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tershire, of which town his father was for some time the worthy minister. He had been settled at this place by Archbishop Laud, but afterwards deprived by him on account of his siding with the Puritans, and driven into Ireland, whither he was accompanied by his son, then very young. Being in that country during the rebellion, they were exposed to very threatening danger, the place to which they retired, being for several weeks together assaulted by the rebels, though without success. Driven there by the war, Mr. Howe returned to his native country, and settled in the county Palatine of Lancaster, where his son received the first rudiments of his education.

At an early age, Mr. Howe was sent to Christ's College, in Cambridge, where he contracted an acquaintance with those celebrated persons, Dr. Ralph Cudworth, and Dr. Henry More, from whom he received that Platonic tincture which runs through his writings. After taking his degree of B. A. he removed to Brazen-Noze College, Oxford, and took the same degree there, also, January 18, 1649. His diligence in study, and great attainments in learning, joined with his exemplary piety, recommended him so highly, that he was elected Fellow of Magdalen College, having previously been made demy by the parliament visitors. The President of the College, at this time, was the celebrated Dr. Thomas Goodwin, who had gathered a church among the scholars of the house, and of which Mr. Howe now became a member. On the 9th of July, 1652, he proceeded M. A. and shortly after commenced preacher, being ordained by Mr. Charles Herle, at Winwick, in Lancashire. Mr. Herle he always looked upon as a primitive bishop; and as he was assisted, upon this occasion, by the ministers of the different chapels in his parish, Mr. Howe thought that few in modern times had so truly primitive an ordination.

Sometime afterwards, by an unexpected event in providence, Mr. Howe was called to the stated exercise of his

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ministry at Great Torrington, in Devonshire, a sort of donative, or curacy, belonging to Christ-church, Oxford. There he succeeded the famous Independent Divine, Mr. Lewis Stukely. Though but young at his first settlement in this town, yet he abundantly fulfilled his ministry, which was attended with great success. He had a numerous auditory, and a flourishing church, which was augmented by the accession of several persons from Mr. Bartlet's congregational church at Bideford, who, on account of the distance, now desired to sit down with Mr. Howe. The manner in which he conducted the service upon public fasts, which were frequent in those times, was very extraordinary. He began at nine o'clock with a prayer of a quarter of an hour; read and expounded scripture for about three quarters of an hour; prayed an hour; preached another hour; then prayed half an hour. The people then sung for about a quarter of an hour, during which he retired and took a little refreshment. He then went into the pulpit again, prayed an hour more ; preached another hour; and then with a prayer of half an hour concluded the service.

Mr. Howe kept up a good correspondence with the neighbouring ministers, and cultivated a particular intimacy with Mr. George Hughes, of Plymouth, who had a great influence in this part of the country, and whose daughter he married, March 3, 1654. These two Divines maintained a weekly correspondence in Latin; which the rather deserves mentioning on account of the following memorable circumstance. Mr. Howe happened to have a fire in his house at Torrington, which might have been ruinous to his family, had not a violent shower, which descended just at that time, contributed greatly to extinguish it. On that very day it so fell out, that he received a letter from his father-in-law Hughes, which concluded with this prayer: Sit Ros Cali super Habitaculum vestrum: "Let the dew of heaven be upon your dwelling." The seasonableness of this prayer could not fail very forcibly to strike him.

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Sometime afterwards, Mr. Howe having occasion to take a journey to London, was detained there longer than he intended. On the last Lord's-day of his designed continuance in town, he went as an auditor to the chapel at Whitehall. Cromwell, who generally had his eyes every where, soon discovered Mr. Howe, and knew by his garb that he was a country minister. Thinking that he discovered something more than ordinary in his countenance, he sent a messenger, desiring to speak with him when the service was over. When Mr. Howe came, the Protector desired him to preach on the following Lord's-day, and would take no denial. Mr. Howe pleading, that he could not be absent from his people any longer without inconvenience, Cromwell promised to remedy it by sending down another minister, which he did. The first sermon of our Divine, gave so much satisfaction, that he was pressed for a second, and a third; and at length, after a great deal of free conversation, nothing would serve the Protector, but that Mr. Howe must remove to London, to be his household chaplain. It was with great reluctance that Mr. Howe left Torrington, but Cromwell would take no denial, he brought his family to Whitehall, where several of his children were born. He was now preferred to the lectureship of St. Margaret's, Westminster, and became a celebrated preacher. In his difficult situation he endeavoured to be faithful, and to preserve a good conscience. And it may here be observed, that scarcely any public man in these critical times, who was admitted to the knowledge of so many secrets, preserved himself so free from censure in the times that succeeded. A plain argument of uncommon prudence and caution!

Though Mr. Howe had obtained great influence at court, yet he never abused it to the injury of others, or the enriching of himself. He embraced every opportunity of serving the interests of religion and learning, even among persons of very different sentiments, of which we have the following instance. Dr. Seth Ward, Professor of Astronomy in the

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University of Oxford, stood candidate in 1657, for the Principalship of Jesus College, in the same university, upon the resignation of Dr. Michael Roberts. A majority of the Fellows was in his favour; but the Protector had promised the situation to Mr. Francis Howell, of Exeter College. Dr. Ward, not knowing that matters had gone so far, was for making interest with Cromwell, and applied to Mr. Howe for that purpose. The latter promised to introduce him to the Protector, and having obtained an audience, recommended him strongly to his favour; but as he had promised the situation, he could not draw back. Nevertheless, Cromwell told Dr. Ward, that he found Mr. Howe to be much his friend, and was, upon his report, disposed to give him some token of his regard. He then asked him pleasantly, what he thought the Principalship of Jesus, College might be worth, which, when he was told, he promised the Doctor that he would make him an annual allowance of the same sum. Of this kindness Dr. Ward entertained a grateful sense, which he expressed to Mr. Howe sometime afterwards, when, upon the change of the times, he became a greater man. (c)

There were many others to whom Mr. Howe was very serviceable, while he continued at Whitehall. Several of the royalists and episcopalians he befriended in their distress, and assisted some in their passage through the hands of the Triers, previous to their being allowed to officiate in public. Among the rest who applied to him for advice upon this occasion, was the celebrated Dr. Thomas Fuller. This noted punster, who was generally in a merry humour, being to take his turn before the Triers, of whom he had a very formidable notion, applied to Mr. Howe for his advice. "Sir, (said he,) you may observe I am a pretty corpulent man, and I am to go through a passage that is very strait; I

(c) In the reign of Charles the Second, Dr. Seth Ward was successively Bishop of Exeter and Sarum.

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beg you will be so kind as to give me a shove, and help me through." Mr. Howe freely gave him his advice, and he promised to follow it. When he appeared before them, they proposed to him the usual question, " Whether he had ever had any experience of a work of grace upon his heart?" To which he gave this answer; "That he could appeal to the Searcher of hearts, that he made conscience of his very thoughts;" with which answer they were satisfied.

The generous and disinterested conduct of Mr. Howe, in using his interest on the behalf of any worthy persons who applied to him, was taken notice of by the Protector Cromwell, who once freely told him, "You have obtained many favours for others; but I wonder when the time is to come that you will move for any thing for yourself, or your family.” This disinterested principle enabled Mr. Howe to be faithful in the discharge of his duty, of which we have the following remarkable instance. The notion of a particular faith in prayer, with respect to the obtaining of particular blessings, prevailed much at Cromwell's court, and Mr. Howe once heard a sermon there from a person of note, designed to defend it. Being fully convinced of the ill tendency of such an opinion, he thought himself bound in conscience, when it came to his turn to preach, to oppose it; which accordingly he did with great plainness. Cromwell heard with great attention, but sometimes frowned, and discovered great uneasiness, insomuch that a person who was present, told Mr. Howe, it would be difficult ever to make his peace with him again. Mr. Howe replied, "I have discharged my conscience, and leave the event with God." Nothing, however, passed between them on the subject, though Cromwell seemed cooler towards him ever afterwards.

After the death of Oliver, Mr. Howe still continued chaplain to his son, Richard Cromwell; but when the latter was set aside, he retired to his living at Torrington. At the Restoration he met with some trouble, being informed