PATIENT. 425 THOMAS PATIENT was some time an independent Minister in New England, where he embraced the sentiments of the baptists. This was probably the reasonwhy he is not mentionedby Dr.Cotton Mather,who seems to have possessed a portion of that bigotry which disgraced some of his country- men. Mr. Patient not being suffered to live quietly on the other side the Atlantic, came over.to England about the com- mencement of the civil wars, and was chosen colleague with the excellent Mr. William Kiffin,° pastor of the baptist church in Devonshire-square, London. Their names are united in the confession of faith published by the seven baptist churches in London, in- 1644.+ After this, he traveller about the country, and was very industrious in pro- pagating his opinions. Crosby informs us, that he went over to Ireland with General Fleetwood, lord-lieutenant of that kingdom, who,having displaced Dr. Winter, appointed Mr. Patient to preach in the cathedral Of Dublin. He also preached at other places through the country.t In Dublin he became chaplain to Colonel John Jones, who married the sister of Oliver Cromwell, and was one of the lords of his house. Colonel Jones is described as a person lost in fanaticism ; which, it is said, led him to prefer his favourite chaplain Patient, before the regular clergy. Accordingly, he was appointed to preach before Jones and the council, in Christ's-church, Dublin, every Lord's day. It appears, from Milton's State Papers, that Mr. Patient travelled into different parts of Ireland along with the English army : He dates a letter from the head-quarters, Kilkenny, April 15, 1650. Mr. Thomas has preserved the copy of a, very excellent letter, dated Dublin, the 1,2th of the 4th month, 1656, addressed to the churches of Ilston and Llantrisaint, in Glamorganshire ; which is subscribed by Mr. Patient and many others, and contains much excellent advice.§ Crosby says, he was very instrumental in promoting the interests of the baptists in that country ; andwas probably the founder of the baptist church at Clough-Keating, which, at the time he wrote, was in a very flourishing state.11 We do not find in what year Mr. Patient returned to England, but it was, most probably, after the restoration. After his return, being chosen to the office ofjoint-elder with . A very interesting account of Mr. Kiffin has been lately published.- See Wilson , s Hist. and Antiquities of Dissenters, vol. i. p. 400. + Featley's Dippers Dipt, p. 177. Thurloe's State Papers, vol. iii. p.90.-Crosby'sBaptists, vol. iii. p. 43. § Thomas's MS. History, p. 14, 15. / Crosby's Baptists, vol. iii. p. 43. (11011111r.1141, ,111011141/111
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=