at Leighton, which was all they had there, and displeased those through whose hands the allowance was to pass. At length they were removed to Nottingham by an unthought of mean. The carrier, Mr. Adrian Cook, used to go to London through Fenny Stratford; but the road being bad, in February 1650, he left it to go by Leighton, where he lodged, which he never did before or after. Hearing that two ministers lived there, who were under discouragement, for refusing the Engagement, he made them a visit; told them that St. Mary in Nottingham wanted a minister, and pressed them to go and preach there; which they told him, some time in the approaching summer, they might probably do. When Mr. Cook came home, he related what had passed; upon which the people were desirous to hear both these ministers, and invited them to spend some time with them, in order to mutual trial and acquaintance. The invitation was signed by Francis Pierpont, Esq; member of parliament for the town, several aldermen and principal inhabitants, and sent by Mr. Spencer, one of the churchwardens. They accordingly went and were unanimously approved. In 1651, they were ordained at London, by the classis, in Andrew Undershaft church, Dr. Manton being moderator; and then they returned and settled a regular church at Nottingham, which continued till 1662. In the latter end of 1662 they were disturbed by indictments for not reading the Common Prayer, and from the spiritual court. Mr. Reynolds was excommunicated, and put to a vast expence in journeys to York and London upon this occasion. At last he procured a prohibition, the proceeding against him being directly against the act of indemnity. In October, 1669, after being silenced, they removed with their families to Colwich Hall, about a mile off; and were there seized at their meeting, in September, 1663. They were seized again in August, 1665, and imprisoned for about three months at the marshal's without any cause assigned. When the Five mile act took place, they removed toTherbrook in Derbyshire, where they lived two years, frequently visiting their Nottingham friends. In 1668 they removed to Mansfield, where they continued nineteen years; in which time they often officiated by turns Conformist's Fourth Plea, p. 36. smong among their people at Nottingham. In March, 1685, going as freeholders to Newark, to an election of menbers for the county, they were seized and sent to Nottingham jail by eight justices, upon the Five mile act. There they continued till July following, when, upon the Duke of Monmouth's landing, they and many others, were sent prisoners to Hull. Upon the liberty given in 1687, they returned with their families to Nottingham in peace, much to the joy of their people. There they continued labouring together till it pleased God by a fever to remove Mr. Reynolds, Feb. 26, 1698, aged 73. Mr. Barret preached his funeral sermon, in which he this short but full account of him: " He was a sound, gave lively, practical preacher; a holy liver, an exemplary walker; one that could not live without daily secret converse with God in the word and prayer, and God was with him." Mr. Reynolds printed only a Funeral Sermon for the Honourable Francis Pierpont, Esq. RICHARDSON, JOHN, was born at or near Fakenham, in Norfolk. His parents, when he was an infant removed to Cambridge, where he was educated at Queen's College. Afterwards he taught school at St. Ives in Huntingdonshire; from thence he removed to a pastoral charge at Bottle Bridge, near Peterborough, where he was first beneficed; and afterwards to Stamford, where he laboured in the work of the ministry at St. Michael's church, till the Act of Uniformity ejected him. When the Five mile act banished him hence he sojourned for a while at Uppingham in Rutland, and probably afterwards at Stockerston in Leicestershire; where he had the pleasing conversation of Dr. Tuckney, Mr. Woodcock, &c. But he afterwards returned to Stamford, and preached as he could, in his own house there, and sometimes at the houses of pious gentry in those parts. He also practised physic, whereby he was very useful to his friends both in town and country. Here he lived, at different times, for twenty years. Having married his daughter Dorothy to a person at Kirkton, near Boston, he resided with her for about five or six years, and there he died in May, 1687. His wife died about half a year before him, and • See an account of Mr. Barret, above, vol. I. p. 128. both both of them were buried in that church. When young at Cambridge, his aim was (like that of too many other scholars)" to come to something," (as he expressed it,) i. e. to get preferment. But the reading of Mr. Robert Bolton's works altered his design, and put him upon a new pursuit; for he found a power and spirit in that author's writings, which he was unable to resist, and by means of which God brought him to sound conversion. After which he maintained a course of strict and uninterrupted piety, and lived a most regular life. He was a man of prayer; eminent and constant in devotion. He would willingly let none rob him of his time for communion with God, and was restless if any company detained him too long from his retirement. He was a close student, and his ministerial accomplishments were truly great. He had read the Bible through above thirty times; that is about once a year, and always with some comment or other, besides his occasional and extraordinary reading. He had studied Culverwell's "Life of Faith" over and over, and he lived by the rules laid down in it. When some persons asked him on his quitting the church, what he thought would become of his family, he said, he doubted not, but that the God who fed the young ravens, would take care of him and his., His greatest care was about the state of his soul, in which he was seriously and deeply solicitous. He was of a very heavenly mind, frequently discoursing with admiration on the life to come, and he derived comfort from it in all cases, which he preferred to all worldly pleasures. In his judgement about church matters, he was moderate and sober; never condemning any for differing from him about conformity, whom he thought to be godly. He was a loyal subject, and one of those who greatly desired the restoration of Charles II. and concurred heartily in it. He once said to a friend who feared the consequence, "Fiat justitia et ruat cœluin*:"-" Ruit cœlum," said his friend to him again, when he first saw him after Bartholomew-day 1602. He was a pious and prudent governor of his family and God exceedingly blessed him in it. Being once to preach at Paul's Cross, and, as was usual, a glass of sack being. offered him before he went into the pulpit, he refused it, "Let justice be done, and let the sky fail." VOL. IV.-No, G and and pleasantly said, he did not choose to preach by the spirit of sack. He was scrupulously just, and very benevolent. It was well for the poor of the hospital or Beadhouse in Stamford, that he was once their warden; for he much improved the revenue of it, and their weekly allowance. He was highly favoured of God, who protected him in the midst of all dangers; and once when he was so insidiously prosecuted, that he thought he should have suffered severely, God struck the informers with sudden and visible vengeance. They died nearly at the same time, in deep despair, and after such an uncommon and miserable manner, that they were blind who could not see the apparent judgement of God on them, and their hearts harder than the nether milstone who did not tremble at it. When king James's declaration for toleration oame out, he greatly rejoiced that the silenced ministers had their opportunities for service restored them, and thought of returning immediately to his work: but, having been weakly the winter before, he died within a week or a fortnight after he had seen that declaration, in April, 1687. RIDLEY, NICHOLAS. This learned English martyr, was born of an ancient and worthy family at Willymondswyke, in Northumberland, and educated at Newcastle upon Tyne; whence he removed to Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, at the expence of his uncle Dr. Robert Ridley, about 1518, when Luther was preaching against indulgences in Germany. Here he acquired great proficiency in Latin and Greek, and in other learning of that time. His reputation was such, as to procure him the esteem of the other university, as well as of his own; for, in the beginning of 1524, the masters and fellows of University College, Oxford, invited him to accept of an exhibition, founded by Walter Skyrley, bishop of Durham, which he declined. The next year he took his master's degree, and was appointed by the college their general agent in some causes relating to it. His uncle was now willing to add to his attainments the advantages of travel, and the improvement of foreign universities; and, as his studies were now directed to divinity, he sent him to spend some time among the doc tors tors of the Sorbonne at Paris, (then the most celebrated university in Europe,) and afterwards among the professors of Louvain. Having staid three years abroad, he returned to Cambridge, and pursued his theological studies; and as his safest guide in them, diligently applied himself to the reading of the scriptures in the originals; and in a walk in the orchard at Pembroke Hall, which is to this day called Ridley's Walk, he learned to repeat without book almost all the epistles in Greek. His behaviour here was obliging and pious, without hypocrisy or monkish austerity. He was senior proctor of the university, when the important point of the pope's supremacy came before them to be examined upon the authority of scripture: and their resolution, after mature deliberation, That the bishop of Rome had no more authority or jurisdiction derived to him from God, in this kingdom of England, than any other foreign bishop," was signed in the name of the university by Simon, Heynes, vice-chancellor, Nicholas Ridley, Richard Wilkins, proctors. He lost his uncle in 1536, but the education he had received, and the improvements he had made, recommended him to another and greater patron, Crammer; archbishop of Canterbury, who appointed him his domestic chaplain, and collated him to the vicarage of Herne in East Kent. He bore his testimony in the pulpit against the act of the six articles; and instructed his charge in the pure doctrines of the gospel, as far as they were yet discovered to him; but transubstantiation was at this time an article of his creed. During his retire ment at this place, he read a little treatise written seven hundred years before, by Ratramus or Bertram, a monk of Cerby. This first opened Ridley's eyes, and determined him more accurately to search the scriptures on this article, and the doctrine of the primitive fathers. His discoveries he communicated to his patron, and the event was the conviction of them both, that this doctrine was novel and erroneous. Having staid about two years at Herne, he was chosen master of Pembroke Hall, and appointed chaplain to the king; and the cathedral church of Canterbury being made collegiate, he obtained the fifth prebendal stall in it; and such was his courage and zeal for the Reforma G 2 tion, |