Educated men

Though not all university men, the ejected men of 1662 were well educated and trained in rhetoric often using Latin, Greek and even Hebrew to get the message across. Non-university men like Richard Baxter and John Oldfield were clearly well read, which was a Puritan tradition. David Appleby makes the point that 'Far from being inferior, the ejected ministers of 1662 were at the very least the intellectual equals of the confomrist clergy.' They were educated not just in their college days but after through household seminaries run by experienced ministers. From the time of Elizabeth godly conferences had been a feature of the scene. Those such as the one at Dedham had become famous. They have been compared to modern professional associations.