PREFACE.
These Lectures are printed at the request of many of those who heard them delivered, and they appear in the present form without having undergone any alteration. Their object is to bring before the public the significance of certain epochs in the history of the Church, and not to give a complete account of all the subjects with which they deal. It will be noticed that quotations are freely used where they support an opinion or strengthen an important point. So much is this the case that several of these Lectures may be looked upon merely as compilations.
The author must express indebtedness of the labours of the Rev. A. H. Hore. "The History of the Church of England" has furnished him with much of the material of the earlier Lectures, and "The Church in England from William III. to Victoria" has been closely followed in the Lecture dealing with the Oxford Movement.
The preface to this last work states that Mr. Hore offers his book to the public "as a contribution to the cause of Church Defence." I am glad to have this opportunity of expressing my gratitude for his labours, and I desire to assure him that they were not thrown away.
- Bexley Heath.
