John Barret (divine) facts for kids
John Barret (born 1631, died 1713) was an English minister and writer. He was a Presbyterian, which means he followed a certain type of Christian faith. John Barret became a very important leader for Presbyterians in the city of Nottingham. He was known for his writings and for standing up for his beliefs during a time of big changes in England.
Early Life and Education
John Barret was born in Nottingham in 1631. When he was 15, in 1646, he started studying at Clare College, Cambridge, a famous university. He earned his first degree there in 1650.
After college, he became a minister. He was officially ordained in 1652 in Wymeswold, Leicestershire. This was done by a group of Presbyterian ministers from Wirksworth. In October 1656, he began working at St Peter's Church, Nottingham.
His Work as a Minister
John Barret quickly became a key leader in the Presbyterian community in Nottingham. He joined their local assembly, called a classis, in 1656. The next year, he became its leader, known as the moderator. This group often met at his house. The notes from their meetings, which are still kept at Nottingham University Library, might even be in his own handwriting.
He stayed at St Peter's Church for two years after the king returned to power in 1660. This event was called the Restoration (1660). However, things changed for him and many other ministers. In 1662, a new law called the Act of Uniformity 1662 was passed. This law made it against the rules for Presbyterians to be ministers in the official Church of England.
Because of this law, John Barret and his friend John Whitlock, who was a minister at St Mary's Church, Nottingham, were told to leave their churches. They were ordered to use the official Book of Common Prayer and wear a special robe called a surplice. They refused to do this because it went against their Presbyterian beliefs. This event was part of what is known as the Great Ejection, when many ministers were forced out of their churches.
After leaving St Peter's, Barret, Whitlock, and another minister named William Reynolds continued to preach in different buildings around Nottingham. Once, while preaching in some old malt rooms, John Barret almost got arrested. But he was lucky! He quickly borrowed clothes from a man who looked a lot like him and escaped. People at the time believed it was a special blessing that he avoided being put in prison, unlike Whitlock and Reynolds, who were jailed sometimes.
It became harder to open new places for worship after 1664. In 1665, another law, the Five Mile Act, might have been why he moved to Sandiacre, Derbyshire. He got married that year to Elizabeth, but we don't know much about her family. They had at least two children. One of his sons, Joseph Barret, passed away in 1699. John Barret later published some of his son's writings in 1700, along with a special message from himself.
In 1672, John Barret was given permission to teach as a Presbyterian minister. He could preach in his house in Sandiacre or in Nottingham. He set up new meeting places in Nottingham, including one in Bridlesmith Gate and another in Middle Pavement. These efforts helped lead to the creation of the High Pavement Chapel in 1690, which he founded with Whitlock and Reynolds. He kept preaching until he died on October 30, 1713, at 82 years old. He was buried in the churchyard of St Peter's Church, where he had once served.
What He Wrote
John Barret wrote many books and papers. A lot of his writings were about how to live a good Christian life. For example, he wrote The Christian Temper (1678), which talked about being a good person. Another book, The Evil and Remedy of Scandal (1711), explained that people should obey God's laws fully. It also said that people who were sorry for their mistakes should be welcomed back warmly.
John Barret believed that babies should be baptized. He got into a debate about this with Thomas Grantham, who believed only adults should be baptized. To share his views, Barret wrote Fifty Queries Seriously Propounded to those that Question or Deny Infants Right to Baptism (1675). He also wrote Much in a little (1678), which supported the idea of infant baptism as a child's birthright.
Some other writings that are sometimes thought to be by him might actually have been written by someone else, like Vincent Alsop. Other books by John Barret include Good Will towards Men (1675), which was about different agreements between God and people. His last book, Away with the Fashion of this World. Come, Lord Jesus (1713), was like a final message from him to the people he cared about. After he died, a collection of his sermons was published in 1714 called Reliquiæ Barretteanæ.
