of ancient fermons has the advantage of having paffed the judgment of those learned and pious men who (under God) were inftrumental in establishing the reformation of our church, from many dangerous errors and fuperftition. It was wifely defigned by them as a short body of doctrinal and practical divinity, and ordered to be delivered in separate difcourfes, which treat of fubjects most needful to be known, and practifed by all ranks and descriptions of chriftian people. They had likewife in view, by these found models of public inftruction, to regulate the inconveniences that were likely to proceed from the teachers of those days delivering any doctrine which might prove hurtful to the peace and order of the church, the produce perphaps of their own unfettled notions, and the tendency of which the ignorance of the common people might not immediately discover, especially at a period when the establishment of the church being yet in its infancy, was more liable to be disturbed by a variety of opinions, not eafy to be digefted by many who heard them, but only calculated to perplex their minds and difunite them. The original and grand defign of compiling thefe Homilies hath already been fet forth in the words of bishop Burnet, wherein he fhews, that by leaning to any other than the pure fcriptural fyftem they uphold, we shall be found endeavouring to reconcile Chrift with Belial, from which inconfiftent, and dangerous measure, every rational chriftian must be natu→ rally averfe. The latter of the reafons alluded to by this author feems fatally to spread in our days, when HERESY and SCHISM are ftriving different ways, to shake and root up all fterling principles, and to wean the people from orderly habits; for the one would lower the work of the CHIEF MASTER BUILDER, by disputing his DIVINITY, (a herefy that tends to render the members of Chrift's myftical body of all men moft miferable, fince without the value of infinite mediation, who will be able to stand the scrutiny of infinite perfection;) and the other would industriously promote diffention from the regular, and falutary fervice of the church, through various falfe and frivolous pretences. Now by having recourfe to the contents of these plain volumes, people will find a remedy against both these fatal fnares; they will thereby quickly perceive that they fupply fufficient nourishment for our fpiritual life, and will also be enabled to determine (against the charges of the contentious) that their attacks upon the principles of our church government are not founded in juftice. I truft I have abundantly evinced the neceffity and value of due obedience to all fuperior rule, no lefs in this, than in all my other VOL. I. b other publications; and the defire of rendering this duty profitable, hath partly influenced the prefent undertaking. In fhort, I would moft gladly destroy all plea for the growth of fchifm, and persuade those who have been led aftray by artful, but unfubftantial reafons, to return to the devout form of worship in which they were baptized and educated. * Concerning the title of the book itself, and the edition I have used, it may be proper further to observe, that the word Homily (which must be foreign both in found and meaning to the unlearned) is taken from the Greek language, and fignifies a public difcourfe or converfation made to a congregation of people. And refpecting the edition of the book from which I have prepared thefe fermions, it is as old as the year 1595, about eight years before the death of queen Elizabeth. The first book of the Homilies (containing The Editor would not be thought to reflect upon, or except to any particular religious focieties, merely because they differ from our church establishment; he only pleads for peace and order, confiftency and fincerity, on the general principles of Christianity; and withes that they fhould not molest each other in the duties of their peculiar profeffion, nor weaken the general caufe, by perverfe oppofition; a good chriftian being the only pure test of the value of any religious perfuafion. twelve in number in the original) was published in the reign of Edward the VI. ftyled of pious and happy memory, on account of his being fo zealously difpofed, and instrumental in forwarding the reformation of our church. The fecond book, or part of this collection, was published in the reign of queen Elizabeth, when the whole was revifed, and reprinted by royal authority, and in whofe name the following original preface is fet forth. The expediency of enforcing the inftructive, and ftrengthening the defenfive parts of this addrefs, has unavoidably subjected me to fome prolixity; but it being equally necessary to inform and defend, I judged that copiousness and. perfpicuity, were better fuited to this introduction, than a more concife and critical manner; nor can I recollect having omitted any effential article for the reader's benefit, excepting ONE, which with propriety belongs to this very place, and that is, to invoke the bleffing of the Almighty upon our earnest and humble endeavour to become better chriftians; on our ferious and conftant attention to the means provided as for that purpofe; and that all our labors may be qualified by the pure defire of advancing the glory of God. Without these principles, no religious study whatsoever will do us any good, `and that all into whofe hands thefe volumes |