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CHRISTIAN'S DEFENCE

AGAINST THE

FEARS OF DEATH;

WITH

SEASONABLE DIRECTIONS

HOW TO

PREPARE OURSELVES TO DIE WELL.

WRITTEN, ORIGINALLY, IN FRENCH,

By the late Reverend Divine of the Protestant Church of Paris,
CHARLES DRELINCOURT.

TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH

By MARIUS D'ASSIGNY, B.D.

A NEW EDITION,

CORRECTED, AND EMBELLISHED WITH A PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR.

WITH AN

ACCOUNT OF THE AUTHOR, AND HIS LAST MINUTES.

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EDINBURGH:

PRINTED FOR JOHN BOURNE, 17. GREENSIDE STREET; AND RICHARD
EVANS, 8. WHITE'S ROW, SPITALFIELDS, LONDON.

J. Pillans & Son, Printers

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8 Feb 2oR

D8CE PREFACE
1816

TO

THE CHRISTIAN READER.

THE

HE true character of Monsieur DRELINCOURT, the author of these excellent Meditations, we find published by Mr. Bayle, in his Great Historical Dictionary, in the following words;

CHARLES DRELINCOURT, Minister of the Church of Paris, was born the 10th of July 1595, at Sedan, where his father was admitted to an honourable office, being Secretary to Henry Robert de la Mark, Duke of Bouillon, and Sovereign Prince of Sedan; afterwards he was advanced to be secretary to the Chief Council of that city. His son Charles was put to study ethics and divinity in that university, but was sent to Saumur, to complete his philosophy under Mr. Duncan. He was ordained minister in June 1618, and began the exercise of his functions near Langres, continuing there until he was called to the church of Paris, in March 1620. He was married, in the year 1625, to an only child of a rich merchant of Paris, called Monsieur Balduck, who had newly embraced the Protestant religion. Providence blessed him and his wife with a numerous issue, he having had sixteen children by her ; and gave no less success to his ministry. His sermons were very powerful: But his chief talent was in comforting the sick, and performing all other necessary offices of a careful pastor. He was very faithful and zealous, in respect of his own congregation and others; his judgment being always desired in matters of moment. We cannot sufficiently commend the services he hath rendered to the church of God by his many writings he hath published, whether we examine his books of devotion, or of controversy. There is so much piety contained in the former, and so many excellent texts of scripture explained in the latter, that many religious persons both have, and daily do find, seasonable consolation. That which he hath written against the Church of Rome hath wonderfully strengthened the Protestant professors: For, by the arguments that he brings, the ignorant and unlearned have been able to confound the monks and priests, and to maintain the principles of their religion against the subtilest missionaries; so that ratings have caused him to be esteemed the Scourge of the Roman Datants. Nevertheless, as he was beloved of the contrary party, so he was highly esteemed by the greatest lords of the reformed religion as the Duke de la Force, the Mareschals of Chatillon, De Gastion, and Turenne, and by the Lady De la Tremouille, &c. He had also grea respect paid him by the fre

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