Quotation

I recently came across this quotation, apparently from a letter written by Grace Cooke Denny (1655-1741). Hurrion was her nephew. She was writing to her son-in-law the preacher and historian, Thomas Prince (1687-1758). Prince married Deborah Denny (1699-1766), who he had first met on a trip to England, October 30, 1719, in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, America. Grace tells Prince Hurrion used to say to her

Aunt I am Moderately Congregationall but desire to Love all gracious persons of all denominations.

Grace Cooke from Hintlesham, Suffolk married Thomas Denny (1639-1717), a prosperous weaver, around 1686. They had five sons and two daughters. A descendant wrote of her 

The good and estimable lady .. well educated herself and such a proficient letter writer would scarcely fail to educate her children both in religious and secular matters to the very utmost extent of their means and appeared to have been very happy in her children writing of them later in life in affectionate terms and ending her days with one of her daughters and her husband and holding up to them the example of their father's life. She is believed to have died at Old Newton, Suffolk and was buried at Combs.

Abraham Taylor

Hurrion was ordained in Gosport in 17**. Giving the charge was Abraham Taylor (fl. 1727–1740), an English Independent minister and dissenting academy tutor, known as a controversialist.

The son of Richard Taylor (d 1717), himself an independent minister at Little Moorfields, London, his name appears in a list (December 1727) of "approved ministers" among congregationalists in the London district, and in 1728 he became minister at Deptford.

Taylor's writings attracted the notice of William Coward, who selected him as one of nine preachers for a weekly lecture in defence of Calvinism at Paved Alley, Lime Street, in the City of London. While these lectures were proceeding in 1730–1, Taylor was ordained (1 January 1731), having been selected as divinity tutor for a new dissenting academy, established by the King's Head Society (itself founded 1730). It was an extended course of study (six years), in which more stress was to be laid on theological orthodoxy than on other learning.

Soon Taylor clashed on a point of Calvinist theology with John Gill, another Lime Street lecturer. When Coward first projected (early in 1735) his scheme of founding a college, after his death, Taylor appeared a rival to Philip Doddridge as its head. He obtained a degree of DD about the same time as Doddridge (1736). Hugh Farmer believed in mid-1737 that Taylor was favoured; Samuel Clarke and David Jennings deprecated his influence with Coward. Taylor, however, mismanaged his money affairs. He lost character with Coward, and ceased to be tutor in 1740. He ended his ministry at Deptford soon after. He died in poverty, when and where being unclear.

His first publication, an attack on Samuel Chandler, appeared in 1729. It was entitled A Letter to a Friend, occasioned by a rhapsody delivered in the Old Jewry by a reverend bookseller [Chandler] … at the shutting up his evening entertainment for the last winter season, 1729. In 1730 he published a Letter in reply to the Enquiry (into the causes of the decline of dissent) by Strickland Gough.

Among Taylor's other publications (mainly sermons) was A Practical Treatise of Saving Faith, 1730, 3 parts. Appended to his funeral sermon (1733) for John Hurrion is Some Account and it was reprinted with Hurrion's Works, 1823, 3 vols. The Lime Street lectures (delivered from 12 November 1730 to 8 April 1731) were collected, 1762, in 2 vols.

The Scripture Doctrine of Particular Redemption in Welsh

Evan Evans (1795-1855) was a Welsh clergyman, poet, hymnwriter, journalist, translator and devotional writer, who was three times chaired at the National Eisteddfod. His works were almost all written in the Welsh language, the poems being published under his bardic name, Ieuan Glan Geirionydd.

In 1820 he published Amddiffyniad yr Athrawiaeth Ysgrythyrol o Brynedigaeth Neillduol. (Trefriw: J. Jones). This was a translation of John Hurrion's The Scripture Doctrine of Particular Redemption.

Funeral Sermon for Esther Thompson

 Hurrion's funeral sermon for Esther Thompson can be accessed here.

On Psalm 20:6

His anointed. As priests, and sometimes kings and prophets, were among the Jews anointed to their offices, so our Saviour was anointed as a Prophet, to preach glad tidings to the meek; as a Priest, to bind up the broken hearted; and as a King to deliver the captives. As the unction means designation and ordination, it is properly applied to the divine person of the Mediator: he is spoken of as God, who was “anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows.” Hebrews 1:8-9. As the anointing with the Holy Spirit signifies the gifts and aids of the Holy Spirit, it terminates upon his human nature only, and not his divine person, which has all the perfections in itself, and cannot properly, in the sense last mentioned, be said to be anointed with the Holy Spirit. But yet as the human nature is taken into a subsistence in his divine Person, the anointed may properly enough be predicated and affirmed of his Person. The unction of our Redeemer has a great stress laid upon it in Scripture. And therefore we read, “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God.” “Who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ?” 1 John 5:1, 2:22. Our Saviour’s enemies were sensible of this, when they made an order, that if “any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.” John 9:22. Our Saviour’s anointing was superior to that of any other, and more excellent as to the work to which he was consecrated. The apostles and others, who are called his followers, had the Spirit by measure, but Christ without measure. He is “fairer than the sons of men” (Psalms 45:2); and had a glory as the “only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, 16); and of his fullness the apostles and all others receive. Christ’s anointing answers to that of Aaron his type; the precious ointment which was “poured upon his head, ran down to the skirts of his garments.” Psalms 133:2. Our Saviour was so anointed, as to “fill all in all.” Ephesians 1:23. He filleth all his members, and all their faculties, with all those measures of the Spirit, which they ever receive.

Condensed from John Hurrion, 1675-1731. (From The knowledge of Christ and him crucified)

Quotation

I can, (saith one of the ancients,) more safely, and more comfortably speak to my Jesus, than to any one of the holy spirits of God; Christ is more engaged to me (that is, as God-man, mediator and redeemer) than to any of the celestial spirits.

The knowledge of Christ and him crucified

Quotation

At his birth the night was turned into day, and at his death the day was turned into night; nature, as it were, went into mourning, upon the death of the maker and heir of the world.

From The knowledge of Christ and him crucified quoted in Jonathan Edwards' blank Bible.