Memoires of the lives, actions, sufferings & deaths of those noble, reverend and excellent personages that suffered by death, sequestration, decimation, or otherwise, for the Protestant religion and the great principle thereof, allegiance to their soveraigne, in our late intestine wars, from the year 1637 to the year 1660, and from thence continued to 1666 with the life and martyrdom of King Charles I / by Da. Lloyd ...

THE Life and Death OF DOCTOR POTTER, Lord Bishop of Carlisle.

IN a time when this Kingdom flourished with Magnifi∣cent Edifices, the Trade of the Nation had brought the Wealth of the Indies to our doors; Learning and all good Sciences were so cherished, that they grew to Ad∣miration, and many Arts of the Ancients buried and forgotten by time, were revived again; no Subjects happier, though none less sensible of their Happiness. Security increasing the Husband mans stock, and Justice preserved his Life; the poor might Reverence, but needed not fear the Great; and the Great though he might despise, yet could not injure his more obscure Neighbor; and all things were so administred, that they seemed to conspire to the Publick good; except that they made our Hap∣piness too much the cause of our Civil Commotions, and brought our Felicity to that height, that by the necessity of humane Affairs, that hath placed all things in motion, it must necessarily de∣cline. At this happy time, thus happily expressed by Dr. Perrin∣chiefe, and Dr. Bates, it was that I will not say the City of Lon∣don, for the better part of it abhorred it, but to phrase the Men the Lord Digby's way, I know not what, 15000 Londoners, all that could be got to subscribe, complained in a Petition that Trade was obstructed, Grievances increased, Patents and Monopolies multi∣plied meerly because of the Bishops, who were looked up∣on as the Great Grievance of the Kingdom; in somuch that this Do∣ctor who was born in a Puritane place at Westmester within the Barony of Kendal in Westmerland, in Puritane times, when that par∣ty guided Affairs 1578. Bred under a Puritane School-Master, one Mr. Maxwell at School in the place where he was born, and un∣der a Puritane Tutor in Queens Colledge in Oxford; and looked upon as so great a Puritane in King Iames his time, that they would say in jest, that the noise of an Organ would blow him out the Church; and therefore he was called tho Puritanical Bishop, (though his love to Musick no doubt was as great as his Skill, and his Skill so good that he could bear a part in it) yet because he was a Bishop, he was slighted when he came to London as Iuke warm, and forsaken as Popish, that had been so followed formerly as the most godly and powerful Preacher: He had been a great Tutor at

Queens, where he had learned to train others by the Discipline he had undergone himself; insomuch that when Bishop, 33 Emi∣nent Divines, Lawyers, Physicians and Statesmen, formerly his Pu∣pils, waited on him together for his blessing: He managed prudent∣ly (as he was chosen into it unexpectedly and unanimously when an hundred miles off) the Government and Provostship of that Col∣ledge, Vbi se ferebat Patrem-familia providum, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, nec Collegio gravis fuit aut onerosus.

He resigned it self-denyingly, judging that his Northern charge had more need of him as an able and skilful Minister, than Queens Colledge as a Provost.

The meek and humble man looked not for Preferment, yea, a∣voided it with an hearty, nolo Episcopari: And his gracious Master King Charles unexpectedly when he was buried in his Living, and resolvedly when there was a considerable Competition, and not an inconsiderable opposition, saying, He* 1.1 would consider his old Ser∣vant, and the good man, whom he liked the better for being a man of few words, but a sweet Preacher, called at Court The Ponetenti∣al Preacher; for being peaceable in his practice, though singular in his Opinion; and being not humorsome, though precise, having the severe strictness, though not the sower leaven of the Pharisees: His gracious Master not so much honoring him, as he did the Fun∣ction, and that age in the freedom of his Noble and unsought for choice. The man being so exemplary in his carriage, that several Recusants that could not go with him to Church, yet conversed much with him, Because said they, they would go with him to Heaven: So good a Master of his Family, that his House was a Church, where Family-duties, (constant Prayers, Catechizing, reading Scriptures, Expounding, godly Conference, speaking to one ano∣ther in Psalms and Spiritual Hymns) were performed so regular∣ly and so constantly, that hundreds left their distant Habitations to be near him, though all accommodations about him were so much the dearer, as his Neighborhood was the more precious. It was as great a happiness to be his Servant, as his Neighbour: Eng∣land, they say, is a Purgatory of Servants, but his House was a Hea∣ven for them, where their particular Calling helped forward their general one, and the subjection to their Master occasioned their freedom from sin; the condition of their persons breaking off the slavery of their Souls, his service as well as Gods, his Ma∣sters, (who might, he said often, have set him in the Stable, and his Servant in the Pallace) being perfect freedom; neither did they thrive in their Estates under him less than they did in their Souls, many able men in that Country owing their plentiful Estates to Gods blessing upon that Praying Family, as it was called, and his sa∣ving rule, that grace was thrifty and Christianity the best Hus∣bandry; for Godliness and Religion have no idle expences; So use∣ful a Member of Parliament, that as he spoke not much himself, so he was the cause others spoke not so much as they intended, aw∣ing the zeal of the most unruly to a moderation, by the discretion, good advice, and excellent management of his own.

King Charles, I. knew well the Import of that passage in Seneca, (when with a design to heal the Distempers of those times, he re∣stored the grave Arch-bishop, and raised this moderate Bishop to Supream Council.) Lib. Epist. 1. Ep. 11. Aliquis vir bonus nobis eligen∣dus est, & semper ante oculos habendus ut sic tanquam illo spect ante viva∣mus, & omnia tanquum illo vidento faciamus. Elige ita{que} Catonem; si hic videtur tibi nimis rigidus Elige Remissioris animi virum La∣lium, &c.

And in the same moderate way did he guide the Clergy, both of his acquaintance and Diocess, insisting much upon this sad obser∣vation, that Jealousies and Animosities were easier raised than al∣layed, and that it was not so obvious a matter to retreat from vio∣lent Engagements, as to Engage in them; that which hath in it a∣ny thing of Equity, being not to be disparaged by mannaging it with undutifulness and pertinacy.

Though his Complexion was melancholy, he loved not a morose Religion; and though he was lean with study, he would chide men that were so with Envy; his constitution indeed was weak, but his Spirit vigorous, and good natur'd; he that had been the support of moderate and sober Preachers, lived to see himself de∣spised by those he had countenanced: He that was so indulgent to tender-consciences, was hardly suffered to enjoy his own: But seeing pretences of Conscience end in unconscionable practices, scruples turned into tumults, and Liberty prove Licentiousness, heart-broken with the consequences of these sad premises, he died 1642. and was buried by a great Man of the other side, who brag∣ed that he had buried a Bishop, and was answered, That it was ho∣ped that he buried him in sure and certain hope of the Resur∣rection.

There need no more added to his Life, or written on his Grave, than that this was the man, 1. That had been a constant Preacher, and repented at his Death that he had not been a more constant Catechist. 2. That interceded for Liberty of Conscience so long for Non-conformists with the King, till he saw neither the King nor himself could enjoy their own Consciences; that feared the pretence of Religion would overthrow the reality of it, and that the Divisions in his age, would breed Atheism in the next.

How this Person in so great Esteem with that party, when he was able to protect them, could do so little to suppress them, is not to be expressed any other way than King Iames in the Con∣ference at Hampton-Court, upon occasion of a needless excep∣tion taken by Dr. Reynolds, at a passage in Ecclesiasticus, ex∣pressed himself; What trow ye make these men (said the King) so angry with Ecclesiasticus: By my sal I think he was a Bishop, or else they would never use him so.

One that a great while followed him, but afterwards unwor∣thily set up a Gallery in Mr. C. Church (demonstrating that he at∣tended not the Preacher but Interest, for he was, he said, the same man still, but they had not the same design; and Young men were fittest to make use of to trouble or over-turn a State, as Old

men were fittest to settle it) complained that once he personally inveighed against him, whereunto a grave Gentleman, not so Great, but more Honorable than he, returned: Truly, I thought it meant me, for it touched my heart; Good men make Sermons, it is guilty hearts make Invectives. When the Whirl-pool of the giddy times drew in those that went with the stream, it could not swallow him that kept above it; Long did he strive to bring off Stroud and o∣thers his Hearers to him and reason. In vain did they strive with him to bring him to them and Faction: as long as it was to any purpose, he Preached to them their duty, and when that would not succeed, he constantly avoided their sins; neither reading their Declarati∣ons, nor observing their Fasts, nor complying with their Festi∣vals; Insomuch that a leading man that had been of his Congrega∣tion upon a long Letter, he sent to him containing an account of himself and his proceedings since the troublesome times, expres∣sed himself in the House to this purpose, That he could not tell what they should do with the good old Puritans; whose misguided zeal should do the Cause more harm, than all their Young Friends pains could do it good.

He preached for the King as long as he could, and when he could not, by reason of infirmities and grief, he prayed for him as long as he lived; keeping honest men, that were turned out of their own Churches, to preach in his, until he went out of the world. Al∣ledging to those that liked not that way, that in times of persecu∣tion, the Council of Carthage injoyned all Clergy-men that had Churches, to offer their Desks and their Altars to them that had none. As he preached not common-places of things to which he wrested the Scripture, but went through the Scriptures (as Gen. 12, 13, 14, 15,* 1.2 16, 17, 18, &c. Chapters, the Plagues of Egypt in Exodus, the 16. of St. Luke, the Beatitudes, &c.) drawing from them genuinely Divine Truths; so advised those about him not to follow men that set up notions of their own, and then serve some Scriptures to make Affidavit for them; but those that opened the Scriptures most skilfully, and deduced obvious, proper, and clear conclusions out of them most faithfully. This Primitive Mans gifts, were like the Primitive Christians goods, in common: Being above others alone, and above himself in company; as Ambergreece is sweet in its self, but incomparable when compounded. He was a good Pastor himself (most of the eminent, both Christians and Ministers in London, having profited by his Ministry) and not jealous that his memory might be out-shined by a brighter succes∣sor; nor willing that his people should finde his worth by the un∣worthiness of him that came after him, prayed for a better. His Estate was more in blessing than in bulk, his richest Legacies were his Precepts and his Example, and his best Monument the hearts of his people, that will be his joy and crown of rejoycing in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Post quater millenos exaratos. Et decies millenos publice Habitos conciones, manu. Temporibus mortem obiit, & ore Evangelizans I. S. Optimis resurget ipse, melioribus resurgit memoria pessimis.

Notes

• * 1.1

  And when others pressed for the place, the King said Perempt••rily that Potte•• should have it, this was 1628
• * 1.2

  Whereof the 16th is in Print.