Francis Cheynell (1608–1665) was a prominent English religious controversialist, of

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

views, and President of

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its foun ...

1648 to 1650, imposed by the Parliamentary regime. His ''Aulicus'' of 1644 is accounted the first work of

speculative fiction Speculative fiction is an umbrella term, umbrella genre of fiction that encompasses all the subgenres that depart from Realism (arts), realism, or strictly imitating everyday reality, instead presenting fantastical, supernatural, futuristic, or ...

to be set in a hypothetical future, in this case the return of

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...

Life

He became a fellow of

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...

, in 1629,''Concise Dictionary of National Biography'' and took an M.A. in 1633. He was a vicar in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

and then at Marston St Lawrence,

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

from 1637; he lost his position in Oxford, as an opponent of

William Laud William Laud (; 7 October 1573 – 10 January 1645) was a bishop in the Church of England. Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles I of England, Charles I in 1633, Laud was a key advocate of Caroline era#Religion, Charles I's religious re ...

, in 1638.Statesman1
Pushed out by Royalist forces, he became a chaplain to the

New Model Army The New Model Army or New Modelled Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 t ...

, and a member of the

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

. He became Rector of

Petworth Petworth is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Chichester (district), Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 road, A272 east–west road from Heathfield, East Sussex, Heat ...

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

, imposed by Parliament in 1643, in place of Henry King, the

bishop of Chichester The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the counties of East Sussex, East and West Sussex. The Episcopal see, see is based in t ...

, and ‘in practice though not in name bishop of the diocese,’ until the Restoration. He acted as Visitor to the University of Oxford, from 1647. He was also Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at Oxford University until deposed at the Restoration.

Heresy hunter

He has been characterized as ‘One of the foremost heresiographers of the 1640s’. He attacked, under the name of

Socinianism Socinianism ( ) is a Nontrinitarian Christian belief system developed and co-founded during the Protestant Reformation by the Italian Renaissance humanists and theologians Lelio Sozzini and Fausto Sozzini, uncle and nephew, respectively. ...

, early non-Trinitarian thinkers, tending to

Unitarianism Unitarianism () is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian sect of Christianity. Unitarian Christians affirm the wikt:unitary, unitary God in Christianity, nature of God as the singular and unique Creator deity, creator of the universe, believe that ...

. He was very much an alarmist in tone, and at times perhaps afflicted by

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

. He assailed

Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland PC (c. 1610 – 20 September 1643) was an English writer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1642. He fought on the Royalist side in the English Civil War and was killed in action at t ...

, his failed convert

William Chillingworth William Chillingworth (12 October 160230 January 1644) was a controversial English churchman. Early life He was born in Oxford, where his father served as mayor; William Laud was his godfather. In June 1618 he became a scholar of Trinity Colleg ...

Henry Hammond Henry Hammond (18 August 1605 – 25 April 1660) was an English churchman, church historian and theologian, who supported the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. Early life He was born at Chertsey in Surrey on 18 August 1605, the y ...

, John Webberley,

William Erbery William Erbery or Erbury (1604 – April 1654) was a Welsh clergyman and radical Independent theologian. He was the father of the militant Quaker Dorcas Erbery. Life Erbery was born in Roath, Cardiff. He graduated from Brasenose College, O ...

Gilbert Sheldon Gilbert Sheldon (19 June 1598 – 9 November 1677) was an English religious leader who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1663 until his death. Early life Sheldon was born in Stanton, Staffordshire in the parish of Ellastone, on 19 J ...

Jasper Mayne Jasper Mayne (1604 – 6 December 1672) was an English clergyman, translator, and a minor poet and dramatist. Mayne was baptized at Hatherleigh, Devon, on 23 November 1604, and educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford. He then ...

, John Bidle and John Fry.

Works

*Sions Memento and Gods Alarum (1643) *The Rise, Growth, and Danger of Socinianisme (1643) *''Aulicus his Dream, of the King's Sudden Coming to London'' (1644) *Chillingworthi Novissima (1644) *The Man of Honor described. Sermon to the House of Lords, 1645 *''Truth triumphing over errour and heresie. Or, A relation of a publike disputation at Oxford in S. Maries Church on Munday last, Jan. 11. 1646: between Master Cheynell, a member of the Assembly and Master Erbury, the Seeker and Socinian (1646)'' *''An account given to the Parliament by the ministers sent by them to Oxford'' (1647)An account given to the Parliament by the ministers sent by them to Oxford in which you have the most remarkable passages which have fallen out in the six moneths service there ... particularly ... two conferences in which the ministers ... have suffered by reproaches and falshoods in print and otherwise : the chief points insisted on in those conferences are 1. whether private men may lawfully preach, 2. whether the ministers of the Church of England were antichristian ... 3. and lastly divers of Mr. Erbury's dangerous errours. ... [WorldCat.org]
/ref> *''The sworne confederacy between the convocation at Oxford, and the tower of London'' (1647) *''The Divine Trinunity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit'' (1650)
/sup> *A Plot for the good of Posterity. *Divers Letters to Dr. Jasp. Mayne, concerning false Prophets. *A copy of some Letters which passed at Oxford between him and Dr. Hammond *A Discussion of Mr. Fry's Tenets lately condemned in Parliament, and Socinianism proved to be an Unchristian Doctrine.

Notes

External links

Biography
online Gutenberg version of

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

's ''Life of Francis Cheynel'' (at 4 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheynell, Francis 1608 births 1665 deaths Westminster Divines Presidents of St John's College, Oxford English Presbyterian ministers of the Interregnum (England) Fellows of Merton College, Oxford English fantasy writers 17th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians English Calvinist and Reformed theologians Lady Margaret Professors of Divinity