111-28-1923 PREFACE. LOVE for the heavenly truths contained in the following pages, has led to the devotion of much time, and to persevering endeavor, in order to recover from faint pencil-notes (written partly in obscure short-hand,) the substance of sermons preached by my late revered Father, as taken down by the late Mrs. Hawkes, whose Memoirs have recently come before the public. To those Memoirs some Fragments of this nature were attached as an Appendix. From the same rich mine of Mrs. Hawkes' papers, many more sermons of Mr. Cecil's have been derived, which contain so much to interest and instruct, that it appears to be a talent committed to my trust; and I feel that I should not act as a faithful steward, if I did not offer, for the benefit of others, some of those precious materials left by my late beloved godmother, and originally intended only for my own use. The date of the year in which each sermon was preached, has been added in every case where it could be ascertained. This volume is now consigned to the press, in the humble hope that it may not be unaccompanied by the Divine blessing; nor prove unacceptable to the Christian public. MOUNT FORT LODGE, BARNSBURY SQUARE, ISLINGTON, C. CECIL. |