WALTER ROSEWELL, A. M. was a worthy puritan minister, first in Friday-street, London, then at Chatham in Kent, where he died in the year 1658. One of his name, and probably the same person, was severely persecuted by Bishop Pierce. He was a man of considerable eminence. Mr. Thomas Case preached his funeral sermon, and afterwards published it, entitled, " Elijah's Abatement; or, Corruption in the Saints, on James iii. 17,"—1658; but this we have not seen. Mr. Rosewell was cousin to Mr. Thomas Rosewell, the nonconformist minister who was tried for high treason before Judge Jefferies; and who in early life derived great advantages from his pious and grave instructions.+ THOMAS BALL, A. M. was born in Shropshire, in the year 1590, and educated in Queen's college, Cambridge, under the celebrated Dr. Preston. He afterwards became fellow of Emanuel college in the same university, then minister of the gospel at Northampton, where he died, and his remains were interred, June 21, 1659, aged sixty-nine years. His funeral sermon was preached by Mr. John Howes, rector of Abbington near that place, who gave high commendations of his departed friend. This sermon was published, entitled, "Real Comforts, extracted from moral and spiritual Principles, presented in a Sermon preached at the Funeral of that reverend Divine, Mr. Thomas Ball, with a narrative of his Life and Death," 1660; which, however, we have never seen. Mr. Ball was author of several books, among which were, "The Life of Dr. John Preston," and "Pastorum propugnaculum; or, the Pulpit's Patronage against the force of unordained Usurpation and Innovation, in four Parts,” 1656. STANLEY GOWER was a puritan divine of considerable eminence, chosen one of the assembly at Westminster, and he constantly attended during the session. He was minister at Brampton-Bryon ; but on his removal to London, he preached in Ludgate-street, and was one of the preachers to the parliament. He was appointed one of the committee for the examination and approbation of ministers who petitioned for sequestered livings; and one to examine and ordain candidates * Impeachment of Bp. Pierce, p. 8. + Life of Rosewell prefixed to his Trial, p. 8. Edit. 1718. Wood's Athenæ Oxon, vol. i. p. 861. He for the ministry. He united with his brethren, the London ministers, in their declaration against the king's death. was living in 1660, was then minister at Dorchester, and is denominated a zealous and eminent presbyterian. He wrote the life of Mr. Richard Rothwell, published in Clark's " Lives annexed to his Martyrologie." One of his sermons has this singular title," Things Now-a-doing: or, the Churches Travaile of the Child of Reformation Now-a-bearing, in a Sermon before the Honourable House of Commons, at their solemn Fast, July 31, 1644." HENRY FLINT was a most holy and worthy minister, driven from his native country by the tyrannical oppressions of Archbishop Laud. In the year 1635 he fled to New England, where he was chosen teacher to the church at Braintree, of which Mr. William Thompson was pastor. There he closed his life and his labours, April 27, 1668. He was a man of great piety, gravity, and integrity, and eminently qualified for the ministerial work. JAMES SICKLEMORE was minister of the church at Singleton, near the city of Chichester, and a person famous for his great learning and piety. About the year 1640, he espoused the peculiar sentiments of the baptists, and became a zealous asserter of his opinions. Previous to this, being concerned for the instruction of the rising generation, he usually catechized the young people of his parish, and explained to them the questions and answers contained in the church catechism. On one of these occasions, as he was discoursing on the promises of godfathers and godmothers in the name of the infants at their baptism, one of his catechumens asked him, "what warrant there was from the holy scriptures for what he had been speaking?" Feeling himself at a loss to give a direct answer, he warmly insisted on the general voice of the christian church. Upon further examination, he renounced infant-baptism altogether, and refused to baptize the children of his parishioners. He was also opposed to the maintenance of ministers by tithes; and *Neal's Puritans, vol. iii. p. 89, 140. Kennet's Chronicle, p. 185. Mather's Hist. of New Eng. b. iii. p. 122. || Morton's Memorial, p. 190. + Ibid. p. 491. therefore he gave away the greatest part of his income to the poor and needy. Though after the change of his sentiments he continued in his parish, he frequently preached at other places, particularly at Sevamore and Portsmouth; at both of which places he was instrumental, under God, of making and Lapuzing many disciples. This practice he continued to the end of his days. Though it does not appear when he died, he laid the foundation of the two baptist congregrations at Portsmouth and Chichester.* Crosby's Baptists, vol. iv. p. 245-247. APPENDIX: Containing a correct List of the principal Authorities referred to in the Work, with the particular edition of each. The Works in Folio are the following: Prynne's Breviate of the Life of Laud, 1644. Fuller's Church History of Britain, 1655. History of the University of Cambridge, 1655. Leigh's Treatise of Religion and Learning, 1656. Scobell's Collection of Acts and Ordinances, 1658. Fuller's History of the Worthies of England, 1662. Lloyd's Memoires of Excellent Personages, 1668. Heylin's Life of Archbishop Laud, 1668. History of the Presbyterians, 1670. Mede's Works, with his Life prefixed, 1672. Clark's Lives of Eminent Persons, last vol. 1683. Fox's Acts and Monuments of the Martyrs, iii. vols. 1684. Wood's Athenæ Oxonienses, ii. vols. 1691, 1692. Strype's Memorials of Archbishop Cranmer, 1694. Sylvester's Life of Baxter, 1696. Wharton's Troubles and Trial of Abp. Laud, ii. vols. 1695, 1700. Mather's History of New England, 1702. Clarendon's History of the Rebellion, iii. vols. 1704. Kennet's Complete History of England, vol. ii. and iii. 1706. Strype's Life of Archbishop Grindal, 1710. - Parker, 1711. Collier's Ecclesiastical History, vol. ii. 1714. Walker's Attempt at the Sufferings of the Clergy, 1714. Echard's History of England, vol. ii. 1718. Stow's Survey of London and Westminster, ii. vols. 1720. Burnet's History of his own Time, vol. i. 1724. Winwood's Memorials of State Affairs, ii. vols. 1727. Strype's Annals of the Reformation, iv. vols. 1709–1731. Peck's Desiderata Curiosa, ii. vols. 1732. Ward's Lives of the Gresham Professors, 1740. Rapin's History of England, vol. ii. 1743. Kennet's Historical Register and Chronicle, 1744. Blomefield's History of Norfolk, vol. i. and ii. 1739, 1745. Wren's Parentalia, 1750. Warner's History of England, vol. ii. 1759. Biographia Britannica, vii. vols. 1747—1766. Bridges's History of Northamptonshire, ii. vols. 1792. Biographia Britannica, v. vols. 1778-1793. Works in Quarto. Parte of a Register, contayning sundrie Memorable Matters, no dute. Examinations of Barrow, Greenwood, and Penry, no date. Bancroft's Dangerous Positions, 1593. Survey of the pretended Holy Discipline, 1593. Ainsworth's Counterpoyson, 1608. Paget's Arrow against the Separation of the Brownists, 1618. 1633. Huntley's Breviate of the Prelates' intolerable Usurpations, 1637. Paget's Defence of Church Government, 1641. A Briefe Discourse of the Troubles at Frankeford, 1642. Edwards's Antapologia, 1644. Bailie's Dissuasive from the Errors of the Time, 1645. Edwards's Gangræna, iii. parts, 1646. Bailie's Anabaptism, 1647. Cotton's Way of Congregational Churches, 1648. Fuller's Abel Redivivus, 1651. Featley's Dippers Dipt: or the Anabaptists Duck'd, 1651. Paget's Heresiography, 1654. Clark's Marrow of Ecclesiastical History, 1654. History of New England, from 1628 to 1652; printed 1654. Bailie's Vindication of his Dissuasive, 1655. Erbery's Testimony left upon Record, 1658. Morton's Memorial of New England, 1669. Sparrow's Collection of Articles, Injunctions, &c. 1675. Baxter's Second Plea for the Nonconformists, 1681. L'Estrange's Dissenters' Sayings, ii. parts, 1681. Works in Octavo, &c. Lupton's History of Protestant Divines, 1637. Heylin's Examen Historicam, 1659. Wilkins's Discourse on Preaching, 1678. Paule's Life of Archbishop Whitgift, 1699. Welwood's Memoirs of Transactions, 1700. Barlow's Sum of the Conference at Hampton Court, 1707. |