Poole than for most of his ejected brethren, that he had a provision of about £100 per annum, independent of his rectory, so that he was enabled to live in comfort and pursue his studies, without much inconvenience, after he became a non-conformist. He appears, however, to have once been, or to have thought himself, in danger of being murdered on account of his zeal against popery. In the year 1679, his name appeared in the list of persons who were to have been cut off, printed in the depositions of Titus Oates. Soon after, he was spending ar evening at Mr Alderman Ashurst's, and was returning home with a Mr Chorley, who had gone with him for the sake of company; when coming near the narrow passage which leads from Clerkenwell to St John's court, they saw two men standing at the entrance; one of whom, as Mr Poole approached, said to the other, "there he is;" upon which the other replied, "let him alone, there is somebody with him." As soon as they were passed, Mr Poole asked his friend if he had heard what had passed between the two men ; and, upon his answering that he had, "Well," replied Mr Poole, "I had been murdered tonight had you not been with me." It is said, that prior to this incident, he had given not the slightest credit to what was said in Oates' depositions; but he appears to have been greatly alarmed by this occurrence, for he soon after made up his mind to quit England, and accordingly removed to Holland, and fixed his residence at Amsterdam. He died the same year (1679), in the month of October, aged fifty-six. It was generally supposed he was poisoned, but the matter remained doubtful, and no discovery was ever made. His body was interred in the vault belonging to the English merchants in that city Mr Poole is chiefly known to posterity by his two works on the Bible. The one in Latin, his Synopsis,' the other, English Annotations.' He was greatly encouraged in his Synopsis by the promised assistance of the great Dr Lightfoot, and the patronage both of Bishop Lloyd and Archbishop Tillotson. It first appeared in 1669, and following years. His English Annotations' was in progress when he died, and of course was left in manuscript. He had completed it down to the 58th of Isaiah. The remainder was supplied by several other persons, viz. Mr Jackson, Dr Collins, Mr Hurst, Mr Cooper, Mr Vinke, Mr Mayo, Mr Veal, Mr Adams, Mr Barker, Mr Ob. Hughes, and Mr Howe. The whole appeared in 2 vols. fol. 1685. Both these works are of great value, and are in general request and high estimation among divines to the present day.

Mr Poole's other works are the following: 1. The Blasphemer slain with the sword of the Spirit; 2. A model for maintaining students in the university; 3. A Letter to Lord C. Fleetwood; 4. Quo Warranto, &c.; 5. Evangelical worship; 6. Vox clamantis in deserto, respecting the ejection of the ministers; 7. The Nullity of the Romish faith; 8. A seasonable apology for religion; 9. Four Sermons in the morning exercises, for 1660; 10. A Poem and two Epitaphs, on Mr Jer. Whitaker; 11. Two on the death of Mr R. Vines; 12. Another on Mr Jacob Stock; 13. A Preface to Sermons of Mr Nalton, with some account of his character; 14. Dialogues between a popish priest and an English protestant, &c.

Mr Poole bore throughout life the reputation of an amiable man, a devout and charitable Christian When his non-conformity exposed

him to deprivation, and enforced upon him silence, he resigned himself patiently to his trial, and most usefully for the church of Christ, employed his leisure in completing those important works, which will perpe tuate his name among those of the ablest biblical critics.

Thomas Goodwin, D. D.

BORN A. D. 1600.-died A. D. 1679.

THOMAS GOODWIN was born at Rolesby in Norfolk, in 1600. At the age of thirteen he was sent to Cambridge, where he applied himself with great diligence to his studies, and, in 1619, became a fellow of Catherine-hall. Having taken orders, he was chosen, in 1628, to the lectureship at Trinity church; in 1632, he was presented by the king to the vicarage of the same church; but becoming dissatisfied with the terms of conformity, he relinquished his university preferments, in 1634, and retired to Arnheim, in Holland, where he undertook the pastoral charge of a small independent church.

On the breaking out of the civil war, he returned to England, where he was gladly received and patronized by the parliamentary party. Cromwell, in particular, was so highly pleased with his ministrations that he got him appointed president of Magdalen college, Oxford. Here he formed a church on congregational principles, of which Owen, Gale, and Charnock were members. He acquitted himself in the presidentship with great ability and unimpeachable fairness. On the Restoration he removed to London, whither many of his church followed him, and where he continued in the faithful discharge of his ministry till his death in February, 1679. He was author of numerous pieces of controversial and practical divinity, which were collected and published after his death, in five volumes, folio.

Stephen Charnock, B. D.

BORN A. D. 1628.-DIED A. D 1680.

STEPHEN CHARNOCK, the author of the celebrated discourses on the Existence and Attributes of God, was born in 1628. He studied successively at Cambridge and Oxford, and was senior proctor of the latter university in 1652. He accompanied Henry Cromwell to Ireland, in the quality of family chaplain. After the restoration he appears to have lived chiefly in London, occasionally visiting France and Holland. He died in 1680. His works were published after his death in two volumes, folio. Toplady says of his Discourses on the Attributes: "perspicuity and depth, metaphysical sublimity and evangelical simplicity, immense learning and plain but irrefragable reasoning, conspire to render that performance one of the most inestimable productions that ever did honour to the sanctified judgment and genius of a human being."

Richard Allein, M. A.

BORN A. D. 1611.-DIED A. D. 1681.

RICHARD ALLEIN, a nonconformist minister, was the son of Mr Richard Allein, for fifty years minister of Dichiat, in Somersetshire. He was born in 1611, and at the age of sixteen entered as a commoner at St Alban's-hall, Oxford. On taking the degree of B. A., he removed to New Inn, and continued there till he took the degree of master. On taking orders he went to assist his father. In 1641, he became rector of Batcombe, Somersetshire. He and his father were constituted assistants to the parliamentary commissioners for ejecting scandalous and insufficient ministers. He continued minister of Batcombe till the passing of the act of uniformity, and is represented as a pious, diligent, and zealous instructor of his people. After his ejectment from his rectory, he preached privately in various places, and was befriended by a Mr More (an M.P.) Such was his great reputation, and the meekness of his deportment, that, though often summoned to appear before the magistrates, and severely reprimanded for preaching, yet they deemed it more prudent to connive at him than commit him to prison. After the passing of what is called the five mile act,' he removed to Froom Selwood, and preached privately there till the day of his death, which took place Dec. 22d, 1681, in the 70th year of his age. He was so much respected, that the vicar of the parish in which he had lived preached a funeral sermon for him. A singular anecdote is told of one of his writings. The work was entitled, Vindicia Pietatis,' but a license could not be obtained for its publication. The book was, hower, printed and sold privately. The sale going on to a very considerable extent, the king's bookseller caused a seisure to be made of all the remaining copies. These were condemned and sent to the king's kitchen. The royal bookseller thinking it a promising, if not a fair way to turn a penny, contrived to redeem them for a trifle from the ignoble destruction into which he had been the instrument of bringing them. They were then bound up and sold in his own shop. The infamous transaction was however brought to light, and the bookseller compelled to beg pardon, upon his knees, at the council-table. The books were then remanded back to the kitchen, where they were ordered to be bisked or rubbed over with an inky brush.

Mr Allein was the author of several other works of a religious nature, which have been highly esteemed and frequently republished.

John Owen, D.D.

BORN A. D. 1616.-DIED A. D. 1683.

JOHN OWEN, the second son of the Rev. Henry Owen, was born at Stadham, in Oxfordshire, in the year 1616. His father was for some time minister of Stadham, and afterwards rector of Harpsden, in the same county. He was a nonconformer, and accounted by his neigh

bours a strict puritan. John received the elements of classical learning from Edward Sylvester, master of a private academy at Oxford, who had the honour of also numbering among his pupils Wilkins, afterwards bishop of Chester, Wilkinson, afterwards Margaret professor, and William Chillingworth. At twelve years of age, he was admitted a student of Queen's college; and on the 11th of June, 1632, when only sixteen, took the degree of A.B. On the 27th of April, 1635, he commenced master of arts. During this period, he pursued his studies with incredible diligence, never allowing himself above four hours of repose. His ambition was, even at this early period of life, to raise himself to the highest attainable honours, whether in church or state; but, as he subsequently confessed, he was indifferent to the ecclesiastical profession, excepting only as it might be viewed as a means for attaining the object of his ambition.

The same year, 1637, that produced the celebrated resistance of Hampden to illegal taxation, drove Owen from Oxford, in consequence of the ecclesiastical tyranny of Laud. In virtue of his office as chancellor of Oxford, that churchman had caused a new body of statutes to be drawn up for the university, in which, obedience to some superstitious rites was imposed on pain of expulsion. The mind of Owen was sufficiently enlightened at this time to see and embrace the worthier alternative. It cost him a severe struggle to tear himself from his 'alma mater,' but the sacrifice was made. Owen's conduct on this occasion has drawn down upon him, from Anthony Wood, the ridiculous charge of perjury; because, forsooth, he had already taken the oath of allegiance when graduating!

On leaving Oxford, having previously received orders from Bishop Bancroft, Owen resided for some time in the family of Sir Robert Dormer of Ascot, as domestic chaplain, and tutor to his eldest son. He afterwards became chaplain to Lord Lovelace of Hurbury, in Berkshire, with whom he continued till the commencement of hostilities between the king and the parliament, when Lord Lovelace joined the former, while Owen as warmly embraced the cause of the latter. This step lost him the favour of his uncle, a gentleman of considerable landed property in Wales, who had intended to make him his heir. Forsaken both by his patron and his family, Owen came up to London, and took lodgings in Charterhouse-yard, where he employed himself in composing his Display of Arminianism,' which appeared in 1642, and was very favourably received. It appears that Owen, when he came first to the city, suffered much from religious dejection and perplexity. His unhappiness may have arisen, as Mr Orme suggests, from some misconception of the subjects which the Arminian controversy embraces; and it is very probable that that led him to the train of investigation contained in the 'Display.' It was reserved, however, for an unknown preacher to remove his dejection by a sermon from these words: 66 Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith ?" The sermon was a very plain one; but the effect was mighty through the blessing of God.

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The Display of Arminianism' recommended its author to the attention of parliament, and he was soon after presented by the committee "for purging the church of scandalous ministers" with the living of Fordham, in Essex. This presentation remained in force only during

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the life of the sequestered incumbent at his death, the living reverted to the patron, and Owen was superseded, but he was immediately presented by the good earl of Warwick' with the neighbouring living of Coggeshall, at the request of the congregation. It is uncertain when he made his first efforts in the ministry, but immediately on being appointed to Fordham, he entered on the diligent discharge of his parochial duties, and published two short catechisms for the better instruction of his parishioners. At this time he seems to have leaned towards presbyterianism; but upon paying closer attention to the points in dispute betwixt the independents and presbyterians, he embraced independency. On the 29th of April, 1646, being the day appointed for the monthly fast, he was appointed to preach before the parliament. His sermon on this occasion was published, and he appended to it what he calls a Country Essay for the practice of church government,' in which he exposes the iniquity and folly of contention among Christians about points of minor importance, and contends for a large and liberal toleration. Speaking of the iniquity of putting men to death for heresy, he declares, that "he had almost said it would be for the interest of morality to consent generally to the persecution of a man maintaining such a destructive opinion." The same sentiments he inculcated in two different public sermons which he was soon afterwards called upon to preach. It ought not to be forgotten that Dr Owen's advocacy of religious liberty was not that of a dissenter, but that of a man in close connexion with the prevailing persuasion, and the ruling powers of the day.

On the 31st of January, 1649, the day after the execution of the king, Owen was called to preach before parliament. It was a trying occasion, and Anthony Wood and Grey have laboured hard to prove that the preacher applauded the regicides, but without success. The truth is, that on the subject of the preceding day's transactions, Owen observed a profound and evidently studied silence, and the text which he made choice of for the occasion (Jeremiah xv. 19, 20.) partakes more of solemn admonition than of congratulation. He tells the parliament very faithfully that much of the evil which had come upon the country had originated within their own walls, and warns them against 'oppression, self-seeking, and contrivances for persecution.' On the 19th of April following, he again preached before the parliament and chief officers of the army. Cromwell heard him for the first time on this occasion, and was so much pleased with him that he insisted on his accompanying him to Ireland, in the quality of his chaplain. With this invitation Owen was at first not a little unwilling to comply, but the lieutenant-general would take no refusal, and his brethren in the ministry advised him to go.

On arriving at Dublin, Owen took up his residence at Trinity college, the affairs of which he superintended for above half a year. his return to England, he seized the first opportunity to call the attention of his countrymen to the spiritual wants of Ireland, and it was in consequence of his representations that six eminent preachers were sent over by parliament to that country, with general instructions to exert themselves for the promotion of religion and education among the Irish. In the summer of 1650, he accompanied Cromwell's expedition to Scotland, and remained with the army till early in the following year.