Nicholas Byfield facts for kids
Nicholas Byfield (1579–1622) was an English clergyman. He was a very important preacher during the time of King James I.
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About Nicholas Byfield
Nicholas Byfield was born in Warwickshire, England. His father, Richard Byfield, became a vicar (a type of church leader) in Stratford-on-Avon in 1597. Nicholas also had a half-brother named Richard Byfield.
Nicholas started studying at Exeter College, Oxford, in 1596. He studied for four years but did not finish his degree. After becoming a minister, he planned to work in Ireland. However, on his way, he stopped in Chester and preached there. People liked his sermons so much that they convinced him to stay in Chester as a city preacher. He gave popular talks at St. Peter's church. John Bruen was one of the people who listened to him and became his friend.
His Work in Isleworth
On March 31, 1615, Nicholas Byfield became the vicar of Isleworth. At this time, he was also a chaplain (a minister who serves a specific person or group) to Edward Russell, 3rd Earl of Bedford.
In Isleworth, he preached twice every Sunday. He also gave special lessons explaining the Bible every Wednesday and Friday. He continued this busy schedule until about five weeks before he passed away. Nicholas Byfield died on Sunday, September 8, 1622, from a severe illness called "the stone." The day after he died, a surgeon found a very large stone, weighing 35 ounces, in his body. William Gouge was present during this examination. Nicholas Byfield and his wife, Elizabeth, had at least eight children. Their third child was Adoniram Byfield.
Nicholas Byfield's Writings
Nicholas Byfield wrote many books and religious texts. Most of his works were very popular and were printed many times, some even as late as 1665. His writings that explained parts of the Bible followed the ideas of Calvinism.
His first book was called An Essay concerning the Assurance of God's Love and of Man's Salvation, published in 1614. Another important work was An Exposition upon the Epistle to the Colossians, which came out in 1615. This book was based on nearly seven years of his weekday sermons. His last work published during his lifetime was The Marrow of the Oracles of God in 1620. This book was a collection of six different religious essays.
The Sabbath Discussion
In 1611, Nicholas Byfield became involved in a discussion about how people should observe the Sabbath (Sunday). A boy from Chester named John Brerewood had been taught by Byfield to follow strict rules for Sundays. When John became an apprentice in London, he refused to do errands for his master on Sundays, like fetching wine or feeding a horse. He only obeyed when forced.
John wrote to Byfield for advice, and Byfield told him to refuse the errands. However, John's uncle, Edward Brerewood, gave him different advice. His uncle believed that the rule about the Sabbath only applied to masters, not to apprentices. This led to letters being exchanged between Edward Brerewood and Nicholas Byfield about the topic. This discussion was not published until both Byfield and Brerewood had passed away. It appeared in a book called A Learned Treatise of the Sabaoth in 1630. Byfield's part in the discussion was described as short and harsh.
