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was in comforting the Sick, and performing all other necessary Offices of a careful Paftor. He was very faithful and zealous, in respect of his own Congregation and others; his Judgment being always defir'd in Matters of Moment. We cannot fufficiently commend the Services he has render'd to the Church of God by his many Writings he hath publish'd; whether we examine his Books of Devotion or of Controversy. There is so much Piety contain'd in the former, and so many excellent Texts of Scripture explain'd in the latter, that many Religious Perfons both have, and daily do find seasonable Confolations. That which he hath written against the Church of Rome, hath wonderfully strengthen'd the Proteftant Profeffors. For by the Arguments that he brings, the Ignorant and Unlearned have been able to confound the Monks and Priefts, and to maintain the Principles of their Religion against the fubtileft Missionaries. So that his Writings have caus'd him to be esteem'd the Scourge of the Roman Difputants. Nevertheless, as he was belov'd of the contrary Party, so he was highly efteem'd by the greatest Lords of the reformed Religion, as the Duke de la Force, the Mareschals of Chatillon, de Gastion, and Turenne, and by the Lady de la Tremouille, &c. He had also great Respect paid him by the frequent Visits of Ambassadors from several Foreign Princes and States. He was a Person who express'd a particular Esteem and Veneration for the Church of England, as appears by his Letters to Dr. Durel. Hedy'd the 3d of November, 1669, in such an excellent and devout Difpofition of Mind, as may be expected in a Person who was animated with an holy Zeal, and had with an unwearied Diligence confecrated all his Study and Labours to the Glory of God and the Service of his Church. He was more frequent in Prayer towards the Conclufion of his Life: "And when he was private and alone, he never heard the Clock strike, but he fell upon his Knees in Prayer to God.

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This is the approved Character publish'd of our eminent Divine, after a long Experience and Practice amongst departing Souls and in the Houfes of Mourning, at the Request of some of his Congregation, who mightily approv'd of the proper and seasonable Arguments that he made use of to fortify dying Perfons against the Apprehensions of Death ; fuitable to their Conditions and Temper, he publish'd this Book of Confolations. About twenty Editions have been printed in France; and one at Avignon in the Pope's Dominions, with a Suppreffion ofthe Reverend Author's Name. How many Impressions have been publish'd in Holland, Germany and elsewhere, I cannot determine. We find it translated into feveral Languages, but was not in our Mother Tongue, until, at the Request of the Author's Son, now Dean of Armagh in Ireland, I translated it into English: What Reception it met with amongst us, let this tenth Impression declare. I shall therefore judge it needless, after so many publick Testimonies of an universal Approbation, amongst Christians of all Professions, to speak any thing in Commendation of this Defence against the Fears of Death. How ferviceable it may be to Divines in Funeral Sermons, in visiting the Sick, the Poor and Afflicted, and how proper to be left as Legacies to furviving Friends at Funerals, I leave to others to judge, who shall fincerely desire to promote the Salvation of Souls.

And now I cannot but take some notice here of the highEsteem and Commendation that a late Apparition,too well attested to be flighted, hath given of this Book. An exact Account of it you have in the

printed Relation hereunto prefix'd. To rejectallNarratives

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ratives of this kind as fictitious, argues, in my judgment as great an Error, Weakness and Prejudice as to believe all that is reported of Apparitions. This comes to us clothed with all the Appearance andCircumstances of Truth, that may reasonably be expected in this case. So that none but an unbelieving Sadducee -or a prophane Atheist, will offer to question the Reality. To confirm the Poffibility and Truth of Some Apparitions,none can deny that by this means our good God hath convey'd and confirm'd to us feveral of the Mysteries of our Holy Religion ; as the Conception, Birth, Incarnation, Resurrection, and glorious Afcenfion of our great Meffiah, by the Apparitions of Angels. And how often those heavenly Spirits were formerly visible in Human Shapes, for the Advantage, Information and Safeguard of the Pious, the Word of God fufficiently declares. Now, as we live in such an incredulous Age, that will not believe God, and his Divine Oracles, the attested by the working of Miracles concerning the future State of the Righteous and Wicked, but requires a newTestimony andEvidence, as the Return of Souls from the Dead, to witness the Happiness of Heaven, the Torments of Hell, and the Immortality of the Soul: Who knows, but to render Men more inexcusable, God may condescend that a departed Soul, or its Good Angelin its stead, may appear to declare these infallible and undoubted Truths to an unbelieving World? But we find by Experience, as in this cafe, that this kind of Evidence is far more liable to Exceptions, to be contradicted and rejected, as uncertain and fabulous, and Jooner than the Sacred Methods that our wife God hath taken to persuade Men to the Divine DoEtrines

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Etrines of our Salvation: As Abraham declares in the Parable of the rich Glutton', condemned to the Flames of Hell; Ifthey will not believe Mofes and the Prophets; we may with more reason add, If they will not believe Chrift, and his holy Apostles, and fo many wonderful Miracles attesting God's Omnipotency, and Revelations from above, neither will they be perfuaded, tho' one rose from the dead.

I must here acquaint my Reader. That whereas inthe former Impressions of this Book, Some Errata have escaped, whereby the Author's Sense and Meaning may not be fo clearly express'd as in the Original: And whereas also upon some Subjects, our reverend Author distastes the Reader by two frequent Repetitions in his Prayers, containing Matters and Arguments of the foregoing Chapters: These and fuck trivial Objections have caused several Persons to find fault not only with the Translation, but even the very Book it self. To remedy therefore any thing of this nature, and to prevent all Complaints of this kind, and that so excellent and ufeful a Treatise may appear in our own proper and natural Language, not differing in any thing material from the French Copy; but fuited as much as conveniently it may be to the nicer Palates of our present Age; I have in this Edition taken the Pains to compare this Translation with a Book printed at Berlin, the Court of the King of Pruffia, 1698. I have been in this more exact, and have alter'd Some Words and Phrases, expressing more plainly the Author's Meaning, and in Terms more agreeable with our present familiar Way of Speaking. Besides, in this Edition of Berlin, I have met with

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two or three Paragraphs which are not in the former French Impressions, and which I judg'd not convenient to be omitted. Some of the Prayers that Seemed too prolix, I have abbreviated, comprehending only the principal Matters. And that noth thing might be wanting in this Edition, that might more contribute to the Reader's Satisfaction, I have here render din English the last remarkable Passages of this pious and excellent Minister of Christ, never before printed in our own Tongue, as we find them at the End of the aforementioned Book: That you may here at once, as in a Mirrour, fee the Behaviour, religious Speeches, Faith, Patience and Resignation to the Will of God, of our reverend Divine at his Deceafe, reduc'd into Practice, according to the excellent Advices and Confolations that he recommends to us, to arm our felves against the Apprehensions and Approaches of Death.

I have no more to add; But I beseech our merciful and heavenly Father to grant us all the Grace, the like Faith, and Christian Resolution, that we may not fear Death nor its Confequences; but may be always ready prepared and provided to embrace it with Joy and Submiflion to the Pleasure of God and the Decrees of Heaven, whenever our Almighty Creator and Redeemer shall think fit to fummon us, and take us to himself. Amen.

M. D.

His Book in the Original hath been so well approv'd of by all

been about twenty Times printed in France, befides what hath been done in Holland, and elsewhere, in other Languages: It is of very great ufe to Divines for Funeral Sermons; and is very fit to be given away by well-difpofed Perfons at Funerals, and of excellent use to every Chriftian Reader.

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