John Cosin
John Cosin (30 November 1594 – 15 January 1672) was an influential Church of England priest and theologian, who was Bishop of Durham from 1660-1672.
History
Born in Norwich, he took orders in his early twenties. As a young priest he served as secretary to John Overall, the Bishop of Lichfield, and as the domestic chaplain of Richard Neile, the Bishop of Durham. In December 1624 he was made a prebendary of Durham, and on 9 September 1625 Archdeacon of the East Riding of Yorkshire.
He quickly distinguished himself as a high churchman, and in 1627 prepared a Collection of Private Devotions at the request of King Charles I. He had a personal relationship with the then Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, who admired the reverence with which Cosin conducted the liturgy at his cathedral church.
In 1635, Cosin was appointed master of Peterhouse, Cambridge and in 1640 became vice-chancellor of the university.
When the Stuart monarchy was restored in 1660, Cosin was appointed as Bishop of Durham.
He played a major role in the preparation of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, which remains the central theological document of global Anglican theology.
Theology
A noted high churchman, he was very critical of Puritans and even oversaw the ecclesiastical trial of Peter Smart, a Puritan Anglican clergyman in 1628.
He supported the established order of the Church of England and was a high supporter of ritual. He was also a diligent student of the Church Fathers and saw the Post-Reformation Anglican church as being in full continuity and conformity with the doctrine and practice of the Ancient Church.
He was, on the other hand, a vehement critic of the Church of Rome, and opposed the Invocation of Saints, Transubstantiation, the Papacy, and the theology of the Second Council of Nicea.
Works
A Collection of Private Devotions - https://archive.org/details/bim_early-english-books-1641-1700_a-collection-of-private_cosin-john-bp_1676/mode/2up
The Religion Discipline and Rites of the Church of England - https://archive.org/details/religiondiscipl00cosigoog/mode/2up