Thomas Cole (minister)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Cole was an independent minister.
Cole was a native of London
, was born about 1627. William Cole
, his father, was a man of some property, and sent him to Westminster School
, whence, in 1646, he was elected student of Christ Church, Oxford
. He proceeded B.A. in 1649, and M.A. 8 July 1651, and in 1656 became principal of St. Mary Hall. As a tutor he had ‘some eminent divines’ for pupils, among whom was John Locke
. The restoration of Charles II
was followed by the ejection of Cole from his position at Oxford
. He then opened an academy at Nettlebed
, Oxfordshire
, and one of those under his charge was Samuel Wesley
, the father of the founder of methodism
. Samuel Wesley was the son of an ejected minister, but having entered the church, he attacked his former tutor, whose character was cleared by Samuel Palmer
in his ‘Vindication of the Dissenters.’ In February 1674 Cole succeeded Philip Nye
as minister of the now extinct independent congregation of Silver Street
, London
. He was also one of the ministers of the merchants' lecture at Pinners' Hall. His church, after leaving Silver Street, met at Tallow Chandlers' Hall, Dowgate Hill, and afterwards at Pinners' Hall, where he preached his last sermon 22 Aug. 1697. Cole is described by Palmer as ‘a man of a most innocent and spotless life in his usual conversation.’ Beyond three sermons in the ‘Morning Exercises,’ 1674, and one in the ‘Casuistical Morning Exercise,’ 1690, his writings are: 1. ‘The old Apostolical Way of Preaching: a funeral sermon for Rev. Edward West,’ London, 1676. 2. ‘Discourses on Regeneration, Faith, and Repentance,’ London, 1689. 3. ‘The Incomprehensibleness of imputed Righteousness for Justification by Human Reason, till enlightened by the Spirit of God,’ London, 1692. 4. ‘Discourses on the Christian Religion,’ London, 1700. A manuscript copy of some of his sermons, including his last, with an account of his deathbed conversation, is described by Wilson, who gives from it an account of his decease, 16 Sept. 1697, in the seventieth year of his age. A copy of verses by him is prefixed to Cartwright's poems in 1653, and there is another in the Oxford collection on the peace in 1654. He is buried in the upper ground of Bunhill Fields
, but the precise spot is not known.
Cole was a native of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, was born about 1627. William Cole
William Cole
William Cole may refer to:* William Cole, 3rd Earl of Enniskillen , known as Viscount Cole* William Cole , Dean of Lincoln Cathedral and President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford...
, his father, was a man of some property, and sent him to Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
, whence, in 1646, he was elected student of 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...
. He proceeded B.A. in 1649, and M.A. 8 July 1651, and in 1656 became principal of St. Mary Hall. As a tutor he had ‘some eminent divines’ for pupils, among whom was John Locke
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
. The restoration of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
was followed by the ejection of Cole from his position at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. He then opened an academy at Nettlebed
Nettlebed
Nettlebed is a village in England in the Chiltern Hills about northwest of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire and southeast of Wallingford.-History:Archaeological finds show that the area around Nettlebed has been inhabited since Palaeolithic times....
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, and one of those under his charge was Samuel Wesley
Samuel Wesley
Samuel Wesley was an English organist and composer in the late Georgian period. Wesley was a contemporary of Mozart and was called by some "the English Mozart."-Personal life:...
, the father of the founder of methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
. Samuel Wesley was the son of an ejected minister, but having entered the church, he attacked his former tutor, whose character was cleared by Samuel Palmer
Samuel Palmer
Samuel Palmer was a British landscape painter, etcher and printmaker. He was also a prolific writer. Palmer was a key figure in Romanticism in Britain and produced visionary pastoral paintings.-Early life:...
in his ‘Vindication of the Dissenters.’ In February 1674 Cole succeeded Philip Nye
Philip Nye
Philip Nye was a leading English Independent theologian.-Life:He graduated with an M.A. from Magdalen Hall, Oxford in 1622. He spent the years 1633 to 1640 in exile, in Holland.....
as minister of the now extinct independent congregation of Silver Street
Silver Street
Silver Street was a radio soap opera, the first such to be aimed at the British South Asian community, and was broadcast on the BBC Asian Network. It was introduced in 2004 as part of the Sonia Deol show, which was replaced from 24 April 2006 by the Anita Rani show, and until 12 May 2006 each...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He was also one of the ministers of the merchants' lecture at Pinners' Hall. His church, after leaving Silver Street, met at Tallow Chandlers' Hall, Dowgate Hill, and afterwards at Pinners' Hall, where he preached his last sermon 22 Aug. 1697. Cole is described by Palmer as ‘a man of a most innocent and spotless life in his usual conversation.’ Beyond three sermons in the ‘Morning Exercises,’ 1674, and one in the ‘Casuistical Morning Exercise,’ 1690, his writings are: 1. ‘The old Apostolical Way of Preaching: a funeral sermon for Rev. Edward West,’ London, 1676. 2. ‘Discourses on Regeneration, Faith, and Repentance,’ London, 1689. 3. ‘The Incomprehensibleness of imputed Righteousness for Justification by Human Reason, till enlightened by the Spirit of God,’ London, 1692. 4. ‘Discourses on the Christian Religion,’ London, 1700. A manuscript copy of some of his sermons, including his last, with an account of his deathbed conversation, is described by Wilson, who gives from it an account of his decease, 16 Sept. 1697, in the seventieth year of his age. A copy of verses by him is prefixed to Cartwright's poems in 1653, and there is another in the Oxford collection on the peace in 1654. He is buried in the upper ground of Bunhill Fields
Bunhill Fields
Bunhill Fields is a cemetery in the London Borough of Islington, north of the City of London, and managed by the City of London Corporation. It is about 4 hectares in extent, although historically was much larger....
, but the precise spot is not known.