Ibid. "by bringing into the house the bill against bishops," &c. Dr. Heylin's account of this matter, in the Hiftory of the prefbyterians, is in these words. "Though a convocation were "at that time fitting, yet to increase the miseries of a fall"ing church, it was permitted that a private meeting should "be held in the deanery of Westminster, to which fome "orthodox and conformable divines were called, as a foil "to the reft, which generally were of prefbyterian or pu"ritan principles. By them it was propofed that many "paffages in the liturgy fhould be expunged, and others "altered for the worfe. That decency and reverence in "officiating God's public fervice fhould be brought within "the compafs of innovations: that doctrinal calvinism "fhould be entertained in all parts of the church; and all "their fabbath fpeculations, though contrary to Calvin's "judgment, fuperadded to it. But before any thing could "be concluded in those weighty matters, the commons fet "their bill on foot against root and branch, for putting "down all bishops and cathedral churches, which put a "period to that meeting without doing any thing." Calainy was afterwards an active member of the affembly of divines, and often ordered to preach before the parliament. He was at the fame time one of the Cornhill lecturers, and his minifterial abilities procured him a very great interest in the city of London. His preaching was attended not only by his own parifh, but by other eminent citizens, and even perfons of quality. He was a ftrenuous oppofer of the fectaries, and ufed his utmost endeavours to prevent those violences which were committed after the king was brought from the Biogr. Brit. Ifle of Wight. The reprefentation of the London ministers to the general and his council of war, prefented Jan. 18, 1648, (which Collier in his Church History styles an inftance of handfome plain-dealing, and a bold reprimand of a victorious army) was drawn up to enforce what mr. Calamy, and fome other minifters of the fame perfuafion, had delivered in two conferences, the firft with the general and his council, the fecond with the chief officers of the army. In Cromwell's time he lived as privately as he could. The following ftory, which Harry Neville, who was one of the council of ftate, afferted of his own knowledge, is a proof that he did not approve of his ufurpation. "Cromwell having a defign to fet up himself, and bring the crown upon his own head, fent for fome of the chief city di"vines, as if he made it a matter of conscience, to be de"termined by their advice. Among thefe was the leading 5 66 mr. "mr. Calamy, who very boldly oppofed the project of "Cromwell's fingle government, and offered to prove it "both unlawful and impracticable. Cromwell answered "readily upon the first head of unlawful; and appealed to "the fafety of the nation being the fupreme law: But, " fays he, pray, mr. Calamy, why impracticable? He re"plied; Oh it is against the voice of the nation; there "will be nine in ten against you. Very well, fays Crom"well; but what if I fhould difarm the nine, and put the "fword in the tenth man's hand, would not that do the Biogr, Brit. "business?" When a favourable opportunity offered, he was very affiduous to procure the return of Charles II. and actually Ibid. preached before the parliament the day they voted the king's restoration, and was one of the divines fent over to compliment him in Holland. In June 1660, he was made one of his majesty's chaplains, and was offered the bishoprick of Coventry and Litchfield; which he refufed. It was faid in the city on this occafion (as we are told by mr. Baxter in his Reliquiæ) that "if mr. Calamy fhould ac"cept of a bishoprick, who had preached and written and se done fo much against epifcopacy, never presbyterian "would be trufted for his fake: fo the clamour was very "loud against his acceptance of it." Mr. Calamy was one of the commiffioners for the conference at the Savoy. He was turned out of his cure of St. Mary Aldermanbury, on St. Bartholomew's day in 1662, for nonconformity. On the 30th of Auguft following, he prefented a petition to the king, praying that he might be permitted to continue in the exercife of his minifterial office. Next day the matter being debated in council, his majesty was pleased to fay, that he intended an indulgence, if it were at ali feasible: but dr. Sheldon, bishop of London, in a warm speech, declared, "That it was now too late to think "of fufpending the execution of the act of uniformity, for "that he had already, in obedience to it, ejected fuch of his "clergy, as would not comply with it, on the Sunday be"fore; that the fufpenfion of the facred authority of this "law would render the legislature ridiculous and contemp"tible; and if the importunity of fuch diffaffected people were a fufficient reafon to humour them, neither the church nor ftate would ever be free from distractions and "convulfions." So that, upon the whole, it was carried, that no indulgence fhould be granted. Mr. Calamy remainxd however in his parish, and came conftantly to church. On Life, 11. 6. On Sunday, December 28, 1662, the expected preacher not coming in due time, fome of the principal perfons in the parith prevailed upon mr. Calamy to fupply his place. Certain paffages in his fermon on this occafion gave fo much offence [A], that he was committed to Newgate, by the lord mayor's warrant, for contempt of the act of uniformity; but in a few days the king discharged him. The fight of London in afhes, which he lived to fee, broke his heart: he died October 29, 1666. Though a very learned man, he was a plain and practical preacher, and delivered his fentiments very freely of Abridgment the greatest men; of which his grandfon, (after telling us of Baxter's that mr. Calamy had the greateft intereft at the time of the restoration, at court, in the city, and country, of any of the ministers, but faw whither things were tending) gives the following inftance: having occafion, when general Monk was his auditor in his own church, a little after the restoration, on a facrament day, to speak of filthy lucre: "And why (faid he) is it called filthy, but because it makes "men do bafe and filthy things? Some men will betray three "kingdoms for filthy lucre's fake." Saying which, he threw his handkerchief, which he ufually waved up and down whilft he was preaching, towards the general's pew. Befides publishing several fermons preached by him on public occafions, and fome others on practical fubjects, he had a hand in drawing up the Vindication of the prefbyterial government and miniftry, printed in 1650, and the Jus divinum ministerii evangelici Anglicani, printed in 1654. He was twice married. By his first wife he had a fon and a daughter, and by his fecond feven children. [A] One of them was this. "You "have had three famous fucceffors, "dr. Taylor for feven years; dr. "Stoughton for feven years, and "myself; I have been with you "almost four and twenty years; "and may not God now unchurch "you, by fuffering you to want a "faithful minifter to go in and out "before you! This is one reafon, upon which account I may safe"ly fay, the ark of God is in dan " ger, and Aldermanbury may "truly fear the lofs of the ark." Another paffage ran thus: "I CALAMY (BENJAMIN) an eminent divine and excellent preacher, was fon of the preceding by a fecond wife. From St. Paul's fchool in London, where he was placed when very young, he was fent to Catherine-hall, Cambridge, and fucceffively took the degrees of bachelor and mafter of arts. He became alfo fellow of that hall, and an eminent tutor. April 25, 1677, he was chofen minister of St. Mary Aldermanbury, and foon after appointed one of his majefty's chaplains in ordinary. In 1680 he took his degree of doctor in divinity. In 1683, he preached, in his own church, his famous fermon on Luke xi. 41. which he afterwards published under the title of A difcourfe about a fcrupulous confcience. It was dedicated to fir George Jefferies, chief juftice of Chester, afterwards lord Jefferies and high chancellor of England. "For my own part, fays the "doctor in this dedication, no one is more favourable to a "truly tender confcience than myself; let it be as fcrupulous "and nice as it can well, fo it be about the substantial mat"ters of piety towards God, juftice between man and man, "due obedience to fuperiors, and when it makes us more ex"actly careful of our undoubted duty in all inftances: but "when men are scrupulous only on one fide, about things "commanded by lawful authority, and make no fcruple of "difobedience, fchifm, faction, and divifion; when men fet "up their private humour, fancy, or opinión, in oppofition "to established laws; when they become peevish, pragmati❝cal, and ungovernable; nay, when mens confciences prove "fo generally tender and fcrupulous as to doubt of, and fuf"pect the rights of the crown.... fuch wayward, skittish "confciences ought to be well bridled and reftrained, or elfe "they will be not only intolerably troublefome, but extreme"ly mischievous both to church and state." At the end of the fermon we find a quotation from a book of his father's, to fhew, that fuch as were nonconformifts then, were zealous for conformity when themselves were in poffeffion of the churches. This fermon was attacked foon after its publication by mr. Thomas Delaune, a zealous nonconformist, in a piece, entitled, Delaune's plea for the nonconformists, &c. in a letter to dr. Benjamin Calamy, upon the fermon called, Scrupulous confcience, inviting hereto. To which is added, a parallel scheme of the pagan, papal, and chriftian rites and ceremonies. For the publishing this book Delaune was taken up, on November 29, 1683, and committed to Newgate. After his commitment, he wrote a long letter to dr. dr. Calamy, wherein, after having often told him, that he wrote in obedience to his call, and was imprisoned entirely on his account, he concludes thus: "All I defire is, that "fcrupulous confciences, who trouble not the peace of the "nation, should be dealt withal, at least, as weak brethren, "according to Rom. xiv. 1. and not ruined by penalties, "for not fwallowing what is impofed under the notion of "decency and order, though excentric to the scheme we "have of it in our only rule of faith. Sir, I intreat you to "excufe this trouble from a ftranger, who would fain be "convinced by something more like divinity than Newgate, "where any meffage from you fhall be welcome to your "humble fervant, T. D." To this epiftle dr. Calamy answered, that if mr. Delaune had been imprisoned upon the account of answering his book, he would do him any service. that became him. Some other letters to the fame purpose were fent by the prifoner to the doctor, which did not hinder his being tried at the Old Bailey for a libel, on the 16th of January following, and fentenced to pay a fine of one hundred marks, to remain prisoner till he paid his fine, and give fecurity for his good behaviour for a year, and his book to be burnt at the Royal Exchange. By which fentence, himself, his wife, and children perished in Newgate, nobody thinkVol. II. No, ing fit, fays the Obfervator, to raise so fmall a fum for one of the beft fcholars in Europe. His death gave great concern to dr. Calamy, who interceded for his discharge with fir George Jefferies, with whom he was very intimate when he was common ferjeant and recorder of London, but to no purpose. 95. In 1683, dr. Calamy refigned the living of St. Mary Aldermanbury, upon his admiffion to the vicarage of St. Lawrence Jewry, with St. Mary Magdalen Milk-ftreet annexed. June 18, 1685, he was inftalled into the prebend of Harleston, in the cathedral of St. Paul. The fate of alderman Cornish, his parishioner at St. Lawrence Jewry, affected him in a very fenfible manner. He had appeared for that gentleman at his trial for high treason, and vifited him in Newgate; and being earnestly preffed to attend him to the place of execution, he told mr. Cornifh, that he could as well die with him, as bear the fight of his death in fuch circumftances as he was in. On his repeated applications to fir George Jefferies in the alderman's favour, he received this answer: "Dear doc"tor, fet your heart at reft, and give yourself no further "trouble; for I can affure you, that if you could offer a "mine of gold as deep as the monument is high, and a "bunch |