John Reading (clergyman)
Encyclopedia
John Reading was an English clergyman of Calvinist views and Biblical commentator.
. He matriculated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, on 4 May 1604, and graduated B.A. on 17 October 1607. When he proceeded M.A. on 22 June 1610, he was described as of St. Mary Hall. Taking holy orders, he became about 1614 chaplain to Edward la Zouche, 11th Baron Zouche
of Haringeworth, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
and governor of Dover Castle
.
After preaching at Dover many sermons before his patron, Reading was on 2 December 1616, at the request of the parishioners, appointed minister of St. Mary's. He secured a position of influence in the town, and subsequently became chaplain to Charles I and B.D. Although his sermons advocated Puritan
principles, he supported the king's cause in the English Civil War
.
In 1642 his study at Dover was plundered by parliamentary soldiers, and he was imprisoned for nineteen months. By direction of Charles I, William Laud
, then a prisoner in the Tower of London
, gave Rading the rectory of Chartham
, Kent
, on 27 January 1643. The House of Commons declined to sanction Reading's institution, and appointed Edward Corbett. Laud refused to abandon Reading, and the house passed on that ground an ordinance sequestrating the archbishop's temporalities. A prebend in Canterbury which was bestowed on Reading at the same time brought him no advantage.
In July 1644 he was presented by Sir William Brockman
to the living of Cheriton
, Kent, and in the same year Reading was appointed by the Westminster Assembly
to be one of nine commissioned to write annotations on the New Testament. These were published in ‘Annotations upon all the Books of the Old and New Testament, wherein the Text is explained, Doubts resolved, Scriptures paralleled, and various Readings observed,’ London, 1645, 1651, and 1657. But shortly after 1645, on the discovery of a plot for the capture of Dover Castle by the royalists, he was arrested by command of Major John Boys, and hurried to Dover Castle, and next day to Leeds Castle
. There he composed the “Guide to the Holy City.”’ He was at length discharged by the parliamentary committee for Kent, and the restitution of his goods was ordered; but his livings were sequestered. On 8 January 1647 he was a prisoner in the Fleet Prison
. On 10 March 1650 he attacked the right of unordained preaching in a public disputation with the baptist Samuel Fisher
of Folkestone
. Fisher used arguments from Jeremy Taylor
's “Discourse of the Liberty of Prophesying,”’ which Reading had already criticised in print.
Reading was restored to his Dover living shortly before the English Restoration
of 1660. On 25 May 1660 he presented to Charles II, on his first landing, a large bible with gold clasps, in the name of the corporation of Dover, and made a short speech, which was published as a broadside. He was shortly afterwards restored to Chartham, made canon of the eighth prebend of Canterbury, and reinstituted to Cheriton on 18 July . In October following the university of Oxford conferred on him the degree of D.D. per literas regias. Before August 1662 he resigned the living at Dover.
He died on 26 October 1667, and was buried on the 30th in the parish church of Chartham. His son Thomas, of Christ Church, Oxford, born in 1623, proceeded M.A. in July 1647 when ‘lately freed from prison.’
Reading also left in manuscript, ready for the press, among other works, ‘A large Comment, Paraphrase, and Explication on the whole New Testament,’ in Latin, dedicated to George Monck, and sent to be printed at London in 1666; but, because of the Great Fire of London
, was delivered into the hands of Matthew Wren
, bishop of Ely.
Life
He was born of poor parents in BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. He matriculated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, on 4 May 1604, and graduated B.A. on 17 October 1607. When he proceeded M.A. on 22 June 1610, he was described as of St. Mary Hall. Taking holy orders, he became about 1614 chaplain to Edward la Zouche, 11th Baron Zouche
Edward la Zouche, 11th Baron Zouche
Edward la Zouche, 11th Baron Zouche, 12th Baron St Maur was an English diplomat.-Early Life:Zouche was the son of George la Zouche, 10th Baron Zouche and his wife Margaret, née Welby....
of Haringeworth, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. The post dates from at least the 12th century but may be older. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports was originally in charge of the Cinque Ports, a group of five port towns on the southeast coast of England...
and governor of Dover Castle
Dover Castle
Dover Castle is a medieval castle in the town of the same name in the English county of Kent. It was founded in the 12th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history...
.
After preaching at Dover many sermons before his patron, Reading was on 2 December 1616, at the request of the parishioners, appointed minister of St. Mary's. He secured a position of influence in the town, and subsequently became chaplain to Charles I and B.D. Although his sermons advocated Puritan
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...
principles, he supported the king's cause in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
In 1642 his study at Dover was plundered by parliamentary soldiers, and he was imprisoned for nineteen months. By direction of Charles I, 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...
, then a prisoner in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
, gave Rading the rectory of Chartham
Chartham
Chartham is a village and civil parish in Kent, west of Canterbury.It is located on the Great Stour river which provided power for the paper mills up until some point before 1955. The name literally means ‘Village on rough ground’, and the word "Chart" is also found in other villages in Kent with...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, on 27 January 1643. The House of Commons declined to sanction Reading's institution, and appointed Edward Corbett. Laud refused to abandon Reading, and the house passed on that ground an ordinance sequestrating the archbishop's temporalities. A prebend in Canterbury which was bestowed on Reading at the same time brought him no advantage.
In July 1644 he was presented by Sir William Brockman
Sir William Brockman
Sir William Brockman was an English military leader, politician, and land owner, and who fought for the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.-Early life:...
to the living of Cheriton
Cheriton
-England:*Cheriton, Hampshire, a village and parish near Winchester**The Battle of Cheriton, a battle in the English Civil War*Cheriton, Kent, a one-time village, now a part of the urban area of Folkestone**Cheriton Halt railway station closed in 1947...
, Kent, and in the same year Reading was appointed by 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...
to be one of nine commissioned to write annotations on the New Testament. These were published in ‘Annotations upon all the Books of the Old and New Testament, wherein the Text is explained, Doubts resolved, Scriptures paralleled, and various Readings observed,’ London, 1645, 1651, and 1657. But shortly after 1645, on the discovery of a plot for the capture of Dover Castle by the royalists, he was arrested by command of Major John Boys, and hurried to Dover Castle, and next day to Leeds Castle
Leeds Castle
Leeds Castle, southeast of Maidstone, Kent, England, dates back to 1119, though a Saxon fort stood on the same site from the 9th century. The castle is built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len to the east of the village of Leeds....
. There he composed the “Guide to the Holy City.”’ He was at length discharged by the parliamentary committee for Kent, and the restitution of his goods was ordered; but his livings were sequestered. On 8 January 1647 he was a prisoner in the Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the Fleet River in London. The prison was built in 1197 and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846.- History :...
. On 10 March 1650 he attacked the right of unordained preaching in a public disputation with the baptist Samuel Fisher
Samuel Fisher (quaker)
Samuel Fisher was an English Quaker controversialist.-Early life:Fisher was the son of John Fisher, a hatter in Northampton, where Fisher was born. After attending a local school he matriculated at Trinity College, Oxford, in 1623 and graduated B.A. in 1627. Of Puritan views, he moved to New Inn...
of Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
. Fisher used arguments from Jeremy Taylor
Jeremy Taylor
Jeremy Taylor was a clergyman in the Church of England who achieved fame as an author during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. He is sometimes known as the "Shakespeare of Divines" for his poetic style of expression and was often presented as a model of prose writing...
's “Discourse of the Liberty of Prophesying,”’ which Reading had already criticised in print.
Reading was restored to his Dover living shortly before the English Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
of 1660. On 25 May 1660 he presented to Charles II, on his first landing, a large bible with gold clasps, in the name of the corporation of Dover, and made a short speech, which was published as a broadside. He was shortly afterwards restored to Chartham, made canon of the eighth prebend of Canterbury, and reinstituted to Cheriton on 18 July . In October following the university of Oxford conferred on him the degree of D.D. per literas regias. Before August 1662 he resigned the living at Dover.
He died on 26 October 1667, and was buried on the 30th in the parish church of Chartham. His son Thomas, of Christ Church, Oxford, born in 1623, proceeded M.A. in July 1647 when ‘lately freed from prison.’
Works
The works of Reading, who in doctrinal terms was a strict Calvinist, include:- ‘A Grain of Incense, or Supplication for the Peace of Jerusalem, the Church and State,’ London [8 April], 1643.
- ‘An Evening Sacrifice, or Prayer for a Family necessary for these calamitous Times,’ London, 1643.
- ‘Brief Instructions concerning the holy Sacrament for their use who propose to receive the Lord's Supper,’ London, 1645.
- ‘Little Benjamin, or Truth discovering Error; being a clear and full Answer unto the Letter subscribed by forty-seven Ministers of the Province of London, and presented to his Excellency, January 18, 1648 … by J. R., a reall lover of all those who love peace and truth,’ London, 1648.
- ‘The Ranter's Ranting, with the apprehending Examinations and Confession of John Collins and five more, also their several kinds of mirth and dancing (by J. R.),’ London, 2 Dec. 1650.
- ‘A Guide to the Holy City, or Directions and Helps to an Holy Life,’ Oxford, 1651.
- ‘An Antidote against Anabaptism,’ in part a criticism of Jeremy Taylor's ‘Liberty of Prophesying,’ London, 1645. An edition of 1655 bears the title, ‘Anabaptism routed,’ and is dedicated (8 December 1653) to Sir William Brockman, kt., and his wife.
- ‘Christmas revived, or an Answer to certain Objections made against the Observation of a Day in memory of our Saviour Christ his birth,’ London, 1660. Dedicated to ‘my honoured kinsman, Mr. William Rooke.’ A sermon of his, delivered in Canterbury Cathedral (London, 1663), of which a copy is in the Bodleian Library, contains a defence of church music.
Reading also left in manuscript, ready for the press, among other works, ‘A large Comment, Paraphrase, and Explication on the whole New Testament,’ in Latin, dedicated to George Monck, and sent to be printed at London in 1666; but, because of 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...
, was delivered into the hands of Matthew Wren
Matthew Wren
"Matthew Wren" is also a British actor who appeared in BBC children's show Trapped!.Matthew Wren was an influential English clergyman and scholar.-Life:...
, bishop of Ely.