both modestly and learnedly in the assembly." Fuller styles him "a modest and learned divine, equally averse to presbytery and prelacy."+

From the eminent talents, learning, and moderation of this excellent divine, we might suppose that even bigotry itself would lie dormant ; but this unhappy temper, ever influenced by party principles, and to promote a party interest, will break through all difficulties, to blacken the memory of real worth. Mr. Coleman, in common with many of his brethren, is the subject of public calumny. The zealous historian, speaking of those divines who preached before the parliament, says, "Another of these brawlers, who seldom thought of a bishop, or the king's party, but with indignation, was Mr. Thomas Coleman. In one of his sermons, he thus rants against the church of England, and violently persuades the parliament to execute severe justice upon her children. Our cathedrals in a great part are of late become the nests of idle drones, and the roosting places of superstitious formalists. Our formalists and government, in the whole hierarchy, are become a fretting gangrene, a spreading leprosy, an insupportable tyranny. Up with it, up with it to the bottom, root and branch, hip and thigh: destroy these Amalekites, and let their place be no more found. Throw away the rubs; out with the Lord's enemies, and the land's. Vex the Midianites; abolish the Amalekites, or else they will vex you with their wiles, as they have done heretofore. Let popery find no favour, because it is treasonable; prelacy as little, because it is tyrannical.'

"This," our author adds, " was rare stuff for the blades at Westminster, and pleased them admirably well. Therefore they straitly order Sir Edward Aiscough and Sir John Wray, to give the zealot hearty thanks for his good directions, and to desire him by all means to print it; which accordingly he did, and, in requital of thanks, dedicates his fury to their worships; where he falls to his old trade again, very prettily by his art of rhetorick, calling the king's army partakers with atheists, infidels, and papists; saying, it hath popish masses, superstitious worships, cold forms in the service of God: it is stored with popish priests: it persecutes God's ministers, painful preachers: it doth harbour all drunken, debauched clergy, or idle, non-preaching, dumb ministry, our ambitious tyrannical prelacy, and the sink and dregs of the times; the receptacle of the filth of the present and former ages, our * Athenæ Oxon. vol. ii. p. 52.

+ Fuller's Church Hist. b. xi. p. 213.

6

spiritual court's-men.' This man's railing," he adds, " pleased the commons so well, that they could think of no man fitter to prate when their wicked league and covenant was taken than he; which accordingly he did to the purpose, tickling their filthy ears with the same strains of malice; impudently affirming, That none but an atheist, papist, oppressor, rebel, or the guilty, desperate cavaliers, and light and empty men, can refuse the covenant:' and so concludes with reflection upon the king's party, as idolaters. And for this stuff, Colonel Long must be ordered to give him thanks from the house."*

Admitting the correctness of our author's extracts, there was certainly too much truth in many of Mr. Coleman's remarks, though some of them perhaps require a degree of limitation. It is, however, a certain fact, which many of our zealous historians seem willing to forget, that "their worships, the blades at Westminster," whose "filthy ears were tickled with the preacher's strains of malice," and who thanked him for his sermons, desiring him to print them, even the commons in parliament, as well as the lords, were, according to Clarendon, all members of the established church. Yet, such is the foul language of the above bigotted and peevish writer, that his prejudices and party feelings appear without restraint, while he pours forth his abundant slander and contempt upon men of the worthiest character.

His WORKS.-1. The Christian's Course and Complaint, both in the pursuit of Happiness desired, and for Advantages slipped in that pursuit; a Sermon preached to the Honourable House of Commons on the monthly Fast, Aug. 30, 1643; at St. Margaret's Westminster, 1643.-2. The Heart's Engagement, a Sermon preached at St. Margaret's Westminster, at the public entering into the Covenant, 1643.3. God's unusual Answer to a Solemn Fast, a Sermon preached to both Houses of Parliament, at their public Fast, Sep. 12, 16441644.-4. A Brotherly Examination Examined: or, a clear Justification of those Passages in a Sermon, against which Mr. Gillespie did preach and write, 1646.-5. A short Discovery of some Tenets which intrench upon the Honour and Power of Parliaments.-6. A Modell, &c.

EPHRAIM PAGET was born in Northamptonshire, in the year 1575, and educated in Christ's college, Oxford. He was the son of Mr. Eusebius Paget, a celebrated puritan divine, and a great sufferer for nonconformity. He was so great a proficient in the knowledge of the languages, that

Foulis's Hist. of Plots, p. 183, 184. + Clarendon's Hist. vol. i. p. 184.

upon his admittance into the university, the Greek professor sought his acquaintance, and derived much assistance from him. At the age of twenty-six years, he understood and wrote fifteen or sixteen languages. Having completed his studies at the university, he became minister at St. Edmund's church, Lombard-street, London, where he continued many years. While in this situation, he entered into the conjugal state, and married Lady Bord, widow of Sir Stephen Bord, of a worthy family in Sussex. Upon the commencement of the civil wars, he was a great sufferer; and he was so much troubled and molested, says Wood, that, merely for the sake of quietness, he left his benefice in his old age, being then commonly called old father Ephraim. He retired to Deptford in Kent, where he spent the remainder of his days in retirement and devotion. He entered upon the joy of his Lord in the month of April, 1647, aged seventy-two years. His remains, according to his last will and testament, were laid in Deptford church-yard.+

Though his name is enrolled among the sufferers in the royal cause, he is with justice classed among the puritans. Many excellent divines, who were dissatisfied with the ecclesiastical discipline and ceremonies, and even with episcopacy itself, were nevertheless, during the national confusions, great sufferers on account of their loyal attachment to his majesty and the civil constitution. Their zeal for the king and his cause exposed them to the severity of the opposite party. This appears to have been the case with Mr. Paget. He was decided in his attachment to his majesty's interest and the civil constitution, for which he was a sufferer in those evil times; yet he was opposed to the ecclesiastical establishment, as well as the cruel oppressions of the prelates. Therefore, in the year 1645, being only two years before his death, he united with his brethren, the London ministers, in presenting a petition to the lords and commons in parliament, for the establishment of the presbyterian discipline. He wrote with great bitterness against the independents, baptists, and other sectaries, by which he exposed himself to the resentment of his enemies. "Error and heresy," it is said, "began to take deep root, and to spread far and wide over the face of the earth; he, therefore, set himself to discover them, and root them up, when he published his Heresiography.' Hence sprung his trouble;"

* Paget's Heresiography, Pref. Edit. 1662. + Wood's Athenæ Oxon. vol. ii. p. 52.

Grey's Examination, vol. ii. Appen. p. 87-89.

and it is added, "the enemies of goodness making that the ground of their malice, which he wrote to undeceive and bring them into the way of truth. Upon this he was persecuted, reviled, slandered, and, through false suggestions, suffered even imprisonment itself. He bore up manfully, and suffered patiently whatever their malice could inflict, till at last the Lord in mercy put an end to his misery, and received him to himself."* He was an excellent preacher, and his sermons were as pleasant as they were profitable, drawing the hearts of his auditors, as by a bait of pleasure, to that which is good.+

His WORKS.-1. Christianographie: or, a Description of the multitudes and sundry sorts of Christians in the world not subject to the Pope,.1635.-2. A Treatise of the Ancient Christians in Britany, 1640.-3. Heresiographie: or, a Description of the Heresies of later Times, 1645.-4. The Mystical Wolf, a Sermon on Matt. vii. 15., 1645.

THOMAS HOOKER. This excellent divine was born at Marfield in Leicestershire, in the year 1586, and educated in Emanuel college, Cambridge, of which he became fellow. He acquitted himself in this office with such ability and faithfulness as commanded universal admiration and applause. During his abode at Cambridge, he was brought under such deep convictions of sin, that his mind was overwhelmed with extreme horror. The anguish of his soul, under a sense of his sin and desert, was inconceivable. He was ready to exclaim, "While I suffer thy terrors, O Lord, I am distracted." Afterwards, speaking of these mental exercises, he said, "In the time of my distress, I could reason to the rule of duty, and see there was no other way of relief but by submission to God, and by lying at the feet of Jesus Christ, humbly waiting for his favour; but when I applied the rule to myself, and endeavoured to put it in practice, my reasoning failed me, and I was able to do nothing." Having laboured under the spirit of bondage for a considerable time, he received light and comfort, and his mind became powerfully and pleasantly attached to holy and heavenly contemplations. It now became a custom with him, when retiring to rest at night, to select some particular promise of scripture, upon which he meditated during his wakeful hours. In this he found so much improvement and comfort, that he recommended others to adopt the same practice.

* Paget's Heresiog. Pref.

+ Lloyd's Memoires, p. 510..

Mr. Hooker having tasted that the Lord was gracious, resolved to employ his time and his talents in the work of the ministry, when he commenced preaching in London and its vicinity. He soon became celebrated for his ministerial endowments, particularly in comforting persons under spiritual distress. In the year 1626, having been disappointed of a desired settlement at Colchester, he was chosen lecturer at Chelmsford, one Mr. Mitchel being the incumbent. His lectures were soon numerously attended, and a remarkable unction and blessing attended his preaching. A pleasing reformation also followed, not only in the town, but likewise in the adjacent country. By a multitude of public houses in the town, and by keeping the shops open on the Lord's day, the people of Chelmsford had become notorious for intemperance and the profanation of the sabbath. But by the blessing of God, so plentifully poured out upon Mr. Hooker's ministry, these vices were banished from the place, and the sabbath was visibly sanctified to the Lord. His zealous and useful labours, however, were not continued very long. For in about four years his difficulties were so great, on account of his nonconformity, that he gave up his pulpit and commenced teaching school. He could not defile his conscience by the observance of the superstitious ceremonies: he had rather give up his pulpit and his public ministry, which he dearly loved, than sacrifice the "testimony of a good conscience."

Though the best and most delightful employment of this worthy servant of Christ was gone, his influence was not lost. This was wholly employed to promote the Redeemer's cause. He engaged the various ministers in the vicinity of Chelmsford, to establish a monthly meeting for fasting, prayer, and religious conference. By his influence, several pious young ministers were settled in the neighbourhood, and others became more established in the fundamental doctrines of the gospel. Indeed, so great was his popularity, and so high his reputation, when silenced, that no less than fortyseven conformist ministers of his acquaintance, presented a petition to the Bishop of London; in which they testified, That they knew and esteemed Mr. Hooker to be orthodox in his doctrine, honest in his life and conversation, peaceable in his disposition, and in no wise turbulent or factious." But these powerful mediators could not prevail. Mr. Hooker being stigmatized as a puritan, must be buried in silence. He was bound, about the year 1630, in a bond of fifty pounds, to appear before the high commission; but this