profpect. But, what is yet more unaccountable, is, that men who profefs a religion where love is chiefly enjoined; where the heart is exprefly called for, and the outward action without that, is difregarded, where charity (or kindness) is made all in all; that men of this perfuafion fhould combine to degrade the principle of good nature, and refer all to reward; which being made the only motive in mens actions, muft exclude all worthy and generous difpofition, all that love, charity, and affection, which the fcripture enjoins, and without which no action is lovely in the fight of God, or man ; or in itfelf deferving of notice or kind reward.

But, perhaps, one reafon of this misfortune has been; that fome men, who have meant fincerely well to religion and virtue, have been afraid, leaft by advancing the principle of good nature, and laying too great a ftrefs upon it, the apparent need of facred revelation (a thing fo highly important to mankind) fhould be, in fome meafure, taken away. So that they were forced in a manner, to wound virtue and give way to the imputation of being mercenary, and of acting in a flavifh fpirit, in the ways of religion, rather than admit a fort of rival (in their fenfe) to the faith of divine revelation feeing that chriftianity (they thought) would, by this means be made lefs neceffary to mankind; if it fhould be allowed that men could find any happiness in virtue, but what is in reverfion.

*

Thus, one party of men, fearing the confequences which may be drawn from the acknowledgement of moral and focial principles in human-kind, to the proof of a Deity's exiftence, and, another party fearing as much from thence, to the prejudice of revelation; each have in their turns made war (if I may fay fo) even on virtue itself: having exploded

* Expreffion of Dr. Whichcote's:

the

.

the principle of good nature; all enjoyment or fatisfaction in acts of kindness and love ; all notion of happiness in temperate courfes and moderate defires, and, in short, all virtue or foundation of virtue ; unless that, perhaps, be called merit or virtue which is left remaining, when all generofity, free inclination, publick spiritedness, and every thing else befides private regard, is taken away.

If this may be faid to be our cafe, under this difpute; and, that true religion itself (which is love) be thus endangered; and morality fo ill treated, between two fuch different and diftant parties; if each of thefe, notwithstanding their vaft difagreement, do yet, in this matter, fo fatally agree, to decry human nature, and deftroy the belief of any immediate good or happiness in virtue, as a thing any way suitable to our make and constitution ; there is, then, fo much the more need of fome great and known man to oppose this current. And, here it is that our author has appeared fo fignally. Whatsoever, (fays he) fome have faid, man's nature is not fo untoward a thing (unless it be abused) but that there is a fecret fympathy in human nature, with virtue and honefty; which gives a man an interest even in bad men.-God in infinite wisdom, has fo contrived; that, if an intellectual being fink itself into fenfuality, or any way defile and pollute itself; then, miferies and torments should befall it, in this ftate. - Virtue, and vice (fays he) are the foundations of peace and happinefs, or forrow and mifery. There is inherent punishment belonging to all vice; and no power can divide or feparate them. For, tho' God fhould not, in a pofitive way, inflict punishment; or any inftrument of God punifh a finner; yet he would punish himfelf; his mifery and unhappiness would arife from himfelf. Thus fpeaks our excellent divine, and truly chriftian philofopher; whom, for his appearing thus in defence of natural goodness, we may call

the

This is what he infifts

the preacher of good nature. on, every where; and, to make this evident, is, in a manner, the scope of all his difcourfes. And, in conclufion of all this; 'tis hoped that what has been here fuggefted, may be fufficient to justify the printing of these fermons.

As for our author himself: what his life was ; how great an example of that happy temper, and God-like difpofition, which he laboured to infpire; how much he was, for the excellency of his life, and admirable temper, efteemed and beloved of all; and even in the worft of times, when feuds and animofities, on the account of religion were highest (during the time of the late great troubles,) how his character and behaviour drew to him the refpect of all parties, fo as to make him be remarkably diftinguifhed ; how much in esteem he was with the greateft men; and how many constant hearers he had of the best rank and greatest note, even of the most eminent divines themfelves: this is fufficiently known. And the teftimony which the late Archbishop Tillotson has given of him, though it be in a funeral fermon, is known to be in nothing fuperior to his defert.

The fermons which are here printed, have been selected out of numbers of others lefs perfect, there being not any of our author's extant, but fuch as were written after him at church; he having used no other than very fhort notes, not very legible; though these have been of great use to the publisher, in whofe hands they have been.

The unpolifhed ftile and phrase of our author, who drew more from a college than a court; and who was more ufed to fchool-learning, and the language of an university, than to the converfation of the fashionable world, may poffibly but ill recommend his fenfe to the generality of readers. And fince none of these difcourfes were ever defigned for

the

the world, in any other manner than as he (once for all) pronounced them from the pulpit; they muft of neceffity appear to have a roughness in them, which is not found in other fermons more accurately penned by their authors. For, though the publisher has fometimes fupplied him out of himself, by transferring to a defective place, that which he found in fome other difcourfe where the fame fubject was treated; yet, fo great a regard. was had to the very text, and letter of his author, that he would not offer to alter the leaft word: and wherefoever he has added any thing, to correct the moft apparent omiffion, or fault of the penman, he has taken care to have it marked in different characters; * that nothing might appear as our author's own, which was not perfectly his. Tho', fome

*In this the prefent editor has not imitated the noble publisher of Dr. Whichcote's felect fermons ; either in the verbal corrections made in the author's other fermons ; or in copying those which are only to be found among the felect ones. Such marks and difference of characters would have greatly fpoiled the beauty of the impreffion and however proper it might have been at the firft publication, it did not appear fo neceffary now; as of fome of the difcourfes there are two, and of all one edition already extant, with which any, who think it worth their while,may eafily compare the prefent. He thinks it proper here

to inform the reader, that as fome of the felect fermons are found re-published in the edition by. Dr. Jefferies and Dr. Clark, care has been taken to compare them together. In doing this it foon appeared that neither of them could be complete alone; for in each there are many fentences and paragraphs entirely wanting, which may be fupplied from the other, and which indeed the connection and structure of the whole fhows ought to be fupplied. This has been done with cane and fidelity; with what fuccefs. muft be

athers

others in the world have been very far from this caution fince, of late, fome things have been fet in our author's name, which his best friends difown to be his; and which any one who ftudies him in his genuine works, will easily know to be unworthy

of him.

And, now, when thefe difadvantages which have been mentioned, are confidered; fince they are no more than what fenfible people will eafily make allowance for 'tis prefumed there may be in the world fome perfons who will, notwithstanding, think, thefe fermons to be of worth, and may perhaps difcover in them fome peculiar beauties, fuch as are not to be despised for want of that ornament which might have accompanied them. I know that there are now growing up, in the world too many who are prejudiced against all pulpit-difcourfes and who, in this prophane age, are led to think not only the inftitution of preaching, but even the gospel itfelf, and our boly religion to be a fraud. But, notwithstanding all the prejudice of this kind, 'tis to be hoped that even fome of thefe perfons (if they have any candour left) may be induced to applaud fome things that they may meet with here; fo as from hence, perhaps, to like chriftianity the better. This we may with affurance fay, that were there befides ours, any religion, ancient or modern, that had fo divine a man as this to fhew; thefe very men would admire and reverence him; and though a prieft of that religion, and bound to comply with

fubmitted to the publick; only it may be noticed as a proof of the neceffity of doing it, that the fermons as they appear in this edition, are evidently more regular, methodical and connected, than in either of the former impreffions fingle. So that it may be af ferted, that this is the only complete edition that has yet been seen of Dr. Whichcote's works.

established