George Walker (Puritan)
Encyclopedia
George Walker was an English clergyman, known for strong Puritan
views. He was imprisoned in 1638 by William Laud
, Archbishop of Canterbury
, an affair that was raised later against Laud at his trial. He became a member of the Westminster Assembly
.
Anthony à Wood styles Walker a "severe partisan"; Thomas Fuller
said he was "a man of an holy life, humble heart, and bountiful hand."
in Furness, Lancashire, and was educated at the Hawkshead grammar school, founded by his kinsman, Archbishop Edwin Sandys
. He was a near relative of John Walker
. He went to St. John's College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1608 and M.A. in 1611. His former tutor, Christopher Foster, who held the rectory of St. John Evangelist, Watling Street, the smallest parish in London, resigned that benefice in favour of Walker, who was inducted on 29 April 1614. There he continued all his life, refusing preferment.
In 1614 he accused Anthony Wotton
of Socinian heresy and blasphemy. This led to a "conference before eight learned divines,2 which ended in a vindication of Wotton. On 2 March 1619 he was appointed chaplain to Nicholas Felton
, Bishop of Ely
. He was already respected as a logician, Hebraist, and theologian, and engaged in disputes with 'heretics' and 'papists'. On 10 July 1621 he was incorporated B.D. of Oxford.
On 31 May 1623 he had a disputation on the authority of the church with Sylvester Norris
, who called himself Smith. About the same time Walker was associated with Daniel Featley
in a disputation with Father John Fisher. His puritanism was displeasing to Laud, who in 1636 mentions him in his yearly report to Charles I as one "who had all his time been but a disorderly and peevish man, and now of late hath very frowardly preached against the Lord Bishop of Ely his book concerning the Lord's Day, set out by authority; but upon a canonical admonition given him to desist he hath recollected himself, and I hope will be advised". In 1638 appeared his Doctrine of the Sabbath, which bears the imprint of Amsterdam, and contains extreme and views of the sanctity of the Lord's day. His main hypothesis was addressed by Hermann Witsius
.
Walker was committed to prison on 11 November 1638 for some "things tending to faction and disobedience to authority" found in a sermon delivered by him on the 4th of the same month. His case was introduced into the House of Commons on 20 May 1641, and his imprisonment declared illegal. He was afterwards restored to his parsonage, and received compensation for his losses. At the trial of Laud in 1643 the imprisonment of Walker was made one of the charges against the archbishop. When he was free again he became very busy as a preacher and author. Four of his works are dated 1641: 1. God made visible in His Works, or a Treatise on the Eternal Works of God. 2. A Disputation between Master Walker and a Jesuite in the House of one Thomas Bates, in Bishop's Court in the Old Bailey, concerning the Ecclesiastical Function. 3. The Key of Saving Knowledge. 4. Socinianisme in the Fundamentall Point of Justification discovered and confuted. In the last, which was directed against John Goodwin
, he revived imputations against Wotton, who found a vindicator in Thomas Gataker
; in the following year Walker replied. Goodwin in his Treatise on Justification, 1642, deals with the various doctrinal points raised by Walker.
Walker joined the Westminster Assembly of divines in 1643, an active and influential member. On 29 January 1645 he preached a fast-day sermon before the House of Commons, which was shortly afterwards published, with an Epistle giving some particulars of his imprisonment. In the same year (1646) he printed A Brotherly and Friendly Censure of the Errour of a Dead Friend and Brother in Christian Affection. This refers to some remarks of William Prynne
. On 26 September 1645 parliament appointed him a 'trier' of elders in the London classis.
There is an undated tract by him about providing peachers in Lancashire. He himself supported the minister of Hawkshead. He was also a benefactor to Sion College
library.
He died in his seventieth year in 1651, and was buried in his church in Watling Street, which was destroyed in the Great Fire of London
of 1666.
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
views. He was imprisoned in 1638 by William Laud
William Laud
William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...
, Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, an affair that was raised later against Laud at his trial. He became a member of the Westminster Assembly
Westminster Assembly
The Westminster Assembly of Divines was appointed by the Long Parliament to restructure the Church of England. It also included representatives of religious leaders from Scotland...
.
Anthony à Wood styles Walker a "severe partisan"; Thomas Fuller
Thomas Fuller
Thomas Fuller was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his Worthies of England, published after his death...
said he was "a man of an holy life, humble heart, and bountiful hand."
Life
He was born about 1581 at HawksheadHawkshead
Hawkshead is a village and civil parish in the Cumbria, England. It is one of the main tourist honeypots in the South Lakeland area, and is dependent on the local tourist trade...
in Furness, Lancashire, and was educated at the Hawkshead grammar school, founded by his kinsman, Archbishop Edwin Sandys
Edwin Sandys (archbishop)
Archbishop Edwin Sandys was an English prelate.He was Anglican Bishop of Worcester , London and Archbishop of York during the reign of Elizabeth I of England...
. He was a near relative of John Walker
John Walker (archdeacon)
John Walker, D.D. , was archdeacon of Essex.Walker graduated from Cambridge, B.A. in 1547, B.D. in 1563, and D.D. in 1569. He was presented to the small living of Alderton, Suffolk, and at some time was a noted preacher at Ipswich. In February 1563 he attended convocation as proctor for the clergy...
. He went to St. John's College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1608 and M.A. in 1611. His former tutor, Christopher Foster, who held the rectory of St. John Evangelist, Watling Street, the smallest parish in London, resigned that benefice in favour of Walker, who was inducted on 29 April 1614. There he continued all his life, refusing preferment.
In 1614 he accused Anthony Wotton
Anthony Wotton
Anthony Wotton was an English clergyman and controversialist, of Puritan views. He was the first Gresham Professor of Divinity. Christopher Hill describes him as a Modernist and Ramist.-Life:...
of Socinian heresy and blasphemy. This led to a "conference before eight learned divines,2 which ended in a vindication of Wotton. On 2 March 1619 he was appointed chaplain to Nicholas Felton
Nicholas Felton
Nicholas Felton was an English academic, bishop of Bristol from 1617 to 1619, and then bishop of Ely.-Life:He was born in Great Yarmouth, and educated at Pembroke Hall, Cambridge. He was rector of St Mary-le-Bow church in London, from 1597 to 1617; and also rector at St Antholin, Budge Row...
, Bishop of Ely
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...
. He was already respected as a logician, Hebraist, and theologian, and engaged in disputes with 'heretics' and 'papists'. On 10 July 1621 he was incorporated B.D. of Oxford.
On 31 May 1623 he had a disputation on the authority of the church with Sylvester Norris
Sylvester Norris
Sylvester Norris was an English Roman Catholic controversial writer and missionary priest.-Life:...
, who called himself Smith. About the same time Walker was associated with Daniel Featley
Daniel Featley
Daniel Featley, also called Fairclough and sometimes called Richard Fairclough/Featley , was an English theologian and controversialist...
in a disputation with Father John Fisher. His puritanism was displeasing to Laud, who in 1636 mentions him in his yearly report to Charles I as one "who had all his time been but a disorderly and peevish man, and now of late hath very frowardly preached against the Lord Bishop of Ely his book concerning the Lord's Day, set out by authority; but upon a canonical admonition given him to desist he hath recollected himself, and I hope will be advised". In 1638 appeared his Doctrine of the Sabbath, which bears the imprint of Amsterdam, and contains extreme and views of the sanctity of the Lord's day. His main hypothesis was addressed by Hermann Witsius
Hermann Witsius
Hermann Witsius was a Dutch theologian.- Life :...
.
Walker was committed to prison on 11 November 1638 for some "things tending to faction and disobedience to authority" found in a sermon delivered by him on the 4th of the same month. His case was introduced into the House of Commons on 20 May 1641, and his imprisonment declared illegal. He was afterwards restored to his parsonage, and received compensation for his losses. At the trial of Laud in 1643 the imprisonment of Walker was made one of the charges against the archbishop. When he was free again he became very busy as a preacher and author. Four of his works are dated 1641: 1. God made visible in His Works, or a Treatise on the Eternal Works of God. 2. A Disputation between Master Walker and a Jesuite in the House of one Thomas Bates, in Bishop's Court in the Old Bailey, concerning the Ecclesiastical Function. 3. The Key of Saving Knowledge. 4. Socinianisme in the Fundamentall Point of Justification discovered and confuted. In the last, which was directed against John Goodwin
John Goodwin (preacher)
John Goodwin was an English preacher, theologian and prolific author of significant books.-Early life:Goodwin was born in Norfolk and educated at Queens' College, Cambridge, where he graduated M.A. and obtained a fellowship on 10 November 1617. He left the university and married, took orders and...
, he revived imputations against Wotton, who found a vindicator in Thomas Gataker
Thomas Gataker
Thomas Gataker was an English clergyman and theologian.-Life:He was born in London and educated at St John's College, Cambridge. From 1601 to 1611 he held the appointment of preacher to the society of Lincoln's Inn, which he resigned on accepting the rectory of Rotherhithe...
; in the following year Walker replied. Goodwin in his Treatise on Justification, 1642, deals with the various doctrinal points raised by Walker.
Walker joined the Westminster Assembly of divines in 1643, an active and influential member. On 29 January 1645 he preached a fast-day sermon before the House of Commons, which was shortly afterwards published, with an Epistle giving some particulars of his imprisonment. In the same year (1646) he printed A Brotherly and Friendly Censure of the Errour of a Dead Friend and Brother in Christian Affection. This refers to some remarks of William Prynne
William Prynne
William Prynne was an English lawyer, author, polemicist, and political figure. He was a prominent Puritan opponent of the church policy of the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud. Although his views on church polity were presbyterian, he became known in the 1640s as an Erastian, arguing for...
. On 26 September 1645 parliament appointed him a 'trier' of elders in the London classis.
There is an undated tract by him about providing peachers in Lancashire. He himself supported the minister of Hawkshead. He was also a benefactor to Sion College
Sion College
Sion College, in London, is an institution founded by Royal Charter in 1630 as a college, guild of parochial clergy and almshouse, under the 1623 will of Thomas White, vicar of St Dunstan's in the West....
library.
He died in his seventieth year in 1651, and was buried in his church in Watling Street, which was destroyed in the Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
of 1666.