ing of her, and therefore defires to know what he means by the Catholick Church. It was to you, Sir, that his Lordship fent his excellent Anfwer to that Letter; an imperfect Abstract of which having ftollen into Print, gave an occafion to the Reverend Mr. Leflie of writing another Answer to it, which he thought to have fent to Monfieur de Meaux tranflated into Latin or French, if he had not been prevented by his Death. I thought it might not improperly accompany the Bishop of St. David's his larger Anfwer into the publick, and therefore with the Author's confent I have made it part of this Collection, which is happily concluded with an excellent Letter of your own, that you wrote in Italy to an English Prieft at Rome with that felicity of temper, whereof you are mafter in great perfection, and by the benefit of which you can difcourfe with all forts of Men, with whom you differ in matters of Religion, in the fame eafe and obliging manner, as with thofe with whom you do agree. You have alfo many titles to my own part in this Polemical Collection: For you know the Gentleman, who drew me against my inclination into this Controverfy: I acquainted you time after time with the fteps of my proceeding in it with him and his Sifter; and I defir'd, bad I come to oral Conferences with their Guide, to have you fole witness on my fide to what had paffed between us in all our Arguments. And for thefe Reasons I think my felf oblig'd to make you a publick prefent of thefe Papers of Controversy, with that deference which is due to fo difcerning and learned a judge with all the Respect, that ought to be paid to fo great an Ornament of our Church and Religion; and with all the acknowledgments I ought to make for the bonour of your Friendship, which I efteem as one of the providential Bleffings of my Life, that God has been pleas'd to referve for me, as a Comfort in the last and most tireSome part thereof. In all the Conversation I have had with you, I can truly fay I have found you fully anfwer the great and good Character, that my learned and religious Friend of venerable memory, Mr. Kettlewell gave me of you many Tears, before it was my happiness to be acquainted with you. The love and esteem be had for you was to my knowledge exceeding great while he lived, and at his Death he gave you a fure teftimony of his Conftancy, in the honourable opinion he had of you in committing his wordly Concerns to your Wisdom and Truft. Sir, I cannot pretend to merit your Friendship to fuch a degree, as that wor A 3 thy thy Perfon deferv'd it, who was one of the beft of Chriftians and Divines; but I dare pretend to the fame degree of affection and respect, which he had for you to his last breath; and in teftimony thereof, I humbly offer this Book to your Acceptance, profeffing my felf ambitious of being reckoned and continued in the number of your most faithful Friends and Servants. George Hickes. Ormond-ftreet, THE THE PREFACE. I Never yet entred into Controversy but against my Inclinations, which have always carried me to cultivate the more quiet and practical part of Divinity; and therefore ever fince I received Holy Orders, I have always taken care to fhun, but never fought occafions of engaging my self in the Disputes of the times, relating either to Church or State. But contrary • to my Genius I have been fometimes unavoidably conftrained, both by fingle and concurrent accidents, to write Polemical Difcourfes, particularly in the Controverfies betwixt the reformed Church of England and that unreformed one of Rome. 08 I was the first time forced to write by the infolence of a Popish Phyfician, who had the confi dence to tell one of my + Parishioners in company; that whereas I had in a Sermon lately deliver'd fome things concerning the Popish Worship of Saints, I was a Liar, and could not prove what I afferted, and bid him tell me what he faid. This infult making a great noife in my own and the neighbouring Parithes, I was compelled in + Of All Saints Berking, London. A 4 1 Vin Vindication of my Religion, as well as of my Reputation, to publifh a Book in the Year 1686, entituled, Speculum beata Virginis, A Difcourfe of the due Pzaile and honour of the Airgin Dary; in which I think I proved contrary to what that Phyfician maintain'd, that the Roman Catholicks do much more than defire the Saints to pray for them, as fick Men defire the Prayers of the Congregation, or that they only pray to the Saints in Heaven, as they do their Brethren on Earth to pray for them, in the name and mediation of Chrift. Shortly after this I was forc'd again in * another place to publish a Difcourfe in the Year 1687, entituled, An Apologetical Vindication of the Church of England, in answer to thofe, who reproach ber with the English Herefies and Schifms. I fay, I was forced to it by the perpetual din of fome more zealous than prudentor modeft Roman Catholick Gentlemen, whofe practice it then was to ask our People in Coffee-Houfes and other places, What the Church of England was? Where it was to be found? And if it was the Presbyterians, or Independents, or Anabaptifts, or Quaker's? And then after thefe and fuch like impertinent and provoking questions, they used to bid them go to their Bishop or their Dean, and pray either of them to let them know in fuch a number of Sects, where they might find the Church of England. The excellent Bifhop, worthy of everlasting Memory, being by long Sickness then reduced to a very weak condition, the province of vindicating Our Church against the open Reproaches of thofe + Worcester. Dr. William Thomas. 1 Gen |