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Francis Taylor (1589-1656)

A scholarly Westminster divine, generally unpublished today.
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“Regeneration does not work on our understanding only to show us what we are to do, but on our will as well to alter and reform it.”

His Works:

Get God’s Glory in Man’s Happiness by Francis Taylor (1589-1656).

The Works of Francis Taylor available in old English (Puritan Publications is working to publish all of Taylors’ works):

  1. An exposition with pracitcall observations upon the 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. chapters of the proverbs (1657) by Francis Taylor
  2. An exposition with practicall observations upon the three first chapters of proverbs (1655) by Francis Taylor
  3. Ekhah, sive, Jeremiae vatis lamentationes denuò è fontibus hebraicus translatae (1651) by Francis Taylor
  4. Gods covenant the churches plea: or A sermon preached before the honorable House of Commons (1645) by Francis Taylor
  5. Gods glory in mans happiness: with the freeness of his grace in electing us (1654) by Francis Taylor
  6. Grapes from Canaan; or The believers present taste of future glory (1658) by Francis Taylor
  7. Pirke avot Capitula patrum (1651) by Francis Taylor
  8. Selfe-satisfaction occasionally taught the citizens in the lecture at St. Magnes neere London-bridge (1633) by Francis Taylor
  9. The danger of vowes neglected and the necessitie of reformation (1646) by Francis Taylor
  10. The faith of the Chvrch of England concerning Gods work on mans will (1641) by Francis Taylor
  11. Tractatus de patribus (1654) by Francis Taylor
  12. Vocatio divina, seu, Meditationes succinctæ in illud Apostoli (1627) by Francis Taylor

 

Biography of Francis Taylor (1589-1656):

Francis Taylor (1589-1656) was sometime Rector of Chapham in the county of Surrey, near London. He was afterward pastor of Yalding in Kent. To one of those places he was presented by Archbishop Laud.

In the year 1643, he was chosen one of the Assembly of Divines at Westminster, and is said to have given constant attendance during the session. In that venerable Assembly, he was eminently distinguished by his great learning and moderation. He subscribed the Proposition, That “Jesus Christ, as King of the Church, hath himself appointed a Church-government distinct from the civil magistrate.” He preached some times before the Parliament; but I have seen only two of these sermons which are mentioned in their place. His eminent abilities and erudition were most richly displayed in his writings. He wrote the English Annotations upon the book of the Proverbs. He was most peculiarly distinguished for all kinds of Hebrew learning, and the knowledge of Jewish antiquities. He published several very learned and valuable works, and among these a translation of the Jerusalem Targum on the Pentateuch out of the Chaldeo into Latin, which he dedicated to the learned Mr. Gataker of Rotherhithe. This was accompanied with a Prefatory epistle of the eminently learned Mr. Selden to our author. Mr. Taylor maintained a learned correspondence with Boetius, Archbishop Usher, and the most celebrated scholars of his time. Among the letters to Archbishop Usher, which are still preserved, there is one from Mr. Taylor dated from Chapham, April, 1685, written in Latin.

Our author removed from Yalding and became preacher in Christ’s church in the city of Canterbury, where he appears to have died about the time of the Restoration. He left behind him the character of an able Critic, and of a most celebrated Divine. Mr. Neal says, that “he was one of the most considerable Divines of the Assembly.” Mr. Edward Leigh says, that he was “a learned Linguist, and worthy Divine of the Assembly at Westminster.”

He had a son of the same name, who, though he lost the sight of both his eyes by the small-pox, while he was a student in Cambridge, became a minister of considerable learning, of genuine piety, and of great usefulness.

 

 

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