[997a] That Mr. Man was settled here as early as 1593 appears from the following passage in the old record already quoted—“1593 Mar. 18. John Man B.A. Bennet Coll. Cambr. chose usher, wages 10l. a yr.”—Afterwards we have it noted—“1597, Sept. 26. John Man. M.A. eld. M Gr. Sch. loco Nic. Eston M A.”
[997b] “Bartholomew-day (said Locke) was fatal to our church and religion, in throwing out a very great number of worthy, learned, pious, and orthodox divines.”
[998] He was doubtless more diligent and laborious in his ministry than any we have here now, or, perhaps, ever had since his time, of any denomination. His memory ought therefore to be revered.
[999] Some of them are controversial, in answer to Dr. Owen, Dr. Kendal, Mr. Grantham, &c. Others are funeral sermons preached at different times, at Lynn and other parts of Norfolk: one is a narrative of the penitent behaviour of Rose Warne of Lynn, a condemned malefactor; another is a Farewell to his parishioners at the time of his ejection in 1662; another a Poem, entitled The Divine Wooer, at the end of which is a long Epitaph drawn up by him for his friend and parishioner, Thomas Lilly, Great Great Grandfather of our Sir Martin Browne Folkes. Most of the rest are pious practical discourses, all very creditable to his memory.—From the Farewell to his Parishioners, it appears that the income of his vicarage was 80l. a year, equal we suppose to 500l. of our money. That income he sacrificed for conscience’ sake.
[1001a] It is not easy to conceive what should deter him from taking orders unless it were that he had some serious scruples as to the terms of ordination, which, to say the least of them, seem to be hard enough of all conscience.
[1001b] At his death he bequeathed his books to the town library: and he also bequeathed a handsome legacy to the corporation, as trustees, to lay out the interest of it in apprenticing poor children; which it is presumed, is still applied to the same benevolent purpose.
[1002a] Who immediately succeeded Mr. Horne, as minister or pastor over his people, seems uncertain. We have heard, a Mr. Williams mentioned as holding that situation previously to the settlement here of the elder Rastrick, which seems to have taken place about 1710 or 12. Whether he was here during the whole of the intervening period we cannot say: Nor do we know any thing further of him.
[1002b] The exact number of his publications the present writer has not been able to learn. The following were the titles of some of them—A Commentary on the seven first Chapters of Revelation, 4to London, 1678, pp. 935.—A Call to Repentance, &c. 8vo London, 1682 pp. 438.—Calling and Election: or many called but few chosen. 12mo. Lond. 1674—Needful councel for lukewarm christians, 4to Lond.—The object of love, &c. to the end we may love one another. 12mo. London.
[1003] Dugdale does so repeatedly, in different parts of his works, and so does Parkin, if our memory does not fail us—
“I have seen (says he, in one place) a memorandum wrote by Gybon Goddard Esq. Serjeant at Law and recorder of Lynn, who was a curious collector of Antiquities, and died in 1671, wherein he observes that in his time in digging to set down a new sluice a little beneath Magdalen fall, which is about half a mile from Magdalen bridge, on the Marshland side, there was found about 16 foot, within soyle a grave stone of about 8 feet long, and a cart wheel near to it. The grave-stone (he adds) is now in Magdalen Church Yard.”