(Same Tomb as Goodwin.)
Translation of Latin Inscription.
Thankful Owen, STB. Here mingles his sacred
dust with that of Goodwin; to whom in life he was most
dear. He scarce survived an hour the finishing of a Preface
which he had been writing to that great work of
Goodwin's on the Epistle to the Ephesians, the publication
of which had fallen to his care. Dying with the
same calmness with which he had lived, without a groan,
save of the heart to Christ, on the 1st April, 1681, in the
63rd year of his age.
Thankful Owen was born, according to one account, at
Taplow in Buckinghamshire, but another authority states
that he was born in London. While quite a youth
he had a remarkable preservation from drowning, for
as he was swimming near Oxford he sank twice under
the water.
He received his education chiefly at Exeter College,
Oxford, where his tutor was a Puritan. He became a
man of much learning, and was greatly admired for the
easy fluency of his language and compositions, and for
the quite exceptional purity of his Latin style. He
joined the Independent Church, afterwards becoming one
of their preachers, and he was also chosen Proctor of the
University in 1650, whilst in the same year he became
President of St. John's College.
At the Restoration he was ejected by the Commissioners
and, like Goodwin, removed to London. Here he lived
very quietly, preaching as often as he could and steadfastly
maintaining his nonconformity. On the death of
Goodwin he was chosen to succeed him, but was only
pastor for a fortnight, as he died quite suddenly at his
house in Hatton Garden. His last labour was, as stated
in the Inscription, to write a Preface for Goodwin's work
on the Ephesians, and he had almost finished a work of
his own, entitled "Imago Imagins" which was designed to show that Rome Papal was simply an imitation of
Rome Pagan. Dr. John Owen said of Thankful Owen
that he had not left his fellow behind him for learning,
religion, and good humour.
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