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whole Houses, and teach things which they ought not, for filthy lucres fake; the more need bave we of fuch as hold *faft the faithfull word, * Verf. 9. & and are able by found Doctrin, both to exhort, and to convince, and to stop the mouths of Gainfayers. The greater plenty there is of them* who de- * 1 Tim. 4. part from the Faith, giving heed to feducing spirits, and Doctrins of Devils,fpeaking lyes in Hypocrifie, & having their Confcience feared with an hot iron; The more muft They be needs wanted who are good Minifters of Chrift, nourished † Verf 6.7. up in the words of Faith and good Doctrin; refufing prophane and old VVives Fables, giving attendance unto Reading and Meditation, and continuing in both,that they may fave themselves and them that hear them. By how much the more we doe abound with fuch as creep into Houfes, lead-2 Tim.3.6 ing captive filly VVomen, ever learning,but ne ver learned, fuch as like Jannes and Jambres refift the Truth; The greater abundance there ought to be of fuch as continue in the things which they te 14. have learned and been affured of, knowing of whom they have learned them, and are throughly furnished unto all good works. The more there are of those itching and prurient Eares who can Tim.4. not endure found Doctrine, but heap to them 3.4. felves Teachers who have as prurient and itching Tongues, and turn away their attentions from aged Truth unto newly devifed Fables and Conceipts after the Mode; Byfo much the greater is the necefsity of fuch as are knowing and stable men, holding+ faft the form of found words, and t2Tim.1.13 0002 preaching

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* Rom. 12 6. preaching according to the * Analogie of Faith, 17er. 6.16. teaching the People to walk in the old and the good way, that walking therein they may finde reft unto their Souls. In a word, The * Luk. 11.52 more Interpreters there are who have taken away the Key of knowledge, neither entring in themselves,nor fuffering others to enter in; by so much the more we stand in need of all those ** 1 Cor. 4 faithfull* and able* Stewards, who may deliver us from the way of the evil Man, from the man that speaketh froward things.

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Now if ever any Bishop,fince the Apostles own Times,was both a faithfull and able Steward,rightly ufing the Key of knowledge, religiously opening © Mat.13.52 the Mysteries of God, bringing forth out of his Treasures things new and old; If ever any Paftor A.20.28 took carefull heed unto himself,and to his Flock, 1 Tim. 4.16. over which the holy-Ghoft had made him Over© 2 Tim.4.5. feer, watching in all things, enduring afflictions, doing the work of an Evangelift,and making full £27im.2.15 proof of his Minifterie; If ever any VVorkman needed not to be ashamed,as rightly dividing the word of Truth, and venting nothing out of the Pul & Kemar & pit but what is elaborate and exact; If ever any 3.17.) eff, Ser Preacher bad both Urim and Thummim,the forAubere mer in his words,and the later in his example," unConc.ad Cl.p. 32 reprovable in his Doctrin,and unblamable in his 1 Tim.3.2. life; The most admired Bishop Andrews may Tit. 2.7. paffe for one of thofe ' Patterns,in whom thefe Lines of perfection were all concenter'd.

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And this Ifay fo much the rather, because Ifinde p. 190. 206. him to have the honour of being hated and * fnarl'd

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at by a late profane and fawcy Scribler; who, as if be were willing to kill the dead, and pluck a glori fied Saint out of the Land of the "Living,bath not psal.27.13 only attempted to fullie the Name and the VVri tings of this Great Author, but bath publickly ma lign'd his very imparadifed Soul too. He hath not only defam'd his Doctrin, as Atheological, irrational, and worse than that of Arminius (which, in the judgement of the Accufer, is no fmall crime) nor bath he only reproach't him by a moft odious comparison with one exceedingly below him (whom yet he prefumeth to prefer as far before him, forfooth, in fanctity) but by an unchriftian infinuation would make his Reader to believe, That Bishop Andrews was the worfe for being Bishop Andrews, that Dr. Andrews was more a Saint than the Lord Bishop of V Vinchefter, and by confequence, that bis laft dayes were very unhappily his worst too. But fince the Author of fuch profaneneffe is very fuffi ciently ftigmatiz'd by avowing himself,in print,the Author of it, Ifhall not in a preface fay more than this, That the great" Bishop of our Souls was far = 1 Pec.2.25 worse dealt with; and, in the later part of his life, was called a VVine-bibber, a Glutton, a PBlaf- PMat. 26.65 phemer, a Demoniack.

How confummate a Divine, how exact a Preacher, how acute a Difputant,bow judicious a Moderator, and how eminent a Chriftian our Author was, there is nothing more eafie than to conclude,both from the admiration of the best men, from the malignity of the worst,and from fo many of his VVritings as bave been heretofore publish't: And (after 0003

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all, Imay add) from these imperfect, but pretious Reliques, which are here prefented to the learned and to the unlearned Reader. They being so pithie, and yet fo plain; so very short and concife, but yet fo full and perfpicuous; fo clofe and home to the Text, but yet fo ufefull in Applications; that 'tis hard to fay, for which fort of Readers they are most proper; whether for the learned, by being fo wife; or for the unlearned,by being fo eafie. They who are the most ignorant, may here get knowledge; and they who have the most knowledge, may here get more. They that are Leaders of the People, may learn what things they ought to preach; and they that are followers of the Pulpit, may learn what Preachers they ought to hear.

'Tis true, it cannot be denyed, and it ought in juftice to be proclaim'd, that this Volumne of Notes was only taken by the Eare from the voluble Tongue of the Dictator, as he deliver'd them out of the Pulpit; and fo are infinitely short of their original perfection. We must not judge by these Lectures, what kinde of Preacher their Author was; but we must gueffe by the Author, how exactly accomplish't thefe Lectures were. There have been many great Monarchs, who having be gan to erect their stately Fabricks, have left them imperfect upon Design, that late Pofterity might wonder at the excessive greatneffe of their Intentions. And it is thus farre applicable to the cafe in hand,That every Reader may imagine by the beauty of thefe Ruines, what kinde of Buildings he (hould have feen if he had feen them standing in their

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integrity. But having said thus much in venera tion of the Author, to whom the Printer bath of fer'd this well-meant injury, have fomething to alledge by way of Apologie for the Printer, by whose devotion of care and coft, thefe facred Fragments were thus collected. He knew the fame of the Author was fo tranfcendently high, and placed fo far out of the reach of spight or envy, defamation or difgrace, that he fuppofed it a leffer Crime thus to communicate these Lelfons as now they are, than to deprive Polterity of their Advantage. He look't not fo fteadily upon the Name and Credit of the Author, as upon the intereft and good of Souls. He thought the Reader would efteem it, not only as an excufable, but as a commendable trangrefsion, which being no way injurious to more than One, will redound to the benefit of many thousands.

Befides, it may be pleaded in his excufe (by fuch as are willing to make the best of a bold adventure, not because it is bold, but because it is past, and now too late to be prevented) That next to the Author's and Compofers of learned VVorks, their Confervators and Guardians defervé most thanks and commendations. We think we owe a great deal to fuch as Photius, and Stobæus, (and the publickminded Sirmondus of thefe laft times) through the industry of whom we doe enjoy many things, which but for them, we might have lolt. How comes it to paffe, that we have nothing (unleffe meer figments or arrant fcraps of fuch as Berofus,Ctefias, Megafthenes, Theopompus, Euphorus, Callifthenes,and Timæus? Or that we want fo many books

of

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