Howe was born at
Loughborough. At the age of five he went to Ireland with his father, who had been ejected from his living by
William Laud, but returned to England in 1641 and settled with his father in
Lancaster. He studied at
Christ's College, Cambridge, and at
Magdalen College, Oxford (B.A., 1650; M.A., 1652), where for a time he was fellow and college chaplain. At Cambridge he came under the influence of
Ralph Cudworth and
Henry More, from whom he probably received the
Platonic tinge that marks his writings. About 1654 he was appointed to the perpetual curacy of
Great Torrington,
Devon. In this place, according to his own statement, he was engaged in the pulpit on
fast days from nine to four, with a recess of fifteen minutes, during which the people sang. While on a visit to London in 1656
Oliver Cromwell prevailed upon him to preach at
Whitehall, with the result that Howe, much against his preferences, became one of Cromwell's chaplains. Upon
Richard Cromwell's retirement he returned to his former parish at
Torrington. When the
Act of Uniformity 1662 was passed he quit his church, but remained for some time in the neighbourhood, preaching in private houses. In this period he was cited before the
Bishop of Exeter, his old friend
Seth Ward, who vainly urged Howe to be reordained. In 1666 Howe accepted the
Five Mile Act, but with the limiting clause, "so far as the laws of man are agreeable to the Word of God." In 1671 he became chaplain to
Lord Massereene, of
Antrim Castle, Ireland. Here he was a member of the
Antrim Meeting, the precursor of the
Presbyterian organization in Ireland. In 1676 he returned to London as the successor of
Lazarus Seaman at
Haberdashers' Hall. In 1685, on account of the greater severity shown to the
dissenters, he accepted an invitation to accompany
Lord Wharton to the Continent, and the year following settled at
Utrecht. When
James II issued his
declaration for liberty of conscience in 1687 Howe returned to his old position in London. From this time till his death he took an active interest in current discussions on
predestination, the
Trinity, and
conformity. In 1688 he headed a deputation of dissenting ministers in an address of welcome to
William of Orange. He died in London. ==Principal writings==