commands, and resolved he should go, at the same time telling him, that his younger brother (whom he dearly loved) was to go as standard-bearer in the same army : He not only engaged his brother to persuade him to a compliance, but also wrote to the church at Coggeshall to desire leave that he might go with him to Ireland, which letter was read publicly amongst them, yet they were utterly unwilling to part with him on this occasion; but at length Cromwell told them plainly, he must and should go. Mr. Owen consulted several ministers about it, and they all agreed in their advice for his going, upon which he prepared for his journey, not with the army, but more privately. He arrived at Dublin, and took up his lodgings in the college, preaching there, and overseeing the affairs of that eminent school of learning. Here he staid about half a year, and, with Cromwell's leave, returned into England, and went to Coggeshall, where he was joyfully received. He had scarce time to take breath there, being soon after called to preach at Whitehall, which order he obeyed.

In September 1650, Cromwell required Mr. Owen to go with him into Scotland, but he being averse to this journey also, the General procured an order of parlia ment, which left no room for any objections. He staid at Edinburgh about half a year, and then returning into England, he went once more to his people at Coggeshall. There are two sermons printed which he preached, the one at Berwick and the other at Edinburgh, entitled, "The Branch of the Lord, the Beauty of Zion," upon Isa. lvi. 7. for mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all people. He hoped upon his return to Coggeshall after this journey, to have spent the remainder of his days there; but he must now leave his private service of being overseer to a congregation in the country, to preside over a college in Oxford, and after that over the university there. The first intelligence he had of this matter was by one of the weekly newspapers at Coggeshall; where he read words to this effect; The House taking into consideration the worth and usefulness of Mr. John Owen, student of Queen's college, master of arts, has ordered that he be settled in the deanery of Christ's college, in Oxford, in the room of,' &c. and soon after he received a letter from the principal students of that college, signifying their desire of his coming, and their great satisfaction in the choice the House had made of him to be their dean. With the consent of his church he went to Ox

ford,

ford, and settled there, in the year 1651, and in the following year he was chosen vice-chancellor of that university, and admitted September 26, 1652, in which office he continued successively five years. About this time also he was diplomated doctor of divinity. He took care in managing this trust, to restrain the loose, to encourage the sober and pious, to prefer men of learning and industry; and under his administration it was visible that the whole body of that university was reduced into good order, and flourished with a number of excellent scholars, and persons of distinguished piety.

When men are advanced to places of power and authority, they often discover a magisterial air, and severity of temper towards inferiors, and generally incline to be partial in the distribution of their favours; but we find a very different temper and carriage in the Doctor while he sat in this chair of honour: Among the several instances of his moderation, sweetness of disposition, and, withal, of his wisdom and gravity, which adorned him in the discharge of his office, we may take these few. It is well known that then the presbyterian way was generally embraced and practised, and the persons with whom he most of all conversed in the university were of that judgment: The vice-chancellor has a power of disposing of several vacant livings, and at that time there were many such, and those that fell into his hands he generally gave to presbyterians: Nor was he ever wanting to oblige even the episcopal party, whom he suffered to meet quietly, about three hundred every Lord's Day, over-against his own door, where they celebrated divine service according to the liturgy of the church of England; and though he was often urged to it, yet he would never give them the least disturbance, and if at any time they met with opposition or trouble on that account, it was from other hands, and always against his mind. This moderation of temper in the exercise of power, gained him the love and respect of the most; yet we must observe also, that he would not suffer authority to be slighted, when there was occasion to assert it. But while he restrained the loose and disorderly, he failed not to shew kindness to the sober and ingenuous. He was hospitable in his house, generous in his favours, charitable to the poor, especially to poor scholars, some of whom he took into his family and maintained them at his own charge, giving them academical education. The Doctor's government, as vice-chancellor, took up a great part of his time, together with other avoca

tions which daily attended him in that station; yet notwithstanding he redeemed time for his studies, preaching every other Lord's Day at St. Mary's, and often at Stadham and other places in the country, and moreover he wrote some excellent books, of which we shall take notice in their order. In the year 1654 he published his book of "The Saint's Perseverance," in answer to Mr. John Goodwin's book, Redemption Redeemed. It is a masterpiece of this kind, full of close and strong reasoning, whereby he has enervated all the subtile arguments, and answered all the objections of the adversary, confirming the truth by the force of Scripture evidence; and in the whole has given the world an example of a rare Christian temper in the management of controversy. His preface gives us an account of the entertainment this doctrine has had in all ages, what acceptance or opposition it has found among the professors of Christianity, down to the time when he wrote: There is a great variety in this preface very useful, but chiefly calculated for the learned world. In 1655, he published his book, Vindicia Evangelicæ; Or, The Mystery of the Gospel vindicated, and Socinianism examined," which was chiefly designed against John Biddle, a Socinian, who had published two Socinian Catechisms of the same nature with the Racovian, written by Valentinus Smalcius, which also the Doctor takes into examination, being willing to give a full confutation of Socinian errors. He tells us in his Epistle Dedicatory to the heads and governors of the colleges and halls in the University of Oxford, that complaint being made to the honourable council, they sent for him, and required him to answer these Socinian Catechisms; that though fatigued with very great labours lately, particularly in writing against the Arminians, about the perseverance of the saints, he yet cheerfully pursued this performance: It is a work that may be justly esteemed very accurate and elaborate, wherein he has cut the sinews of the Socinian cause, and stabbed it to the heart.* Hitherto the eminent learning, prudence, and piety of this great Man had displayed their lustre in a public and honourable station; but the time was now come when he must retire to a more private capacity, wherein he failed not to preserve and improve the same excellent qualifications, and spread his usefulness both from the pulpit and the press. About this time he published that excellent book, entitled, Communion

This hath also been since performed with great ability by Dr. Jonathan Edwards of Cambridge, in his Preservative against Socinianism,' 4tq.

6

Communion with GoD," of which we need say the less, since it has for so many years recommended itself to the spiritual taste of serious and judicious Christians: And in it the Author has given sufficient evidence that he was himself very intimately acquainted with a life of communion with God. He was vice-chancellor of the university till 1657, when he gave place to Dr. Connant; and in the year 1659, Dr. Edward Reynolds, afterwards Bishop of Norwich, succeeded him in the deanery of Christ Church: Nor can we wonder at these changes that happened to a particular person, when so great alterations in the whole government were moving on, till they issued in the restoration of King Charles II.

ter

It would be beyond the design of these memoirs to enupon the disputes which arose between the Doctor and Mr. Baxter relative to certain political affairs: The purpose of these volumes is to present to view what was most valuable in good men of several denominations, burying in oblivion (if possible) all those altercations which, could we now know their minds, they would wish to be buried too. We may reflect with comfort, that they are all of one mind in their Father's house above, and are now eternally superior to those little differences and distinctions, which, perhaps, too much occupied their infirmities below. The Doctor had now quitted his public station. at Oxford, and retired to Stadhain, the place of his birth in that county, where he was possessed of a good estate: Here he lived privately for some time, till the persecution grew so hot that he was obliged to remove from place to place, and at last came to London : All which time he was not idle, but employed his talents like a faithful servant of Christ, in preaching as he had opportunity, and in writing several valuable and useful books, to serve the common interest of religion and learning. In the year 1661, he published that elaborate and learned treatise, Θεολογούμενα De naturá, ortu, progressu et studio veræ Theologia, which was afterwards reprinted at Bremen in Germany. Concerning the nature and design of this book, we may take the account in his own words: "Præmissis quæ ad nomen- -de ejus studio dissertation. Præfat. ad finem. "In the former books of this treatise our design (says he) is to set forth the first rise of true theology, the progress it made in several degrees of divine revelation, together with the defection of many from it, and their errors, and also the change of the worship of the church, that had been cultivated according to the rule

of

of that revelation, with the manifold apostacy of the same church, and its gracious reformation, even down to the last and final rejection of the Jewish church; and through the whole we have observed the series of the several events, which we have disposed into their fixed proper periods. In the pursuit of this design many things most worthy of our consideration did frequently occur, especially that famous reformation of the Jewish church after the captivity of Ezra; upon which occasion we found it necessary to discourse of many things relating to the antiquities and rites of that church. Lastly, we have attempted to explain the true evangelic theology; and there we have shewn from the Scriptures themselves what it is, and what is its distinct nature, who are fit and prepared for the study of it, who only may be supposed to attain to it, and by what means; what are the main obstacles against it; together with the nature, institution, and government of the church, which is founded upon it; and a dissertation about the study of this theology concludes the whole work." From this account we may easily perceive that this is a work of no small pains and time, containing a vast compass of reading, and variety of learning.

The next year came out a book, called Fiat Lux, written by John Vincent Lane, a Franciscan friar; wherein, under the pretence of recommending moderation and charity, he, with a great deal of subtilty, invites men over to the church of Rome as the only infallible cure of all church divisions; two impressions of this book were printed off before the Doctor had seen it: at length it was sent him by a person of honour, who desired him to write an answer to it, which he did in a very short time: This answer bears the title of "Animadversions on Fiat Lux. by a Protestant;" which being generally accepted, made the friar very angry, so that he published a sheet or two by way of reply, which produced the Doctor's answer, entitled, "A Vindication of Animadversions on Fiat Lux," to which never any reply was given. There was some difficulty in obtaining a licence for this last book, when the bishops who were appointed by act of parliament the principal licencers of divinity-books had examined it: They made two objections against it: (1.) That upon all occasions when he mentions the Evangelists and Apostles, even St. Peter himself, he left out the title of Saint. (2.) That he endeavours to prove, that it could not be determined that St. Peter was ever at Rome.

To the