Thomas Barlow (bishop)

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Monument to Thomas Barlow, St Mary's Church, Buckden, Cambridgeshire

Thomas Barlow (1607, 1608 or 1609 – 8 October 1691) was an English academic and clergyman, who became Provost of

Exclusion Bill, which would have denied it to him.[4]

Early life

Barlow was the son of Richard Barlow of Long-gill in the parish of

Orton, Eden in Westmorland (now Cumbria). He was educated at Appleby grammar school. Aged 16, he entered Queen's College, Oxford, as a servitor, rising to be a tabarder (scholar). He took his BA degree in 1630 and his MA in 1633, when he was elected a fellow of his college. In 1635 he was appointed metaphysical reader to the university, being seen as a master of casuistry, logic, and philosophy. Among his pupils was John Owen.[4]

He associated at Oxford with

Anthony à Wood, Anthony Horneck, whom he had appointed as chaplain in Queen's, and Thomas Fuller, and was hospitable to Christopher Davenport. He spoke of infant baptism in a letter to John Tombes, which later affected his prospect of preferment.[4]

Barlow retained his fellowship in 1648 with support from

parliamentary visitation of Oxford in that year.[5] He became Provost of his college in 1657. In 1658 he brought tactful support to Sanderson on behalf of Boyle.[4]

Under Charles II

On the

Merton College in 1661.[4]

Barlow wrote at the request of Robert Boyle an elaborate treatise on "Toleration in Matters of Religion" at this time, but it was not published until after his death (in Cases of Conscience, 1692). Barlow's reasoning is based more on expediency than on principle. He shows that the religious toleration he advocates does not extend to atheists, papists or

Mersenne and Du Hamel.[9] His Directions to a young Divine for his Study of Divinity of this period contain a catalogue of theological works classified by subjects, with remarks on their value and character.[4]

As pro-vice-chancellor of the university in 1673, he called in question William Richards, Chaplain of

Arminian doctrine in a sermon at St Mary's.[10] He censured on doctrinal lines the publication of George Bull's Harmonia Apostolica. He wrote much in this period, but published little. Mr. Cottington's Divorce Case, on which Barlow's reputation as an ecclesiastical lawyer and casuistic divine mainly rests, was written in 1671.[4]

Barlow was prominent in two abortive schemes of comprehension (inclusion into the state church) set on foot in October 1667 and February 1668. The "Comprehensive Bill", based on the Declaration of Breda, was drawn up by Sir Robert Atkyns and Sir Matthew Hale, and revised and endorsed by Barlow and his friend John Wilkins. Its introduction was frustrated by a Commons declaration and the plan was finally dropped. Barlow had some part in the release of John Bunyan from Bedford gaol in 1677.[3][4]

In 1675, Barlow became Bishop of Lincoln through the good offices of two secretaries of state,

Buckden Palace, near Huntingdon, and was accused of never having entered his own cathedral. The Bishop's Palace at Lincoln had still not been repaired after the damage done in the English Civil War, although George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax
remonstrated with Barlow on the subject in 1684.

Barlow told his friend

Pius V and Paul III, pronouncing the excommunication and deposition of Queen Elizabeth and of Henry VIII, with inflammatory comments, and learned proofs that "the pope is the great Antichrist, the man of sin, and the son of perdition." In 1682 appeared Barlow's answer to "whether the Turk or pope be the greater Antichrist." He confirmed this in a letter of 1684 to the Earl of Anglesey, arguing again that "the pope is Antichrist."[4]

When in 1684

John Howe.[4]

Under James II

When the Catholic

whig and refused to sign the address, but on the appearance of the second declaration of 1688, Barlow addressed an equivocal letter to his clergy (on 29 May 1688).[4]

Under William and Mary

William Barlow. A monument on the north wall commemorates both in an epitaph of his composition.[4]

Works

Thomas Barlow's writings include:

  • Exercitationes aliquot metaphysicae de Deo (1637)
  • Plain reasons why a Protestant of the Church of England should not turn Roman Catholic (1688)
  • Cases of Conscience (1692)

Library Collections

At his death in 1691, Barlow bequeathed 54 manuscript volumes and a variety of printed books to the Bodleian Library.[12] About 600 books from Barlow's collection, especially duplicates (books already owned by the Bodleian) went to the library of Queen's College, Oxford.[13] The printed books from Barlow's library, which was finally assimilated into the Bodleian in 1694, are currently held under the shelfmark "Linc." for Linconiensis, a reference to Barlow's title as the Bishop of Lincoln.

According to William Poole, "Barlow’s books are of especial value because he was a compulsive annotator."[14] A staunch Calvinist, Barlow often made annotations to argue with the theology of the authors he read.[15] Poole adds that Barlow "marked" books as though he were reading "tutorial essays" from students.[16] Barlow's annotations have also been useful to scholars because he often made biographical notes about authors, other works they had written, and other editions of the same work.[17]

Many of the printed books in Barlow's library that are currently held at the Bodleian reflect his interest in theology, the reign of Charles I, and events during the English Civil War and Interregnum. These include many shorter polemical pamphlets and tracts related to volatility in the 1640s and 50s such as

  • F 2.63(25) Linc.: A declaration: or, representation from His Excellencie, Sir Tho. Fairfax, and the Army under his command: Humbly tendred to the Parliament concerning the just and fundamental rights and liberties of themselves and the kingdom. (1647)
  • C 13.13(45) Linc.: Matters of great note and consequence: 1 Divers questions upon his Majesties last answer concerning the militia resolved upon by both Houses of Parliament to be of dangerous consequence. 2 A true relation of the strange and untimely deathes which hath successively befalen all the nobility and others, which have beene the possessors of Shirborne Castle, in Dorset-shire since that it was unlawfully usurped and taken from the church by King Stephen in Anno Dom. 1100. Which castle is now in the possession of George Lord Digby, and how the case stands with him I leave to the courteous reader to censure. Whereunto is added, certaine articles of high treason against the said Lord Digby (1642)
  • C 14 6[9] Linc.: A short story of the rise, reign, and ruine of the Antinomians, familists & libertines, that infected the churches of New-England: and how they were confuted by the Assembly of ministers there: as also of the magistrates proceedings in court against them. Together with Gods strange and remarkable judgements from heaven upon some of the chief fomenters of these opinions; and the lamentable death of Ms. Hutchison. Very fit for these times; here being the same errours amongst us, and acted by the same spirit. Published at the instant request of sundry, by one that was an eye and eare-witnesse of the carriage of matters there. (1644)
A page from Barlow's manuscript copy of the Canterbury Tales. Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Barlow 20: https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/7a0fb04a-8d19-4499-8882-1d8eba966624/

Barlow's manuscripts at the Bodleian cover a range of subjects, genres, and time periods. These include

References

  1. ^ The Biographical Treasury. A Dictionary of Universal Biography, etc. Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans. 1838. p. 75.
  2. ^ John Spurr, "Barlow, Thomas (1608/9–1691)", ODNB, Oxford University Press, 2004 Retrieved 12 February 2015.(subscription required)
  3. ^ a b Christopher Hill, A Turbulent, Seditious and Factious People: John Bunyan and his Church (1988), p. 167.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l s:Barlow, Thomas (DNB00)
  5. ^ Pegasus, or the Flying Horse from Oxford, bringing the Proceedings of the Visitors and other Bedlamites.
  6. ^ British History on-line
  7. ^ In his Case of Conscience (1655–1656) Barlow wrote, "I think that there is a sacred and heavy obligation among Christians... to endeavour the conversion of the Jew, which certainly cannot be by banishing them from all Christian commonwealths." Scult, Mel (1978). Millennial Expectations and Jewish Liberties: A Study of the Efforts to Convert the Jews in Britain, Up to the Mid Nineteenth Century. Brill Archive. p. 29.
  8. ^ Jon Parkin, Science, Religion and Politics in Restoration England: Richard Cumberland's De Legibus Naturae (1999), p. 133.
  9. ^ Margery Purver, The Royal Society: Concept and Creation (1967), p. 157.
  10. ^ Nicholas Tyacke, Aspects of English Protestantism, c. 1530–1700 (2002), p. 295.
  11. ^ "Battersea | British History Online".
  12. ^ Madan, Falconer, H. H. E. Craster, and N. Denholm-Young. 1937. A Summary Catalogue of Western Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. Vol. 2. Oxford University Press, p. 1043.
  13. ^ Poole, William (2016). "Barlow's Books: Prolegomena for the Study of the Library of Thomas Barlow (1608/9-1691)". Bodleian Library Record. 29: 24–26.
  14. ^ Poole, William (2016). "Barlow's Books: Prolegomena for the Study of the Library of Thomas Barlow (1608/9-1691)". Bodleian Library Record. 29: 15.
  15. ^ Poole, William (2016). "Barlow's Books: Prolegomena for the Study of the Library of Thomas Barlow (1608/9-1691)". Bodleian Library Record. 29: 32.
  16. ^ Poole, William (2016). "Barlow's Books: Prolegomena for the Study of the Library of Thomas Barlow (1608/9-1691)". Bodleian Library Record. 29: 33.
  17. ^ Poole, William (2016). "Barlow's Books: Prolegomena for the Study of the Library of Thomas Barlow (1608/9-1691)". Bodleian Library Record. 29: 41–42.

External links

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Barlow, Thomas". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

Church of England titles
Preceded by Bishop of Lincoln
1675–1691 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_Barlow_(bishop)&oldid=1220998127"