I could not avoid lamenting, that so pure an establishment as that of the church of England, dignified and protected by such a series of providential events, and fealed by the blood and pious labors of our venerable ancestors, fhould be daily fubject to the lash of every petulant and ignorant fcribbler; and particularly that any femblance of truth should be fuffered to accompany the injurious charge, that her fons defpised such a treasure of evangelical instruction as might bid defiance to the most contumelious adverfary. I could not withhold a becoming reprobation of the invidious and unjust reflections which were occafionally levelled at this bulwark of pious principles, no less than at the fincerity of I knew would be ready to undertake its defence. To appear intimidated by any random fhafts, while in poffeffion of fuch an invulnerable fhield, would evince the most de-. grading pufillanimity. From the above motives, and on this ground, I have at laft ventured forth upon a field of arduous, and hazardous enterprize. I am fenfible it may expose me to the attacks of a GIANT foe, but as in all religious warfare, we must look up to ONE mightier than ourselves, or it is in vain to hope for victory; fo trusting to the goodness of the cause, I rely on that NAME for every needful aid, which the enemies of our holy faith have fo frequently defied. Under his banner we

many

have

have no reason to fear the whole hoft of heretics and fchifmatics; and to purfue this fcriptural allufion, having proved the armour before I aflayed to go, I may fafely recommend its use to

who refolutely and judiciously make the trial, both as a guard against the mischief of heterodox and wavering principles, and as a defence of that genuine chriftian standard, round which all true friends of our eftablished profeffion fhould rejoice to muster.

It is now proper that I fhould take fome notice of the method I have employed in the following work. The original being printed in the old black letter, and in a ftyle of language not every where intelligible, I was under the neceffity of tranfpofing many parts of it into a freer, and more modern diction. Inftead of the obfolete words with which the work abounds, I have fubftituted fuch as are now in common acceptation. Where the fenfe of a sentence hath been attended with any obfcurity, I havę been often obliged to paraphrafe and explain it, in order to remove all doubts, and convey the defirable inftruction it contains. Upon fome ticular paffages I have judged it proper to enlarge, and to illustrate them by fuitable texts. My defign in this, hath been to guard against any mifinterpretation of heterodox furmife, to give the discourse an air of modern compofition, and to

par

adapt

adapt it better to the taste of the prefent day. In fome parts likewife, where it appeared to me that the less learned reader would be gratified by further information, on any more curious part than ordinary, I have offered an occafional note at the bottom of the page for his fatisfaction; and laftly, I have placed a fcriptural text at the head of every diftinct discourse, as indicating the general theme or fubject upon which it treats, carefully revifing all the texts that are inferted in the body of the original work, and giving them according to the last and authorised tranflation of the facred volume. As to the principal matter, that being founded on the principles of the gofpel, and unexceptionable in its compilation, it remains as essential for the edification of modern times, as it was for our countrymen two centuries paft; and till we have the happiness to prove ourselves more frugal, ferious, virtuous, and holy, than our forefathers of that period, what was then judged needful for their reformation, muft indifputably be no lefs ferviceable to repair the general deficiency in religious knowledge, and to correct our manifold failings and tranfgreffions.

From what has been faid, and from the extent of fome of these ancient fermons, it will readily be feen, why I have fometimes, formed

two

two difcourfes, of reasonable length, out of one homily; and also, that when the fubject has been divided into three parts, I have in that cafe been enabled occafionally to make four difcourfes out of it. That most excellent homily of repentance (which, in its principal matter, exceeds all praise) affords an inftance of this, and I trust, without incurring the charge of any improper repetition. Sometimes, where brevity of difcuffion would admit, or that a useless tautology hath prevailed, I have blended two homilies into one difcourfe; my view in this proceeding has been to bring them all as nearly as poffible to an equal length, for the convenience of private study, and family reading: at the fame time, the original titles and divifions are ftill carefully attended to, and the latter always marked by a confpicuous feparation, so that the primitive conclufion of the original may be immediately discovered. Again, where the extreme uncouthnefs of a period inclined me to give it an entire turn, or to dwell upon its meaning, a very little pains in comparing fuch emendations with the original, will, I hope, discover their warrantable purport. The pofitive neceffity of affuming these feveral liberties, in order to render the work at all acceptable to the refined, on the one hand, or useful to the unedu

cated

cated reader on the other, will I hope exculpate me from any undue prefumption in this procedure; and as doubtless, notwithstanding all the pains that have been taken, feveral defects may be discovered, these in candour must be attributed to the fallibility of every human effort. Many, I am fenfible, would have executed the task much better, but the prefent feeble exertions do by no means restrain the talents of my brethren, and I fhall be highly gratified should I prove any ways affifting in rendering fo celebrated a treatise ftill more generally known, and justly esteemed, through the future elucidation of an abler hand. This truth, I am certain, experience will confirm, that in general, and in remote country parishes efpecially, a thorough acquaintance with the genuine and faving doctrines of our church, as contained in these discourses, would be found highly beneficial in counteracting the prevailing influence of innovation, in fatisfying and fettling the opinions of numbers among the lower order of the people, who have a religious turn of mind, and in laying a good foundation of such substantial knowledge, as is neceffary to promote the welfare of both church and state.

It may be neceffary now to inform the lefs learned reader (for whose use principally this work was at first projected) that this collection

of