John Sergeant (1621–1707 or 1710) was an English

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

priest, controversialist and theologian.

Life

He was a son of William Sergeant, a

yeoman Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century also witn ...

Barrow-upon-Humber Barrow upon Humber is a village and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. The population (including Barrow Hann) at the 2011 census was 3,022. The village is situated near the Humber, about east from Barton-upon-Humber. The small port ...

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, and was admitted in 1639 as a sub- sizar at

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. Th ...

, graduating in 1643. On the recommendation of

William Beale William Beale (1 January 1784 – 3 May 1854) was an English composer and baritone. Life and career Beale was born in Landrake, Cornwall. He first served as a chorister at Westminster Abbey under Samuel Arnold until his voice broke. He then ser ...

he was appointed secretary to Thomas Morton, the Anglican

Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durha ...

, time he spent on transcriptions of the Church Fathers. A year or so later, he converted to

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as result of his studies. He subsequently moved to the

English College, Lisbon The English College, Lisbon (Portuguese: ''Convento dos Inglesinhos'') was a Roman Catholic seminary that existed from the 17th century to the 20th century. Early history In 1624 a college for English students wishing to study for the Catholic pr ...

. He studied

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and in 1650 was ordained as a

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priest. He subsequently taught at the college until 1652, when he became procurator and prefect of studies. From 1653 to 1654, he worked as a priest in England before returning to Lisbon where he resumed his earlier work and taught philosophy. In 1655 he was elected canon and appointed as secretary. For the next twenty years he was actively engaged in controversy, both with Anglicans such as the bishops Edward Stillingfleet and John Tillotson, and Catholics who differed from Thomas White. At the time of the Oates Plot he entered into communication with the Privy Council which greatly scandalized the Catholics. This arose from his opposition to Jesuit influence in the English Catholic Church. He avoided arrest by passing as a physician under the names of Dodd, Holland, and Smith. There is an original painting of him at

Ushaw College Ushaw College (formally St Cuthbert's College, Ushaw), is a former Catholic seminary near the village of Ushaw Moor, County Durham, England, which is now a heritage and cultural tourist attraction. The college is known for its Georgian and Vict ...

, in Durham.

Works

He was reportedly difficult to work with, saying and writing many things that offended even his co-religionists. He was a voluminous writer, leaving over fifty works, either published or in manuscript. His three philosophical works, written late in life, were: 1. ''The Method to Science''. London, 1696. 2. ''Solid Philosophy Asserted, Against the Fancies of the Ideists: or, The Method to Science Farther Illustrated. With Reflexions on Mr. Locke's Essay concerning Human Understanding''. London, 1697. 3. ''Transnatural Philosophy, or Metaphysicks: Demonstrating the Essences and Operations of all Beings whatever, which gives the Principles to all other Sciences. And shewing the perfect Conformity of Christian Faith to Right Reason, and the Unreason ableness of Atheists, Deists, Anti-trinitarians, and other Sectaries''. London, 1700.

References

* Dorothea Crook, ''John Sergeant And His Circle - A Study Of Three Seventeenth Century English Aristotelians'', EJ Brill, 1993. Describes his work and philosophy. * ''Journal of the House of Commons'': volume 9: 1667-1687 (1802)
pp. 710-712
Accessed 23 July 2009.

Notes

1623 births 18th-century deaths Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism English College, Lisbon alumni People from Barrow upon Humber 17th-century English Roman Catholic priests 18th-century English Roman Catholic priests People associated with the Popish Plot {{UK-RC-clergy-stub