Samuel Howe

Samuel Howe was pastor of the separate congregation meeting in Deadman's-place, London, and successor to the famous Mr. John Canne. This church appears to have held mixt communion, and Mr. Howe was a baptist, though some of his predecessors were not. Mr. Neal says that Tie was a man of learning, and published a small treatise, entitled, " The Sufficiency of the Spirit's teaching."{ His learning, however, does not appear from this work, which is designed to shew the insufficiency of human learning to the important purposes of religion; and not only so, but that it is dangerous and hurtful. It is certainly written with great strength of genius, though the author was a " cobbler," as appears from the following recommendatory lines prefixed to the discourse :$

" What How t how now ? Hath How such learning found,
To throw Art's curious image to the ground?
Cambridge and Oxford may their glory now
Veil to a cobbler, if they know but How."

Mr. Howe and his people were persecuted beyond measure by the ruling prelates. He continued pastor of the church about seven years; but not being sufficiently on his guard in conversation, subjected himself to the malice of hungry informers, by whose means he was cited into the ecclesiastical courts, and excommunicated. Upon this

• Bailie's Dissuasive, p. 79,80.

+ Edwards's Gangrsena, part ii. p. 18. Third edit.

J Neal's Puritans, vol. ii. p. 375.

t Crosby's Baptists, vol. Hi. p. 39,40.

terrible sentence he absconded; but after some time he was apprehended, and shut up in close prison, where he died. His death hnppening while under the above disgraceful sentence, he was denied christian burial, and a constable's guard secured the parish church of Shonditch to prevent his interment there. At length bis remains were deposited in Agnes-la-clair.« This was most probably about the year 1640. In a work published against the separatists, entitled, " The Brownists' Synagogue," 1641, it is said, " Of these opinions was Howe, that notorious predicant cobbler, whose body was buried in the highway, and his funeral sermon preached by one of his sect in a brewer's cart."t Hence it appears that his funeral was publicly conducted, notwithstanding the violence of the time; and that his people took this method of pouring contempt upon the impotent rage of his persecutors, whose sentiments concerning christian burial, and consecrated ground, they utterly despised: and to prove that what they did was from principle, and not merely from necessity, many of the members of his church afterwards, by their pwn desire, were buried in the same place.J

The celebrated Mr. Roger Williams, of Providence in New England, gives the following honourable testimony to the character of Mr. Howe. " Amongst so many instances," says he, "dead and living, to the everlasting praise of Jesus Christ, and of his Holy Spirit, breathing and blessing where he listeth, I cannot but with honourable testimony remember that eminent christian witness, and prophet of , Christ, even that despised and yet beloved Samuel Howe; who being by calling a cobbler, and without human learning, (which yet in its sphere and place he honoured,) who yet, I say, by searching the holy scriptures, grew so excellent a textuary, or scripture-learned man, that few of those high rabbies, who scorn to mend or make a shoe, could aptly or readily, from the holy scriptures, out-go him: and however he was forced to seek a grave or bed in the highway, yet was his life, and death, and burial, honourable and glorious, being attended by many hundreds of God's

Seople; but how much more will be his rising again
Ir. Howe was succeeded in the pastoral office by Mr,
Stephen More, whose memoir is given in the next article,

• Irimey's Hist, of Baptists, p. 154.

+ Browuist's Synagogue, p. 8.

1 Ivimey's Hist, of Baptists, p. 153.

S Williams's Hireling Ministry none of Christ's, p. II, IS. Edit. 1658.