Thomas Lye

son of Tho. Lye or Leigh, was born at Chard in Somersetshire, 25 of Mar. 1621, entred a Servitour of Wadh. Coll. under his learned and faithful Tutor Mr. George Ashwell in Mich. term 1636, elected scholar thereof 29 Jun. in the year following, took one degree in Arts by the name of Tho. Leigh, (by which name also he had been matriculated) went afterwards to Cambridge when Oxford was garrison’d for his Majesty, took the degree of Master of Arts there in July 1647, being then or lately, Master of the school at Bury S. Edm. in Suffolk, returned afterwards to Oxon for preferment, was made Chaplain of Wadh. Coll, and incorporated Master of this University by the name of Tho. Lye, in the month of May 1649. Soon after he was made Minister of Chard before mentioned, and on the 24 of Aug. 1651, he preached a farewell sermon, as being under the sentence of banishment, because he would not swear against the beloved Covenant. In 1654 he was appointed one of the Assistants to the Commissioners of Somersetshire for the ejection of such whom the Saints then called scandalous, ignorant and insufficient Ministers and Schoolmasters. In 1658, upon the receipt of a Call, he entred on the pastoral charge of Allhallowes Church in Lombardstreet in London, on the 20 of Nov. or thereabouts; and by Act of Parl. of the 14 of March 1659, he was made one of the Approvers of Ministers according to the Presbyterian way: which Act being soon after annulled, upon a foresight of his Majesties restauration, he himself two years after was ejected for Nonconformity. He hath extant,

Several Sermons, as (1) The fixed saint, held forth in a farewell Serm. at Allhallowes in Lombardstreet 17 Aug. 1662, on Phil. 4.1. Lond. 1662. qu. It was reprinted the same year in octavo, among other farewell Sermons at Barthelmew tide, with his picture, very like him, with other pictures of Nonconformists, that then preached in and near London, set in the title. (2) Sermon on Luke 17.10.—Printed in The morning Exercise against Popery, preached in Southwark. Lond. 1675. qu. (3) By what spiritual rules may catechising be best managed, on Prov. 22.6. Printed in The supplement to the morning exercise at Cripplegate. Lond. 1674. and 76. qu. (4) The true believers union with Christ, on 1 Cor. 6.17.—Pr. in The morning exercise at S. Giles in the fields near Lond. in May 1659. Lond. 1676. qu. In which Morn. exerc. one John Tillotson hath also a sermon.

An explanation of the shorter Catechisme, composed by the Assembly of Divines 1647. With a plain and familiar method of instructing the younger sort in that Cat. Lond. in oct. Several times printed.

The Childs delight: together with an English Grammar. Lond. in oct. Several times printed.

A new Spelling-book: or reading and spelling English made easse: wherein all the words of our English Bible are set down in an alphabetical order and divided into their distinct Syllables. Together with the grounds of the English Tongue laid in verse, wherein are couch’d many moral Precepts. Lond. 1674. oct. &c. What other Sermons or books are published under his name, I know not, nor any thing else of him, only that he dying at Bednal green near London, on the seventh day of June in sixteen hundred eighty and four,1684. was buried in the Ch. of Clapham in Surrey: in which Town he had usually held forth in Conventicles with Dr. Hen. Wilkinson, commonly called Long Harry, and Will. Bridge, sometimes Minister of Yarmouth. He also for a better livelyhood instructed the sons of Nonconformists.