Henry Archer

Henry Archer was minister of Alhallows, Lombardstreet, London; but, on account of bis nonconformity, was suspended, and driven out of the kingdom by the cruel persecution of Archbishop Laud.* He retired to Arnheim in Holland, and there became pastor of the English church, having Mr. (afterwards Dr.) 1 homos Goodwin for his colleague in the pastoral office, lie had, in his own country, been exercised with very much bodily affliction; but hit removal proved the means of his complete restoration to health.4 In, this situation he appears to have continued the rest of his days, and died most probubly soon after the year 1640. lie was an Independent in his views of christian discipline and church government. He was also a millcuarian in sentiment. He expected Christ's appearance in those days, mid wrote of his personal reign upon the earth in a work, entitled, " The Personals Hcign of Christ upon Earth. In a Treatise wherein is fully and largely laid open and proved, that Jesus Christ, together with his Saints, shall visibly possess a monarchical! State and Kingdom in the World," 1643. In this work he said, " Christ will govern universally over the world in these days, known and esteemed; and in a worldly, visible, earthly glory, not by tyranny, oppression, and sensuality, but with honour, pence, riches, and whatsoever is not sinful, all nations and kingdoms doing homngc to him, as the great monarch of the world."| lie is charged with having held several

• la tbii the doctor I! certainly very much mistaken % tot Mr. Ward was lecturer at Haverhll la the year 16071 and therefore mine have been a preacher at least thirty yean previous to bli departure for Holland.— Clark'i Lines, part i. p. 153, 154.

t Doddridge's Works, vol. v. p. 429,430. Edit. 1801. V t Pry_nne's Cant. Onqme, p. 37.1.

^ Edwards's AntapoTogm, p. 160.

J Bailie's Dissuasive, p. 87.

antinomian sentiments; and certainly his saying, " that God is the author of sin, even of the pravity and sinfulness of it," was extremely erroneous. Besides writing upon the personal reign of Christ, he published a work, entitled, " A Treatise of the Comfort of Believers against their Sins and • Sorrows;" which, for containing the above sentiment, was censured by the assembly of divines, and ordered by the house of lords to be burnt by the hands of the common hangman. He was, nevertheless, esteemed a man of the most exemplary piety.* There was one Mr. Archer, an independent minister at Halstead in Essex, who, according to Edwards, preached much against the presbyterians, and against paying tithes; but it appears very doubtful whether this was the same person.t