Thomas Lushington

a famous Scholar of his time, was born at Sandwych in Kent, matriculated in the University, as a member of Broadgates Hall, in Lent term, 1606/7 aged 17 years, but how long he stayed there, it appears not. Sure it is, that he having had some publick employment in the Country or elsewhere, did not take the degree of Bachelaur, nor that of Master of Arts till 1618, in which year he was a Communer of Linc. Coll. Not long after he returned to Broadgates again, and was there at the time when it was converted into the College of Pembroke, where he spent some years in Theological studies, took the degree of Bach. of Div. and soon after, for the great respect that Corbet B. of Oxon had for, made, him one of his Chaplains. In June 1631, he became Prebendary of Bemister Secunda in the Church of Salisbury, on the promotion of the said Corbet to the See of Oxon, and in the year following proceeding in his faculty, the said Bishop took him with him when he was translated to Norwych, bestowed on him the rectory of Burnham-Westgate in Norfolk, and got him to be Chaplain to K. Ch. 1. When the grand rebellion broke out, he lost his spiritualities, and lived obscurely in several places, publishing then divers books to gain money for his maintenance. At length upon the return of K. Ch. 2, in 1660, he was restored to his spiritualities, and had offers made to him of great dignities in the Church, but being then aged and infirm, he chose rather to keep what he had with quietness, than be a Dean with riches. He was esteemed a right reverend and learned Theologist, yet in many matters imprudent, and too much inclined to the opinions of Socinus. His preaching also while he remained in the University, was generally well esteemed, and never gave distaste but in one Sermon, which, tho esteemed by some to be admirable, yet by more, blasphemous. An account of which you shall have, as it followeth. In the year 1624 (22. Jac. 1.) nothing but War with Spain sounding in the ears of the vulgar upon the breaking off of the Spanish match with Prince Charles, it pleased this our Author Lushington to utter in his Sermon on Matth. 28.13. at S. Maries on Easter Munday these words—Now the Pesant thinks it comes to his turn under pretence of his priviledge in Parliament, that he should dispose of Kings and Commonwealths, &c. Afterwards also thus. Nothing now contents the Commonalty but war and contention, &c. For which, as also for several other passages, reflecting on the Spanish match, he was called into question by Dr. Piers the Vicechancellour, and by him, was a time appointed for him to recant what he had said. Which being done, not without the consent of certain Doctors, the Repetitioner was commanded to leave out divers passages of the said Sermon, which he, according to custome, was to repeat the Sunday after, commonly called Low Sunday. His recantation Sermon, on Acts 2.1. latter part, which he preached the very next day after the Repetitioner had delivered his four Sermons, I have seen, and therein I find, that his meaning for the first passage, was only to reprehend the seditious doctrines of Knox, Buchanan and others, and the tumultuary practices of the common People, formerly used both in town and country to affront their Prince, because of their privilege to elect Parliamentarie Persons. The word now hath the latitude of this age, that in Parliament I intended not locally in relation to the vulgar, who have a voice to elect Knights and Burgesses, but at the present, themselves hold no place personally in the Parliament, &c. As for other passages he said, he had no intent to cross the present resolution for War, but only to check the inordinate desire of it, somwhat too frequent in most mens mouthes, and it thought to him somewhat harsh to hear in the Chappel, give peace in our time O Lord, and presently in the Chambers, God send us war again, &c. Besides this recantation, (which his friends caused to be put upon him least he should be called into question by the Parliament) he was severely check’d by the Vicechancellour and Doctors for using certain passages not at all befitting the place, especially on such a text which treated concerning the resurrection of our Saviour. The truth is, this our Preacher was a Person more ingenious, than prudent, and more apt upon most occasions to display his fancy, than to proceed upon solid reason; if not, he would not in his said Sermon have discanted on the whole life of our Saviour purposely to render him and his Attendants, Men and Women, objects of scorn and aversion, as if they had been a pack of dissolute vagabonds and cheats. But the best of it was, that tho he then assumed the Person of a Jewish Pharisee and Persecutor of Christ, yet presently after changing his stile, as became a Disciple of Christ, he with such admirable dexterity (as ’tis ((*))((*)) Serenus Cressy in his Fanaticism fanatically imputed to the Cath. Ch. by Dr. Stillingfleet, printed 1672 p. 13. said) answered all the Cavillations and Invectives before made, that the loudly repeated applauses of his Hearers hindred him a good space from proceeding in his Sermon. He hath written and published these things following.

Commentary on the Hebrews. Lond. 1646. 47. fol. Published under the Capital Letters of G. M. Animadverted upon by Rich. Porter Bach. of Div. Fellow of S. Johns Coll. in Cambridge and Prebendary of Norwych in his book intit. God incarnate; shewing that Jesus Christ is the only and most high God, &c. Lond. 1655. oct. In the Epistle dedicatory before it he saith, “he was drawn to write that book by the importunity of some religious friends, and by the iniquity of a most blasphemous book, lately printed and called A commentary on the Hebrews, written by a nameless D. of D. who now resides in this County (Norfolk) but formerly in Broadgates Hall (so it was then called) wherein he hath vented such blasphemies against Jesus Christ, as (without special revocation and repentance) will in the end bring both himself, and all his seduced Sectaries, to that woful Broad gate, of which mention is made Matth. 7.13. Lata est porta, quae ducit ad perditionem, &c. The said Commentary hath laid the axe to the root and foundation of our Christian Religion by ungoding Jesus Christ, and blasphemously denying his grand and most gracious work of Redemption. And it is to be feared that the pernicious Doctrines therein contained, have many Abetters and Favourers in these dangerous times; albeit his Commentary is the first of all the Serpents nest that dared to peep out, and appear in our English Print, who both by his book, and by his personal insinuations, hath already (as we know) perverted many from the saving truth of the Gospel, to the evident danger both of theirs and his own soul: And his impious ambition to be the Ring-leader of this blasphemy, hath in this County (Norfolk) procured to him such a title and character, as was fastned on Marcion the Heretick by Polycarpus, when he called him Primogenitum Satanae, &c.” Thus the Author before quoted. But the Reader must know that the said Commentary on the Hebrews, was long since written in the Lat. Tongue by a Foreigner, either Joh. Crellius, Slightingius, or by some other Socinian, and was translated into English by this our Author, not without some alterations and additions. He also published,

Commentary on the Galathians. Lond. 1650. fol. Translated from Crellius, and wrot

Logica Analytica, de principiis, regulis & usu rationis rectae, lib. 3. Lond. 1650. oct. dedicated by the Author to Thom. Some Esq. his then Patron. But the copy coming from the Author into the hands of Nich. Bacon great Nephew to Francis Viscount S. Albans, was by him published, propter operis perfectionem, (as he saith) in quo nihil dictum, quod non statim probatum est, vel à principiis, primo & per se notis, vel à propositionibus inde demonstratis; deinde etiam propter ejus usum vel fructum eximium. There was another part written by the same Author De argumentatione, when this was published; but whether ever it came to light I know not.

The resurrection rescued from the Soldiers calumnies, in two sermons at S. Maries in Oxon, on Math. 28.13, and on Acts 2. latter part of the first verse. Lond. 1659, in tw. then published under the name of Rob. Jones, D. D.

Treatise of the passions according to Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas.

Treat. upon the Theology of Proclus.—These two last are written in Latine, and go about in MS. from hand to hand, and are not, as I conceive, yet printed. At length our Author retiring in his last days to some of his relations living at Sittingbourne near Milton in Kent, where he lived for some time in great retiredness, surrendred up his soul to God on 22 of Decemb. in sixteen hundred sixty and one, aged 72 years, and was buried in the south Chancel of the Church there.1661. Over his grave was soon after set up against the south wall of the said Chancel a comely monument, containing an arch of Alabaster supported by two pillars of black marble; between which is the statue or bust to the middle of our Author Lushington in his Doctor’s gown, holding his right hand on his breast, and having in his left a book, leaning on a cusheon. Over his head is an Urne, and under him a square table of black marble, with a large Inscription thereon, beginning thus, Siste viator, raro calcabis doctos simul & mansuetos cineres, &c. Under all are piles of books. On the stone that covers his grave is another Inscription, beginning thus, Hic jacet Thomas Lushingtonus olim Collegii Lincolniensis & Pembr. &c. The copies of both which you may see in Hist. & Antiq. Univ. Oxon. lib. 2. p. 335. b. in the first of which is an high character given of him.