Eight Sermons Preached Before the University of Oxford

Extract from the laft Will and Teftament of the late Reverend JOHN BAMPTON, Canon of Salisbury.

"I I give and bequeath my Lands and "Eftates to the Chancellor, Masters, and Scho"lars of the University of Oxford for ever, to "have and to hold all and fingular the said "Lands or Eftates upon truft, and to the in"tents and purposes hereafter mentioned; that, " is to fay, I will and appoint, that the Vice"Chancellor of the University of Oxford for "the time being shall take and receive all the "rents, iffues, and profits thereof, and (after "all reparations, and neceffary deductions made) "that he pay all the remainder to the endow"ment of eight Divinity Lecture Sermons, to "be established forever in the faid University, "and to be performed in the manner following:

"I direct and appoint, that, upon the first Tuesday in Eafter Term, a Lecturer be yearly "chofen by the Heads of Colleges only, and by no others, in the room adjoining to the Printing-Houfe, between the hours of ten in "the morning and two in the afternoon, to preach eight Divinity Lecture Sermons, the year following, at St. Mary's in Oxford, be"tween the commencement of the laft month

« in

"in Lent Term, and the end of the third "week in Act Term.

"Alfo I direct and appoint, that the eight "Divinity Lecture Sermons fhall be preached upon either of the following fubjects-to "confirm and establish the Chriftian Faith, " and to confute all heretics and schifmatics—

upon the divine authority of the Holy Scrip"tures-upon the authority of the writings of the primitive Fathers, as to the faith and practice of the primitive Church-upon the Divinity of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift "-upon the Divinity of the Holy Ghoft

upon the Articles of the Chriftian Faith, as "comprehended in the Apostles' and Nicene "Creeds.

"Also I direct, that thirty copies of the eight Divinity Lecture Sermons fhall be always printed, within two months after they are "preached, and one copy fhall be given to the "Chancellor of the University, and one copy to "the Head of every College, and one copy to "the Mayor of the City of Oxford, and one copy to be put into the Bodleian Library; " and the expence of printing them shall be paid out of the revenue of the Lands or Estates given for establishing the Divinity Lecture "Sermons; and the Preacher shall not be paid,

"nor

"nor be entitled to the revenue, before they are

"Alfo I direct and appoint, that no perfon "shall be qualified to preach the Divinity Lec"ture Sermons, unless he hath taken the De

gree of Mafter of Arts at least, in one of the "two Univerfities of Oxford or Cambridge; "and that the fame person shall never preach "the Divinity Lecture Sermons twice."

SERMON I.

Introduction-plan of the Lectures. Faith

defined-fignifications of the word-chiefly two

-an intellectual and a practical principle-the

first to be confidered in this Lecture. Origin

of all perfonal Knowledge-this knowledge too

confined-Faith neceffary in many inftances-

in Natural Philofophy-even in abstract Sci-

ences-especially in Hiftory. Reasonableness

of Faith because of the Ability and Veracity of

man-these confidered. Certainty of Faith-

Remark on Science-Degrees of credibility.