Life

He was born in Warwick

Warwick

Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...

 4 February 1583, and received his early education at the free school in that town. On 12 February 1602 he entered Christ Church, Oxford

Christ Church, Oxford

Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...

, and graduated B.A. (23 October 1605) and M.A. (30 May 1606). Taking holy orders he was presented to the vicarage of Great Budworth

Great Budworth

Great Budworth is a civil parish and village, approximately north of Northwich, England, within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire. It lies off the A559 road, east of Comberbach, northwest of Higher Marston and southeast of Budworth Heath...

, Cheshire

Cheshire

Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...

, in 1616. He subsequently became sub-dean of Chester

Chester

Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...

 and Friday lecturer in St. Peter's Church in the same city, and in 1627 was made a prebendary of Chester Cathedral.

At the outbreak of the First English Civil War

First English Civil War

The First English Civil War began the series of three wars known as the English Civil War . "The English Civil War" was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, and includes the Second English Civil War and...

 between Charles I and the parliament he sided with the latter, and came to occupy an important place in their ecclesiastical arrangements, and was an energetic pamphleteer. In 1643 he took the solemn league and covenant

Solemn League and Covenant

The Solemn League and Covenant was an agreement between the Scottish Covenanters and the leaders of the English Parliamentarians. It was agreed to in 1643, during the First English Civil War....

, was appointed a member of the Westminster Assembly of divines, and regularly attended its sessions. He was made examiner in Latin to the Assembly, and chairman of two of its important committees. In 1645 he was elected president of 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....

, and in the same year the sequestered rectories of St. Mary-at-Hill, London, and of Charlwood

Charlwood

Charlwood is a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England. It is immediately northwest of London Gatwick Airport in West Sussex, close west of Horley and north of Crawley. The historic county boundary between Surrey and Sussex ran to the south of Gatwick Airport...

, Surrey

Surrey

Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

, were made over to him. He was instituted rector of Ashfield

Ashfield

Ashfield is a local government district in western Nottinghamshire, England. According to the 2001 UK census, it has a population of 111,387. The district is mostly urban, with a tradition of coal mining. There are three towns in the district; the largest being Sutton-in-Ashfield...

 and of Astbury

Newbold Astbury

thumb|AstburyNewbold Astbury is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in the north-west of England. It is situated to the south of Congleton on the A34 road to Scholar Green; the A34 forms one side of the triangular village green...

 in Cheshire in 1646. He drew up the 'Cheshire Attestation' in 1648, and his name is the first of the fifty-nine appended to it. When Edward Hyde was ejected from the rectory of Brightwell

Brightwell-cum-Sotwell

Brightwell-cum-Sotwell is a twin-village and civil parish in the Upper Thames Valley in South Oxfordshire. It lies between Didcot to the west and the historic market town of Wallingford to the east...

, Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

, Ley succeeded him. He refused to pay Hyde any part of his income.

In 1653 he was appointed one of the 'triers for the approbation of ministers.' He subsequently obtained from Sir Simon Archer  of Umberslade Hall

Umberslade Hall

Umberslade Hall is a 17th century mansion converted into residential apartments situated near Tanworth in Arden, Warwickshire. It is a Grade II* listed building....

 the rectory of Solihull

Solihull

Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...

, Warwickshire

Warwickshire

Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...

. After some years there his health gave way, and resigning his benefices he went to live at Sutton Coldfield

Sutton Coldfield

Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...

, where he died 16 May 1662. He was buried in the church of Sutton Coldfield.

Works

The following are his main works:

• An Apology in Defence of the Geneva Notes on the Bible (written circa 1612).
• A Patterne of Pietie, or the Religious life and death of that grave and gracious Matron, Mrs. Jane Ratcliffe, Widow, and Citizen of Chester, 1640.
• Sunday a Sabbath, or a preparative Discourse for discussion of Sabbatary doubts, 1641.
• The Christian Sabbath maintained, in Answer to a book of Dr. Pocklington stiled "Sunday no Sabbath." Reply to John Pocklington
  John Pocklington
  John Pocklington was an English Laudian clergyman and polemicist. By order of the Long Parliament, two of his works were burned in public.-Life:...
  
  .
• 'A Letter against the Erection of an Altar,' 1641.
• 'A Case of Conscience concerning the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper,' 1641.
• 'Defensive Doubts, Hopes and Reasons for Refusall of the Oath imposed by the sixth Canon of the late Synod,' 1641.
• 'A Comparison of the Parliamentary Prostestation with the late Canonical Oath,' 1641.
• 'A Discourse concerning Puritans,' 1641.
• 'A Monitor of Mortality,' 1643 (two funeral sermons).
• 'Fury of War and Folly of Sin,' 1643, a sermon.
• 'The New Quere and Determination upon it, by Mr. Saltmarsh … examined,' 1646.
• 'Apologetical Narrative of the late Petition of the Common Council and Ministers of London,' 1646.
• 'Light for Smoak, or a cleare and distinct Reply to a dark and confused Answer in a book made and entitled "The Smoke in the Temple" by John Saltmarsh,' 1646.
• 'An After-reckoning with Mr. Saltmarsh,' 1646.
• 'Attestation of the Ministers of Cheshire to the Testimony of the Ministers of the Province of London,' 1648.
• 'Elaborate Annotations on the Pentateuch,' 1651.
• 'A Learned Defence for the Legaluty of Tithes,' Oxford, 1653.
• 'General Reasons against the Payment of a fifth part to Sequestered Ministers' Wives and Children … whereto are added special Reasons against the Payment of a fifth part to Dr. E. H[yde] out of the Rectory of Brightwell,' 1654.
• 'Debate concerning the English Liturgy drawn out in two English and two Latin Epistles, written betwixt Edward Hyde and John Ley,' 1656.
• 'Discourses or Disputations, chiefly concerning matters of Religion,' 1658.
• 'Animadversions on two printed Books of Joh. Onely, a Lay Preacher.'
• 'Equitable and Necessary Considerations for the Association of Arms throughout England and Wales.'
• 'Comparison of the Oath of the Sixth Canon of the last Synod of Bishops and the Protestation set forth by the Parliament, in Answer to a letter of Pedoel Harlow, Gent.'
• 'Exceptions Many and Just, being an Answer to two injurious Petitions against Tithes.'

He was an important contributor to the Westminster Annotations (Annotations upon all the Books of the Old and New Testament, 1645), with Meric Casaubon

Méric Casaubon

Méric Casaubon , son of Isaac Casaubon, was a French-English classical scholar...

, John Downame

John Downame

John Downame was an English clergyman and theologian in London, who came to prominence in the 1640s, when he worked closely with the Westminster Assembly. He is now remembered for his writings.-Life:...

, Daniel Featley

Daniel Featley

Daniel Featley, also called Fairclough and sometimes called Richard Fairclough/Featley , was an English theologian and controversialist...

, 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...

, William Gouge

William Gouge

William Gouge was an English clergyman and author. He was a minister and preacher at St Ann Blackfriars for 45 years, from 1608, and a member of the Westminster Assembly from 1643.-Life:...

, Adam Pemberton, John Reading

John Reading (clergyman)

John Reading was an English clergyman of Calvinist views and Biblical commentator.-Life:He was born of poor parents in Buckinghamshire. 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....

, Edward Reynolds

Edward Reynolds

Edward Reynolds was a bishop of Norwich in the Church of England and an author.He was born in Holyrood parish Southampton, the son of Augustine Reynolds, one of the customers of the city, and his wife, Bridget....

, and Francis Taylor

Francis Taylor

Francis Taylor or Frank Taylor may refer to:*Francis Taylor, Baron Taylor of Hadfield , founder of the housebuilder Taylor Woodrow*Francis Taylor , Derbyshire cricketer...

.