BX 8915 .F58 1820 v. 1 Flavel, John, 16307-1691 The whole works of John Flavel
REV. MR. JOHN FLAVEL,
LATE MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL AT DARTMOUTH, DEVON.
AN ALPHABETICAL TABLE
OF THE PRINCIPAL MATTERS CONTAINED IN THE WHOLE.
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REV. MR. JOHN FLAVEL,
MINISTER OF DARTMOUTH.
HOSE of the name of Flavel derive their pedigree from one who was the third great officer that came over with William the Conqueror ; bnt this worthy Divine was far from that weakness and vanity to boast of any thing of that nature, being of the poefs mind, who said,
Et genus, et proavos, et quae nonfecimus ipsi>
His father was Mr. Richard Flavel, a painful and eminent minister. He was first minister at Broomsgrove, in Worcestershire, then at Hasler, and removed from thence to Willersey, in Gloucestershire, where he continued to 1660, whence he was outed upon the resto- ration of King Charles II. because it was a sequestered living, and the incumbent then alive : this did not so much affect Mr. Flavel, as that he wanted a fixed place for the exercise of his pastoral function. He was a person of such extraordinary piety, that those who con- versed with him, said, They never heard one vain word drop from his mouth. A little before the turning out of the Nonconformist ministers, being near Totness, in Devon, he preached from Hosea vii. 6. The days of visitation are come, the days of recommence are come9 Israel shall knozv it. His application was so close, that it offended some people, and occasioned his being carried before some Justices of the Peace ; but they could not reach him, so that he was discharged. He afterwards quitted that country, and his son's house, which was his retiring place, and came to London, where he continued in a faithful and acceptable discharge of his office, till the time of the dreadful plague in 1665, that he was taken and imprisoned in the manner following. He was at Mr. Blake's house in Co vent-Garden, where some people had met privately for worship : whilst he was at prayer, a party of soldiers brake in upon them, with their swords Vol. I. A
IV THE LIFE OF THE LATE
drawn and demanded their preacher, threatening some, and flattering others to discover him, but in vain. Some of the company threw a coloured cloak over him, and in this disguise he was, together with his hearers, carried to Whitehall ; the women were dismissed, but the men were detained and forced to he all that night upon the bare floor ; and, because they would not pay five pounds each, were sent to Newgate, where the pestilence raged most violently, as in other places of the city. Here Mr. Flavel and his wife were shut up, and seized with the sickness : they were bailed out, but died of the conta- gion ; of which their son John had a divine monition given him by a dream, as we shall observe in its proper place. Mr. Richard Fla- vel left two sons behind him, both ministers of the gospel, viz. John and Phinehas.
John the eldest was born in Worcestershire. It was observable, that whilst his mother lay in with him, a nightingale made her nest in the out-side of the chamber- window, where she used to sing most sweetly. He was religiously educated by his father, and having pro- fited well at the grammar schools, was sent early to Oxford, and set- tled a commoner in University College. He plied his studies hard, and exceeded many of his contemporaries in university learning.
Soon after his commencing batchelor of arts, Mr. Walplate, the minister of Diptford, in the county of Devon, was rendered uncapa- ble of performing his office by reason of his age and infirmity, and sent to Oxford for an assistant ; Mr. Flavel, though but young, was recommended to him as a person duly qualified, and was accordingly settled there by the standing committee of Devon, April 27, 1650* to preach as a probationer and assistant to Mr. Walplate.
Mr. Flavel considering the weight of his charge, applied himself to the work of his calling with great diligence ; and being assiduous in reading, meditation and prayer, he increased in ministerial know- ledge daily, (for he found himself that he came raw enough in that respect from the university) so that he attained to an high degree of eminency and reputation for his useful labours in the church.
About six months after his settling at Diptford, he heard of an ordination to be at Salisbury, and therefore went thither with his testimonials, and offered himself to be examined and ordained by the presbytery there : they appointed him a text, upon which he preach- ed to their general satisfaction ; and having afterwards examined him as to his learning, fyc. they set him apart to the work of the mi- nistry, with prayer and imposition of hands, on the 17th day of October, 1650.
Mr. Flavel being thus ordained, returned to Diptford, and after Mr. Walplate" s death succeeded in the rectory. To avoid all incum- brances from the world, and avocations from his studies and ministe- rial work, he chose a person of worth and reputation in the parish (of whom he had a good assurance that he would be faithful to him-
REVEREND MR. JOHN FLAVEL.
self, and kind to his parishioners) and let him the whole tithes much below the real value, which was very pleasing to his people. By this means he was the better able to deal with them in private, since the hire of his labours was no way a hindrance to the success of them.
Whilst he was at Diptford he married one Mrs. Jane Randal, a pious gentlewoman, of a good family, who died in travail of her first child without being delivered* His year of mourning being expired, his acquaintance and intimate friends advised him to mar- ^7. , jr ry a second time, wherein he was again very happy. „ Sometime after this second marriage, the people of Dart- mouth (a great and noted sea-port in the county of Devon, formerly under the charge of the Reverend Mr. Anthony Hartford, deceased) unanimously chose Mr. Flavel to succeed him. They urged him to accept their call, (1.) Because there were exceptions made against all the other candidates, but none against him. (2.) Because, being acceptable to the whole town, he was the more like to be an instru- ment of healing the breaches among the good people there. (3.) Because Dartmouth, being a considerable and populous town, re- quired an able and eminent minister, which was not so necessary for a country-parish, that might besides be more easily supplied with another pastor than Dartmouth.