AND DISCOURSES . ON SEVERAL SUBJECTS AND OCCASIONS. BY FRANCIS ATTERBURY, D. D. Late Lord Bifhop of Ro CHESTER, VOL. II. THE NINTH EDITION. L ONDON: Printed for C. and R. WARE, T. LONGMAN, and J. JOHNSON. M. DCC. LXXIV. PREFACE. T HE following fermon, preached at Mr. Bennet's funeral, was, foon after it came out, reflected upon with great freedom, in a Letter, directed to me, from the prefs; and exhorting me either to "defend or retract the doctrine *" there delivered; which is faid to have "offended many serious understanding Chriftians +." I have the happiness, I thank God, to be well acquainted with feveral perfons of that character, to whofe judgment (having great reason to diftruft my own) I appealed on this ocafion. They affured me, that, upon a deliberate perufal of that fermon, they faw nothing in it which offended them; or which could, in their opinion, juftly offend any one, who believed a future ftate of rewards and punishments. Nor have I, after making what enquiries I could on this head, met with any one person, who carefully confidered my doctrine, and yet judged differently of it. I might well therefore have spared myself the trouble of reviewing and defending, what appears not to me to have been blamed 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 Let. p. 5. + Let. p. 4. he 2 2 |