John Howe

John HoweJohn Howe (1630-1705) was an English Puritan theologian. He served briefly as chaplain to Oliver Cromwell.

Howe was born at Loughborough. At the age of five he went to Ireland with his father, who had been ejected from his living by William Laud, but returned to England in 1641 and settled with his father in Lancaster. He studied at Christ’s College, Cambridge, and at Magdalen College, Oxford (B.A., 1650; M.A., 1652), where for a time he was fellow and college chaplain. At Cambridge he came under the influence of Ralph Cudworth and Henry More, from whom he probably received the Platonic tinge that marks his writings. About 1654 he was appointed to the perpetual curacy of Great Torrington, Devon. In this place, according to his own statement, he was engaged in the pulpit on fast-days from nine to four, with a recess of fifteen minutes, during which the people sang. While on a visit to London in 1656 Oliver Cromwell prevailed upon him to preach at Whitehall, with the result that Howe, much against his preferences, became one of Cromwell’s chaplains. Upon Richard Cromwell’s retirement he returned to his former parish at Torrington. When the Act of Uniformity 1662 was passed he quit his church, but remained for some time in the neighbourhood, preaching in private houses. In this period he was cited before the Bishop of Exeter, his old friend Seth Ward, who vainly urged Howe to be reordained.

In 1666 Howe accepted the Five Mile Act, but with the limiting clause, “so far as the laws of man are agreeable to the Word of God.” In 1671 he became chaplain to Lord Massereene, of Antrim Castle, Ireland. Here he was a member of the Antrim Meeting, the precursor of the Presbyterian organization in Ireland. In 1676 he returned to London as the successor of Lazarus Seaman at Haberdashers’ Hall. In 1685, on account of the greater severity shown to the dissenters, he accepted an invitation to accompany Lord Wharton to the Continent, and the year following settled at Utrecht. When James II issued his declaration for liberty of conscience in 1687 Howe returned to his old position in London. From this time till his death he took an active interest in current discussions on predestination, the Trinity, and conformity. In 1688 he headed a deputation of dissenting ministers in an address of welcome to William of Orange. He died in London. [More via Wikipedia]

The Works of John Howe:

The Whole Works of the Reverend John Howe, volume 1. (636 pages)
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This volume contains:

  1. A Memoir – pdf, 79 pp.
  2. A Discourse Concerning the Redeemer’s Dominion Over the Invisible World, and the Entrance Thereinto by Death. (Revelation 1:18) – pdf, 75 pp.
  3. The Living Temple, part 1: Concerning God’s Existence, and His Conversableness with Man – pdf, 179 pp.
  4. The Living Temple, part 2: Animadversions on Spinosa – pdf, 202 pp.
  5. A Discourse on Self-Dedication. (Romans 12:1) – pdf, 37 pp.
  6. Two Sermons on Romans 6:13 – pdf, 31 pp.

The Whole Works of the Reverend John Howe, volume 2. (550 pages)
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This volume contains:

  1. A Treatise of Delighting in God, part 1: The Meaning of the Precept. (Psalm 37:4) – pdf, 99 pp.
  2. A Treatise of Delighting in God, part 2: The Practice or Exercise of Delight in God. (Psalm 37:4) – pdf, 107 pp.
  3. Of Charity in Reference to Other Men’s Sins. (1 Corinthians 13:6) – pdf, 26 pp.
    {Featured in The Digital Puritan, Vol.IV, No.2}
  4. The Reconcileableness of God’s Prescience of the Sins of Men – pdf, 64 pp.
  5. Of Thoughtfulness for the Morrow. (Matthew 6:34) – pdf, 43 pp.
  6. The Immoderate Desire of Foreknowing Things to Come. (Matthew 6:34) – pdf, 25 pp.
    A post-script to the preceding discourse.
  7. Man’s Creation in a Holy But Mutable State. (Ecclesiastes 7:29) – pdf, 14 pp.
  8. A Two-Fold Discourse on Colossians 1:21:
    1. Of Man’s Enmity Against God – pdf, 21 pp.
    2. Of Reconciliation Between God and Man – pdf, 38 pp.
  9. Prayer From the Name of God. (Jeremiah 14:21) – pdf, 36 pp.
  10. On the Inquiry Whether or No We Truly Love God. (John 5:42) – pdf, 12 pp.
  11. A Sermon on the Thanksgiving Day. (Psalm 29:11) – pdf, 24 pp.
    Also titled, “Peace Considered as God’s Blessing”.
  12. The Duty of Civil Magistrates. (Romans 13:4) – pdf, 22 pp.
    Also titled, “A Sermon for the Reformation of Manners”.

The Whole Works of the Reverend John Howe, volume 3. (538 pages)
[pdf epub mobi txt web via Internet Archive]
This volume contains:

  1. The Blessedness of the Righteous Opened, and Further Recommended From the Vanity of This Mortal Life, in two parts:
    1. The Blessedness of the Righteous. (Psalm 17:15) – pdf, 285 pp.
    2. The Vanity of This Mortal Life. (Psalm 89:47-48) – pdf, 59 pp.
  2. A Discourse of Patience, As It Has Respect to the Expectation of Future Blessedness. (Hebrews 10:36) – pdf, 46 pp.
  3. Funeral Sermons:
    1. The Faithful Servant Applauded and Rewarded. (Matthew 25:21) – pdf, 25 pp.
      (The funeral sermon of Mr. Richard Fairclough.)
    2. The Funeral Sermon of Mr. Richard Adams. (Philippians 1:23) – pdf, 17 pp.
    3. The Funeral Sermon of the Rev. William Bates. (John 11:16) – pdf, 32 pp.
    4. The Funeral Sermon of the Rev. Mr. Matthew Mead. (1 Timothy 4:16) – pdf, 27 pp.
    5. The Funeral Sermon of the Rev. Peter Vinke. (Acts 5:20) – pdf, 26 pp.

The Whole Works of the Reverend John Howe, volume 4. (526 pages)
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This volume contains:

  1. The Redeemer’s Tears Wept Over Lost Souls. (Luke 19:41-42) – pdf, 78 pp.
  2. The Carnality of Religious Contention. (Two sermons on Galatians 5:16) – pdf, 49 pp.
  3. A Sermon Concerning Union Among Protestants. (Colossians 2:2) – pdf, 36 pp.
  4. A Sermon on Colossians 1:13 – pdf, 20 pp.
  5. Funeral Sermons:
    1. Christ’s Compassion in Curing Diseases. (Luke 13:16) – pdf, 27 pp.
      A funeral sermon on the death of Mrs. Esther Sampson.
    2. Heaven a State of Perfection. (Hebrews 12:23) – pdf, 32 pp.
      A funeral sermon on the death of Queen Mary.
    3. The Christian’s Desire of Being Absent From the Body, and Present With the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8) – pdf, 30 pp.
      A funeral sermon on the death of Mrs. Margaret Baxter (Richard Baxter’s wife).
    4. The Christian’s Triumph Over Death. (1 Corinthians 15:54) – pdf, 22 pp.
      A funeral sermon on the death of Mrs. Judith Hammond.
  6. A Calm and Sober Inquiry Concerning the Possibility of a Trinity in the Godhead – pdf, 114 pp.
    A collection of letters and notes on the doctrine of the Trinity.
  7. A letter written to one who was offended at a sermon of Dr. Stillingfleet – pdf, 39 pp.
  8. Some Consideration of a Preface to an Inquiry Concerning the Occasional Conformity of Dissenters – pdf, 23 pp.
  9. A Sermon on the Death of the Reverend Mr. John Howe (2 Timothy 3:14) – pdf, 20 pp.
    Preached by John Spademan.
  10. Various letters:
    1. To a friend, on the loss of an excellent wife – pdf, 2 pp.
    2. To a gentlewoman, on the loss of a beloved daughter – pdf, 3 pp.
    3. Two letters to a newly-married couple – pdf, 3 pp.
    4. Written to a woman after the death of both her parents – pdf, 2 pp.
    5. Written on the death of a most promising son – pdf, 2 pp.
    6. To his friend, Mr. Spilsbury – pdf, 2 pp.
  11. A fragment of a sermon on faith in prayer. (James 5:15) – pdf, 3 pp.

The Whole Works of the Reverend John Howe, volume 5. (542 pages)
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This volume contains:

  1. The Office and Work of the Holy Spirit in Reference to Particular Persons. (19 sermons on John 3:6 and Galatians 5:25) – pdf, 206 pp.
    1. Eight sermons preached on John 3:6 – pdf, 84 pp.
    2. Eleven sermons preached on Galatians 5:25 – pdf, 118 pp.
  2. The Work of the Holy Spirit in Reference to the Christian Church. (15 sermons on Ezekiel 39:29) – pdf, 163 pp.
    Also titled, “The Prosperous State of the Christian Interest Before the End of Time, by a Plentiful Effusion of the Holy Spirit Considered”.
  3. The Obligations from Nature and Revelation to Family Religion and Worship, Represented and Pressed in Six Sermons. (Joshua 24:15) – pdf, 72 pp.
  4. The Vanity of a Formal Profession of Religion Considered in 8 Sermons on Titus 1:16 – pdf, 75 pp.

The Whole Works of the Reverend John Howe, volume 6. (528 pages)
[pdf epub mobi txt web via Internet Archive]
This volume contains:

  1. The Love of God and Our Brother. (17 sermons on 1 John 4:20) – pdf, 180 pp.
  2. A collection of sermons on various texts:
    1. Times and Seasons Reserved in the Father’s Own Power. (Acts 1:7) – pdf, 15 pp.
    2. Believers Troubled, Yet Not Distressed. (2 Corinthians 4:8) – pdf, 12 pp.
    3. Wherein Afflictions Are to Be Accounted Joyful. (James 1:2) – pdf, 16 pp.
    4. The Improvement of Afflictions Desired. (1 Peter 5:10) – pdf, 13 pp.
    5. The Sin and Consequence of Vexing the Holy Spirit. (Isaiah 63:10) – pdf, 13 pp.
    6. Obedience to Be United With Hearing the Word. (James 1:22) – pdf, 14 pp.
    7. The Parable of the Unjust Judge. (Luke 18:1-8) – pdf, 11 pp.
    8. The Influence of Hope. (Romans 5:5) – pdf, 12 pp.
    9. Christians Exhorted Not to Sleep, as Do Others. (1 Thessalonians 5:6) – pdf, 11 pp.
    10. Jerusalem Rebuilt in Troublous Times. (Daniel 9:25) – pdf, 13 pp.
    11. David’s Prayer That the Way of God May Be Known Upon Earth. (Psalm 67:2-3) – pdf, 15 pp.
    12. The Sin and Danger of Forsaking the Lord. (Joshua 24:20) – pdf, 17 pp.
    13. The Wicked Turned Into Hell. (Psalm 9:17) – pdf, 26 pp.
  3. The Principles of the Oracle of God, part 1 – pdf, 282 pp.
    (The pdf file above contains the entirety of part 1)

    1. An Introduction. (Two lectures on Hebrews 5:12) – pdf, 25 pp.
    2. The Existence of God Manifest From Creation. (Four lectures on Romans 1:20) – pdf, 43 pp.
    3. The Divine Authority of the Scriptures. (Five lectures on 2 Timothy 3:16) – pdf, 53 pp.
    4. The Unity of the Godhead. (Two lectures on James 2:19) – pdf, 21 pp.

The Whole Works of the Reverend John Howe, volume 7. (574 pages)
[pdf epub mobi txt web via Internet Archive]
This volume contains:

  1. The Principles of the Oracles of God, part 1 (continued)
    (The entire pdf file for part 1 is available in volume 6 above.)

    1. The Trinity of Persons in Divine Essence. (Four lectures on John 5:7) – pdf, 38 pp.
    2. The Attributes and Perfections of the Diving Being. (Nine lectures on Matthew 5:48) – pdf, 98 pp.
  2. The Principles of the Oracles of God, part 2
    1. The Decrees (or Counsels) of God. (Eight lectures on Ephesians 1:11) – pdf, 84 pp.
    2. God’s Work of Creation. (Seven lectures on Hebrews 11:3) – pdf, 62 pp.
    3. God’s Creation of Man. (Five lectures on Genesis 1:27) – pdf, 52 pp.
    4. The Fall of the First Man, and the Fallen State of Man, with the Death and Misery Consequent on Each of Them. (Fourteen lectures on Romans 5:12) – pdf, 137 pp.
    5. The Justice and Righteousness of God Vindicated. (Eight lectures on Psalm 51:4-5) – pdf, 76 pp.

The Whole Works of the Reverend John Howe, volume 8. (668 pages)
[pdf epub mobi txt web via Internet Archive]
This volume contains:

  1. The Principles of the Oracles of God, part 2 (continued)
    The entire pdf file for part 2 is available in volume 7 above.)

    1. The General and Special Grace of God, in Order to the Recovery of Apostate Souls. (Three lectures on Luke 2:14) – pdf, 36 pp.
  2. The Gospel Recommending Itself to Every Man’s Conscience. (Seven sermons on 2 Corinthians 4:2) – pdf, 84 pp.
  3. They to Whom the Gospel is Hid are Lost Souls. (Six sermons on 2 Corinthians 4:3) – pdf, 71 pp.
  4. On Hope. (Fourteen sermons on Romans 8:24) – pdf, 182 pp.
  5. Friendship with God. (Ten sermons on James 2:23) – pdf, 109 pp.
  6. On Regeneration. (Thirteen sermons on 1 John 5:1) – pdf, 135 pp.

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One thought on “John Howe

  1. Please indicate the date of the edition of The Living Temple reproduced here? I notice the page numbers of refernces and quotations are different from references to them in several modern scholarly works

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