Laurence Chaderton – Puritan, Scholar and Bible Translator In this age of rediscovery of the Puritans it is surprising that the name of Laurence Chaderton has not become better known. He could certainly be placed amongst the first rank of Puritan scholars and preachers, yet it is doubtless due to the fact that his published works were so few that he has not been granted the place he deserves. It is the aim of this brief article to go some way to redress the balance. Devotion to Study and Preaching Laurence was born the son of Edmund Chaderton in the parish of Oldham, Lancashire, around the year 1536. The Chadertons were a well-to-do family of Catholic persuasion. Edmund was a most fervent papist and to ensure that Laurence followed in his footsteps he employed a priest to educate his son. The boy showed much promise, especially in Latin and Greek. He was sent to the Inns of Court in London to embark on the study of law. Soon after leaving home, Chaderton was first exposed to the evangelical faith, which he was shortly to adopt as his own. Upon this he abandoned all thought of a legal career, and in 1564 he was admitted to Christ's College, Cambridge, for the study of divinity. His father did not respond well to these changes in his son. He ceased all further financial support for his studies and disinherited him. Yet through divine providence Chaderton was able to continue his academic pursuits unabated. In addition to theology, he devoted himself to the study of Hebrew, quickly becoming proficient in that language. To elucidate the Old Testament text he enlisted the help of the traditional rabbinic commentaries (virtually the only aid to the study of the Hebrew text at the time), which he read in the original mediaeval Hebrew. Chaderton's personal copy of the Rabbinic Bible containing marginal notes in his own hand remains in the library of Emmanuel College. He graduated in 1567 and the following year was elected a fellow of the college. He engaged in tutoring. He was subsequently also appointed 'lecturer' (a Bible teacher) at St Clement's Church in Cambridge. Here his weekly sermons earned him a reputation as a solid expositor of the Word of God. He also regularly journeyed into London where he preached at St Paul's Cross and the Middle Temple. On one occasion, when he had already spoken for two hours, he apologized for trying his congregation's patience; but they called out, 'For God's sake, Sir, go on!' Much to their satisfaction he went on for another hour! When, at the age of eighty-two, he decided it was time to retire from public preaching, to his amazement he received letters from forty other ministers of the Word urging him to continue, many of them attributing their own conversions to his ministry. All the while he was serving as tutor and lecturer, Chaderton applied himself to on-going study. He was awarded the Master of Arts in 1571 and the Bachelor of Divinity in 1578. Much later in life, when in his seventies, he was created Doctor of Divinity. Throughout his life Chaderton was a staunch advocate of Calvinistic orthodoxy. In 1576, he held a public disputation with Peter Baro, the Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity, over the latter's leanings towards Arminianism. According to witnesses, Chaderton advocated his position, not only with greater ability and with a greater demonstration of learning than his opponent, but also with a better temper. While firm in his own Calvinistic beliefs, Chaderton was moderate by nature. He was gracious towards those with whom he differed and could never be accused of extremism. Nor was his Christianity merely doctrinal or cerebral. One of his contemporaries commented, 'How good a man Mr Chaderton is, who hath such a living affection to the poor, which is a certain token of a sound Christian.' He commended practical acts of Christian piety, even shaming his hearers on one occasion by claiming that the good deeds of the Papists often put the Protestants to shame. Moreover, as he conducted himself in public, so he was in private. His household servants testified of his personal godliness in the confines of his own home. He was anxious that they should attend public worship, and used to say, 'I desire as much to have my servants to know the Lord, as myself.' During his early years at Cambridge Chaderton's friends included such notable individuals as William Fulke, author of the classic Defence of the Sincere and True Translation of the Holy Scriptures into the English Tongue, Thomas Cartwright, the champion of English Presbyterianism, and William Perkins, who, beginning under the tutorship of Chaderton at Christ's College, went on to become one of the foremost Puritan preachers and theologians of his day. Emmanuel College Chaderton's godliness and learning brought him to the attention of those in positions of influence. In 1584 Sir Walter Mildmay, the wealthy Puritan philanthropist, founded the new Emmanuel College in Cambridge. Mildmay was keen to establish an institute of learning that would assist in the promotion of the Reformed faith and invited Chaderton to take up the position of Master. At first he was hesitant, yet when Mildmay threatened not to proceed with the opening of the college unless Chaderton accepted, he submitted. Chaderton was faithful to his calling as Master, and the college quickly gained a reputation as a 'seed-bed' of Puritan learning. Generations of students were instructed in the study of the Scriptures in the original languages, in Reformed divinity, and in the art of preaching. To promote biblical knowledge and exegetical and expository ability, Chaderton and others organized what became known as 'mutual conferences'. At these weekly meetings, the Bible was intensively studied, chapter by chapter. Commencing with prayer, they read the passage in the original, then discussed linguistic matters. The plain meaning of the text was derived using the grammatico- historical approach typical of the Reformers and their successors. Next the logical relations within the passage were studied. Only once these foundational matters had been thoroughly discussed would the group proceed to see what points of doctrine the text contained and how they should be applied. Students would take it in turns to lead the various stages of inquiry, and their comments were evaluated by their seniors. The whole process took several hours. One observer of such a conference afterwards wrote a description of what had taken place, concluding, 'At last they went out, like Apollos, eloquent men and mighty in the Scriptures'. Familiar names among Emmanuel alumni of those early decades of its history were Jeremiah Burroughs, Joseph Hall, Thomas Watson, Thomas Shepard, John Cotton, and Thomas Hooker, all of whom were to make their own impact in the life of the church, both in England and in the North American colonies. For many years Chaderton directed Emmanuel College on thoroughly Reformed-Puritan principles. Besides the strong emphasis on Scripture, he saw to it that the influences of the established church were little felt within the college. Much to the chagrin of his higher Anglican brethren, the surplice was generally not worn, the chapel was merely an ordinary unconsecrated hall with few of the trimmings of other college chapels, and communion was taken seated. It was only a bold soul who would dare such unconcealed non-conformity in Elizabethan times. After thirty-eight years as head of Emmanuel, the time came for Chaderton, now in his mid- eighties, to give way to a younger man. He was initially reluctant to resign in case the post might be given to an Arminian, but eventually an appropriate successor was found in John Preston, the famed writer of The Breastplate of Faith and Love, a man every bit as Puritan in persuasion as his predecessor. Remarkably, such was Chaderton's longevity that he was to outlive not only Preston but also his successor! Even following his retirement Chaderton was still consulted regarding college affairs for many years to come. 2 The Hampton Court Conference When James VI of Scotland became James I of England he summoned leading figures of the various sections of the English church to discuss their differences. It is a further indication of the position Chaderton held among his contemporaries that he was one of the four chosen to rep- resent the Puritan party at the Conference. The other three were John Reynolds, Master of Corpus Christi, Oxford, John Knewstubs, rector of Cock field in Suffolk, and Thomas Sparke, rector of Bletchley in Buckinghamshire. The Puritans were initially optimistic about the outcome, and not without reason. Had not James been brought up under the influence of John Knox? Was not Presbyterianism flourishing in his native Scotland? They were sure the king would listen sympathetically to their complaints. The Puritans were anxious to set out their concerns – the need for an adequately trained ministry, the control of ecclesiastical income, the reform of ceremonies having no basis in Scripture, such as that of confirmation, the sign of the cross, the wearing of the surplice, lectionary readings from the Apocrypha, and other such matters. In short, they were seeking a more thorough reformation of the church than Anglicanism had so far accomplished. Yet, as things turned out, when the delegates convened at Hampton Court Palace in 1604, it was evident that James had quite a different agenda. His primary concern was to establish harmony in his kingdom, particularly in the realm of religion, and his long speeches made it perfectly obvious that he had no intention of making the changes that the Puritans were seeking.