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came to Fordham, he married a gentlewoman, by whom he had several children, all which the Doctor out-lived. In 1644 he published his discourse, "Of the Duty of Pastors and People."

Upon a report that the sequestered incumbent of Fordham was dead, the patron, who had no kindness for Mr. Owen, presented another to the living; whereupon the people at Coggeshall, a market town about five miles from thence, earnestly invited him to be their minister; and the earl of Warwick, the patron, readily gave him the living; which favour of opening a door for preaching the Gospel, in that place, he thankfully acknowledged; for here he taught a more numerous and judicious congregation, seldom fewer than two thousand, where he found the people generally sober, religious, and discreet. Hitherto Mr. Owen had followed the Presbyterian mode; but after a due search. and study into the nature of church government, he was fully convinced that the congregational way was most agreeable to the rule of the New Testament. His judgement. in this matter has been printed, with the several reasons for it, in two quartos. Several ministers of the Presbyterian denomination were dissatisfied with this change of Mr. Owen's judgement, and particularly Mr. Cawdry re-, proached him very unhandsomely, to whom he gave a much more civil answer. He had formed a church at Coggeshall upon congregational principles, which continued long. The worth of so great a man, so eminent a light, could no longer be concealed; his fame and reputation spread both through city and country. He was sent for to preach before the parliament; this sermon is entitled, "A Vision of free Mercy, &c." on Acts xvi, 11. April 29, 1646. He pleaded for liberty of conscience and moderation towards men of different persuasions, &c. in an "Essay for the Practice of Church Government in the Country," which he subjoined to that sermon. In 1043 he published "Salus Electorum, Sanguis Jesu: or, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ.' This is a noble undertaking, carried on with all the vigour of argument and learning, of which himself was so conscious, that though the inost modest and humble of all writers, yet he scrupled not to declare, that " He did not believe he should live to see a solid answer given to it."

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Colchester was about this time besieged, and lord Fair-
VOL. III. No, 71.

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fax, general of the parliament's forces, quartering at Cogges hall some days, he became acquainted there with Mr. Owen, and likewise four cominissioners sent by the house into Essex, to look after their affairs in that county, entered into a conversation with him. About this time also he became known to Cromwell, who happened to hear him preach and solicited his friendship. He acquainted Mr. Owen with his intended expedition into Ireland, and desired his company to reside there in the college at Dublin; but he an swered, the charge of the church at Coggeshall would not permit him to comply with his request: Cromwell was not satisfied with the objection, and would have no denial; but at last from desires he proceeded to commands, and resolved he should go; at the same time telling him, that his younger brother (whom he dearly loved) was to go as standardbearer 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 hiin 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 scarcely time to take breath there, before he was 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 parliament, 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 Isaiah Ivi. 7" 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 Oxford, and settled there, in 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. The Doctor's government, as vice-chancellor, took up a great part of his time, together with other avocations 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. In 1654 he published "The Saint's Perseverance," in an answer to Mr. John Goodwin's "Redemption Redeemed." It is a masterpiece of this kind, full of close and strong reasoning, whereby he has enervated all the subtle arguments, and answered all the objections of the adversary, confirming the truth by the Scripture evidence; and in the whole has given the world an example of a rare Christian temper in the management of controversy.

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In 1655 he published, "Vindiciae 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

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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. 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 inust 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, "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. He was vice-chancellor of the university till 1657, when he gave placé to Dr. Conant; and in 1659, Dr. Edward Reynolds, afterwards bishop of Norwich, succeeded him in the deanery of Christ Church.

The Doctor had now quitted his public station at Oxford, and retired to Stadham, 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 1661 he published that elaborate and learned treatise, "THEOLO GOUMENA; De naturâ, ortu, progressu et studio veræ Theologiæ," which was afterwards reprinted at Bremen, in Germany.

The next year come out a book, called "Fiat Lux," written by John Vincent Lane, a Franciscan frier; 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; too 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,

Whose life see above, vol. i. p. 565.

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made the frier 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*. Dr. Owen,

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 first, the Doctor replied, that the title of evangelist, or apostle, by which the Scripture names them, was much more glorious than that of saint; for in that name all the people of God were alike honoured; yet to please them be yielded to that addition; but as to the other objections, he would by no means consent to any alteration, unless they could prove him to be mistaken in his assertion, and rather chose his book should never see the light, than to expunge what he had written upon that subject; and in all probability it had never been printed, had not sir Edward Nicholas, one of his majesty's principal secretaries of state, who was informed of this matter, wrote to the bishop of London to licence it notwithstanding this objection. This book recommended him to the esteem of the Lord Chancellor Hyde, who, by sir Bulstrode Whitlocke, sent for him, and acknowledged the service of his late books against Fiat Lux;" assuring him that he had deserved the best of any English Protestant of late years; and that for these performances the church was bound to own and advance him; and at the same time he offered him preferment if he would accept it: the chancellor moreover told him, there was one thing he much wondered at, that he being so learned a man, and so well acquainted with church history, should embrace that novel opinion of Independency, for which, in his judgement, so little could be said. The Doctor replied, that indeed he had, spent some part of his time in reading over the history of the church, and made this offer to his lordship, if he pleased, to prove that this was that way of government which was practised in the church for four hundred years after Christ, against any bishop he should think fit to bring to a disputation with him upon this subject. Say you so (said the chancellor) then I am much mistaken. Qther discourses passed between them, particularly about liberty of conscience: the lord chancellor asked him what he would desire with respect to liberty and forbearance in the matters of religion: to which the Doctor replied, "That the liberty he desired was for Protestants, who assented to the doctrine of the Church of England." How the chancellor related this passage is not known, but in all probability from hence was that calumny raised on the Doctor, as if he would have no other persons permitted to live in England; which he never said nor thought; yea, upon all occasions he has constantly declared it as his judgement, that no peaceable persons holding the foundation of the Christian faith, ought, by the rule of the Scriptures, or right reason, to have any violence offered to them for their profession of religion in the exercise of their con

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