John Collinges was an English Presbyterian theologian, and prolific writer. He lived and worked in Norwich for more than forty years where he played a major role in reviving and administering the City Library. He was one of the representatives of the Presbyterians in the Savoy Conference, but was later forced to resign his livings.
Life
He was the son of Edward Collinges, M. A., born at Boxted, Essex, and educated to 16 at the grammar school of Dedham, where he came under the influence of Matthew Newcomen. His father died when he was fifteen, but he was sent as a sizar to Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He matriculated in 1639; graduated B.A. 1643, M.A. 1646, B.D. 1653 and D.D. 1658. By age about 22 he had become a preacher, living in the family of Isaac Wyncoll of Bures, Essex, whose eldest daughter he married. A letter dated 24 October 1683 to Sir Henry Hobart, refers to him having an adult son, but his name and dates are not known. In September 1646, he was invited by Sir John Hobart to join his household, in Norwich. After Sir John Hobart's death in 1647, part of the house was converted into a chapel by his widow, and here for sixteen years, till the passing of the act restraining religious meetings, Collinges lectured on weekdays, and repeated his public discourses on Sunday nights. In 1653 he took the place of Harding, the ejected vicar of St. Stephen's parish, which he held without institution till the Restoration compelled him to resign it. Collinges was appointed one of the commissioners at the Savoy Conference, and was anxious for an accommodation. After his ejection, he continued to live in St Peter’s parish and minister to the Presbyterians, funded by members of his church. In 1690 he was receiving £56 per year. On 30 April 1672 he received a licence to be a Presbyterian teacher in Norwich During the early 1680s, suspicion fell on the nonconformist sects in Norwich, and a report on the city in the State Papers refers to him as one of two leaders of the disaffected element in the city: "a D.D. and a man of some learning, which he employs in promoting Presbytery and, were he removed, 'tis probable many of that sect would fall off. They, the Anabaptists and the Quakers not only unite against the government, but are such good friends as to hold their meetings under one roof." In the aftermath of the Rye House Plot of 1683 Collinges was arrested on two occasions in 1685 as a nonjuring suspect, but no action was eventually taken. He died at Walcott, Norfolk in January 1690/1. His funeral sermon was preached by Martin Fynch, and published in Norwich in 1695. A memorial to him in Latin is given in the Old Meeting House, Norwich.
Works
Throughout his adult life John Collinges was a voluminous and at times verbose writer of theological works of different types, published in London and Norwich. Many of these were published under his own name, some under his initials and some anonymously.
Lectures and Sermons
His earliest published works were extended versions of his lectures and sermons, such as The spouses hidden glory, and faithfull leaning upon her welbeloved, and A memorial for posteritie, preached at the funeral of these patron Sir John Hobart.. During his career he would publish approaching one hundred of his sermons and lectures both as individual works and also in collections such as A cordiall for a fainting soule, consisting of ‘sermons delivered in so many lectures in a private chappell belonging to Chappell-Field-House in Norwich’, or Thirteen sermons upon several useful subjects.
Religious controversy
Throughout the 1650s Collinges was a keen controversialist. In 1651 he published 'Vindiciae Ministerii Evangelici,' which is a vindication of a Gospel ministry against the claim of 'intercommonage' on the part of 'gifted men' not regularly set apart to preach. This was attacked by William Sheppard in The People's Privileges and Duty guarded against the Pulpit and Preachers, to which Collinges at once replied in Responsoria ad Erratica Pastoris or "The Shepherds italic=no discoveredlang\|enm|revindicatae
Devotional and exegetical writings
In 1650 appeared Five Lessons for a Christian to learn. In 1675 he produced The Weaver's Pocket Book, or Weaving spiritualised, a work intended specially for the weavers of Norwich, in imitation of John Flavel's Navigation and Husbandry spiritualised. This work was reprinted many times, particularly in Scotland, and the last known edition was dated Edinburgh: 1780. In 1676 he published The Intercourses of Divine Love between Christ and His Church, an exposition of chapter ii. of the Song of Solomon, which in 1683 was incorporated with a similar exposition of chapter i., and a metrical paraphrase. In 1678 there appeared Several Discourses concerning the actual Providence of God, containing ninety-eight sermons. In 1680 appeared the Defensative Armour against four of Satan's most fiery Darts, and in 1681 a tract on the Improveableness of Water Baptism.
Biographical Works
Two biographical works were: Faith and Experience, published in 1647, containing an account of Mary Simpson of St. Gregory's parish, Norwich, and Par Nobile, begun in 1665 on the death of his patron, Lady Frances Hobart, but hindered from publication by the Great Plague and destroyed in 1666 by the Great Fire of London. It was rewritten and published in 1675, because of certain slanders, and contains accounts of the lives of Lady Frances Hobart, and Lady Katharine Courten who married William Courten, daughters of John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater. Collinges also wrote the annotations in Matthew Poole's Bible on the last six chapters of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentation, the four Evangelists, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Philemon, and Revelation.
