Thomas Case

son of George Case Vicar of Boxley in Kent, was born in that County, became Student of Ch Ch. upon the recommendations of Tob. Mathew Archb. of York, in the year 1616; aged 17 years or thereabouts, took the degrees in Arts, holy Orders, preached for some time in these parts, and afterwards in Kent, at, or near, the place of his nativity. At the turn of the times in 1641, he closed with them, and being schismatically addicted, he became an enemy to the Bishops and Liturgy, a great Boutifieu and firebrand in the Church, a leader and abettor of the pretended reformation, and what not to vent his spleen, to become popular in the City of London, and so consequently to get preferment and wealth, which before he wanted, and therefore discontented. About the same time he was made Minister of S. Mary Magd. Ch. in Milkstreet in Lond, upon the sequestration thence of a Loyalist, where it was usual with him at his invitation of the people to the Lords table for the receiving of the sacrament to say ((a))((a)) So in A Letter from Merc. Civicus to Merc. Rusticus: or Londons Confession, &c. Printed 1643. p. 26. See also in Merc. Aul. 19 Feb. 1642. You that have freely and liberally contributed to the Parliament for the defence of Gods Cause and the Gospel draw near, instead of You that do truly and earnestly repent, &c. To the rest he threatned damnation, as coming unwillingly to the holy sacrament. In 1643, he, as a grand lover of the cause, was made by ordinance of Parliament one of the Ass. of Divines, being then, as before and after, a frequent Preacher before the members of the said Parliament, and about that time the Thursdays Lecturer at S. Martins in the Fields. He was so zealous a Covenanteer also, that he published a Sermon about the solemn League and Covenant, advised all to take it, and was angry with those that did not, tho they understood it not. He was, during the War, (as most of the Brethren were) a common Preacher of Rebellion. Atlength he, and they, being cozened of their King, and the designs they had upon him, by the Independents, he became a bitter enemy to that party, plotted with Love, Jenkyns, &c. and with the Scots, to bring in his son K. Ch. 2, an. 1651, Case being about that time Minister of S. Giles in the Fields near London; but their Plot being discovered, and Love the Corypheus suffering for the rest, our author Case, with his Brethren that were in the Conspiracy, made ((b))((b)) Memorials of Engl. Affaires, an. 1651. a Petition to Oliver by way of acknowledgment and submission for what they had done. In the year 1653 he made it his endeavours to be one of the Triers for the approbation of Ministers, appointed by Oliver, but was rejected; yet when the Presbyterians began to lift up their heads in the latter end of 1659, upon the generous proceedings of General Monk, he was constituted by Act of Parl. dated 14 of Mar. that year, one of the Ministers for the approbation and admission of Ministers according to the Presbyterian way. But that foppery being soon after laid aside, he, himself, upon the coming out of the Act of Conformity an. 1662, was laid aside also; yet ever after so long as he lived, he was not wanting to carry on the beloved Cause in Conventicles for which he sometimes suffer’d. He hath written and published,

Several Sermons, as (1) Two Serm. before the House of Commons, on Ezek. 20.25. and on Ezra 10.2.3. Lond. 1642. sec. edit. (2) Gods rising, his Enemies scattering, before the H. of C. at their Fast 26 Oct. 1642, on Psal. 68.1.2. Lond. 1644. qu. (3) The root of Apostasy and fountain of true Fortitude, Thanksgiving Serm. before the H. of C. 9 Apr. 1644, for the great Victory given to Sir Will. Waller, and the Forces with him, against the Army of Sir Ralph Hopton, on Dan 11.32. Lond. 1644. qu. (4) Deliverance-obstruction: or the set-backs of Reformation, Fast Serm. before the H. of Lords 26 Mar. 1646, on Exod. 5.22.23. Lond. 1646. qu. (5) A model of true spiritual Thankfulness, Thanksgiving Serm. 19 Feb. 1645. for reducing the City of Chester by the Parl. forces under the command of Sir Will. Brereton, on Psal. 107.30.31. Lond. 1646. qu. (6) Spiritual whoredome, discovered in a Fast Serm. before the H. of C. 26 May 1647, on Hosea 9.1. Lond. 1647. qu. (7) Serm. before the H. of C. 22 Aug. 1645, being the day appointed for the solemne Thanksgiving unto God for the Parliament forces their gaining of Bathe and Bridgwater, Scarborough, and Sherburne Castle, and for the dispersing of the Clubmen, and the good success in Pembrokshire, on Isa. 43.14. Lond. 1645. qu.

Other Sermons, as (1) Gods waiting to be gracious unto his people, together with Englands encouragements and cautions to wait on God, delivered in certain Sermons at Milkstreet in Lond. on Isa. 30.18. Lond. 1642. qu. (3) Sermon on Ezek. 50.5. Lond. 1643. qu. (4) Jehosaphats caution to his Judges, on 2 Chron. 19.6.7. Lond. 1644. 45. qu. This Sermon, which I have not yet seen, was preached, if I mistake not, in Aug. 1644, upon the occasion of a Court Martial: From the Epistle before which, and from the Sermon it self, the Independents took great advantage, and quoted it when the Presbyterian Plot was discovered, to bring into England K. Ch 2. an. 1651; at which. time Chr. Love who was the chief man in that Plot, and our Author Case another, were to be brought to their Trial. The Sermon is all for revenge of blood, innocent blood, spilt; and ’tis in a most high and desperate manner a downright provocation to do justice upon Delinquents, that is Cavaliers, or those that adhered to the King, to spare not one of them living. &c. (5) The quarrel of the Covenant, with the pacification of the quarrel, in 3 Sermons on Lev. 26.25. and on Jer. 50.5. Lind. 1644. qu. (6) The vanity of vain glory, funeral Sermon at the burial of Kingsmyll Lucy, on 1 Cor. 1. ver. 29. with 31. Lond. 1655. in tw. (7) Sensuality dissected, Serm. before divers Citizens of London born in Kent—Lond. 1657. (qu.) (8) Eliahs abateman; or corruption in the Saints, Sermon at the funeral of Walt. Roswell M. A. at Chatham in Kent, on Jam. 3.17. Lond. 1658. in tw. (9) Serm. on Prov. 31.19. Lond. 1658 oct. (19) Fun. Serm. on Malack. 3.17. Lond. 1659. qu. (11) Farewell Sermon at Barthelmewtyde, on Rev. 2.5. Lond. 1662. oct. (12) How the Sabbath ought to be Sanctifyed, on Isa. 58.13.14. Lond. 1674. 76. qu. ’Tis in the Supplement to the morning exercise at Cripplegate. (13) Sermon on 2. Tim. 1.13, preached in the Morning Exercise at S. Giles in the feilds, in May 1659: which Serm. is extant in a book entit. The morning Exercise methodized, published by our author Case, with his Epistle before it—Lond. 1676 qu. Besides these, and other Sermons which I have not yet seen, he hath published,

The Morning Exercise: or some short notes taken out of the Morning Sermons, which divers Ministers of the Gospel in the City of Lond. preached at S. Giles in the fields, in the month of May 1655. Lond. 1655. in tw.

Imitation of the Saints, opened in practical meditations. Lond. 1666. qu.

Mount Pisgah: or a prospect of heaven. Being an exposition on the fourth chapter of the first Epistle of S. Paul to the Thess. from the 13 verse to the end of the chapt. Lond. 1670. qu. Dedicated to Sir Rob. Booth L. Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in Ireland, whose Mother the author Case had married.

Correction, instruction: or a treatise of afflictions, first conceived by way of privat meditations, after digested into certain Sermons. Lond. 1671. in tw. At length after our author had lived in continual agitation for carrying on the cause he professed,1682. died in sixteen hundred eighty and two: whereupon his body was buried at the upper end of the Church called Christ Church within Newgate in London; and had soon after laid over his grave a large white stone, just below the steps going to the altar, with this Inscription thereon. Heic molliter dormit Thomas Case fideliss. Jesu Christi Minister, in hâc urbe & alibi, perquam plurimos annos egregius Concionator. In Aede Christi Oxon educatus, in hoc templo Christi tandem sepultus. Obiit 30. Maii, an. aetatis 84. annoque Domini 1682.