With fuch a Variety of Bleffings hath God furrounded You! and, that nothing may be wanting, he hath bleff'd You likewife with an Heart and Skill to use them. May You, thro' his Goodness, enjoy an uninterrupted Continuance of them; and fuch a Length of Days, as will give You Room to improve them to the utmost, for His Glory, and the Publick Benefit !

This, MY LORD, is the Unanimous Wifh of all that have been Oblig'd by You, of All that Honour You, that is, of All that truly Know

You;

You; but of none more than Him, who now offers these Sermons to Your Lordship, and, with that Sincerity which becomes a Preacher of Divine Truth, professes himself to be, by all the Tyes of Efteem, and Duty, Gratitude, and Inclination

Your LORDSHIP'S

moft Devoted,

and ever Faithful Servant,

FRANCIS ATTERBURY.

THE

PREFACE.

T

ed

HE following Sermons, having been, most of them, Separately Printed, are now collected into a Volume. One of them, Preach'd at Mr. Bennet's Funeral, was, foon after it came out, reflectupon with great freedom, in A Letter, directed to Me from the Prefs; and exhorting me either to Defend, or Retract the Doctrine there deliver'd ; * L. på which is faid to have offended many Serious Un-5 derstanding Chriftians t. I have the happiness, It L. p. thank God, to be well acquainted with feveral Perfons 4 of that Character, to whofe Judgment (having great Reason to diftrufi my Own) I appeal'd on this Occafion. They affur'd me, that, upon a deliberate Perufal of that Sermon, they faw nothing in it which offended them ; or which could, in their Opinion, justly Offend any one, who belieri'd a Future State of Rewards and Punishments. Nor have 1, after making what Enquiries I could on this head, met with any One Perfon, who Carefully confider'd my Doctrine, and yet judg'd differ ently of it. I might well therefore have spar'd my felf the Trouble of Reviewing and Defending, what appears not to me to have been blam'd by any Wife, or Good Man: for, whether the Writer of the Letter, be fuch, till I know who he is, I may have leave to doubt. All

i

4.

There

may

*

*L.P. be fays of himself is, that he is an Obscure Perfon ; One, I fuppofe, he means, that is in the Dark; and thinks it proper to continue fo, that he may take advantage from thence to attack the Reputation of others, without bazarding his own. be fomewhat of Wisdom, perhaps; but fure there is little of Goodnefs, or Fairness in this Conduct. Several fuch Obfcure Perfons as these we have had of late, who have infulted Men of great Abilities and Worth, and taken pleasure to pelt them, from their Coverts, with little Objections. The Ill Success of their Attempts bath juftify'd their Prudence in concealing themselves.

5,44,

45.

Whoever my unknown Correfpondent be, be preffes +IP bard for an Anfwer, † and is fo earneft in that point, that he would, I perceive, be not a little disappointed if he should mifs of it. Nameless Authors have no right to make fuch Demands. However, the Importance of the Argument it felf, the Serious Air with which he bath Treated of it, and the Solemn Professions be makes of being acted by no other Principle but a Concern Ibid. for Truth, foon determin'd me to comply with his Exhortations. And what follows, therefore, was drawn up not long after his Letter appear'd; though the Publication of it hath been delayed by fome Accidents, with an Account of which it is not neceffary to trouble the Reader. After all, I fhall be look'd upon perhaps, as writing rather too foon, than too late; and as paying too great a regard to an Attempt,which was so far flighted, that the worthy Dean of Canterbury, not long afterwards, preach'd the Doctrine, there oppos'd, before her See his Sermon Majefty, and printed it by her Order *. at St James's, And in truth, there never was a Charge, Matth xi.21.pp. maintain'd with fuch a fhew of Gravity and Earnestness, which had a fighter

Nov. 3. 1706.00

11, 12, 13.

Founda