Samue

SAMUE [•] FISHER son of Joh. Fisher a Haberdasher of hats and Mayor of Northampton, was born there, or at least in Northamptonshire, became a Student in Trin. Coll. in Mich. term, an. 1623, aged 18 years, took one degree in Arts, as a member thereof, at which time being puritanically inclined, he translated himself to New Inn, where, by the stay that he made, which was about two years after he had taken the degree of M. of A, he was throughly setled in his opinion, and as ’tis verily thought, he entertained then more opinions and Principles than one of his coat ought to have done. About the year 1632 he was presented to the Vicaridge of Lydde in Kent; where, under the character of a very powerful Preacher, he lived in Conformity (tho continuing still in his Puritanism) till about the year 1643, near which time he held a strict confederacy with some of the religious Zealots of his Town, who applied themselves to him for spiritual advice in reference to their scruples of conscience, as to which of the new differing Sects they ought to adhere. Whilst their thoughts were herein wavering, our Author Fisher enjoyn’d himself and them to the observance of several Fast-days, wherein he, as the mouth of the rest, was to apply himself to God by Prayer, to require his immediate direction and guidance. After many of these religious Consults, during the continuance of their being dissatisfied, two persons professing themselves Anabaptists retired to Lydde, and under the title of Messengers of God desired of our Author the libe [•] ty of using his Pulpit the next Lords day; wh [•] ch motion he seemed very inclinable to grant, but the Church-Wardens strictly forbad it. Whereupon the said Anabaptists on the Saturday following preached by turns in the open Market-place amongst a great concourse of people, wherein our Author had placed himself so near, as to have the conveniency of hearing their several Harangues. In the conclusion our Author desired a conference with them, and after some debate, he publickly disowned his former Tenents, revolted from the Ch. of England, and was immediately re-baptized, positively affirming that this opportunity was the return which God had made to his foregoing Fasts and Prayers; and with this plausible pretence he gained several Proselites, renounced his Cure, and zealously propagated his opinions, as well by keeping a constant Conventicle, as by publick Challenges and Disputes with several of the neighbouring Ministers, and writing several controversial Pamphlets, all reprinted in fol. as I shall anon tell you. About 8 or 9 years after his Apostacy, he turned a very zealous Quaker, and in the company of one of that Sect he undertook a Voyage to Rome, whether under pretence of converting the Pope, I cannot say it. Upon their return thence about 1658, his companion was in a very poor miserable condition, but our Author in a very gentile Equipage, having been (as ’twas credibly supposed in Kent) made in his absence a Rom. Priest. In the year following, he, as a Quaker, held a publick disputation at Sandwich with Mr. Tho. Danson, as I shall tell you anon; wherein several Proposals being made to him about his Religion, he first denied not that he had been at Rome, but that he received a pension from the Pope, he utterly denied; which then, as ’twas said, was very probable, if not true; for it was reported from very good hands, that in his late Travels to Constantinople, and thence to Rome, he had as good bills of Exchange as most Gentlemen that travel, and yet it was well known then that he had no visible Estate; and the Quakers that came to the Dispute, did report that he did bear his witness against the Pope and Cardinals of Rome, and yet they suffered him not to be medled with, &c. Secondly, it was sworn by sufficient and credible men of Sandwich that had some discourse with him at Dunkirk, that he told them, that he looked upon the Jesuits and Friers there to be sounder in Doctrine than those we call the Reformed Churches. And thirdly, that on the first day of the Dispute, he made very light of the charge of Popery against him, when Amesius against Bellarmine was produced; and with a gesture of derision he replied that Bellarmine held many truths which must not be rejected because he held them, &c. As for the books which he published, the titles of them follow, but the respective years when they were published, I know not.

Anti-diabolisme: or, the true account of a true Counterfeit.

One word yet to the Disputers and Scribes of the Ashford disputation: or, an Epilogetical Postscript on the Apologetical Preface.

Anti-babism: or, the Babish disputation at Ashford for Baby-baptisme disproved.

The second part of Anti [•] babisme: or, a Review of their Review.

Anti-rantism: or, Christ’ndom unchristn’d.

Anti-sacerdotism. Sacerdotale delirium diliatum. The dotage of the Priests discovered. Or a new Edition, with no small addition in way of emendation, &c of the third part of that treble Treatise, which is extant about the Ashford Disputation, intit. A pathetical exhortation to the Pastors to oppose the growth of Anabaptisme, &c.—All which things being reprinted in fol. had this title set before them.—Christianismus redivivus. Christ’ndom both unchristned and new-christned; or, that good old way of dipping and in Churching of Men and Women after faith and repentance professed, (commonly, but not properly called Anabaptism) vindicated from that two-edged sword of the Spirit (the word of God) from all kind of calumnies that are cast upon it, &c. Lond. 1655. fol.

Rusticus ad Academicos in exercitationibus expostulatoriis, & Apologeticis quatuor. The Rusticks alarum to the Rabbines: or, the Country correcting the University and Clergy; and (not without good cause) contesting for the truth, against the nursing mothers and their children. In four Apologetical, and expostulatory Exercitations. Wherein is contained, as well a general account of all Enquirers, as a general Answer to all opposers of the most truly catholick, and most truly Christ-like Christians called Quakers, and of the true Divinity of their Doctrine. By way of entire entercourse held in special with four of the Clergies Chieftains, John Owen D. D. Tho. Danson. M. A. Joh. Tombes B. D. and Rich. Baxter of Kederminster, &c. Lond. 1660 in a thick quarto. with an additional appendix.

A positive true testimony according to the external letter, to the internal and eternal light—Printed with the former, in Engl. and Lat. in two columes.

Busie Bishop besides the business or Dr. Gauden overseen, &c. Lond. 1662. qu. This, which I have not yet seen, is the same I suppose, with the book about Tender consciences.

Three disputations at Sandwych with Tho. Danson, an. 1659. Lond. 1664. oct. 3d. edit. Published by the said Tho. Danson sometimes fellow of Magd. Coll.

Baptisme before or after faith and repentance. Lond. 1669. fol. The same I suppose, (for I have not yet seen it) with the folio before mention’d, Christianismus redivivus, &c, only the title alter’d. What else he, or others under his name, have published I know not, nor any thing else of him, save only, that after his Majesties restoration he lived obscurely in London, kept Conventicles, and thereupon was imprison’d in Newgate, and was accounted the Corypheus of the Quakers. At length being at liberty, he retired to a village called Dalston in the Parish of Hackney in the County of Middlesex, where he died (of the plague as ’twas said) in Sept. or Octob. in sixteen hundred sixty and five.1665. This Person in his Disputes did always decline a direct answer to the question what University he was of, which gave some of the neighbouring Ministers in Kent occasion to suspect that the said Fisher was bred in some forreign Popish University; and the rather because he would often plead for popish Tenents, tho when pressed to tell whether he did really believe them, he would pretend he did it disputandi gratiâ, to hold an argument for discourse sake. One or two of both his names have published several matters, and therefore they are to be remembred elsewhere.