Henry Scudder (d. 1659?) was an English minister of

presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

views, known as a devotional writer, and member of the

Westminster Assembly The Westminster Assembly of Divines was a council of Divinity (academic discipline), divines (theologians) and members of the English Parliament appointed from 1643 to 1653 to restructure the Church of England. Several Scots also attended, and ...

Life

He was a graduate of

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...

, with a

Cambridge Master of Arts In the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts are promoted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts (MA) on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university (including years as an u ...

(MA Cantab) from 1606. He was minister at Drayton in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

1607–19, and in 1633 was presented by the king to the living of Collingbourne-Ducis, near

Marlborough, Wiltshire Marlborough ( , ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the England, English Counties of England, county of Wiltshire on the A4 road (England), Old Bath Road, the old main road from London to Bath, Somerset, Bath. Th ...

. In June 1643 he was summoned to the Westminster Assembly of divines. When in June 1645 an order came from the House of Commons to pray for the forces, Scudder was one of the four preachers assigned to

Aldgate Aldgate () was a gate in the former defensive wall around the City of London. It gives its name to Aldgate High Street, the first stretch of the A11 road, which included the site of the former gate. The area of Aldgate, the most common use of ...

. He was minister at the

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

church of St Mildred Poultry in 1645–6. On 6 April 1647 he reported on some of the proofs of the

Westminster Confession of Faith The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the " subordinate standard" ...

, and on 9 February 1648 his name was added to the Assembly's committee for the scriptures. Scudder preached before the House of Commons in October 1644, on a fast day, at

St. Margaret's, Westminster The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey, is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Palace of Westminster ...

, and his sermon was printed by request of the house. He died before the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

, and his successor at Collingbourne-Ducis was instituted in 1660. He was buried in the church there, in a tomb that has been removed. He married Elizabeth, daughter of George Hunt, for fifty years rector of Collingbourne-Ducis. She died when little over twenty. Her sister married

William Whately William Whately (1583–1639) was an English Puritan cleric and author. Life The son of Thomas Whately, twice mayor of Banbury, Oxfordshire, and Joyce his wife, he was born at Banbury on 21 May 1583. At fourteen he entered Christ's College, C ...

, Scudder's fellow student at Christ's College, and subsequently vicar of Banbury, whose life Scudder wrote in 1639–40. A daughter married

John Grayle John Grayle or Graile (1614–1654) was an English Puritan minister. Life Grayle was the son of John Grayle, priest, of Stone, Gloucestershire, where he was born. At the age of 18 he entered Magdalen Hall, Oxford, as a batler, and proceeded B. ...

in 1645.

Works

Scudder was author of a devotional work entitled ''The Christian's Daily Walke in Holy Securitie and Peace.'' The sixth edition, issued in 1635, has an 'Epistle to the Reader,' by John Davenport, dated from Coleman Street, 25 April 1627. The title-page describes it as first intended for private use. A German translation by

Theodore Haak Theodore Haak (1605 in – 1690 in London) was a German Calvinist scholar, resident in England in later life. Haak's communications abilities and interests in the new science provided the backdrop for convening the "1645 Group", a precursor of t ...

appeared at Frankfurt in 1636. The book was frequently reissued, The editions of 1690 and 1761 have commendations by John Owen and

Richard Baxter Richard Baxter (12 November 1615 – 8 December 1691) was an English Puritan church leader, poet, hymnodist, theologian, and controversialist. Dean Stanley called him "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, he ...

. A fifteenth edition was issued in 1813. The edition of 1820, containing Davenport's epistle and Owen and Baxter's recommendations, has an introductory essay by

Thomas Chalmers Thomas Chalmers (17 March 178031 May 1847), was a Scottish minister, professor of theology, political economist, and a leader of both the Church of Scotland and of the Free Church of Scotland. He has been called "Scotland's greatest nine ...

. Scudder also published: * 'A Key of Heaven: the Lord's Prayer opened and applied,' 1682; dedicated to 'Mr. Thomas Crew, and to all his hopeful children,' and has a preface by

Richard Sibbes Richard Sibbes (or Sibbs) (1577–1635) was an Anglican theologian. He is known as a Biblical exegete, and as a representative, with William Perkins and John Preston, of what has been called "main-line" Puritanism because he always remained in ...

. * 'Prototypes, or the Primarie Precedent Presidents out of the Booke of Genesis. With Mr. Whatelye's Life and Death,' 1640, fol., and 1647. Scudder had the assistance of

Edward Leigh Sir Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (born 20 July 1950) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1983. Leigh has represented Gainsborough, Lincolnshire in the House of Commons since 1983 (repr ...

, like himself one of Whately's executors.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Scudder, Henry Year of birth missing 1659 deaths 17th-century English Anglican priests Westminster Divines English Presbyterian ministers of the Interregnum (England) Early modern Christian devotional writers Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge