wrote to him to suppress this piece, not on account of its being false, but that the common opinion might go undisturbed; but he adds, "that such sort of motives were of no weight with him, compared with the discovery and propagation of truth."

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