Chaderton’s godliness and learning brought him to the attention of those in positions of influence. In 1584, Sir Walter Mildmay, the wealthy Puritan philanthropist, founded the new Emmanuel College in Cambridge. Mildmay was keen to establish an institute of learning that would assist in the promotion of the Reformed faith, and invited Chaderton to take up the position of Master. At first, he was hesitant, yet, when Mildmay threatened not to proceed with the opening of the college unless Chaderton accepted, he submitted.
Chaderton was faithful to his calling as Master, and the college quickly gained a reputation as a “seed-bed” of Puritan learning. Generations of students were instructed in the study of the Scriptures in the original languages, in Reformed divinity, and in the art of preaching. To promote biblical knowledge and exegetical and expository ability, Chaderton and others organized what became known as “mutual conferences.” At these weekly meetings, the Bible was intensively studied, chapter by chapter. Commencing with prayer, they read the passage in the original, then discussed linguistic matters. The plain meaning of the text was derived using the grammatico-historical approach typical of the Reformers and their successors. Next, the logical relations within the passage were studied. Only once these foundational matters had been thoroughly discussed would the group proceed to see what points of doctrine the text contained and how they should be applied. Students would take it in turns to lead the various stages of inquiry, and their comments were evaluated by their seniors. The whole process took several hours. One observer of such a conference afterwards wrote a description of what had taken place, concluding, “At last, they went out, like Apollos, eloquent men and mighty in the Scriptures.”
From: “Laurence Chaderton – Puritan, Scholar, and Bible Translator” by Nick Lunn, in The Banner of Truth, Issue 537 (June, 2008), p. 3.
Mr. Lunn is Old Testament Consultant with Wycliffe Bible Translators.
