à noble and harmonious Chorus, may perform the Part of B.

But all this while I have been speaking of the Book, I had almost forgot the devout Reformer of it, who is one that hath a mighty Genius for Divinity; and, though never bred in Scholaftick Education, yet by Converfation with learned Clergy-men, hath attained to a Skill in that facred Science, not much inferior to that of the best Divines. It is one, who hath already given the World one Book of Devotion, which hath been well received in Three, or Four Editions, and will leave it another. for which Pofterity will bless the Author's Name ; one, whofe Houfe is a Temple, and whofe Family is a Church, or Religi ous Society, and whofe Hands are daily lifted up unto Heaven with Alms, as well as Prayers; one, who religiously obferves all the Orders of the Church, that concern the People, and wishes that those were better obferved, which concern the Priests; one, who more particularly keeps, with moft exact Obfervance, all the Fafts and Feftivals of the Church, and for the great Ends for which they are enjoined; in a Word, one, who is a great Example of Chriftian Piety, and a fingular Orna

ment

ment to our Communion in this degenerate Age and among the many, and most ferious good Wishes I have for the Church of England, this is, and always fhall be one, that all her Sons, and Daughters were fuch.

.

In the last Edition I added Three Prayers, one at the End of the Lauds, and Two others at the End of the Vefpers of the Preparatory Office for Death, and in this I have added, in the Margin of thofe Prayers, Directions for the Commemoration of our Friends, or Relations, of any Sort, Natural, Civil, or Spiritual, whom, through exemplary Holiness of Life, or Penitence before Death, we believe to have departed in the Peace of God. This I took upon me to do, because I think fuch pious Commemorations are of great Ufe. They help to preferve in us an honourable Memory of thofe, who were dear to us, and of their imitable Vertues, or happy Repentance, both which we are apt to forget. forget. They maintain in us a fresh, and lively Senfe of the other World, and fo help to take our Efteem and Affections off this. They alfo help very much to make the Thoughts of Death familiar to us, and take away the dreadful flavish Fears thereof. In a Word, I think, to commemorate our dead Friends, and Relations, especially in this devout way, is an Office very agreeable to the Nature of true Friendship, and Affection, tho' we, who furvive them, are apt to forget it, because we too foon forget them. Other abfent Friends, and Relations our Affections make us often re

member,

;

member, tho' they are but in a Journey, or gone into a far Country, or live but a little Dis ftance of a few Miles from us; but when we have once laid them in the Grave, when they are abfent from the Body, though prefent with the Lord, as if there were no more Love, or Refpect due to them, we let them too foon flip out of our Minds, as if we had never known them, or had any Acquaintance with them, or Delight in them, or received any Benefit by them and this we do often to a juft Degree of Cenfure, though they leave fuch Pledges of their Love to us behind them, as, one would think, we could not look or think upon without remembring them, and the endearing Conversations we had with them. I could enlarge much more upon this Subject, but I confider I am only writing a Preface; and if any diflike the way of Expreffing our Piety to our dead Friends, and Relations, notwithstanding the Reasons I have given for it, they may let it alone, and leave others to their Freedom, who approve the Ufe of it. For my own Part, I think the Use of thefe more private Commemoratious decent, and laudable in all Refpects, and profitable to devout Perfons: But if any is fo weak as to think it Superftitious, or otherwise blame me for recommending the Practice of them, I am content to take all the Blame upon my felf, and anfwer for it to Cod, and the Church.

I think my felf alfo obliged to give the Reader Notice, that in this Edition I have made fome Alterations, particularly in the Thurfday-Office, the Office for our Saviour,

and

and the Preparatory Office for Death. made them upon reading fome Obfervations, and Animadverfions, which a judicious and learned Perfon, I fuppofe, a Divine, fent me with a civil Letter, for which I think my felf here obliged to give him Thanks, and I would have given them to him by Name, but that he is pleafed to conceal it from me. I also presumed to make them without the Privity of the devout Reformer, whom, being at a great Distance from me, I could not conveniently confult.

I had here concluded my Preface, but that I was defired to fay fomething to an Objection, which fome have made against the Words, Mattins, Vefpers, Lauds, and Compline, which denominate the Four Parts of every Office in this Book. This is fuch a trifling Excep tion, that one would wonder it should be made by Men of good Senfe, or good Meanings, espe cially, if they are Men who pretend to Learning. But fome, it seems, there are of this 'laft fort, who, to render this Book of Devotion fufpected, have faid, That thofe Words carry with them a Sound of Popery; as if all Words, and Things were Popery, that are used in the Offices, or by Writers of the Church of Rome. Thefe Men fhould confider, that if the Devotions be good, there can be no Harm in the Words, which have been long used to express them; and, how knowing foever they may be in fome Things, it is plain they have not been converfant in Books of Devotion, but are ignorant of the proper Terms of Divine Offices, and must be sent

to

te School to thofe Authors, who have written the Rationales of them, and of the Rites and Ceremonies used in them, and then they will fee their Vanity in objecting against this Book проп the Account of thefe Words. The first of them is still used by the Church of England; the fecond, the fecond, I hope, is a very harmlefs Word, and needs no Apology; the Third was commonly used in our English Books of Devotion long after the Reformation; and as for the last, which, perhaps, may found like Popery in thefe nice Gentlemens Ears, I hope they will no longer be of fended with it, when I have told them, that Compline is a Technical Word of the Latin Church, formed from the Latin Word Complenda, which, with Completa and Completorium, fignifies the Concluding, or last Office in every Day's Devotion, Quod cætera Officia Divina complet, & claudit. Thus much out of Charity to thofe Gentlemen, who except against these Terms, and this Book, because they are used in it. ufed in it. In truth, they put me in mind of a certain Perfon, who not understanding Heraldry, and hearing a Prince's Coat of Armour blazon'd by Planets, faid, It was Blafphemy to fay, that any Man beareth Sol, &c. Thefe Gentlemen feem to underStand the ancient Terms of Devotion, as much as this did thofe of Heraldry, and for the fame Reafon, as I call their Fancy, for which they except against these innocent Words, they may except against Eucharist, Baptifm, Baptift, Liturgy, Font, Bishop,

b

Priest,