John Quick (divine)
Encyclopedia
John Quick was an English nonconformist
divine.
. After graduating at Oxford in 1657 he was ordained at Ermington
in Devon in 1659. A more famous contemporary John Flavel
(1628-91) ministered at nearby Dartmouth
. He served at Kingsbridge
and then at Brixton
near Plymouth.
Undeterred by the Act of Uniformity
(1662), he continued to preach. He was arrested during a service on 13 December 1663 and imprisoned at Exeter
. At his trial, he was nearly acquitted on a technicality, but since he refused to give up preaching, he was sent to prison. After eight weeks, he was liberated by Sir Matthew Hale
. The Bishop of Exeter, Seth Ward, then prosecuted Quick for preaching to the prisoners but he was acquitted.
Charles II’s Royal Declaration of Indulgence
of 1672 brought a brief respite for the persecuted Puritan brotherhood. Quick was licensed to preach at Plymouth. When restrictions were imposed again the following year, he was imprisoned for three months with other nonconformists at the Marshalsea
prison in Plymouth.
On his release, Quick left the west of England for London. He then traveled to Holland where he became a minister to the English church at Middleburg
in 1679. Returning to London two years later, Quick gathered a Presbyterian congregation in a small meeting house in Middlesex Court, Bartholomew Close and Smithfield. On the eve of easier times, his London ministry “successful to the conversion of many,” says Edmund Calamy
was relatively undisturbed; the Glorious Revolution
and the Toleration Act of 1688-89 eventually brought persecution to an end. Known as “a serious, good preacher” with a “great facility and freedom in prayer,” John Quick continued to serve his people faithfully until his death on 29 April 1706. His wife Elizabeth died in 1708. Their only daughter became the wife of Dr. John Evans
(1680?-1730) who completed the Matthew Henry
's commentary on the Epistle to the Romans
.
refugees, some of whom landed at Plymouth from La Rochelle
in 1681—the
year the dragonnades began. Quick's interest in the Huguenots did not end with the Synodicon. Besides published sermons of his own, he also prepared for publication a selection of fifty brief biographies of eminent pastors, theologians, and martyrs of the French Reformed Church, the Icones Sacrae Gallicanae. He also produced a similar selection of twenty Puritans, the Icones Sacrae Anglicanae. These ambitious ventures failed with the death in 1700 of William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford
(the dedicatee of the Synodicon) who had offered to assist with the cost. Advancing illness also prevented Quick from collecting subscriptions for the work. Following the Quick's death, the manuscript volumes were eventually deposited at Dr. Williams's Library in London.
Nonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
divine.
Life
He was born in PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
. After graduating at Oxford in 1657 he was ordained at Ermington
Ermington
Ermington can refer to:* Ermington House - The residence of Edmund Lockyer in Ermington, AustraliaThere are several places named Ermington:* Ermington, New South Wales - A suburb of Sydney, Australia...
in Devon in 1659. A more famous contemporary John Flavel
John Flavel
John Flavel was an English Presbyterian clergyman and author.-Life:Flavel was born at Bromsgrove, Worcestershire and studied at Oxford. Ordained as a Presbyterian in 1650, though later a Congregationalist, he held livings at Diptford and Dartmouth...
(1628-91) ministered at nearby Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
. He served at Kingsbridge
Kingsbridge
Kingsbridge is a market town and popular tourist hub in the South Hams district of Devon, England, with a population of about 5,800. It is situated at the northern end of the Kingsbridge Estuary, which is a textbook example of a ria and extends to the sea six miles south of the town.-History:The...
and then at Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
near Plymouth.
Undeterred by the Act of Uniformity
Act of Uniformity
Over the course of English parliamentary history there were a number of acts of uniformity. All had the basic object of establishing some sort of religious orthodoxy within the English church....
(1662), he continued to preach. He was arrested during a service on 13 December 1663 and imprisoned at Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
. At his trial, he was nearly acquitted on a technicality, but since he refused to give up preaching, he was sent to prison. After eight weeks, he was liberated by Sir Matthew Hale
Matthew Hale
Matthew Hale may refer to:* Matthew Hale , English jurist* Matthew Hale , Anglican bishop in Australia; Bishop of Perth; Bishop of Brisbane...
. The Bishop of Exeter, Seth Ward, then prosecuted Quick for preaching to the prisoners but he was acquitted.
Charles II’s Royal Declaration of Indulgence
Royal Declaration of Indulgence
The Royal Declaration of Indulgence was Charles II of England's attempt to extend religious liberty to Protestant nonconformists and Roman Catholics in his realms, by suspending the execution of the penal laws that punished recusants from the Church of England...
of 1672 brought a brief respite for the persecuted Puritan brotherhood. Quick was licensed to preach at Plymouth. When restrictions were imposed again the following year, he was imprisoned for three months with other nonconformists at the Marshalsea
Marshalsea
The Marshalsea was a prison on the south bank of the River Thames in Southwark, now part of London. From the 14th century until it closed in 1842, it housed men under court martial for crimes at sea, including those accused of "unnatural crimes", political figures and intellectuals accused of...
prison in Plymouth.
On his release, Quick left the west of England for London. He then traveled to Holland where he became a minister to the English church at Middleburg
Middleburg
Middleburg may mean the following places in the United States of America:*Middleburg, Florida*Middleburg, Iowa*Middleburg, Kentucky*Middleburg, Maryland*Middleburgh , New York**Middleburgh , New York*Middleburg, Logan County, Ohio...
in 1679. Returning to London two years later, Quick gathered a Presbyterian congregation in a small meeting house in Middlesex Court, Bartholomew Close and Smithfield. On the eve of easier times, his London ministry “successful to the conversion of many,” says Edmund Calamy
Edmund Calamy (historian)
Edmund Calamy was an English Nonconformist churchman, divine and historian.-Life:A grandson of Edmund Calamy the Elder, he was born in the City of London, in the parish of St Mary Aldermanbury. He was sent to various schools, including Merchant Taylors', and in 1688 proceeded to the university of...
was relatively undisturbed; the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
and the Toleration Act of 1688-89 eventually brought persecution to an end. Known as “a serious, good preacher” with a “great facility and freedom in prayer,” John Quick continued to serve his people faithfully until his death on 29 April 1706. His wife Elizabeth died in 1708. Their only daughter became the wife of Dr. John Evans
John Evans
- Academics :*Sir John Evans , English archaeologist and geologist*John Davies Evans , English archaeologist specialising in the prehistory of the Mediterranean and Malta, former Director of the Institute of Archaeology, London...
(1680?-1730) who completed the Matthew Henry
Matthew Henry
Matthew Henry was an English commentator on the Bible and Presbyterian minister.-Life:He was born at Broad Oak, a farmhouse on the borders of Flintshire and Shropshire. His father, Philip Henry, had just been ejected under the Act of Uniformity 1662...
's commentary on the Epistle to the Romans
Epistle to the Romans
The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, often shortened to Romans, is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul to explain that Salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
.
Works
Quick was author of the Synodicon in Gallia Reformata. During his early ministry and subsequently, he became acquainted with the HuguenotHuguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
refugees, some of whom landed at Plymouth from La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
in 1681—the
year the dragonnades began. Quick's interest in the Huguenots did not end with the Synodicon. Besides published sermons of his own, he also prepared for publication a selection of fifty brief biographies of eminent pastors, theologians, and martyrs of the French Reformed Church, the Icones Sacrae Gallicanae. He also produced a similar selection of twenty Puritans, the Icones Sacrae Anglicanae. These ambitious ventures failed with the death in 1700 of William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford
William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford
William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford KG PC was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 until 1641 when he inherited his Peerage and sat in the House of Lords...
(the dedicatee of the Synodicon) who had offered to assist with the cost. Advancing illness also prevented Quick from collecting subscriptions for the work. Following the Quick's death, the manuscript volumes were eventually deposited at Dr. Williams's Library in London.