Hezekiah Woodward

the youngest of the nine Children of his Father, was born in Worcestershire, and after he had spent six years, or more, in a Grammar school, was sent to Oxon in the beginning of the year 1608, and setled in Ball. Coll. where being put under a careful Tutor, took a degree in Arts in the latter end of the year 1611. Afterwards he retired to London, taught school there several years, and was esteemed eminent in his profession; but having been always puritanically affected, he sided with the Presbyterians upon the change of the times in 1641, was a great Zealot and frequent Preacher among them either at S. Mary in Aldermanbury, or near it. Afterwards he took the Covenant, and shewed the use and necessity of it in his discourse and preachings: but soon after, when he saw the Independents and other factious people to be dominant, he became one of them, and not unknown to Oliver; who having quartered more than an year in the Vicaridge-house at Bray near Maydenhead in Berks, during the time of the Rebellion, (in which time he had opportunity to know the Parish to be very large, being a whole Hundred of it self) he sent afterwards thither our Author Woodward, being then his Chaplain or at least Favourite, under the notion of doing some eminent good to that great place, and to take care of it and the souls therein. This was about the year 1649, at which time one Mr. Brice, the then Vicar, left it, and was afterwards Minister of Henley in Oxfordshire. Here he continued ten years or more, and had the good opinion of the rabble and factious people, but of others of sense and judgment, not. He was always very invective in his sermons (which by the sober party were accounted dull) against the King, his Followers, whom he call’d Malignants, the Church of England, her Rites, Ceremonies, and all Forms of Worship: and it is commonly now reported among the Inhabitants of Bray, that he wrot a book against the Lords Prayer; which was answer’d by Brice before mention’d. He was also an eager man, and spent much time in preaching against observation of times and days, as Christmas, Easter, &c. against May-poles, Morices, Dancing, &c. He had a select Congregation out of his Parish of those that were to be saved, who frequently met to pray in the Vicaridge-house: which if he had stayed an year longer or more, would have destroyed all that were to be saved by falling upon them; for he was a great Dilapidator, suffered some of the Offices, Stable and Wood-house to fall, made Hey-lofts of the Chambers, and suffered one side of the Hall (the assembling room) to drop down. Insomuch that Dr. Edw. Fulham who succeeded him at the Kings restauration, was forced to build it up in the first month he had it, and Mr. Fr. Carswell in short time succeeding Dr. Fulham, spent about 150 l. to make the house habitable. He received his maintenance out of the then Augmentation Court, neglecting his tithes, and put whims into the peoples heads that they were Romish and Antichristian, and only pleased himself in taking presents of the peoples free will offering, as most becoming the Gospel. By these courses he had almost ruined a good Vicaridge, for there are but few there now, but what are so principled, as they think it a piece of service to the establish’d Religion to cheat or rob the Church, and an age is scarce able to repair that mischief which he hath done there, as other Saints elsewhere. I have been informed from that place by a very good hand, that he was a man very censorious and ready to damn all those that did not comply with him in his fancies: also that he always denied to pay, and cheated the wife of Mr. Faringdon his Predecessor in the Vicaridge, of her fifths, or fifth part of the revenews of the said Vicaridge, which he by Law was to pay and she to receive; and he thought it a sin to pay her, being the wife of one of the Antichristian Crew of the Ch. of England, tho she lived near him and he knew full well that she had five or six small Children ready to starve, and her Husband a learned man. He would not administer the Sacrament in the Church to his Parishioners, nor baptize their Children, unless they were of his private Church, and would not so much as keep company with, or come near, those that were not of his mind. He hath left an ill name behind him, and none there have any esteem for his memory, only Anabaptists, Quakers, or such that tend that way. In this course he continued till his Majesties Restauration an. 1660, and then leaving the place to prevent Ejection, he retired to Uxbridge, where he carried on the trade among the Brethren, either more or less, to the time of his death. His printed works are these.

Gate to Sciences.—Written when he was a Schoolmaster.

The Childs patrimony laid out upon the good nurture or tilling over the whole man. In two parts. Lond. 1640. qu. &c. This came out afterwards again with the title alter’d.

Vestibulum: or, a manuduction towards a fair Edifice by their hands who are designed to open the way thereunto.—Printed with The Childs Patrimony.

The Churches Thanksgiving to God her King, &c. Lond. 1642. qu.

The Covenant cleared to the Consciences of all men, &c. Ibid. 1643. qu.

Three Kingdoms made one by the Covenant, &c.—Pr. 1643.

Cause, use, and cure of fear, &c.—Pr. 1643.

The Kings Chronicle; in two sections. Wherein we have the acts of the wicked and good Kings of Judah fully declared, with the ordering of their militia, and grave observations thereupon, &c. Lond. 1643. qu. Dedicated to the high court of Parliam. and written purposely to point out the bad actions of his Majesty, who then stood in his own defence against the inveterate Presbyterians and tumultuous factions in London.

The Sons patrimony and daughters portion, &c. Lond. 1643. qu.

Inquiries into the causes of our miseries, &c. Lond. 1644. qu. Written partly against a book entit. An antidote against the contagious air of Independency, &c. by D. P. P. Lond. 1644. qu.

Short Letter intreating a friends judgment upon Mr. Edwards book call’d Antipologia, with a large but modest answer thereunto, &c. Lond. 1644. qu.

Lords-day the Saints holy-day, Christmas an Idol-day, &c. Lond. 1648. qu. About which time came out, Christmas-day the old Heathens feasting-day in honor to Satan their Idol-God, &c. Whether written by Woodward, quaere.

A just account in truth and peace by Brethren, lovers of, and fellow-helpers to both, why they must open themselves to the view of the world, speaking to them as the house top, &c.—Pr. at Lond. in qu.

Appeal to the Churches of Christ, for their righteous judgment in matters of Christ, the concernments of all his glory, over whom there is a defence, whether Christs way be not poured forth in scripture to be traced by the footsteps of his near ones.—Pr. at Lond. in qu.

Conference of some Christians in Church fellowship about the way of Christ with his people and the result therefrom, &c.—Pr. at Lond. in qu.

Infant baptism, and the first quere thereupon. Whether all Parents how notorious soever for wickedness, are priviledged upon account of their own baptism, to present their infants thereunto. The negative maintained—Pr. at Lond. in qu.

An inoffensive answer to remove offences taken from some passages in a printed book, other some from report, which are cleared to be wholly mistaken by the Author of the Dialogue concerning the practical use of Infant baptisme, in his Postscript to his scond part, p. 103. &c. Lond. 1657. qu. He hath also other things extant, which I have not yet seen, and had others fit for the press lying by him at the time of his death; which hapning at Uxbridge in Middlesex, 29 of March in sixteen hundred seventy and five, aged 87 years or thereabouts,1675. his body was carried to Eaton near Windsore and buried in the Churchyard there near the grave of his sometimes wife Frances Woodward, who was (as I have been told) inter’d some years before him in the said yard. He had one only daughter named Frances, who became the second wife of John Oxenbridge Fellow of Eaton Coll. and dying in child-bed in the 25 year of her age, was buried in the Chappel there, and hath a monument over her grave, as I have before told you.