ever propitious to these Seats of Learning.

But as if it was not enough to engage our affections, you was refolved even in that early time of life to raise our esteem, and difplayed while amongst us fuch evident tokens of true greatnefs of mind and difintereftednefs of conduct, as not only to convince us that you was admirably fitted to fhine in that fuperior station to which you now are called; but at the fame time to give as it were an omen of fuccess, and excite in our hearts the most folid and well-grounded hopes that, while fuch difpofitions influenced that august Affembly, the British Name fhould yet again break forth with fresh force

and

and fplendor; fhould yet again, like God's own people, in the beautiful language of the Prophet, take root downwards, and bear fruit upwards.

The mention of this great profperity of our Country naturally raises in us all an earneft endeavour in our respective stations to promote it on which account it is a pleasure to me to obferve how much the following sheets, which are in fupport of the established Religion, confpire with your Lordship to that important end:

-It is a farther pleasure to me to observe, that as formerly in fuch turbulent and diftrefsful times, the abeft

* Whitaker's Anfwer to Bellarmin dedicated to Lord Burghley.

defences of the Proteftant Faith were addreffed from thefe Walls to your illuftrious Ancestor against one fort of enemies, so I am now addreffing the defence of Christianity to his undegenerate offspring against another sort of them: a fort as much more formidable to the cause of Chrift, as fobriety is more efficacious in fuch attempts than fury; as the clearness and regularity of modern Infidels exceeds the Gothicism and obfcurity of Monkifh Wits; or as the cool and difpaffionate efforts of unclouded reafon is fuperior to the wild and impotent fallies of ungoverned zeal.

This double fatisfaction arifing to me from these confiderations does yet receive

receive an additional encrease from an objection publickly made to me, that the difficulty mentioned in these Writings has never yet been properly urged by any Deift in the World. For on a fuppofition that this is true, every fuch fair and equitable judge as your Lordship will be inclined to impute it (as it deferves) not to any difaffection to the cause of Chriftianity, but to zeal for it's purity. And if I might be allowed to ftrengthen this reasonable prefumption by a fomewhat parallel cafe, on an occafion indeed far inferior to this; it fhould be that of an illuftrious Roman, whofe turn of thinking was fo delicate that he put away his Wife, whom he thought innocent himself, only because he would not a 4 have

have any one fo nearly related to him liable to any fufpicion of guilt: for certainly, whatever envy. or ill-nature may fuggeft, I have no reason for defending our Religion in a part yet not fo openly attacked, but because I would have it free from all fufpicion of imposture. In fhort, confidering things in this light, I have not only more reason to be fatisfied with this work myself, but to think it likewife on this account a more grateful offering to your Lordship; inasmuch as you would undoubtedly think the labours of that person more meritorious in the State, who should ftop up every avenue that might hereafter be made use of to it's disturbance, or diffolution; than those of another who only co-operated