Introduction

Biography

Crossman earned a Ba­che­lor of Di­vi­ni­ty de­gree from Pem­broke Col­lege, Cam­bridge, and was pre­ben­da­ry of Bris­tol.

After gra­du­ation, he min­is­tered to both an Ang­li­can con­gre­ga­tion at All Saints, Sud­bu­ry, and to a Pu­ri­tan con­gre­ga­tion as well.

Crossman sym­pa­thized with the Pu­ri­tan cause, and at­tend­ed the 1661 Sa­voy Con­fer­ence, which at­tempt­ed to up­date the Book of Com­mon Pray­er so both Pu­ri­tans and Ang­li­cans could use it. The con­fer­ence failed, and the 1662 Act of Uni­for­mi­ty ex­pelled some 2,000 min­is­ters from the Church, in­clud­ing Cros­sman.

He recant­ed short­ly there­af­ter, and was or­dained in 1665, be­com­ing a roy­al chap­lain. He re­ceived a post at Bris­tol in 1667, and be­came Dean of Bri­stol Ca­thed­ral in 1683.

Works

• The Young Man’s Me­di­ta­tion, or Some Few Sac­red Po­ems up­on Se­lect Sub­jects, and Scrip­tures (Lon­don: J. H. & c., 1664)