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The Fourth is, That Sermon about Magiftrates and Subjects, preached at St. Laurence's, on Sept. 29, 1705, which was followed by a long Controverfy, upon the Subject of it. I was called to it by the accidental Mention of Me, by a Friend, to Sir Owen Buckingham, then Lord Mayor, with whom I had not Myfelf the leaft Acquaintance. The Reader has beard, if not read, enough of this long ago. I fhall fay no more of it in this Place, than That, from the Date of this Sermon, near Fifty Years ago, a Torrent of angry Zeal began to pour out itfelf upon Me, which, tho' for the prefent indeed very disagreeable; yet, 'opened a Way to fuch Explications of the Doctrine of it, and Reafonings about it, as have produced What, at the End, makes Me not to repent of having preached it.

The Fifth was preached at the Affixes, in March, 1707-8, at Hertford, at the Request of the High Sheriff, Sir Richard Houblon. The Subjects of it, The Happiness of the present Eablishment, and The Unhappiness of Abfolute Monarchy, were pointed out to Me, too ftrongly to be neglected, by the public Writings of that Time; particularly Thofe of Mr. Lefly, then much celebrated by Many.

The Sixth was preached at the fame Place, at the Summer Afizes in 1708, at the Request of the fame Gentleman. The Subject is, St.

Paul's

Paul's Behaviour to the Civil Magiftrate: which was chofen by Me, on account of many Paffages, relating to that Apostle, in the Political Controverfes in thofe Days very warmly handled; and therefore not unfeafonable.

The Four next Sermons, about the Duty of Enquiry, and the Extremes of Implicit Faith, and Infidelity, were preached at my Parish Church, in the Year 1712, on occafion of the many Writings published about that Time, which feemed, on one hand, to attack the ChriStian Religion itself; and, on the other, to difcourage a Free Examination of it.

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The Eleventh, called The prefent Delusion of Many, &c. was preached at St. Peter's Poor, Nov. 5, 1715, and was occafioned by the Rebellion then on foot; and the unaccountable Conduct of many Proteftants, with relation to it, which fufficiently justified the Title given to the Sermon, when it was, at the Defire of Many, immediately printed.

The Twelfth was preached on May 29, 1716, at St. James's Chapel, at the Request of the then Lord Almoner, to whofe Care the Sermon of that Day belongs. All that I shall fay of it is, That the Subject of it, viz. The Restoration made a Bleffing by the Proteftant Succeffion, which had then just taken Place; must be allowed to be as pertinent to the Day, as Any that could poffibly have been thought of.

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The Thirteenth was preached to the Society of the Gentlemen of Wales, March 1, 1716. The Subject of it, The Nature and Duty of a Public Spirit, I thought particularly of Importance at that Time; and, I can truly fay, was

choren without the leaft Thought of reflecting

on any One Man, or Set of Men, more than Another; but entirely with a View to the Duty of All equally, to have a Sacred Regard to the Good of the Whole, and to facrifice Albtheir Paffions to That.ge ylish'ng es uit abuА via The Fourteenth is the Sermons concerning the Nature of the Kingdom of Chrift, which is known too well, by the many and public Debates occafioned by it, to need any word about it here. At whofe Request it was commanded to be published, I know not. But I know, that it was hot, either directly or indirectly, from any Defire of mine.

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So The Fifteenth was preached at the Funeral of an Excellent Lady, Mrs Howland; and defigned, as all fuch Difcourfes ought to be, for the Ufe and Service of All Chriftians. But here I cannot but think it a Due, in point of Gratitude, to Her Memory, publickly to acknowledge this Singular Obligation to Her, That, in the Year 1710, when Fury seemed to be let loofe, and to distinguish Me particularly; She Herfelf, unafked, unapplied to; without my having ever feen Her, or been seen by

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Here, chofe, by prefenting Me to the Rectory of Stretham, then juft vacant, to fhew, in her own Expreffion, That she was neither afhamed, nor afraid, to give Me that public Mark of her Regard, at that Critical Time.

The Sixteenth was preached on the Anniverfary Faft-day, on account of the Martyrdom of King Charles I, and published by Order of the Houfe of LORDS. It was not calculated to provoke, but to appeafe, the Paffions of Men. And, as far as publickly appeared, It was received without any Marks of much Displeasure against it.in

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Of the Six additional Sermons, never before published, I need fay no more, than that the Two first were preached at St. Swithin's, and the other Four at St. Peter's Poor, upon Days appointed for public Fafts or Thanksgivings: And that they are chiefly upon the Subjects of Univerfal Amendment of our Lives; Good Temper, Union, Love, and mutual Charity, at Home: All, as Practical and Useful, as I could : make Them; and equally applicable to All Men and Chriftians, in the Nation.

If Any fhall judge, from fome Discourses in this Volume, That I used to entertain my Parishioners, in my Sunday-Discourses, with Political, or Controverfial, Points, they will be as much mistaken, as many others were heretofore disappointed, who came to hear me, with

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with the fame Notion. The Sermons on the Terms of Acceptance, printed long ago, may beft fhew, in how plain, and how practical, a Manner, I endeavoured to instruct Those in whom I was most nearly concerned.

The only Inferences in my own Favor, which I wish to be drawn from what is now published, are, That I never omitted any One public Opportunity, in proper Time and Place, of defending and ftrengthening the true and only Foundation of all our Civil and Religious Liberties, when it was every Day most zealously attacked; and of doing all in my Power, that All the Subjects of this Government, and this Royal Family, should understand, and approve of, thofe Principles, upon which alone their Happiness is fixed; and without which, it could never have been rightfully Established, and muft in Time fall to the Ground: And alfo, That I was as ready, whenever Occasion was offered, by the Writings and Attacks of Unbelievers, and by the abfurd Reprefentations of Others, to defend a Religion, moft amiable in all its Precepts, and most beneficial to Human Society, in the only Way proper; by fhewing it, in it's native Light, with which it fhines in the New Testament itself, free from all the Falfe Paint with which Some, or the undeferved Dirt with which Others, have covered it.

CON.

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