o w 
him,, for the purpofe of regulating and fuperintending 
the college of Dublin. Mr. Owen pbjefted that his charge 
of the church at Coggeffiall would not permit him to 
comply with his requeft. Cromwell, however, would 
have no denial; and Mr. Owen, after confulting with 
feveral minifters, who agreed in their advice for his going, 
prepared for his journey, not with the army, but in a more 
private manner. 
Having arrived at Dublin, Mr. Owen took up his refi- 
dence at the college, preaching there, and arranging the 
affairs of that feat of learning. After he had ftaid here 
half a year, he returned, by Cromwell’s leave, to England, 
and refumed the difcharge of his pafforal duties at Cog- 
geffiall. Scarcely, however, had he time,to breathe there, 
before he was called upon to preach again at Whitehall. 
In the year 1650, when Cromwell went commander-in¬ 
chief into Scotland, he procured an order of parliament 
that Mr. Owen lhould accompany him; who, after he had 
fpent fix months at Edinburgh, obtained leave to return 
once more to his flock in Eflex. He W'as finally called 
away from them in the following year, in confequence of 
his being promoted, by an order of parliament, on the 
18th of March, to the deanery of Chrift-church College 
in Oxford; and foon afterwards he received a letter from 
the principal ftudents of that feminary, fignifying their 
great fatisfadlion in the choice which had been made by 
the parliament, and their willies for his prefence among 
them. When he went to relide at Oxford, Cromwell was 
the chancellor of the univerfity ; and, in the year 1652, 
he nominated our dean his vice-chancellor. In 1653 
Mr. Owen was created D.D. by diploma ; and, upon the 
nomination of commiflioners, in the following year, for 
ejecting fcandalous, &c. miniffers and fchoolmafters, he 
was appointed one of that number for the county of Ox¬ 
ford. In thefe fituations commendations has been be¬ 
llowed on Dr. Owen for the care which he difplayed in 
maintaining good difcipline in the univerfity, and on the 
moderation which he exercifed towards the king’s party. 
As inftances of this difpofition, it has been obferved, 
that, though often urged to it, he never molefted the 
meetings of the royalifts at the houfe of Dr. Willis the 
phyfician, not far from our vice-chancellor’s lodging at 
Chrift-church, where divine fervice was performed accor¬ 
ding to the Liturgy of the Church of England ; and that, 
in his office of commiffioner for ejecting fcandalous mi¬ 
nifters, he frequently over-ruled his brethren in favour 
of fuel) royalifts as were eminently deferving, and parti¬ 
cularly in the cafe of Dr. Edward Pococke. 
Dr. Owen was continued in the office of vice-chancel¬ 
lor for five years, during which, notwithftanding the 
many hours neceflarily devoted to the duties of his pub¬ 
lic appointments, he found time to profecute his ftudies 
with great affiduity, and to write many learned, and lome 
excellent, books; befides preaching every other Sunday 
at St. Mary’s, and often at Stadham, and fome other 
places in the country. 
In the year 1657, upon Richard Cromwell’s fucceeding 
his father in the chancellorfhip of the univerfity, Dr. 
Owen was removed from the poll; of vice-chancellor; as 
he was alfo from Richard’s favour, when he became pro¬ 
testor, upon the death of Oliver, in the following year. 
This change in the difpofition of the court towards him, 
is attributed to the hoftility of the prelbyterian party ; 
who are alfo faid to have procured his exclufion from the 
pulpit at St. Mary’.s. The meafurelaft mentioned here- 
fented fo highly, that he let up a leSture in another church, 
faying, “ I have built feats at St. Mary’s, but let the 
doStors find auditors ; for I will preach at St. Peter’s in 
theEaft which he accordingly did, and drew after him 
crowded auditories. In the meantime, he was one of the 
leading men in the affembly of the Independents which 
met at the Savoy in October 1658 ; and he had a princi¬ 
pal lhare in drawing up a Confeilion of their Faith and 
Difcipline, in oppofition to the Prelbyterians. While 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1229. 
E N. 125 
fteps were purfuing to bring about the reftoration, in 
1659, he was ejeSled from his deanery of Chrift-church ; 
upon which he retired to Stadham, where he had lately 
purchafed a good eftate with a handfome houfe. Here he 
lived for fome time, preaching in private to many friends 
who came to hear him from Oxford, and other places; 
till the interruptions which he met with from the fol- 
diery of the militia, and their menaces, broke up his 
congregation ; and he, after removing from place to place, 
at length went to London. 
In thefe feveral fituations, while he was debarred from 
the open exercife of the miniftry, he did not fpend his 
time in inactivity, but wrote feveral books. One of thefe, 
entitled “ Animadverfions on Fiat Lux," written in re¬ 
ply to a work under that name by a Francifcan friar, hav¬ 
ing fallen into the hands of the lord-chancellor Claren¬ 
don, he was fo well pleafed with it, that he fent for the 
author by fir Bulftrode Whitlocke, and, acknowledging 
the great fervice done to the proteftant caufe by that book, 
offered to prefer him in the church if he would conform ; 
but the doStor’s principles obliged him to decline his 
lordfliip’s propofal. He now continued to preach when¬ 
ever an opportunity offered, and met with fo much trou¬ 
ble, that he made preparations for removing to New-Eng- 
land, whence he had received an invitation ; but he was 
flopped by an exprefs order of council. He alfo received 
an offer of a profefforfliip of divinity in the United Pro¬ 
vinces, which he declined. 
In the year 1665, the dreadful calamities of the plague 
and of the fire of London fo wholly engaged the public 
attention, that the laws againft noncontormifts were for 
fome time fuffered to lie dormant; and, not long after¬ 
wards his majefty’s Declaration of Indulgence came out, 
and licences were granted to all who defired them, for 
public aflemblies. While this liberty lafted. Dr. Owen 
was very affiduous in preaching, and was attended by 
many people of quality and eminent citizens. Thejea- 
loufy of the church of England, however, taking an 
alarm, thefe aflemblies were fupprefled, by a proclama¬ 
tion iffued againft unlawful conventicles in 1667 ; upon 
which Dr. Owen went to pay a vilit to his old friends at 
Oxford, and to fettle fome affairs of his eftate at Stadham. 
In this neighbourhood he ventured to preach privately 
to fome of his friends ; but, intelligence of it having 
tranfpired, endeavours were ufed to apprehend him, 
which he narrowly efcaped, and returned to London. 
He now received frefh invitations to remove to New-Eng- 
land, which his attachment to his native country would 
not permit him to accept. In the year 1671, when the 
bill to prevent and fupprefs what were called feditious 
conventicles was depending before the lords, our author 
w'as defired to draw up lbme reafons againft it, which 
were laid before the lords by feveral eminent citizens and 
gentlemen of diftimftion ; but the bill was, notvvithftand- 
ing, paffed into a law. However, the doftor’s modera¬ 
tion and learning procured him the refpeSl and efteem of 
feveral perfons of honour and quality, who took delight 
in his converfation ; particularly the earls of Orrery and 
Anglefey, lord Willoughby of Parham, lord Berkeley, 
and fir John Trevor, one of the fecretaries of ftate. What 
is more, even the king himfelf, and the duke of York, 
paid him particular attention. When Dr. Owen was at 
Tunbridge Wells, the duke of York, being there, fent 
for him into his tent, and held feveral converfations with 
him on the fubjefts of conventicles and diflent; and, 
after the doctor's return to London, the king fent for 
him, and converfed with him' for more than two hours 
together, alluring him of his favour, and telling him 
that he might have accefs to him at all times. His rna- 
jefty alfo affured Dr. Owen that he was a friend to liberty 
of confidence, and was fenfible that the diflenters had 
met with injurious treatment. At the fame time the 
king gave him a thoufand guineas, to diftribute among 
thole who had fuffered moft by the late feverities 5 which 
K k royal 
