Matthew Newcomen
c. 1610–1669
"Smectymnuus"; Calamy’s brother-in-law; exiled to Leiden in 1662.
Biography
Of St John's Cambridge under William Bedell, then vicar of Dedham (Essex) from 1636 — the famous old centre of John Rogers and Henry Smith's preaching. The 'M.N.' of Smectymnuus (1641) and the youngest of the five Smectymnuans. Newcomen married Edmund Calamy the Elder's sister and was theologically inseparable from him on most Assembly questions, sharing the hypothetical-universalist position on the atonement. He preached parliamentary fast sermons and contributed steadily to the catechetical committee. Ejected at Dedham in 1662, he retired to Leiden as minister of the English Reformed congregation there and died of plague at Leiden in September 1669.
Principal works
- Smectymnuus (1641)
- The Craft and Cruelty of the Churches Adversaries (1643)
English Presbyterian divine
The great majority of the sitting members were English parish ministers of Presbyterian conviction. They formed the drafting core of the Assembly, manning its three standing committees and supplying most of the text of the Confession, the two Catechisms, and the Directory for Public Worship.