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Hertfordshire, and was chosen master of Pembroke hall in Cambridge, but resigned that, and his living of St. Lawrence Jewry, on account of the engagement. He was a son of thunder, and therefore compared to Luther ; but moderate and charitable to those who differed from him in judgment. The parliament employed him in all their treaties with the king; and his majesty, though of a different judgment, valued him for his ingenuity, seldom speaking to him without touching his hat, which Mr. Vines returned with most respectful language and gestures. He was an admirable scholar; holy and pious in his conver sation, and indefatigable in his labors, which wasted his strength, and brought him into a consumption, when he had lived but about fifty-six years. He was buried in his own parish church, Feb. 7, 1655, his funeral sermon being preached by Dr. Jacomb, who gave him his just commendation. He was a perfect master of the Greek tongue, a good philologist, and an admirable disputant. He was a thorough calvinist, and a bold, honest man, without pride or flattery. Mr. Newcomen calls him disputator acutissimus, concionator felicissimus, theologus eximius. Many funeral poems and elegies were published on his death.

The protector having dissolved his second parliament without confirming their acts, was obliged still to rely on the military arm; this, together with the insurrectious in several parts of the country, induced him, for his greater security, to canton the nation into eleven districts, and place over them major-generals, whose commission was to in

* Dr. Grey insinuates a reflection on Mr. Vines' simplicity and integrity, by a story of his praying in the morning of an Easter Sunday, be fore the marquis of Hertford, for the king's restoration to his throne and regal rights; but, in the afternoon, when the marquis was absent. and lord Fairfax came to church, praying, in stylo parliamentario, that God would turn the heart of the king, and give him grate to repent of his grievous sins, especially all the blood shed in those civil, uncivil wars. On which it was observed, that Mr. Vines was much more altered between the forenoon and afternoon, than the difference between an English marquis and an Irish baron. The reader, perhaps, will think, that each prayer might very consistently be formed by the same person. Not a week before Mr. Vines' death, as he was preaching at St. Gregory's, a rude fellow cried out to him, "Lift up your voice. for I cannot hear you:" to whom Mr. Vines returned, "Lift up your ears, for I can speak no louder." Fuller's Worthies, p. 446, 8vo, edition, 1684. Ed.- + Clarke's Lives of Eminent Persons, p. 48.

spect the behavior of the inferior commissioners within their districts; to commit to prison all suspected persons; to take care of collecting the public taxes; and to sequester such as did not pay their decimation. They were to enquire after all private assemblies of suspected persons, and after such as bought up arms; after vagabonds and idle persons; after such as lived at an higher rate than they could afford; after such as frequented taverns and gaming-houses, and after scandalous and unlearned ministers and school-masters; and there was no appeal from them but to the protector and his council. They were ordered to list a body of reserves both horse and foot at halfpay, who were to be called together upon any sudden emergency, and to attend so many days at their own expense, but if they were detained longer to have full pay; by which means the protector had a second army in view, if any disaster should befal the first; but these officers be came so severe and arbitrary, that his highness found it necessary after some time to reduce their power, and when affairs were a little more settled to dissolve them.

Having provided for the security of his government at home, the protector concluded an alliance with France, · Oct. 23, in which it is remarkable that Lewis XIV. is not allowed to stile himself king of France, but king of the French,his highness claiming the protectorship of that kingdom among his other titles; and, which is more surprising, the name of Oliver stands in the treaty before that of the French king. At the same time he sent admiral Blake with a fleet into the Mediterranean, who spread the terror of the English name over all Italy, even to Rome itself; processions being made, and the host exposed for forty hours, to avert the judgments of heaven, and preserve the patrimony of the church. But Blake's commission was only to demand sixty thousand pounds of the duke of Tus cany,for damages sustained by the English merchants while he harbored prince Rupert, which he paid immediately. The admiral released all the English slaves on the coast of Barbary, to the number of four hundred, and obtained satisfaction for the ships taken by the pirates of Algiers, Tunis, &c. Upon the whole he brought home sixteen ships laden with booty, which sailed up the river Thames

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to the port of London, as a grateful spectacle of triumph to the people.

While Blake was in the Mediterranean, admiral Penand Venables, with thirty men of war and some land forees, sailed to the West-Indies, with a design to suprise the town of Hispaniola ; but miscarrying in the attempt, they reembarked and took possession of the island of Jamaica,which is in possession of the crown of Great-Britain to this day.

The protector did not commission Blake to assault the Spanish coasts in the Mediterranean, because there was no open rupture between the two nations in Europe; but the West-Indies not being included in the treaty, he thought himself at liberty in those parts; which occasioned a declaration of war, on the part of Spain, with all the English dominions; upon which Blake was ordered to cruise upon the Spanish coasts, and to wait for the return of the Plate fleet, of which he gave a very good account the next summer.

To support these additional expenses, the protector, by advice of his council, raised some extraordinary taxes before the parliament met, which he knew to be illegal, and did not pretend to justify upon any other foot than the absolute necessity of the public safety; the distracted condition of the nation; that it was impracticable in the present juncture to call a parliament, or to proceed in the ordinary course of law; and that in extraordinary cases, wherein all was at stake, some extraordinary methods were allowa ble. How far this reasoning will excuse the protector, or vindicate his conduct, must be left with the reader. But it is agreed on all hands, that in things that did not affect the very being of his government, he never interposed, but let the laws have their free course. He had a zeal for trade and commerce beyond all his predecessors, and appointed a standing committee of merchants for advancing it, which met for the first time in the painted chamber, Nove 27, 1655, and continued to his death.

The provincial assembly of London, finding their at tempts to establish their discipline ineffectual, employed themselves this year in promoting the religious education of youth; for which purpose they published an exhortation to catechising; with the following directions for the more orderly carrying it on.

1. That the ministers on some Lord's day prove in their sermons the necessity and usefulness of such a work, and exhort all parents, and masters of families, to prepare their children and servants for it, by catechising them at home, that they may more readily make their answers in public.

2. "That the catechism to be used be the lesser catechism of the assembly of divines. This catechism excelling all others in this respect, that every answer is a perfect proposition without the question.

3. That the persons to be catechised be children and servants, that have not been admitted to the Lord's supper by the eldership.

4. "That the time of catechising be on the Lord's day in the afternoon, before the sermon, to the end that the whole congregation may receive benefit thereby.

5. That the catechism may be explained briefly, at the first going over, that the people may in a short time havea notion of the whole body of divinity.

6. "That the parish be desired at the common charge, to provide catechisms for the poorer sort, who cannot well provide for themselves, and that the distribution of them be referred to the respective ministers.

7. "It is desired, that an account in writing, what progress is made in the premises may be returned from the classes to the provincial assembly within forty days after the receipt hereof.

"Signed in the name, and by the appointment of the assembly,

Edmund Calamy, moderator.
William Harrison,

William Blackmore,

scribes."

These instructions were sent to the several classes of London; and after their example, the associated ministers in the several counties of England published the like exhortations to their brethren.

The occasion of this proceeding was the publishing two catechisms of Mr. John Biddle, a socinian, one called a Scripture Catechism; and the other, a Brief Scripture Catechism, for the use of children. Complaints of which

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being made to the last parliament, they were ordered to be burut by the hands of the common hangman, and the anthor to be imprisoned in the Gate-house. Mr. Biddle had been in custody for his opinions before the late king's death. While he was there, he had published twelve questions or arguments against the deity of the holy spirit, in quarto, 1647, which were answered by Mr. Pool, and the book ordered to be burnt. Next year, being still in prison, he published seven articles against the deity of Christ, with the testimonies of several of the fathers ou this head; upon which some zealous in the assembly moved, that he might be put to death as an heretic; but he went on, and being set at liberty, in the year 1651, he composed and published the catechisms abovementioned, in which he maintains, " (1.) That God is confined to a certain place. (2.) That he has a bodily shape. (3.) That he has passions. (4.) That he is neither omnipotent nor unchangeable... (5.) That we are not to believe three per sons in the godhead. (6.) That Jesus Christ has not the nature of God, but only a divine lordship. (7.) That he was not a priest while upon earth, nor did reconcile men to God. And, (8.) That there is no deity in the Holy Ghost." These propositions were condemned by the parliament, and the author committed to the Gate-house. But as soon as the protector had dissolved his parliament he gave him his liberty.

After this, being of a restless spirit,* he challenged Mr. Griffin, a baptist preacher, to dispute with him in St.

Mr. Biddle was a pions, holy, and humbly man; a conscientious sufferer for what appeared to him divine and important. The propositions objected to him above do not appear in his catechisms under the form of principles which he asserts, but of questions, which he propos es, and the answers to which are numerous texts of scripture, that appear to speak to the point. E. g. The first proposition is this question: "Is not God, according to the current of the scripture, in a certain place, namely in heaven?" The answer consists of 29 passages of scripture, which represent God, as "looking from heaven, as our father who art in heaven," and the like. For a fall account of these eatechisms I would refer the reader to my "Review of the Life, Character, and Writings of Mr. John Biddle," section 8. Ed.

It is to be regretted, that Mr. Neal should speak in this manner of one, who thought it his duty, by the fair and peaceable means of preach

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