of Diodorus Siculus, Polybius, Ingens Livius,and Dion Cafsius? Or that we have loft fo many Volumes of learned Writers in the Church, fuch as Melito, Theophilus, Tatianus, Irenæus, Clemens Alexandrinus, Hippolytus,Origen,and the like, but because there were not in all times, men of faithfull, industrious, and publick Souls: Yet we reckon our felves obliged to fuch as will lend us the very Ruines of Methodius of Tyre, and Dionyfius of Alexandria. Nor was the publisher able to gueffe at any reafon, why the Remains of Bishop Andrews fhould not be every whit as welcome (if not to this which is foneer him, yet at least) to after Ages; when men will value the very Gleanings af* Mat.9 38. ter fo excellent a Labourer in the Harveft of the Gospel, above the many whole Crops of fuch as are unskilfull or idle workmen.

• But now for mine own part, I must ingenuously confeffe,that though I finde my felf more ufefully and deliciously entertained with the very leaft frag ments of Bishop Andrews, than with the fulleft Spread Tables of thofe new Men,who uninvite the People to be bus Guests, and train them up to another Diet; yet in reverence to the Fame of fo ineftimable a VVriter, and in a fear of being offenfive to many perfons yet living, with whom his memory is highly pretious, and in an humble submission to the most wife determinations of thofe two Reve rend and learned Prelates, who were alone intrufted with the difpofal of his VVorks, Ifbould neyer have confented to the divulging of thefe Notes, had I been timely confulted with before they were

finished

finished at the Preffe. Not only for thofe reafons which I finde to have been given by the Bishops of London and of Ely, both in their English and La tine Prefaces, before his English and Latine VVorks, but for divers other reafons which are too obvious to need a prompter. I know that the enemies of this Great Author (that is to fay, of the Church of England) doe love to take their meafures of him, not from his lateft,and most mature,but from his youngest and crudeft Writings. I know the injuries be bath fuffered by the unwarranted publications of fome few things which are found to vary from that which is known to be his laft and ripeft judgement. I know what calumnies are heaped upon his equally beloved and friendly Grotius through the licentious publication of his pofthumous VVorks. I know his infinite Improvements from after that time when he was Vicar of St. Giles; and his diflikes of all preaching, which, by being too frequent,is witball too loofe. Thence was his Cenfure upon himself (recorded by Bishop Buckridge in bis funerall Sermon) That when he preached p.21. twife a day at St. Giles, he prated once: Not but that his very Table-talk, and what, in the depth of bis Humility, be call'd his prating, was more usefull and more learned than the very best preaching of them that are Enemies to his Glory as well as Dotrin, but because he thought the VVord of God was never well enough handled, and that the VVork of God was never well enough done, until it bad received bis utmost care and circumfpection. So meek and modeft was his opinion of his own per 0000 formances

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formances, (however admired by other men) that be feldome (if ever) could give them his final Approbation, until they had paffed, the third time, betwixt the Hammer and the Anvill.

All which when I confider, I think it my duty to make it known, That I never heard of this Volume until I faw it intirelyrinted,and only have taken this opportunity to preferve the Reader from being deceived, and the incomparable Author from being wrong'd. My excufing of the publishers (I mean, my endeavors to excuse them) is not meant to imply that they are innocent, but us the mercifullest way to conclude them guilty; Who commonly live and fub fift, not by being over-tender of the Names and Reputations, but by publishing the VVritings of thofe efpecially, mbon they think th most vendible and famous Authors.

Were thofe Stenographers now living, by whofe Legerdemain thefe Notes were ftoln, (and yet it were well if that dexterity bad never been used to vi ler ends) they would not fcruple to tell the Reader, what Arrian faid to Lucius Gellius in the very Ta by Same cafe. "We have tranfcribed thefe Lectures of Bishop Andrews neither precifely fo as he delidr¶ver'd them,nor perhaps so exactly as they might have been taken by other men, nor yet with any defign to put them forth into the light: But we caught them Our must "out of his mouth by fleight of hand,in fuch a man, ner as we were able, that recollecting in our me

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"mories the excellent Leffons which we had "heard, we might be able the more effectually to lay them up in our Hearts. Nor can we choose but "admire, how thefe imperfect and impolifht Le"atures should thus have flown into the Common, "out of our Inclosure, not without our knowledge "only, but against our wills too. Yet are we by fa "much the leffe folicitous, by how much the more we "are affured, That be, whofe Auditors we were, affected no man's applaufe; but was wholly in

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tent upon this very thing, That he might benefit "bis Hearers by all be pake. He was fo power"full and mighty in what he taught us out of the Pulpit, as to carry our affections which way he pleased. And if be proves leffe powerfull in these Inftructions of his which are deliver'd from the "Preffe, we alone are to be blamed, by whon "alone they have received their Imperfections.)

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But because thofe ready writers are not in being to speak themselves, I will conjure the Reader, in their behalf, Jo to profit himself by this Volume of Inftructions, as not to prejudice bis Teacher in any kinde; but evermore to reflect upon the greatneffe of his Piety, the tranfcendency of his Judge ment, the exceßiveneffe of his Learning, and the exactneffe of bis Life; his painfullneffe and diligence in his Paftoral charge at St. Giles,and afterwards in his Epifcopal; the great and manifold fervices he did the Proteftant Church,not by preaching only and living in a moft exemplary manner, but by defending her Difcipline as well as Doctrin, against the strongest Opponents of each extreme, (I mean

(I mean Thofe of the Confiftorie, and Thofe of the Conclave,) and by all other performances fo every way worthy of his Great Calling, that the learned Ifaac Cafaubon (as himself hath told us in one of bis published Epiftles) look't upon Him and Bihop Overall, with other Fathers of our Church, as equall to Hofius and other holy Affeffors in the general Councel of Nice. To which be added this declaration; That he never expected to fee a Church fo neerly approaching unto the Primitive in point of purity and Order,as the Church which be found at that Time bere in England.

Now that the God of Purity and of Order will, in his own best time, reftore and raise up such able Paftors to goe in and out before his People, and to keep his Remnant from being carried from Jerufalem to Bethel, from Bethel to Babel, and from Babel to Babylon; That he will binde up the Breaches, and wipe off the Stains, repair the Glory and Reputation, of his afflicted, defiled, disgraced Spouse, causing Righteoufneffe and Peace to take up their dwelling within her Gates, Plenteoufneffe and Truth within ber Palaces, is fincerely and daily the prayer of

The very meanest of her Admirers