John Evelyn's volume of notes on sermons, mainly preached between 1650 and 1660, with less frequent notes recorded between 1661 and 1671, but more frequent notes again after 20 October 1672. There are some indications in the text that the volume was written well after the preachings of the sermons, based on notes recorded earlier. On f. 1v, Evelyn has recorded a list of texts from sermons stretching back to 1634, including a note describing his early experience as a notetaker: "I first tooke notes of Sermons when very young at schoole, also at the University but they were so imperfect . . . that I have onely noted the Texts in my Journal". He adds that when he took poor notes it was usually because the sermon was preached with insufficient study or by a poor preacher, or he did not have time to reflect on it (as when he was travelling). After f. 37, the foliation and sermon numbers start over: the next sermon is identified Sermon I (f. 2r-v). This begins a series of sermon preached at the chapel of Sir Richard Browne, Evelyn's father-in-law, in Paris. At the end of the volume is a section with leaves added later containing notes on sermons from 1658, with the title "An Account of such Sermons as I heard at my Parish-Church by the Ordinary Minister there Beginning Anno 1658". This section has been removed from another notebook and sewn into this one. On the last page, Evelyn has written, "In those sermons which I have marked with a X some considerable note may occur", which includes all the sermons preached between 1672 and 1674. The cataloguer notes that this was a time when Evelyn had a close friendship with Margaret Blagge that inspired him to record many sermon notes.
Large folio in contemporary brown calf binding. iii + 151 leaves, 350 x 235 mm. Red ink borders. The year of preaching is recorded at the top of the notes, with the date in the left margin, and the preacher and location in the right margin. The sermons are numbered with Roman numerals beginning with Sermon LI. After Sermon LXXVII, Evelyn evidently made a mistake in the numbering, continuing with Sermon LXVIII and repeating several numbers. There are also various other minor inconsistencies in the numbering. At ff. 30r-37r (the first time these folio numbers are used), most of the dates are lost in the gutter, except for the year, in which case only the year has been noted here.
From the Evelyn Papers
Anne James; British Library manuscript catalogue
The volume appears to use New Style dates, except for a few dates toward the end of the manuscript. The cataloguer notes that Evelyn's diary contains shorter version of many of these (and other) sermon notes. This manuscript is cited in Ian M. Green, Continuity and Change in Protestant Preaching in Early Modern England (London: Dr Williams's Trust, 2009), p. 25 n. 57.
Sermon on Joel 2:13 -- f. 26r
Sermon on Philippians 3:10 -- f. 26v
Sermon on Genesis 1:10 -- f. 26v
Sermon on Malachi 4:2 -- f. 27r-v
Sermon on Colossians 2:6 -- f. 28r-v
Sermon on Matthew 21:5 -- ff. 28v-29r
Sermon on John 6:32-33 -- f. 29r-v
Sermon on 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 -- f. 30r
Sermon on Philippians 3:8 -- f. 30r
Sermon on Matthew 5:8 -- f. 30v
Sermon on Amos 6:6 -- f. 30v
Sermon on Matthew 19:25-26 -- ff. 30v-31r
Sermon on Luke 18:7-8 -- f. 31r
Sermon on Zechariah 20:12 -- f. 31r
Sermon on Isaiah 11:10 -- f. 31r-v
Sermon on 1 Peter 2:2 -- f. 31v
Sermon on 1 Corinthians 6:11 -- f. 32r
Sermon on Hosea 2:4 -- f. 32r
Sermon on Ephesians 2:22 -- f. 32r
Sermon on Isaiah 55:1 -- f. 32r
Sermon on Psalms 50:5-6 -- f. 32v
Sermon on 1 Timothy 6:10 -- f. 32v
Sermon on Matthew 6:28 -- f. 32v
Sermon on Matthew 5:19 -- f. 32v
Sermon on Isaiah 57:19 -- f. 33r
Sermon on James 2:12 -- f. 33r
Sermon on Jude 1:21 -- f. 33r-v
Sermon on Romans 6:19 -- f. 33v
Sermon on Isaiah 55:5, 7 -- f. 33v
Sermon on Isaiah 7:14 -- ff. 33v-34r
Sermon on Isaiah 55:8 -- f. 34r
Sermon on Matthew 14:17 -- f. 34r
Sermon on Romans 3:24-25 -- f. 34r
Sermon on Psalms 51:17 -- f. 34r
Sermon on Philippians 2:10 -- f. 34v
Sermon on Matthew 7:19 -- f. 34v
Sermon on Acts 2:37 -- f. 34v
Sermon 1 on 1 John 3:2 -- f. 34v
Sermon on Hebrews 11:37 -- f. 34v
Sermon on Titus 2:12 -- f. 35r
Sermon on Galatians 6:1 -- f. 35r
Sermon on 1 Timothy 2:5 -- f. 35r
Sermon on Proverbs 29:1 -- f. 35r
Sermon on Jeremiah 1:4 -- f. 35r
Sermon on Titus 2:14 -- f. 35r
Sermon on 1 Peter 2:24 -- f. 35r-v
Sermon on Psalms 106:4-5 -- f. 35v
Sermon on 2 Corinthians 13:7 -- f. 35v
Sermon 1 on unidentified text -- f. 35v
Sermon on Matthew 28:5-6 -- f. 35v
Sermon on John 20:19 -- ff. 35v-36r
Sermon 1 on Matthew 25:1 -- f. 36r
Sermon on Luke 15:18 -- f. 36r
Sermon 2 on Matthew 25:1 -- f. 36r-v
Sermon on Matthew 25:13 -- f. 36v
Sermon on Hosea 4:6 -- f. 36v
Sermon on Deuteronomy 10:12 -- f. 37r
Sermon 1 on John 20:21-22 -- f. 2r-v
Sermon on Luke 16:23 -- ff. 2v-3r
Sermon on Matthew 4:8 -- f. 3r
Sermon on Matthew 6:33 -- f. 3r-v
Sermon on Luke 18:8 -- f. 3v
Sermon on Matthew 4:9 -- ff. 3v-4r
Sermon on Matthew 22:26-27 -- f. 4r-v
Sermon on Luke 22:3 -- ff. 4v-5r
Sermon on John 20:29 -- f. 5r-v
Sermon on Acts 17:19 -- ff. 5v-6r
Sermon on Romans 8:28 -- f. 6r-v
Sermon 1 on 1 Corinthians 10:3-5 -- ff. 6v-7v
Sermon 2 on 1 Corinthians 10:3-5 -- ff. 7v-8r
Sermon on Luke 2:42 -- f. 8r-v
Sermon on Luke 2:34 -- ff. 8v-9r
Sermon on Matthew 8:11 -- f. 9r
Sermon 3 on 1 Corinthians 10:3-5 -- f. 9v
Sermon on Genesis 3:13 -- f. 9v
Sermon on Matthew 4:2 -- f. 10r-v
Sermon 1 on Genesis 3:13-14 -- ff. 11r-12r
Sermon 2 on Genesis 3:13-14 -- f. 12r-v
Sermon on John 11:47 -- ff. 12v-13r
Sermon on 1 Corinthians 15:4 -- f. 13r-v
Sermon on John 20:9 -- ff. 13v-14r
Sermon on John 10:11 -- ff. 14v-15r
Sermon on John 10:16 -- f. 15r
Sermon on Galatians 5:13 -- f. 15r-v
Sermon on John 16:23 -- ff. 15v-16r
Sermon on Acts 1:9-11 -- f. 16r-v
Sermon on Acts 2:1 -- ff. 16v-17r
Sermon 2 on John 20:21-22 -- f. 17r
Sermon on Luke 16:27 -- f. 17v
Sermon on Luke 16:33 -- ff. 17v-18r
Sermon on 2 Timothy 3 -- f. 18r
Sermon on Psalms 119:5-166 -- ff. 18v-19r
Sermon on Matthew 4:3 -- f. 19r-v
Sermon on 2 Corinthians 11:31 -- ff. 19v-20r
Sermon on Romans 12:1 -- f. 20r
Sermon on Psalms 107:11 -- f. 20v
Sermon on Matthew 4:4 -- f. 20v
Sermon 1 on 1 Peter 4:17 -- ff. 20v-21v
Sermon on Matthew 5:10 -- ff. 21v-23r
Sermon on Job 13:15 -- f. 23r
Sermon 2 on 1 Peter 4:17 -- f. 23r-v
Sermon on 2 Samuel 22:5 -- f. 24r
Sermon on Psalms 116:11-12 -- f. 24v
Sermon on 2 Samuel 25:26 -- f. 25r
Sermon on Matthew 11:6 -- f. 25r
Sermon on Romans 6:13 -- f. 25r-v
Sermon on Matthew 28:6 -- ff. 37r-38r
Sermon on John 1:11 -- ff. 38r-39r
Sermon 2 on unidentified text -- f. 40r
Sermon on John 1:16 -- f. 40v
Sermon on Philippians 2:6-7 -- ff. 40v-41r
Sermon on Psalms 123:3-4 -- f. 26r
Sermon on Acts 2:4 -- f. 41r-v
Credo in Spiritum Sanctem -- ff. 41v-42r
Sermon on Psalms 27 -- f. 42r-v
Sermon on Luke 16:19-31 -- ff. 42v-43r
Sermon on Psalms 128:1-4 -- f. 43v
Sermon on Psalms 84:11 -- f. 44r-v
Sermon on Ephesians 5:2 -- ff. 44v-45r
Sermon on 1 Corinthians 11:27 -- f. 45r-v
Sermon on Psalms 102:6 -- ff. 45v-46r
Sermon on 1 Corinthians 11:18 -- ff. 46r-47v
Sermon on John 3:3 -- ff. 47v-48r
Sermon on Luke 13:23-24 -- ff. 48r-49r
Credo Remissionem Peccatorum -- f. 49r-v
Sermon 2 on 1 John 3:2 -- ff. 49v-50r
Sermon on 2 Corinthians 13:5 -- ff. 50r-51v
Sermon on 1 Corinthians 15:12 -- ff. 51v-52r