An Entire Commentary Upon the Whole Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians (Classic Reprint)

Book excerpt: Excerpt from An Entire Commentary Upon the Whole Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians Conversions were not so rare in those days. All the accounts agree in stating that Paul Baynes, - for so his name is most frequently spelt, - was born in London. The date, and all concerning his early days, has, so far as I know, perished. 'He received his school education at Withersfield in Essex' - under one Master Cosens, his schoolmaster, adds Clarke - 'and was afterward admitted of Christ College, Cambridge.' Of this college he was afterwards chosen fellow. It was a famous school of the prophets. Fuller says, 'It may without flattery be said of this house, "Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellent them all," if we consider the many divines who in so short a time have here had their education.' Among its learned writers, up to his own day, who had also been fellows, No. 10 is 'Paul Bains; he succeeded Mr Perkins at St Andrew's.' It is interesting to go over Fuller's list of thirteen names in this row, most of which are familiar as household words. The first in the list is Edward Dearing. The fifth is 'Richard Clerk, one of the translators of the Bible, and an eminent preacher at Canterbury.' The sixth is William Perkins, who preceded Baynes as lecturer at St Andrew's. Perkins died in 1602, which fixes the date of Baynes' appointment as lecturer, for he immediately succeeded him. Perkins was buried at St Andrew's Church, at the expense of Christ College. Strange enough, he, too, was renowned only for his wickedness in his youth. Brook tells us, that 'for some time after his going to the university, he continued exceedingly profane, and ran to great lengths in prodigality. While Mr Perkins was a young man, and a scholar at Cambridge, he was much devoted to drunkenness. As he was walking in the skirts of the town, he heard a woman say to a child that was froward and peevish, "Hold your tongue, or I will give you to drunken Perkins yonder." Finding himself become a byword among the people, his conscience smote him, and lie became so deeply impressed that it was the first step to his conversion.' Brook says, on the authority of Granger, that Perkins was deprived by Archbishop Whitgift, but this is a mistake: he died at his post. His works were collected and published, in three volumes folio, in 1606, and are very precious. Number twelve in Fuller's list of literary fellows, is a clarum et venerabile nomen, William Ames, better known as Amesius. He was fortunate in having Perkins for his tutor at Cambridge; and one may infer from his godly life that he was taught more things than Latin and Greek. Ames was a contemporary of Baynes; they were both lifting up their voices like a trumpet together from about the beginning of the century till the year 1610, when, like so many others, Ames had to flee to Holland. Amesius writes an introduction to one of Baynes' posthumous works - alas, they were all posthumous, so far as we know. We may as well add the last name on the list of Fuller's worthies: it is that of 'Joseph Mede, most learned in Mystical Divinity.' This list has greatly lengthened since Fuller's day: curious readers will find much information about this college, and many other things of the period, in Professor Masson's Life of Milton, in that first volume, which makes us long for the second, so slow in following its predecessor. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com