Pearson, John
, a very learned English bishop, was
born Feb. 12, 1612, at Snoring in Norfolk; of which place
his father was rector. In 1623 he was sent to Eton school;
whence he was elected to King’s college, Cambridge, in
1632. He took the degree of B. A. in 1635, and that of
master in 1639; in which year he resigned his fellowship
of the college, and lived afterwards a fellow-commoner in
it. The same year he entered into orders, and was collated
to a prebend in the church of Sarum. In 1640 he was
appointed chaplain to Finch, lord-keeper of the great seal;
by whom in that year he was presented to the living of
Torrington, in Suffolk. Upon the breaking out of the civil
war he became chaplain to the lord Goring, whom he attended in the army, and afterwards to sir Robert Cook in
London. In 1650 he was made minister of St. Clement’s,
Eastcheap, in London. In 1657 he and Gunning, afterwards bishop of Ely, had a dispute with two Roman catholics upon the subject of schism. This conference was
managed iivwriting, and by mutual agreement nothing was
to be made public without the consent of both parties; yet
a partial account of it was published in 1658, by one of the
Romish disputants, cum privilegw, at Paris, with this title,
“Schism unmasked a late conference,” &c.*
In 1659
| he published “
An Exposition of the Creed,” at
London,
in 4to; dedicated to his parishioners of St.
Clement’s,
Eastcheap, to whom the substance of that excellent work
had betn preached several years before, and by whom he
had been desired to nnake it public. This “
Exposition,”
which has gone through twelve or thirteen editions, is accounted one of the most finished pieces of theology in our
language. It is itself a body of divinity, the style of which
is just; the periods, for the most part, well turned the
method very exact; and it is, upon the whole, free from
those errors which are too often found in theological
systems. There is a translation of it into Latin by a foreign
divine, who styles himself “
Simon Joannes Arnoldus, Ecclesiarum ballivise, sive praefecturae Sonnenburgensis Inspector;” and a very valuable and judicious abridgment was in
1810 published by the rev.
Charles Burney, LL.
D.
F.
R.
S.
In the same year (1659) bishop Pearson published “
The
Golden Remains of the ever-memorable Mr. John Hales,
of Eton;” to which he wrote a preface, containing the
character of that great man, with whom he had been acquainted for many years, drawn with great elegance and
force. Soon after the restoration he was presented by
Juxon, then bishop of
London, to the rectory of St.
Christopher’s, iri that city; created
D.
D. at
Cambridge, in
pursuance of the king’s letters mandatory; installed prebendary of
Ely, archdeacon of
Surrey, and made master
of Jesus college,
Cambridge; all before the end of 1660.
March 25, 1661, he succeeded Dr. Lore in the
Margaret
professorship of that university; and, the first day of the
ensuing year, was nominated one of the commissioners for
the review of the liturgy in the conference at the
Savoy,
where the nonconformists allow he was the first of their
opponents for candour and ability. In
April 1662, he was
admitted master of
Trinity college,
Cambridge; and, in
August resigned his rectory of St.
Christopher’s, and prebend of Sarum. In 1667 he was admitted a fellow of the
royal society. Jn 1672 he published, at
Cambridge, in
4to, “
Vindiciae F.pistolarum S. Ignatii,” in answer to
mons. Dailie; to which is subjoined, “
Isaaci Vossii
|
epistolas duæ adversus Davidem Blondellum.” Upon the
death of Wilkins, bishop of
Chester, Pearson was promoted to that see, to which he was consecrated Feb. 9, 1673.
In 1684- his “
Annales Cynrianici, sive tredecim annorum,
quibus S. Cyprian, inter Christianos versatus est, historia
chronologica,” was published at
Oxford, with Fell’s edition.
of that father’s works. Dr. Pearson was disabled from all
public service by ill health, having entirely lost his memory, a considerable time before his death, which happened at
Chester,
July 16, 1686. Two years after, his
posthumous works were published by Dodweli at
London,
“
Cl. Jaannis Pearsoni Cestriensis nuper Episcopi opera
posthuma, &c. &c.” There are extant two sermons published by him, 1. “
No Necessity for a Reformation,' 7 1661,
4to. 2.”
A Sermon preached before the King, on Eccles.
vii. 14, published by his majesty’s special command," 1671,
4to. An anonymous writer in the Gentleman’s Magazine
(1789 p. 493) speaks of some unpublished
Mss. by bishop
Pearson in his possession. His
ms notes on
Suidas are in.
the library of
Trinity college,
Cambridge, and were used
by Kuster in his edition.
Our prelate was reckoned an excellent preacher, very
judicious and learned, particularly accurate and exact in
chronology, and well versed in the fathers and the ecclesiastical historians. Dr. Bentley used to say that bishop
Pearson’s “very dross was gold.” In bishop Burnet’s
opinion he “was in all respects the greatest divine of his
age.” Bishop Huet also, to whom he communicated various readings on some parts of Origen’s works, gives him
a high character. But, as Burnet reminds us, he was an
affecting instance “of what a great man can fall to; for his
memory went from him so entirely, that he became a child
some years before he died.” He had a younger brother
Richard, professor of civil law in Gresham college, and
under-keeper of the royal library at St. James’s, of whom
Ward gives some account, but there is nothing very interesting in his history. 1
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Works found by this author (or others with similar names) in the Early English Books Online Collection:
Exomologesis, or, A faithfull narration of the occaision and motives of the conversion unto Catholick unity of Hugh-Paulin de Cressy, lately Deane of Laghlin &c. in Ireland and Prebend of Windsore in England now a second time printed with additions and explications by the same author who now calls himself B. Serenus Cressy, religious priest of the holy order of S. Benedict in the convent of S. Gregory in Doway. (1653) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.
The patriarchal funeral, or, A sermon preached before the Right Honourable George Lord Berkeley upon the death of his father by John Pearson. (1658) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.
Golden remains of the ever memorable Mr Iohn Hales of Eton College &c. (1659) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.
A paraphrasticall explication of the twelve minor prophets. Viz. Hoseah. Joel. Amos. Obadiah. Jonah. Micah. Nahum. Habakkuk. Zephaniah. Haggai. Zechariah. Malachi. / By Da. Stokes. D.D. (1659) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.
A discourse of infallibility with Mr. Thomas White's answer to it, and a reply to him / by Sir Lucius Cary late Lord Viscount of Falkland ; also Mr. Walter Mountague (Abbot of Nanteul) his letter against Protestantism and his Lordship's answer thereunto, with Mr. John Pearson's preface. (1660) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.
An ansvver to Dr. Burges his vvord by way of postscript. In vindication of No necessity of reformation of the publick doctrine of the Church of England. By John Pearson D.D. (1660) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.
No necessity of reformation of the publick doctrine of the Church of England. By John Pearson, D.D. (1660) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.
A short treatise of the great worth and best kind of nobility Wherein, that of nature is highly commended, that of grace is justly preferred; the one from humane experience, the other upon divine evidence. / By Henry Whiston, rector of Balcomb in Sussex. (1661) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.
Promiscuous ordinations are destructive to the honour & safety of the Church of England (if they should be allowed in it). Written in a letter to a person of quality. (1668) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.
Vindiciae epistolarum S. Ignatii autore Joanne Pearson ... ; accesserunt Isaaci Vossii Epistolae duae adversus David Blondellum. (1672) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.
A sermon preached November V, MDCLXXIII, at the Abbey-Church in Westminster by John, Lord Bishop of Chester. (1673) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.
A sermon preached at the visitation of the Right Reverend Father in God, John Lord Bishop of Chester, at Chester by James Arderne ... (1677) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.
Antichristian treachery discovered and its way block'd up in a clear distinction betwixt the Christian apostolical spirit, and the spirit of the antichristian apostate : being an answer to a book put forth by William Rogers, falsely called, The Christian Quaker distinguished from the apostate and innovator ... In three parts ... (1686) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.
V. cl. Johannis Pearsonii, S. T. P. Cestriensis nuper Episcopi, Opera posthuma chronologica, &c. viz., De serie et successione primorum Romæ episcoporum dissertationes duæ : quibus præfiguntur Annales Paulini et Lectiones in Acta Apostolorum : singula prælo tradidit edenda curavit & dissertationis novis additionibus auxit H. Dodwellus ... : cujus etiam accessit De eadem successione usque ad annales cl. Cestriensis Cyprianicos dissertation singularis. (1688) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.
The schism of the Church of England &c. demonstrated in four arguments formerly propos'd to Dr. Gunning and Dr. Pearson, the late Bishops of Ely and Chester / by two Catholick disputants, in a celebrated conference upon that point. (1688) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.
[Tou agiou Ignatiou epistolai. = Sancti Ignatii epistolæ] (1696) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.
Tentamen novum continuatum. Or, An answer to Mr Owen's Plea and defense. Wherein Bishop Pearson's chronology about the time of St. Paul's constituting Timothy Bishop of Ephesus, and Titus of Crete, is confirm'd; the second epistle to Timothy demonstrated to have been written in the apostle's latter imprisonment at Rome; and all Mr. Owen's arguments drawn from antiquity for Presbyterian parity and ordination by presbyters, are overthrown. Herein is more particularly prov'd, that the Church of England, ever since the Reformation, believ'd the divine right of bishops. By Thomas Gipps, rector of Bury in Lancashire. (1699) by Pearson, John, 1613-1686.