KINGSMILL. 149 going off from the first establishment of the protestant religion, concluding the service book to be unlawful, and the ecclesiastical state antichristian ; and labouring to set up another kind of church government and discipline. But who drove them to these extremities ? Why were not a few amendments made in the liturgy, bywhich conscientious persons might have been made easy ; or, even liberty given them to worship God in their own way ? How far these proceedings werejustifiable by the laws of God, or consistent with that universal rule of conduct given by Jesus Christ, Whatsoever ye would that men should do to .you, doye even so to them, is left with the impartial reader to determine. ANDREW KINGSMILL, LL. B.-This excellent person was born at Sidmanton in Hampshire, in the year 1538, educated in Corpus Christi college, Oxford, and elected fellow of All Souls college in the same university, in 1558. He studied the civil law, in the knowledge of which he made considerable proficiency. But while he was thus employed, he did not forget .to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. He discovered the warmest desires for a knowledge of the mysteries of the gospel, and for the attainment of which, he paid the closest application. He would receive nothing for truth, till he found the testi- mony of scripture for its support. By a constant and close attention to the word of God, its sacred pages became familiar to him; and, indeed, he so addicted himself to search and recite the holy scriptures, that he could readily repeat by heart, and in the Greek language, the whole of the epistles to the 'Ionians and Galatians, the first epistle of John, and many other parts of the sacred volume.,e Mr. Kingsmill did not so much esteem the preferment and profit, to which he might easily have attained by the profession of the law, as the comfortable assurance and blessed hope of eternal life, and to be useful in preaching the gospel to his fellow creatures. He, therefore, relin- quished the law, entered the sacred function, and became an admired preacher in the university of Oxford. For some time after the accession of Queen Elizabeth, there were only three preachers in this university, Dr. Humphrey, Dr. Sampson and Mr. Kingsmill, all puritans. But upon Wood's Athena Oxon. vol. i. p.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=