A LEGACY TO THE Church of England, Vindicating her ORDERS From the OBJECTIONS Of Papifts and Diffenters, Fully explaining the Nature of SCHISM, And cautioning the Laity against the Delufion of IMPOSTORS A WORK undertaken before the REVOLUTION By the late Reverend Mr. LUKE MILBOURN, Vo L. I. LONDON: Printed for M. SMITH at Bishop Beveridge's Head in EIA TO THE BOOKSELLER. MADAM, HAVE gone thro' the Work you were pleas'd to fet me, with as much Satisfaction and Pleafure to myself, as I hope I have with Service to you: And you have given me an Opportunity of appearing in fome measure ufeful to the World, in doing of that which it was very well worth any one's while to have done, for the Benefit he wou'd thereby have receiv'd himself. But it feems you are not contented that I fhou'd fit down quietly with my own Gains, but infist upon my giving A 2 the What be the World fome Account of what I have been doing. And this you think the more neceffary to be done, because the Author himfelf, tho' he had finifh'd the Work, has left no Preface; defigning, very probably, (as most Authors do) to defer the Preface, till the Work fbou'd be in the Prefs. might have faid, had he liv'd to fupervise the Prefs himself, it is hard to tell: But it is eafy to fee that there is no great room for another to fay much. As far as we can learn from the Fragments of a moving Letter of the Author's, to the late Bishop of London, (which you communicated to me, together with the Manufcript,) it appears that this Work was undertaken at the Command of Prelates who had experienc'd his two great croft Arch Abilities in two other Performances, in which bishop of they had engag'd him, and for which he reand Dr. ceiv'd their efpecial Thanks †. * Dr. San Canterbury Norwich. The Time Floyd B.of in which he enter'd upon this, was (as I con† A fhort jecture) in the latter end of the Reign of Defence King James the Second; when the Infults of the Or- of the Romish Faction upon our Church and Church of her Ordinal occafion'd, it is probable, what England, he has faid upon that Subject, in the close of as by Law the fixth Chapter of the following Treatife. But that Storm, God be prais'd, was foon dersof the efta blifh'd; against fome scatter'd Objections of Mr. Webfler of Lynne. By a Presbyter of the Diocese of Norwich, 4to. 1688. And Myfterics in Religion Vindicated against the Socinians. 8vo. blown blown over: Tho' (as it is generally our Fate to burry from one Extream into another;) in the following Reign the Fear of Popery plung'd us immediately into the depth of Eraftianifm, (from whence we have been never fince able to recover ourselves) which put our Author upon pursuing his first Defign, of vindicating the Orders and Powers of our Miniftry, from the Cavils of Presbyterians and other Levellers of Church Government and Discipline. The Work was compleated as far as be then defign'd it shou'd be, in 1692, when it receiv'd the Approbation of the late Bishop of London, and his License for the Prefs. The reafon why it was not immediately publifb'd, was the Temper of the Times, which wou'd not then bear it. But as he liv'd in hopes they would one day mend; he was willing to take the Advantage of the delay to improve and enlarge it, as he faw new Occafions to arife: So that by frequent Additions it has fwell'd at last to twice the Bulk to what it was when it was licensed at first. But just before his Death it feems to have receiv'd what he intended fhould be his last Hand: It being all fairly transcribed, and the following folemn Dedication prefix'd to it, and enlarg'd towards the End with regard to the revival of the Nonjurors Schifm, which A 3 |