Obadiah Sedgwick (1600?–1658) was an English clergyman of presbyterian views, and a member of the

Westminster Assembly The Westminster Assembly of Divines was a council of divines (theologians) and members of the English Parliament appointed from 1643 to 1653 to restructure the Church of England. Several Scots also attended, and the Assembly's work was adopt ...

Life

He was son of Joseph Sedgwick, vicar of St. Peter's,

Marlborough, Wiltshire Marlborough ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire on the Old Bath Road, the old main road from London to Bath. The town is on the River Kennet, 24 miles (39 km) north of Salisbury and 10 miles ...

, and then of Ogbourne St. Andrew, and was born at Marlborough about 1600. He matriculated at

Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...

, on 18 June 1619, aged 19, moved to Magdalen Hall, and graduated B.A. on 5 May 1620, M.A. 23 January 1623. He was tutor (1626) to

Sir Matthew Hale Sir Matthew Hale (1 November 1609 – 25 December 1676) was an influential English barrister, judge and jurist most noted for his treatise '' Historia Placitorum Coronæ'', or ''The History of the Pleas of the Crown''. Born to a barrister an ...

. Having taken orders, he became chaplain to Horace Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury, whom he accompanied to the Low Countries. Returning to Oxford, he commenced B.D. on 16 January 1630. His first preferment (1630) in the church was as lecturer at St. Mildred's, Bread Street, London, where his puritanism got him into trouble. On 6 July 1639 he was presented by Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick, to the vicarage of Coggeshall,

Essex Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...

, in succession to John Dod. On the opening of the Long parliament he regained his lectureship at St. Mildred's, and became known as a vigorous preacher against

episcopacy A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. In May 1642, he was one of the preachers invited to address the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

at St Margaret's, Westminster. In the autumn of 1642 he was chaplain to the regiment of foot raised by Denzil Holles. He was a member of the Westminster Assembly (1643), and in the same year was appointed a licenser of the press. On 6 October 1643 he spoke at the

Guildhall A guildhall, also known as a "guild hall" or "guild house", is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commonly become town halls and in some ...

in favour of the league with Scotland for the prosecution of the war, and his speech was published in ''Foure Speeches'', 1646. In a sermon of September 1644 he preached for 'cutting off delinquents.' He held for a short time the rectory of

St Andrew's, Holborn The Church of St Andrew, Holborn, is a Church of England church on the northwestern edge of the City of London, on Holborn within the Ward of Farringdon Without. History Roman and medieval Roman pottery was found on the site during 2001/02 ...

, on the sequestration (13 December 1645) of John Hacket; but next year (before May 1646) he was appointed to the rectory of St. Paul's, Covent Garden, and resigned Coggeshall where John Owen succeeded him (18 August). Obadiah Sedgwick2

He was a member of the eleventh London classis in the parliamentary presbyterian system; but also on 20 March 1654 he was appointed one of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three ...

's '

triers Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

,' and in August of the same year was a clerical assistant to the 'expurgators.' His health failing, he resigned St Paul's in 1656, and was succeeded by Thomas Manton, who is sometimes mistakenly referred to as his son-in-law.Harris, William, "Some Memoirs of the Life and Character of the Reverend and Learned Thomas Manton, D.D.", in The Works of Thomas Manton, Vol. 1 (Banner of Truth Trust: London, 1993), ix. He was a man of property, being lord of the manor of Ashmansworth, Hampshire. Retiring to Marlborough, he died there at the beginning of January 1658, and was buried near his father in the chancel of Ogbourne St. Andrew. By his wife Priscilla he had a son Robert, baptised at Coggeshall on 19 October 1641, who was a frequent preacher before parliament.

Works

He published many sermons between 1639 and 1657. Besides these and a catechism, he published: * ''Christ's Counsell to ... Sardis'', 1640 * ''The Doubting Believer'', 1641; 1653 *''England's Preservation'', 1642 *''Haman’s Vanity, Displaying the birthlesse Issues of Church-destroying Adversaries'' 1643 *''An Arke against a Deluge: or Safety in Dangerous Times'', 1644 *''A Thanksgiving-Sermon'', 1644 *''The Nature and Danger of Heresies'', 1647 *''Elisha His Lamentation'', 1654 * ''The Humbled Sinner'', 1656; 1660 * ''The Fountain Opened'', 1657 * ''The Riches of Grace'', 1657; 1658 Posthumous were: * ''The Shepherd of Israel'', 1658 * ''The Parable of the Prodigal'', 1660 * ''The Anatomy of Secret Sins'', 1660 * ''The Bowels of Tender Mercy'', 1661

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sedgwick, Obadiah 1600s births 1659 deaths 17th-century English Anglican priests English Presbyterian ministers of the Interregnum (England) Westminster Divines Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford Alumni of Magdalen Hall, Oxford People from Wiltshire People from Ashmansworth