TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.

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To supply the more intelligent, and especially the younger clergy, with a comprehensive history of the Christian religion and church from the earliest times to the present day, history which shall touch all the more important facts, briefly and distinctly, yet candidly, and with constant references to authorities, and to sources of additional information, and thus be a complete guide to those who wish to go deeply into this science, and afford of itself a good general knowledge of the whole subject;-such was the design of Dr. Mosheim in the following work, and such has been the aim of the present translator.

The great need of such a work at the present day, when every other branch of theology is much cultivated, is so generally felt, that it is unnecessary to say any thing to evince its importance, or to excite an interest on the subject. The only things therefore, which here claim attention, are, the character and history of Dr. Mosheim and his work, the reasons for giving it in a new translation, and the additions made to it by way of

notes.

John Lawrence von Mosheim was nobly born at Lubeck, October 9, 1694. His education was completed at the university of Kiel; where he became professor of philosophy at an early age. In youth he cultivated a taste for poetry; and he actually published criticisms on that subject. But pulpit eloquence, biblical and historical theology, and practical religion, were his favourite pursuits. He published seven volumes of

sermons, and left a valuable treatise on preaching, which was printed after his death. The English and French preachers, particularly Tillotson and Watts, Saurin, Massillon, and Flechier, were his models. The Germans admit that he contributed much to improve the style and manner of preaching in their country. While a professor at Keil, his reputation rose so high, that the king of Denmark invited him to a professorship at Copenhagen. But the duke of Brunswick soon after, in the year 1725, called him to the divinity chair at Helmstadt; which he filled with great applause for twenty-two years. In 1747, when George II., king of England, the founder of the university of Göttingen, wished to place over it men of the highest rank in the literary world, Dr. Mosheim was deemed worthy to be its chancellor, and the head of the department of theology. In this honourable station he remained eight years, or till his death, September 9, 1755. His works were very numerous; consisting of Latin translations and editions of learned works in English, French, Dutch, and Greek, with valuable notes; an immense number of disquisitions relating to historical, dogmatic, and moral subjects; besides orations, sermons, letters, &c. On church history, in which he most distinguished himself, he published two volumes of essays on detached subjects; and among other works, a compendious church history, in two volumes, 12mo; a full church history of the first century, 4to; Commentary on the affairs of Christians, till the times of Constantine, 4to; and he had just published the revision and enlargement of his compendious church history, under the new title of Institutes of Ecclesiastical History, ancient and modern, in one vol. 4to, when he was removed by death, at the age of 61.

The character of Dr. Mosheim is thus given, by his disciple and translator, J. R. Schlegel. "We may have had, perhaps, biblical interpreters, who, like Ernesti and Michaelis, expounded the Scriptures with more philosophical and critical learning: perhaps also, theologians and moralists, who have treated dogmatic and practical theology with more metaphysical precision: