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 prefumed 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 wander it should be made by Men of good Senfe, or good Meanings, efpecially, if they are Men who pretend to Learning. But fome, it seems, there are of this 'laf 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 ufed in the Offices, or by Writers of the Church of Rome. These Men fhould confider, that if the Devotions be good, there ean 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 fent

to 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 upon the Account of thefe Words. The first of them is ftill used by the Church of England; the fecond, I hope, is a very very harmlefs Word, and needs no Apology; the Third was commonly used in our English Books of Devotion long after the Reforma tion; and as for the laft, which, perhaps, may found like Popery in thefe nice Gentlemens Ears, I hope they will no longer be offended 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 thefe Terms, and this Book, because they are used in it. used 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 Eucharift, Baptifm, Baptift, Liturgy, Font, Bishop,

b

Priest,

Prieft, Deacon, Parish, Preacher, Idolatry, Sacrament, Communion, or any o ther Ecclefiaftical Words, or Phrafes, which we have derived from the Latin Church.

Some others, I hear, there are, who have no other Objection against this Book, but that it is Needlefs, and Superfluous, becaufe, as they think, there are too many Books of Devotion already in the World. But are there not much greater Numbers of Books written in all Arts, and Sciences, fuited in various Styles, and Methods of Writing, to the feveral Pallats, and Capacities of the great Number of Readers? Some whereof are pleafed with this Book, and others like that, and another, perhaps, prefers a Third, or Fourth before them both. I once heard a friendly Difpute in a Difpute in a Company of Learned, and Ingenious Men, who differed much in their Opinions about the Books, which were written upon the Subject of Oratory, one of them was for Ariftotle's Rhetorick, another for Tully de Oratore, another preferred what Quintilian had written on that Subject, a Fourth liked D. Longinus regis better than all the rest. There was another Gentleman in the Company, who had read them all, and he being made Umpire in the Difpute, declared, that they were all the best, as every Man

iked.

I fay the fame for Books of Devotion, which is Oratory in another Sense; they are all good, nay, all the beft, all needful, and all ufeful for the Chriftian World, as they happen to be most agreeable to the feveral Genius's of devout Perfons, whereof fome like this fort, fome that, fome another, and fome a Fourth, and others, perhaps, a Fifth fort. Wherefore to condemn Books of Devotion upon the Account of their Number, is in Confequence to condemn all Books, or else to be feverer to Devotion, and Men, and Books of Devetion, than any other Subject, or any other fort of Men, and Books. What? Are Men of Devotion, who serve the World fo much in Secret, of fo little Confequence, that they, of all others, must not be allowed Variety of Books? Are there not devout Perfons of all Ages, from the first Ufe of Reason, and of all Profeffions? And is there not by Confequence need of greater Numbers, and more different Sorts of Books of Devotion, than of any other kind, which are written but for Men of one fort? Devotion is the general Duty, and Profeffion of all Men, who pretend to Godliness, but Arts, and Sciences are the Bufinefs, and Profeffion but of very few, and yet there is not one Art, or Science thofe Gentlemen can name, wherein the Books that are written in them are not as numerous, and different, as our Books of Devotion, though thefe are written for the Ufe, Advantage, and Entertainment of the best of Mankind, I mean, for devout and faithful

Chriftians of all Ranks, and Callings, to whofe Prayers and Interceffions the World of Sinners, and particularly the Defpifers of Devotion are holden, that they are not deftroy'd. I am glad, I have this Occafion given me of declaring my Self in Behalf of Devotion, and all Books of true Devotion, how many, and of how many forts foever they may be. If I had not, by God's Providence, been call'd to write Books of another Nature, I had e're this, encreafed the Number of them; and I here, with all Humility, give him publick Praife and Thanks, who, in the midst of other laborious Studies, hath once more enabled me to the Revife, and Publish this.

GEORGE HICKES.

Sunday