Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/52

 16 ABBOT. D. D. and in the beginning of king James's reign was appoint- ed chaplain in ordinary to his majefty ; who had fuch an opi- nion of him as a writer, that he ordered the doctor's book, partoftheApocalypfe. In 1609, he was elected mafter of Baliol college; which truft he difcharged with the utmoft care and affiduity, by his frequent lectures to the fcholars, by his con- tinual prefence at public exercifes, and by promoting tem- perance in the fociety. In November, 1610, he was made pre- bendary of Normanton in the church of Southwell ; and in 1612, his majefty appointed hi;n regius profeflbr of divinity at Oxford; in which ftation he acquired the character of a profound divine, though a more moderate Calvinift than either of his two predeceffors in the divinity-chair, Holland and Humphrey : for he countenanced the fublapfarian tenets con- Athen. Ox.cerning predeftination. In one of his fermons before the i7*i. vol. i. univerlity, where he was profeilbr, he thus points out the oblique methods then practifed by fome perfons, who fecretly favoured Popery, to undermine the Reformation. " There '* were men, fays he, who, under pretence of truth, and " preaching againft the Puritans, ftruck at the heart and root '* of that faith and religion now eftablimed amongft us ; " who, afraid to be expelled if they mould openly profefs " their converfion, were directed to fpeak freely againft the " be accounted Papifts, becaufe they fpeak only againft Pu- " ritans, but becaufe they are indeed Papifts, they fpeak " that are in it." Dr. Laud, then prefent, was fo much fufpected to be one of thofe perfons here hinted at, that the whole auditory applied thefe reflections to him ; nay, Laud himfelf wrote a letter to the bifhop of Lincoln, complaining, 44 that he was fain to fit patiently at the rehearfal of this fer- " at as he fat ; yet would have taken no notice of it, but that " the whole univerfity applied it to him; and his friends told 44 Abbot in his own : neverthelefs, he would be patient, and " defired his lordfhip would vouchfafe him fome direction." But as Laud made no anfwer, it is likely the bilhop advifed Ruibworth h' m againft it. The fame of Dr. Abbot's lectures became vol.i.p. 6*. very great ; and thofe which he gave upon the fupreme power of Kings againft Bellarmine and Suarez fo much pleaied his majefty,
 * ' De Antichrifto,"to be printed with his own commentary upon
 * which was the very pradtice of Parfons' and Campian's-
 * ' counfel, when they carne hither to feduce young ftudents ;
 * Puritans, as what would fuffice ; fo thefe do not expect tor
 * ' nothing againft them : or if they do, they beat about the
 * ' bum, and that foftly too, for fear of difquieting the birds
 * 4 mon, though abufed almoft an hour together, being pointed
 * him he mould fink in his credit, if he anfwered not Dr.