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Of the Mo'sT REVEREND

Dr JOHN TILLOTSON,

Late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury.

IN TEN VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

EDINBURG H:

Printed by WAL. RUDDIMAN & COMPANY,

AND

A. MURRAY & J. COCHRAN.

-

MDCCLXXII.

3 8 0 1 6 9 4

252

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THE

PREFACE.

Shall neither trouble the reader, nor myself, with any apology for the publishing of thefe fermons. For if they be in any measure truly ferviceable to the end for which they are defigned, to establish men in the principles of religion, and to recommend to them the practice of it with any confiderable advantage, I do not fee what apology is neceffary; and if they be not fo, I am fure none can be fufficient. However, if there need any, the common heads of excufe in these cafes are very well known; and I hope I have an equal right to them with other men.

I fhall chufe rather in this preface to give a fhort account of the following difcourfes; and, as briefly as I can, to vindicate a fingle paffage in the firft of them, from the exceptions of a gentleman, who hath been pleafed to honour it fo far, as to write a whole book against it.

The defign of thefe difcourfes is fourfold.

1. To fhew the unreasonableness of Atheism, and of fcoffing at religion; which I am forry is fo neceffary to be done in this age. This I have endeavoured in the two first of thefe difcourfes.

2. To recommend religion to men from the great and manifold advantages which it brings both to public fociety and to particular perfons. And this is the argu ment of the third and fourth.

3. To reprefent the excellency, more particularly, of the Chriftian religion; and to vindicate the practice of it from the fufpicion of those grievous troubles and difficulties which many imagine it to be attended withal. And this is the fubject of the fifth and fixth.

4. To perfuade men to the practice of this holy religion, from the great obligation which the profeffion of Christianity lays upon men to that purpofe, and, more particularly,

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particularly, from the glorious rewards of another life; which is the defign of the two next difcourfes.

Having given this fhort account of the following difcourses, I crave leave of the reader to detain him a little longer, whilft I vindicate a paffage in the first of these fermons from the affaults of a whole book purposely writ against it. The title of the book is, Faith vindicated from the poffibility of Falfehood; the author, Mr J. S. the famous author of Sure footing. He hath indeed, in this laft book of his, to my great amazement, quitted that glorious title. Not that I dare affume to myself to have put him out of conceit with it, by having convinced him of the fantasticalness of it. No; I defpair to convince that man of any thing, who, after fo fair an admonition, does still perfift to maintain, (Letter of Thanks, ? 24. &c.), that first and felf-evident principles not only may, but are fit to be demonftrated; and (ibid. p. 11.) · that thofe ridiculous identical propofitions, That faith is is faith, and A rule is a rule, are firft principles in this controversy of the rule of faith, without which nothing can be folidly concluded, either about rule or faith." But there was another reafon for his quitting of that title; and a prudent one indeed! He had forfaken the defence of Sure footing, and then it became convenient to lay afide that title, for fear of putting people any more in mind of that book.

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I expected indeed, after his Letter of thanks, in which he tells us, p. 14. he "intended to throw afide the rub"bish of my book, that in his anfwer he might the bet

ter lay open the fabric of my discourse, and have nothing there to do, but to speak to folid points;" I fay, after this, I expected a full anfwer to the folid points (as he is pleafed to call them) of my book; and that (according to his excellent method of removing the rubbish, in order to the pulling down of a building) the fa bric of my book would long fince have been demolished, and laid even with the ground. But efpecially when, in the conclufion of that moft civil and obliging letter, he threatened "never to leave following on his blow,

till he had either brought Dr Still and me to lay "principles that would bear the telt, or it was made "evident to all the world that we had none," I began,

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as I had reafon, to be in a terrible fear of him, and to look upon myself as a dead man. And indeed who can think himself fo confiderable, as not to dread this mighty man of demonstration, this prince of controvertifts, this great lord and profeffor of first principles? But I perceive, that great minds are merciful, and do fometimes content themselves to threaten, when they could deAtroy.

For, inftead of returning a full anfwer to my book, he, according to their new mode of confuting books, manfully falls a-nibbling at one fingle paffage in it, P. 118. vol. 3. p. 308. 9. of this edition]; wherein he makes me to fay, (for I fay no fuch thing), that "the "rule of Chriftian faith, and confequently faith itself, "is poffible to be falfe." Nay in his Letter of thanks, P. 13. he fays, "it is an avowed pofition," in that place, that faith is poffible to be falfe." And to give the more countenance to this calumny, he chargeth the fame pofition (in equivalent terms) of the poffible falsehood of faith, and that as to the chiefest and most fundamental point, the tenet of a Deity, upon the fore-mentioned fermon. But because he knew in his confcience, that I had avowed no fuch pofition, he durft not cite the words either of my book or fermon, left the reader fhould have difcovered the notorious falfehood and groundleffnefs of this calumny nay, he durft not fo much as refer to any particular place in my fermon where fuch a paffage might be found. And yet this is the man that has the face to charge others with falfe citations; to which charge, before I have done, I fhall fay fomething, which, what effect foever it may have upon him, would make any other man fufficiently afhamed.

But yet I mult acknowledge, that in this pofition which he faftens upon me, he honours me with excellent company, my Lord Faulkland, Mr Chillingworth, and Dr Stillingfleet; perfons of that admirable strength and clearness in their writings, that Mr S. when he reflects upon his own ftyle, and way of reasoning, may blush to acknowledge that ever he has read them. And as to this pofition which he charges them withal, I do not know (nor have I the leaft reafon upon Mr S.'s word to believe)any fuch thing is maintained by them.

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