and his Two Discourses upon Conscience, which were formerly publish'd without a Name, and make Part of the Collection of London Cafes.

And these two Volumes contain all that he himself had suffered at any time to go abroad into the World.

But bis Executors were a little more liberal of his Productions; and in 1716. they added to the Collections made by himself, and then by his Bookfeller, as above-mentioned, two Volumes more, confifting of Sermons never before printed. But this Step nevertheless was taken by them with due Caution, and after Advice had with Some Judicious Prelates, who had read them after they were transcribed, and confirmed the Resolution of making them publick.

And now, after several Years elapfed, two Volumes more have pass'd the Press, being the last Addition that

1

will be made to the Collection of his Works, Save a small Reserve of Difcourses in the Popish Controversy, which may possibly, some time or other, be published with other of his Papers relating to that Controversy, and penn'd likewise in those Times.

The first and principal Design of transcribing these, which are now printed, from the Original ManuScripts in Short-hand, (for all his Sermons were wrote in Characters) was to preserve and rescue them from the Danger they were in of being irretrievably loft by being buried in the Cypher, if not extracted thence, and brought to light by one who was perfectly well acquainted with the Charafters be used, and with his peculiar manner of expreffing and compounding them. The Transcript was begun Some Years fince, and proceeded very leisurely, and with several Interruptions, under the uncertain View whether it should ever be made publick or A 3

no,

A

no, till the Year 1730, when the greatest Part of it was finished, perufed and approved by competent Judges, and at length prepared for Publica

tion.

The Reader therefore may be afsfur'd (and it is chiefly for his Satisfaction in this Matter that this Advertisement is prefixed to the Edition) that these are the Genuine Works of the Author, to whom the Title Page ascribes them; and that they are not rasbly obtruded upon the World, as Posthumous Works too often are, but offered after mature Deliberation, and under a real Conviction of their being as perfect in their Kind as any wherewith this last Age hath been prefented.

Indeed, the bare avouching them to be Genuine supersedes any further Recommendation of them. Both the Character and Writings of the Archbishop have been generally so well esteemed,

esteemed, that they stand in no need of the Suffrage of the Publisher, but will be able to support themselves (even in an Age by no means favourable to good Men and good Books) So long as Truth can stand her Ground, and found ReaSoning with Perfpicuity shall be accounted the chief Character of Perfection in Writing, especially upon Die vine and Moral Subjects.

!

Most of the Treatises in this first Volume are compounded, some of two, Some of three Sermons, joined together in the Form of continued Discourses, which will account for the Length of several of them, as it also gave occafion to entitle them Discourses rather than Sermons. The Design of this Dispofition was to preserve the Chain of Realo Reasoning upon each Subject intire and uninterrupted without those Recapitulations, which, tho necessary indeed under their Division into distinct Sermons, in order to accommodate them to the Pulpit, yet are altogether unneceffary

A 4

cessary to be retain'd for the Perufal of the Reader, who would rather be incommoded than relieved by such unSeasonable Breaks in the Body of a just Discourse. But however no more Liberty was taken with them, than would barely answer this End of Convenience, by omitting the Introductions or Preambles to the fubfequent Sermons, when more than one were form' d upon the Same Text. And because the fame Liberty could not be so well taken with the four last Sermons in this Volume, which are all likewise upon one Text, therefore they are published intire, as they were found in the Copies.

The other Volume confifts wholly of fingle Sermons, publish'd verbatim as they were preached, at least without any design'd Omission or Alteration. Most of them had been deliver'd at Court, before their late Majesties King William, Queen Mary, and Queen Anne, as the Dates prefixed to them