real Church requires some account. Let not the Reader expect, that the actions of great men— great in a secular view I mean-will be exhibited to his notice. Nothing, but what appears to me to belong to Christ's kingdom, shall be admitted: genuine piety is the only thing, which I intend to celebrate.

It must have struck a careful observer, that sUCH a history is as yet a great DESIDERATUM. Malice has been fed, even to satiety, by the large displays of ECCLESIASTICAL WICKEDNESS. The wildest and the most visionary heretics have filled, the historic page; and their follies, both in principle and practice, have been deemed worthy of a particular enumeration. The internal dissensions of Churches have been minutely described. The intricacies and intrigues of Popery, and indeed of every other secular system, which pretends to wear a religious garb, have been developed with a studious particularity: The connexion between the Church and the State has afforded very ample materials of what is commonly called Church History; and learning and philosophy have been much more respected than godliness and virtue.

No doubt, some more ancient voluminous Church Historians, as well as Mosheim in his Compendium, have given us much useful information; and if one might look on them as CIVIL historians altogether, there would not be much room for blame. Further, if they had incorporated into their secular narratives an account of the progress of godliness itself, I should not have dared to reprehend them as Ecclesiastical Historians: But they evidently give a much larger proportion to the history of wickedness, than to that of piety in general. Hence the evils, which have been practised in Christian countries, seem even greater than they really were; and, the disagreeable inference, which the reading of Mosheim produced in my own mind, is probably no singular case, viz.

that real religion appears scarcely to have had any existence. Infidel malice has triumphed, though very unreasonably, on account of these things; the vices of Christians, so called, have certainly been exaggerated on the whole; and Deists and Sceptics have taken advantage, partly from such exaggeration and partly from the poverty of our information con cerning Mahometans and Pagans, to represent BOTH as more virtuous than Christians.

What account can be given of this unhappily partial view of Church history?-Genuine godliness is fond of secrecy: Humility is of its essence: She seeks not the praise of men, but the praise of God; and hides even the good she does from the world more studiously than wickedness conceals its evils: Her sincerest votaries have, likewise, been chiefly private persons, such as have seldom moved in the public and noisy spheres of life. The most cele brated historians, who hitherto have appeared, seem not to have had so much relish for godliness, as to be induced to take any pains to draw her out of her modest obscurity*. The prevalence of wickedness

Fox's Book of Martyrs is, however, one striking exception to this remark. The Magdeburgensian Centuriators, whom I did not meet with, till I had finished this Volume, are likewise, in part, exempted from the charge of writing Ecclesiastical history in the secular manner, which I have reprehended. Yet while they omit, or very lamely recount, some most important Christian facts, they relate with tedious exactness many uninteresting particulars. They seem, however, to have been men of real piety, industry, and learning, and may be of much use to me in subsequent parts of the history, should I continue it.

The volume of Mr. Newton is well known, and its merit has been acknowledged by men of piety and judgment. I once thought of beginning only where he ended. But as there is an unity of manner and style which belongs to every author who plans and executes for himself; and, as in some points I really found myself to differ in sentiment from this very respectable writer, I altered my opinion, contented in this place to acknowledge, that, so far as I can recollect, the perusal of his instructive volume of Ecclesiastical History first suggested to me the idea of this work,

in all ages has heightened the difficulty *. From these causes the scarcity of materials, for what properly deserves the name of Church history, is much greater than any person, who has not examined the subject, can even conceive. I have all along, however, to the best of my ability and opportunity, consulted original records, and have never contented myself with copying the sentiments of modern historians.

I hope I shall be allowed to call the plan, I propose, a proper one. Certainly, the terms " Church, and Christian," do in their most NATURAL and PRIMARY SENSE respect only GOOD men. The Divine Founder of our religion has promised, THAT

THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST

IT. Such a succession of pious men in all ages must therefore, have existed; and it will be no contemptible use of such a history as this, if it prove, that, in every age, there have been REAL followers of Christ. Other uses cannot fail to offer themselves. To see and trace the goodness of God taking care of his Church in every age by his Providence and Grace, will be, to the devout mind, a refreshment of the most grateful nature. The honour of Christianity will be supported; the value of its essential doctrines will be ascertained; and we shall have frequent occasion to state what the Gospel is, and what it is not. Hence the triumphs of the Sceptic will appear to be unfounded in truth; when it shall be evident on the whole,—that Christ's religion has ever existed, and brought forth its proper fruits, to which no other system can make any just pretension; and finally, that the evils of which Christians, so called, have been guilty, arose not from the Gospel itself, but from the hypocrisy of those who assumed that worthy Name, to which neither their faith nor their practice gave them any right.

A history of the perversions and abuses of religion is not properly a history of the Church; as absurd were it to sup pose an history of the highwaymen that have infested this country to be a history of England,

These, and other obvious advantages of such a history, have determined me to attempt it. I feel oppressed with the greatness of the subject: Nevertheless, with God's help, I mean to proceed. IN

MAGNIS VOLUISSE SAT EST.

I have two things further to premise: 1st, To assure the Reader that I shall think it my indispensable duty to give him real facts; and, if I be rather more copious in reflections than the severe laws of history allow, he will do well to observe, that the fashionable misrepresentations of ancient story require considerable attention.

And, 2dly, I fairly warn the Reader not to expect from me any indulgence in the modern taste of Scepticism. I shall not affect to doubt the credibility of ancient respectable historians. And, as it is hardly possible to avoid altogether the infection of the age in which one lives, I seem to myself sufficiently secured, by the torrent of prevailing opinions, from the other extreme of superstitious belief. Both ought to be avoided but that, which supports itself by the appearance of extraordinary sense, by the authority of great names, and by the love of applause, must of course be the more ensnaring. The present age, in matters of religion, may justly be called the age of self-sufficiency: We condemn the ancients by wholesale, and without giving them a hearing: we suspect their historical accounts, without discrimination: malevolence and profaneness are both encouraged by such conduct: we fancy ourselves so ENLIGHTENED, as to be without any parallels in discernment: we are amazed, that our ancestors should so long have been deluded by absurdities; and, we are very little aware how much some future age will pity or blame us, for follies, of which we imagine ourselves perfectly clear.

J. M.

[Note to the Edition of 1810.]

THE Editor takes this opportunity of most
gratefully acknowledging the liberal patronage of
the University of Cambridge, in having printed at
their own expence four Volumes of Mr. M.'s Eccle-
siastical History. Their kindness and consideration
in this matter makes an indelible impression on his
mind and, if any thing could increase his affec-
tionate attachment to that learned Body, after so
long and active a residence among them, it would be
this honourable token of respect to the memory of
his deceased Brother, who himself, many years ago,
as a Student in the same Seminary †, received dis-
tinguished marks of approbation.

*The Rev. Isaac Milner, D.D. Dean of Carlisle, and Pre-
sident of Queen's College, Cambridge.

+ Mr. M. took his degree of B.A. in the year 1766; and
obtained, as a prize, one of the Chancellor's gold medals.
The Candidates were uncommonly numerous and able.

N. B.-Two handsome gold medals are given annually by
the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, to such Ba-
chelors of Arts as excel in classical learning.

CONTENTS.