COSIN, JOHN (1594-1672), English divine, born in Nor wich on Nov. 30, 1594, was educated at Norwich grammar school and Caius college, Cambridge. In 1624 he became prebendary of Durham and in the following year archdeacon of the East Riding of Yorkshire. His Collection of Private Devo tions (1627), which he is said to have prepared by command of Charles I., and his known friendship for Laud brought him under suspicion with the Puritan party.
Cosin was appointed master of Peterhouse, Cambridge (1634), vice-chancellor of the university (1640), and dean of Peter borough (Oct. 164o). While he had been prebendary of Durham he had in 1628 taken part in the prosecution of a brother pre bendary, Peter Smart, for delivering a sermon against High Church practices. Smart had been deprived. On Cosin's presenta tion to the deanery of Peterborough Smart petitioned the Long Parliament against the new dean, and early in 1641 Cosin was sequestered from his benefices. Articles of impeachment were presented against him, but he was dismissed on bail. In 1642 he was deprived of the mastership of Peterhouse, and joined the royal family in France, where he remained until the Restoration. He was then raised to the see of Durham (Dec. 166o). He was one of the revisers of the Prayer Book (1661). He died in London on Jan. 16, 1672.
Among his writings (most of which were published posthumously) are a Historia Transubstantiationis Papalis (1675), Notes and Collec tions on the Book of Common Prayer (17io) and A Scholastical His tory of the Canon of Holy Scripture (1657). A collected edition of his works, forming 5 vols. of the Oxford Library of Anglo-Catholic The ology, was published between 1843 and ; and his Correspondence was edited by Canon Ornsby for the Surtees Society (1868-7o). See P. H. Osmond, Life of John Cosin (1913) .