viii PREFACX. every advantage within his reach, to render arc whole as complete and interesting as possible. The lives of these worthies are arranged in a chronological order, according to the time of their deaths.* By such arrangement, the work contains a regular series of the History of NOnconformists during a period of more than a hundred years. It does not in the least interfere with any other publication ; and forms a comprehensive append- age to Neal's " History of the Puritans," and a series of biographical history closely connected with Palmer's " Nonconformist's Memorial," con- taining a complete memorial of those noncon- formist divines who died previous to the passing of the Act of Uniformity. To this, however, there are some exceptions. There were certain persons of great eminence, who lived after the year 1662; yet, because they were not in the church at that period, they come not within the list of .ejected ministers, but are justly denomi- nated Puritans. Memoirs of these divines will therefore be found in their proper places. It was requisite, in a work of this nature, to give some account of the origin and progress of Nonconformity, together with a sketch of the nu- merous barbarities exercised upon the Puritans. This will be found in the Introduction, which may not prove unacceptable to the inquisitive and It should here be remembered, that, in all cases, when the particular period of their deaths could not be ascertained, the last circumstance noticed in their lives is taken for that period.
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