Thomas Cole (1628–1697) was an English Independent minister.

Life

Cole was a native of

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 ...

, born in 1628. His father William Cole owned property, and sent him to

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

, from where, in 1646, he was elected student of

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

. 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 pupils including

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism ...

. 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 ...

of Charles II led to the ejection of Cole from his position at Oxford. He then opened a

dissenting academy The dissenting academies were schools, colleges and seminaries (often institutions with aspects of all three) run by English Dissenters, that is, those who did not conform to the Church of England. They formed a significant part of England's edu ...

Nettlebed Nettlebed is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire in the Chiltern Hills about northwest of Henley-on-Thames and southeast of Wallingford. The parish includes the hamlet of Crocker End, about east of the village. The 2011 Census recor ...

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 ...

, where one of those under his charge was James Bonnell.

Samuel Wesley Samuel Wesley (24 February 1766 – 11 October 1837) was an English organist and composer in the late Georgian period. Wesley was a contemporary of Mozart (1756–1791) and was called by some "the English Mozart".Kassler, Michael & Olleson, Ph ...

attacked the character of Cole, based on reports from Bonnell;

Samuel Palmer Samuel Palmer Hon.RE (Hon. Fellow of the Society of Painter-Etchers) (27 January 180524 May 1881) was a British landscape painter, etcher and printmaker. He was also a prolific writer. Palmer was a key figure in Romanticism in Britain and pr ...

defended Cole in his '' Vindication of the Dissenters''. In February 1674 Cole succeeded

Philip Nye Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

as minister of the Independent congregation at Silver Street meeting-house, 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 Dowgate, also referred to as ''Downgate'' and ''Downegate'', is a small Wards of the City of London, ward in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London. The ward is bounded to the east by Swan Lane and Laurence Poutney Lane, ...

, and then at Pinners' Hall, where he preached his last sermon 22 August 1697. Cole was buried in the upper ground of Bunhill Fields, but the precise spot is not known.

Works

As well as three sermons in the ''

Morning Exercises ''Morning Exercises'' refers to a religious observance by Puritans in London which started at the beginning of the English Civil War. Origins As most of the citizens of London had either a near relation or friend in the army of the Robert Devereu ...

'', 1674, and one in the ''Casuistical Morning Exercise'', 1690, his writings are: * ''The old Apostolical Way of Preaching: a funeral sermon for Rev. Edward West'', London, 1676. * ''Discourses on Regeneration, Faith, and Repentance'', London, 1689. * ''The Incomprehensibleness of imputed Righteousness for Justification by Human Reason, till enlightened by the Spirit of God'', London, 1692. * ''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 Walter Wilson. Verses by him were prefixed to William Cartwright's poems in 1653, and there is another poem in the Oxford collection on the peace in 1654.

References

Attribution: * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Thomas 1628 births 1697 deaths Writers from London Ejected English ministers of 1662 People educated at Westminster School, London Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Principals of St Mary Hall, Oxford English religious writers 17th-century English writers 17th-century English male writers 17th-century Protestant religious leaders Burials at Bunhill Fields