A PRESERVATIVE AGAINST POPERY, IN SEVERAL Select Discourses UPON THE PRINCIPAL HEADS OF CONTROVERSY BETWEEN PROTESTANTS AND PAPISTS: BEING WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED By the most eminent Dibines of the Church of England, CHIEFLY IN THE REIGN OF KING JAMES II. COLLECTED BY THE RIGHT REV. EDMUND GIBSON, D.D. e SUCCESSIVELY LORD BISHOP OF Lincoln and LONDON, CAREFULLY REVISED AND EDITED FOR THE BRITISH SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING THE RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES OF THE REFORMATION, BY THE REV. JOHN CUMMING, D.D. VOL. I. LONDON: PUBLISHED AT THE SOCIETY'S OFFICE, 8, EXETER HALL, STRAND. 1648. 7-9-28 H.H.I. ADVERTISEMENT. IN presenting the first volume of BISHOP GIBSON'S PRESERVATIVE to the reader, the Editor begs to express his obligations to the Rev. J. Mendham, of Sutton Coldfield, whose suggestions have been most valuable. The brackets at the foot of each page, containing the verifications of the original references, are the results of arduous and persevering labour, partly in the British Museum, and chiefly in the Clerical Library of Mr. Darling, in Little Queen Street, whose collection of Divinity-conciliar, patristic, and scholastic-as well as personal attention as librarian, the Editor gratefully acknowledges. The references in the old and scarce editions of Gibson are so loose, and often so inaccurate, as to be almost useless. In this edition the Protestant reader will find references he may safely rely on, or very easily verify, and those alone who, like the Editor, have taken a part in the Romish controversy, can appreciate the importance of such references. The Editor may venture to add, that those who have not subscribed to this edition, will be the first to regret the omission, and those who are in possession of it will not be sorry they were ready to encourage it. LONDON, J. C. English Picke 6-14.28 17540 vering 18v1 THE [ORIGINAL] PREFACE. THERE is little need to bespeak the reader's approbation of this design. The usefulness of it, and the eminence of the writers of the several Discourses of which it consists, and the occasion there is to guard against the growth of Popery at this time, are considerations which will offer themselves to every one at first sight. I. The Popish Controversy in the reign of James the Second, and its producing many excellent treatises in defence of the Protestant religion, are general matters, of which none are ignorant. But as soon as that storm was blown over, the Controversy and the Discourses it occasioned were laid aside; and it is not to be wondered, that after fifty years and upwards, so few of those Discourses are to be met with; and scarce any tolerable collections of them, except such as happened to be made by some curious persons at the time; and these remaining in so very few hands, are in effect useless to the general purpose of defending the Protestant religion against Popery. Nor will this end be in any measure answered by abridgements; which, however they may give a general view of the Controtroversy on the several heads, are by no means sufficient armour for the clergy, when they happen to be engaged with Popish priests in close combat, i.e. when some one or more particular points are agreed on for the subject of dispute, and authorities from Scripture and antiquity are to be produced and discussed at large. However, as short summaries have also their use, the reader will find four of that sort at the end of this collection, which set before him the whole Controversy in a narrow compass, and are drawn up with remarkable accuracy and judgment. The writings of the divines of the Church of England in the forementioned reign, were of two sorts; some of them occacasional answers and replies to the Popish priests; and others, distinct and elaborate discourses upon the particular heads of Controversy between us and the Papists. The first sort ran into great lengths, as most controversies do when they are |