Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 6.djvu/467

 u s. vi. NOV. 16, 1912.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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office of God ; man cannot make himself righteous by his own works in part or in whole, that were ye greatest arrogancy that antichrist would set up against God ; so that to be justified by faith in Christ onely^ is not that this our act of faith in Christ doth justify us and deserve ye justifica- tion ; for that were to account our sinnes to be justified by some act or virtue that is within us. For my ffather's asserting this, w ch was good

Doctrine in Oxford in ye time of ffamous ?,

Prydeaux, Davenant, & my father's time there, he was baited to Death by many London ministers because he held y* faith is ye fruit of union to Christ according to ye School maxims in those daies y* Acti agimus, vivificati vivimus. So y* I look on my father to have been in a manner a martyr for a fundamentall truth of ye Gospel, w eh I doe not mention as supposing any thing thereof ought to be mentioned in publique but for y r understanding ye grand occasion of his death. He was borne in ye great yeare 1600 in Breadstreet, London : he died as aforesaid in Threadneedle street, London, & was buried in ye vault belonging to ye ffamily in Breadstreet in ye Church called Saint Mildred's, leaving 10 children behind him whereof I am ye unworthiest.

If you desire any farther account please to direct two lines to me to be left at Sanders Coffee house by ye Exchang, Cornhill, & it will come. Sir, I present my respects being desirous to know w* subject y r intended book will be on. I am

y r ffreind though unknown SAMUEL CRISP.

Clapham 21 May 1688.

Under the signature Wood has added : " one of the Governours of Ch: Ch: hospital!, " and " By wh. is here set it seems y* D r Tob. Crisp was an Antinomian."

On the 2nd of June, in answer to Wood's letter of 21 May, Samuel Crisp, now Wood's " loving ffreind," answers at great length. Some of his letter may be quoted, as ampli- fying Wood's account in the ' Athenae.' He says :

" I doe not remember that I have heard ye name of ye Colledge in Cambridge that my father was entred in ; but that he spent some time in Eaton a very severe discipline used there I have heard my father mention when I was not above 8 yeares old, he dying when I was 10. Thence he went to Cambridge. I suppose you mistate to say he was Doctorated elsewhere than in Oxford ; for I have often heard it spoken of to be there and that to be true I believe from these reasons that it was when some great act was performed, this I have often heard and that at ye time of ye Act my ffather made a very great treat and was bountifull to a high degree insomuch yt. the Doctor in ye chair gave my father ye compliment of applying yt. text to him in Esay 32 : 8 ye liberal deviseth liberal things and by liberal things he shal stand . ..."

Dr. Crisp was so given to hospitality

" that of about 500 li.per an. his Income and his living he laid not up 500 shillings for his 10 children more than his land about 150 li. per an. ; but trusted to God's providence and his wife's father's promise my granfather Rowland Wilson

Esq r of London, merchant who coming to Brinkworth to see my father and mother found them entertaining. . . .who then told him : ' Son, I see you spend freely ; I like it well ; I doe not desire you to lay up anything of .y r. yearly revenew. As for y r children, God blessing me, I will take care of them ' ; which accordingly he did, standing them in ye yeare 1654 12 years after my father died better than fifty thousand pounds. Another Reason why I beleive my father took degree of Doctor at Oxon is yt. I find in my grandfather's books that ye 20 June 1637 there was paid 10 li: 2' for a silver fflagon my father presented ; it being ye time of yeare a little before ye act at Oxford grounds my beleif it was sent thither. For his works extant I know of none but ye 3 small volumes w ch were notes taken from his preaching compared w** his original notes ; onely two Sermons a freind, M r Pain, would have leave of me to print out of a manuscript of severall Sermons of my father's writing w c ' h I sent him (I haveing several books of Sermons of his). But these two only came into ye world anno 1683 : ye first prety large on y* of Christ to Thomas. Jno. 20-29. .. .whereon ye excellency of beleiving in hope against hope is insisted on ; the other Sermon was on y* of

Romans 8-32 hereon 'tis y* my father grounded

his asserting y' God first gives Christ & thro' him all things to all his. These were printed for M r Pain by M r Ben: Alsop in ye poultry by my permission. This last Sermon being preached near Brinkworth about 1640 occasioned a dispute by letter w th one M r Warner ; my father's answer to his exceptions against Christ's being ye first gift to a Sinner on his conversion, I had by me many years being 4 sheets close and strenuously written as to my apprehension but I feare I canot recal whom I have lent it to except yt. M r Paine. .. .As for the Antinomian opinions you inquire about I know not what their opinions are. I know my father was unrighteously reconed one yt. held them. If Antinomianism be collected out of those 3 volumes extant, then he held it. But such an Antinomian you will find ye Apostle Paul. ..."

The writer then goes on to justify his father's opinions at some length, by quoting St. Paul and later authorities.

5. William Stephens, from Wotton of 25 Feb., 1684, probably to Allam.

" ....The same day as I receivd your Wor- cester Querys I did inclose 'em in a letter, & send 'em to M r Richard Smith, formerly of Mag: Hall & now Chaplain to ye Bp. of Worcester, desireing him to answer them or any other querys you should send him, w h I suppose he will be ready to doe ; & I directed you to write to him at ye Tower in ye Colledge Greene in Worcester & you may send by ye Worcester carrier who was wont to lodge every Wednesday at ye George in Maudlin parish, Oxon. . . .1 wrott to Dan Capell soon after I receavd your first but have heard no answer yet. M r Veel knows not when or where his brother was buryed but will inquire. R. Veel wrott an other Book calld an Essay uppon Duelling. M r Veel says he will give me ye Title page exactly if he can finde it. M r March was R. VeePs Tutor. I will dun M r Veel & Dan Capell agayn about it. I thank you for ye news you