Heterodox London

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Heterodox London HETERODOX LONDON: _ OR, PHASES OF FREE THOUGHT IN THE METROPOLIS. nv _ REV. CHARLES MAURICE QVIES, D.D. " urmon or "on'monox" nn uloaraonox Loxmox," uc. l¢1 'rnovz ALL THINGS: HOLD nsr 'ran wmcn I8 soon." l.>_. IN 'rwo VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON : TINSLEY BROTHERS, 8, CATHERINE STREET, STRAND 1874. [All rights of Ifrarulation and Reproducticm are r¢aerv¢d.] EE M4 Die, /,l `° ».»-_ __ // """' S: /" /71. T0 MY FRIEND, MRS. MAKDOUGALL GREGORY, 3 Bzhiraie THIS NOW CONCLUDED SERIES OF VOLUMES ON THE RELIGIONS OF LONDON. 4 D x MAURME DAVIES. London, 1874. Digitized by CONTENTS. PAGE THE NEMESIS or FAITH .... _ 1 INDEPENDENT RELIGIOUS Rnromnzns _ . 19 A PARSON IN TRANSITION _ _ . 33 HUHANITARIANISH . _ . 55 SOCIABLE HERETICS _ . 87 AN UNIIIs1'onIc CnIus1'. 111 ADVANCED UNITARIANISH . .. 121 Noc'rEs SOCBATICJE, I. _ __ 137 Nocrzs Socnumczz, II..... _ . 176 THE SUNDAY LEAGUE AT Hom: _ . _ 208 INTERVIEWING A MomIoN ELDEB .......... 241 THE GOSPEL or HI-:LL FIRE ACCORDING 'ro MII. VoYsI-:Y __ 274 MODERATE UNITABIANISM ............ 311 RI'ruAI.|sI°Ic UNITARIANISH . 325 HACKNEY Pao1>AaANmsu . 351 SECULARISM AND SECULABISH _ . 364 ERRATA. Page 201, line 3, and page 202, first line, for "Wi1l," read "Vri1l." . INTRODUCTION. I AM well aware that to excuse is to accuse one's self; but I fancy I see my orthodox friends uplifting both hands in pious dismay, and hear them exclaiming, " Urgue quo tandem? Having exhausted Unorthodoxy, and had his fling at Orthodoxy, what remains for this most analytical of authors to do next?" I will tell them. After going through the dilferent phases of our multiform Church of England as by law established, and also the various outlying bodies, all of which claimed orthodoxy, and many boasting that they ex- hausted it, I found a large margin still remaining in those who made neither claim, and asserted no lot or inheritance even in the larger Church of England, yet most of whom were, in their own sense of the word, religious. I saw that, where these bodies were secular and materialistic, the line between religion and politics became shadowy and ill-defined, and that if my work was to comprehend the whole world of re- ligious London, it must include some of these. The x Introduction. result was the resumption of my pen, and the gradual accretion of a vast mass of data, from which the materials for the present volumes have been selected. Several of the chapters which succeed have already seen the light in the columns of newspapers-some in London daily papers, many of them in the Manchester Evening News, a few in the Scottish Guara'z'an, and others in a local journal which I have edited. Urged at last by inexorable time, and my publishers' call for " more copy," I have written down the results of my ecclesiastical wanderings in the " far countries" where my observations were made, at last literally racing the press to bring my work to its conclusion. Per- haps, when the nature of that work is considered, it will scarcely have suffered by this rapid style of com- position. It affects to be no more than what one of my many kindly critics termed its predecessor, a series " of literary photographs," a collection of pen-and-ink portraits of men who are, in their several departments, influencing the tone of current thought, and leaving their mark on our day and generation. During some portion of the time while I wrote I was in full parochial work in a London curacy, and had to snatch rare inter- vals ofleisure between frequent services on Sundays and week-days. This, again, I cannot regret, for I found my several works, in and out of church, re-act one on the other. I hope a sense of my own shortcomings made me look with toleration on the gropings of others after truth. I am sure the observation of their Introduction. xi successes or failures made me less dogmatic in my own pulpit teachings. These are suspended now; but the combined work has le& deeply impressed upon my own mind the consummate wisdom of the text I have chosen as my motto, "Prove all things: hold fast that which is good." I must apologize-I use the word in its strict rather than in its ordinary sense-for the length to which my chapters run in this work. I felt it 'right to let those whom I reported speak for themselves. Free Thought, or Advanced Thought, has been too often condemned without a hearing. It is not for me to say whether those whom I chronicle are right or wrong; but I may, without undue advocacy, state my conviction that they are thoroughly honest, and intensely in earnest; and I feel that those who be- lieve them to be wrong ought to be made aware of the nature and extent of the error--if " error" it be- with which they have to cope. I had no idea of this when I entered on my present study. I spoke and thought vaguely of " Infidelity," " Free Thought," " Secularism," and "Athcism." I scarcely realized the lines of demarcation between them, or how they met and blended imperceptibly the one in the other. I feel also that there are some few of those about whom I have written who may be disposed to resent their inclusion in a book bearing the title of " Heterodox." I have, in the body of the work, con- tinually made the remark that I use the term in its xii Introduction. etymological rather than its colloquial sense. I feel I have a right to use it wherever those I am describ- ing themselves repudiate the title of orthodox; and I have strictly so limited myself. I am thinking especially of the Swedenborgians, or New Jerusalem Church, when I speak thus. They have made no pro- test against the imputation of Heterodoxy or Mysticism; and I therefore the more readily assure them that I use the terms in an utterly inoffensive sense. Iniirst projecting my book, I contemplated the alternative title, " Phases of Unbelief inLondon." Had I retained that expression on my title-page, I could of course have only included those who fell short of the standard of belief in the Established Church, which I have been obliged all along to take arbitrarily as my average. But there is a heresy of excess, as well as of defect, and only so could my excel- lent friend Dr. Bayley become the subject of my re- marks. It was as the complement and corollary of the chapters on Modern Spiritualism that I felt some notice of the New Jerusalem Church to be necessary. " The Irvingites, or aoi~a/isanl Catholic Apostolic Church," might have claimed mention in the same " " way, their unknown tongues" and prophecies" being palpably a phase of trance-mediumship ; but that body so studiously threw impediments in the way of anything like a fair examination on a. former occasion, that I felt it was hopeless to expect any distinct statement of their tenets and practices. Introduction. xiii Moreover, in spite of vigorous private proselytizing and a spasmodic platform propagandism, the body can scarcely be deemed characteristic of the present reli- gious thought of London; indeed, it promises to be- come ere long as moribund and eifete as its well-nigh obsolete Apostolate. Adverse critics might easily describe my present method as one of paste, scissors, and padding ; and it is from no wish to anticipate such a judgment, but in simple justice to myself, to urge that the selection of a typical discourse from the published works of those I was describing has been about the most diflicult, certainly the least interesting portion of my task. It could scarcely be, however, that I should, in each case when I paid a flying visit, fall in with a thoroughly characteristic discourse or lecture; and there I felt bound to supplement my account with something that was an embodiment of the real opinions of the man or the sect. In the case of Mr. Bradlaugh, I did get two discourses, which I venture to think eminently characteristic of his religious and political opinions; and in these, let me say, I have been obliged to trust to my own reports. The lectures at the Hall of Science are not as a rule taken down; and where this is the case Ihave to be satisfied with a. few rough notes, jotted down during the discourse or debate, and afterwards aided by anot very retentive memory in their transcription. It is, of course, inevitable that only one side of the xiv Inlroduction. question presents itself in this book, which will there- fore assume 'the appearance of advocacy ; but not more so than its predecessors did in the cases of Dis- sent and Established doctrines. It was certainly desirable to let Unbelief speak for itself as freely as the various grades of faith. Not to have done so would have been to act the advocate indeed: and I cannot help thinking that the suppression of Hetero- dox subjects, and careful concealment of infidel argu- ments, is, on the omne zzgnotum pro mayngyico principle, exceedingly dangerous-far more dangerous than the fullest quotation, as appearing like a concession that such utterances, if allowed to go forth, must of neces- sity carry conviction with them. I can well remember that, when I was a boy, a pious but injudicious relative warned me never to read Byron, showing me at the same time Moore's twenty-two volumes, care- fully locked inside a wiregratihg in the study.
Recommended publications
  • James Freeman to Theophilus Lindsey Boston, 29 March 1788 (Excerpt)1
    James Freeman to Theophilus Lindsey Boston, 29 March 1788 (excerpt)1 ... By this conveyance I send three copies of the debates of the Massachusetts convention,2 one of which you will please to present to Dr Price, with my most respectful compliments, and another to my friend Mr Hazlitt.3 The new constitution of government has been almost the sole object which has occupied the minds of the people of these states during several months past. It has kindled the flame of party zeal among us; but it has fortunately in its favour a large majority of the rich, the wise, and the virtuous. You will find the constitution less democratick, than might be expected from a people who are so fond of liberty. Various causes have conspired to render republican sentiments unfashionable; among which may be mentioned Mr J. Adams's publications,4 a late insurrection in the state of Massachusetts,5 and the corrupt proceedings of the legislature of Rhode-island.6 Several states have not yet given their opinion; but the constitution will probably be adopted by eleven at least. It is supposed that New York and Rhode-island will be in the minority. A few of our old patriots fear that the government will terminate in aristocracy or monarchy. It is impossible to foresee what the event will be. I can only pray, that God will preserve us from the tyranny of kings, and the insolence of nobles. Amidst these apprehensions, it affords pleasure to reflect that though civil liberty may possibly lose, yet that religious liberty will certainly gain, by the new constitution.
    [Show full text]
  • Very Rough Draft
    Friends and Colleagues: Intellectual Networking in England 1760-1776 Master‟s Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Brandeis University Department of Comparative History Mark Hulliung, Advisor In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Master‟s Degree by Jennifer M. Warburton May 2010 Copyright by Jennifer Warburton May 2010 ABSTRACT Friends and Colleagues: Intellectual Networking in England 1760- 1776 A Thesis Presented to the Comparative History Department Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Brandeis University Waltham, Massachusetts By Jennifer Warburton The study of English intellectualism during the latter half of the Eighteenth Century has been fairly limited. Either historians study individual figures, individual groups or single debates, primarily that following the French Revolution. My paper seeks to find the origins of this French Revolution debate through examining the interactions between individuals and the groups they belonged to in order to transcend the segmentation previous scholarship has imposed. At the center of this study are a series of individuals, most notably Joseph Priestley, Richard Price, Benjamin Franklin, Dr. John Canton, Rev. Theophilus Lindsey and John Jebb, whose friendships and interactions among such diverse disciplines as religion, science and politics characterized the collaborative yet segmented nature of English society, which contrasted so dramatically with the salon culture of their French counterparts. iii Table of Contents INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 1976 Essex Hall Lecture.Pdf
    A. B. DOWNING BEYOND THE HORIZON DISSENT, INDEPENDENCE AND THE FUTURE OF THE FREE RELIGIOUS TRADITION THE ESSEX HALL LECTURE FOR 1976 www.unitarian.org.u kldocs THE LINDSEY PRESS BEYOND THE HORIZON DISSENT, INDEPENDENCE AND THE FUTURE OF THE FREE RELlGiOUS TRADITION N THIS YEAR of the American Bicentennial and before a Unitarian and This is the Essex Hall Lecture for 1976, and was delivered in Edinburgh I free religious assembly in Edinburgh, an Essex Hall Lecturer cannot on April 6, 1976. Essex Hall is the headquarters of the General Assembly avoid some acts of ancestral piety. The question is, what form should they of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, and stands on the site of the take, and how many of them should there be, at a time when we are all building where the first avowedly Unitarian congregation met over two more concerned with the future than with the past? The future, no longer hundred years ago. The lecture was founded in 1892, and many distin- only the free gift of Time, is now also alarmingly our own creation. Even guished persons in various fields have contributed to the series. The so we cannot doubt that, in the year when we commemorate the American delivery of the lecture is one of the leading events during the annual Declaration of Independence as one of the supreme compositions of all meetings of the assembly. recorded time, we ought to look back in gratitude and respect to the man A list of previous lectures still in print will be found in the catalogue who drafted it, and to those who pored over it, signed it and in due of the Lindsey Press.
    [Show full text]
  • Strongholds SHAKEN
    Strongholds SHAKEN A Biblical critique of false faiths and confusing cults by David Legge STRONGHOLDS SHAKEN: A BIBLICAL CRITIQUE OF FALSE FAITHS AND CONFUSING CULTS David Legge David Legge is a Christian evangelist, preacher and Bible teacher. He served as Assistant Pastor at Portadown Baptist Church before receiving a call to the pastorate of the Iron Hall Assembly in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He ministered as pastor-teacher of the Iron Hall from 1998- 2008, and now resides in Portadown with his wife Barbara, daughter Lydia and son Noah. Contents 1. The Witness Of The Watchtower - 3 2. Christian Science And Scientology - 15 3. Mormonism - The Latter Day Saints - 27 4. Unitarianism - 39 5. Spiritism - 49 6. Church Of Christ - 61 7. Christadelphianism - 74 8. Buddhism - 85 9. The Baha'i Faith - 96 10. Islam – 107 11. Cooneyites – 118 12. Hinduism – 129 13. Oneness Pentecostalism – 139 14. Freemasonry - 151 Appendix - Further Resources - 162 The audio for this series is available free of charge either on our website (www.preachtheword.com) or by request from [email protected] The inclusion of images and diagrams in this booklet is done without intention to breach any copyright restrictions. If this has been done in any instance, please contact us and we will willingly remove the offending item. All material by Pastor Legge is copyrighted. However, these materials may be freely copied and distributed unaltered for the purpose of study and teaching, so long as they are made available to others free of charge, and the copyright is included. This does not include hosting or broadcasting the materials on another website, however linking to the resources on preachtheword.com is permitted.
    [Show full text]
  • A Pack by the Worship Panel Recognising The
    WORSHIP RESOURCE MATERIAL FROM THE WORSHIP PANEL Recognising the bicentenary of the death of Theophilus Lindsey Theophilus Lindsey (1723-1808) – The Reluctant Dissenter? In November 2008 we will be celebrating the bicentenary of the death of Theophilus Lindsey in 1808. Was he just a pious and learned minister or one of the most controversial and important clergymen of the later eighteenth century? Can these two views be reconciled? Lindsey left the Anglican Church in 1773, finding that he could no longer subscribe to the creeds of the church, and moved to London. In April 1774 he established the first avowedly unitarian congregation in the country, based in a converted auction room in Essex Street, just off The Strand. Would the Unitarian denomination in Britain exist today without him? General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, Essex Hall, 1-6 Essex Street, London WC2R 3HY Contents Thumbnail Sketch 1 Historical Overview by Howard Hague 3 The Life of Theophilus Lindsey 3 Catterick and the Feathers Tavern Petition 3 London and the Opening of Essex Street Chapel 4 An Analysis of Lindsey’s Life and Work 4 Readings – Extracts from Lindsey’s (and other) Writings 5 The Reason for Lindsey’s Resignation from the Church of England 5 On the Opening of the Essex Street Chapel – 17 April 1774 5 Press Report on the Opening of Essex Street Chapel, 1774 6 Lindsey’s Views on the American War of Independence 6 Lindsey’s Views on God, Christ and the Trinity 6 On Heretics 7 Other Resources 7 Hymns 7 Websites of Interest 7 CD ROM 8 Further
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Richard Price, a Controversial Eighteenth
    RICHARD PRICE, A CONTROVERSIAL EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY UNITARIAN An address given to Oxford Unitarians by Dr Howard Oliver on 9 th October 2011 To start with some geography: if you visit the cemetery of Bunhill Fields on the City Road in London, as well as the notable graves of Willam Blake and Daniel Defoe, you will find those of the mathematician Revd Thomas Bayes and that of our subject today, the Revd Richard Price Richard Price was the son of a dissenting minister and was born in 1723 in Tynton in Wales. After education at a dissenting academy in London, he became a chaplain in Stoke Newington. In 1757, following a bequest, he was able to marry and in 1758 moved to Newington Green as the minister of the dissenters’ chapel there. His block of houses was destined to become a famous address and, built in 1658, is also London’s oldest surviving brick terrace. In 1770 he became morning preacher at Gravel Pit Chapel in Hackney as well as continuing to deliver afternoon sermons at Newington Green. He also carried out some duties at the meeting house in Old Jewry St in the city. Such was Price’s status that his house at 54 Newington Green was visited by many famous people, for example: American Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine and John Adams. Politicians, Earl of Shelburne, Earl Stanhope, William Pitt. Philosophers Adam Smith and also David Hume; poet and banker Samuel Rogers. His immediate neighbours in the terrace included the father of Samuel Rogers, with whom he travelled widely, and the Revd James Burgh, who opened a dissenting academy on the Green and sent his pupils to hear Price’s sermons.
    [Show full text]
  • Religious Skepticism, Atheism, Humanism, Naturalism, Secularism, Rationalism, Irreligion, Agnosticism, and Related Perspectives)
    Unbelief (Religious Skepticism, Atheism, Humanism, Naturalism, Secularism, Rationalism, Irreligion, Agnosticism, and Related Perspectives) A Historical Bibliography Compiled by J. Gordon Melton ~ San Diego ~ San Diego State University ~ 2011 This bibliography presents primary and secondary sources in the history of unbelief in Western Europe and the United States, from the Enlightenment to the present. It is a living document which will grow and develop as more sources are located. If you see errors, or notice that important items are missing, please notify the author, Dr. J. Gordon Melton at [email protected]. Please credit San Diego State University, Department of Religious Studies in publications. Copyright San Diego State University. ****************************************************************************** Table of Contents Introduction General Sources European Beginnings A. The Sixteenth-Century Challenges to Trinitarianism a. Michael Servetus b. Socinianism and the Polish Brethren B. The Unitarian Tradition a. Ferenc (Francis) David C. The Enlightenment and Rise of Deism in Modern Europe France A. French Enlightenment a. Pierre Bayle (1647-1706) b. Jean Meslier (1664-1729) c. Paul-Henri Thiry, Baron d'Holbach (1723-1789) d. Voltaire (Francois-Marie d'Arouet) (1694-1778) e. Jacques-André Naigeon (1738-1810) f. Denis Diderot (1713-1784) g. Marquis de Montesquieu (1689-1755) h. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) B. France and Unbelief in the Nineteenth Century a. August Comte (1798-1857) and the Religion of Positivism C. France and Unbelief in the Twentieth Century a. French Existentialism b. Albert Camus (1913 -1960) c. Franz Kafka (1883-1924) United Kingdom A. Deist Beginnings, Flowering, and Beyond a. Edward Herbert, Baron of Cherbury (1583-1648) b.
    [Show full text]
  • Unitarian Perspectives on Contemporary Religious Thought
    Unitarian Perspectives on Contemporary Religious Thought Edited by George D.Chyssides Acknowledgements The editor thanks the Publications Panel of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, who have given great encouragement and made many valuable contributions to the development of this collection of essays. Particular thanks are due to Catherine Robinson for undertaking the onerous task of copy-editing, proof-reading, and preparation of the volume for final production; to Margaret Wilkins for compiling the index; and to Dr Arthur Long for advice and comments on sections of the book. Preface Who are the Unitarians? The Unitarians are a spiritual community who encourage people to think for themselves. They believe • that everyone has the right to seek truth and meaning for themselves; • that the fundamental tools for doing this are one's own life experience, one's reflection upon it, one's intuitive understanding, and the promptings of one's own conscience; • that the best setting for this is a community which welcomes people for who they are, complete with their beliefs, doubts and questions. They can be called religious 'liberals': • 'religious' because they unite to celebrate and affirm values that embrace and reflect a greater reality than self; • 'liberal' because they claim no exclusive revelation or status for themselves; and because they afford respect and toleration to those who follow different paths of faith. They are called 'Unitarians' • because of their traditional insistence on divine unity, the oneness of God; • because they affirm the essential unity of humankind and of creation. History in brief The roots of the Unitarian movement lie principally in the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century.
    [Show full text]
  • Unitarians in Canada 9 Renaissance 206 ISBN 0-88902411 10 National Identity 248 1
    Contents Introduction viii 1. Why Unitarian? 1 0 1978 by Phillip Hewett AU rights reserved 2 The Beginnings 16 No part of this publication may be 3 The Cordner Era 34 reproduced in any foml, or by any means, 4 Allies: 'Christians' and without permission in writing from the publisher. Universalists 66 published by Filzhenty & Whiteside Limited 150 Lesd Road 5 The New Theology 93 Don Mills, Ontario M3B 2T5 6 Expansion in The West In a.ssodation with the Canadian Unitarian Council 7 War and Aftermath Published simultaneously in the United States 153 Press, by Beacon Boston 8 The Bleak Years 175 Hewett, Phillip. Unitarians in Canada 9 Renaissance 206 ISBN 0-88902411 10 National Identity 248 1. Unitarians in Canada. 2. Unitarianism- History, 1810-1975 I. Title. 11 Turbulent Transition 275 12 The Social Contribution 31 2 Notes 359 Bibliography 373 Index 379 Manufactured in Canada by Webcorn Lunited LIST OF ILL STRATI0 Abbreviations 1. Letter to the Hon. John Molson from T. S. Brown, 1834 (page 29) 2. First Montreal church, built in 1845 (pages 42-43) 3. Chancel of the present Montreal church. Most of the furnishings are memorials to former members (photo by Brian KieW AUA American Unitarian Association 4. John Cordner, minister in Montreal from 1843 to 1878 BFUA British and Foreign Unitarian Association 5. Unitarian church on Jarvis Street, Toronto (1854-1950) 6. Installation service in Toronto church for William P. Jenkins, 1943 CCUU & Canadian Conference of Universalists, Unitarians and 7. Icelandic church, Winnipeg (page 131) KRL Kindred Religious Liberals 8. Laying of lhe foundation stone for All Souls' Church, Winnipeg 1913, by CUA Canadian Unitarian Association Mayor Deacon, with Horace Westwood giving the address (page 146) 9.
    [Show full text]
  • The Black Spot October 19, 2014 Rev. Bruce Taylor in July, Loretta
    Page 1 of 9 The Black Spot October 19, 2014 Rev. Bruce Taylor In July, Loretta and I traveled for three weeks in Wales, an experience that’s grabbed hold of me and won’t let go. Here is a country of unsurpassed natural beauty: rolling green hills that never stop; mountains running down to the sea. It’s a country filled with historical sites ancient, medieval and modern. In the middle of all this, I never expected to be thinking about church. Then one day, in the coastal town of Aberaeron, I just happened to pick up a flyer titled “The Unitarian Trail”. To my surprise, I learned that this southwest region of Wales has been a hotbed of Unitarianism, with roots extending back to the 1600s. 13 of these chapels are still in use, in an area less than 20 miles across. In the 1800s, this area was called Y Smotyn Du (the Black Spot) because its people were so resistant to conventional Christian teaching. Today I’d like share something of what I’ve learned about Unitarianism in Wales. I hope you’ll come away appreciating that Unitarian Universalism is not just for Americans. We are not the center of it. Our faith has many centers, each with its own story to tell. In hearing these stories, we learn about ourselves. And we remember we’re not alone. Page 2 of 9 First, a bit about Wales: physically part of Great Britain, and a country in its own right. At one time, Celtic people lived in all parts of Britain.
    [Show full text]
  • Theophilus:Father of Modern Unitarianism Sunday, 18 August, 2019 Sermon
    Theophilus:Father of Modern Unitarianism Sunday, 18 August, 2019 Sermon Theophilus Lindsey was born in Middlewich, Cheshire on 20 June 1723. He was named after his god- father, Theophilus, Earl of Huntingdon. The Earl was the husband of Selina, Countess of Huntingdon. Before her marriage, Lindseys mother Jane had been a member of the Huntingdon household. His father Robert Lindsey was a mercer and part-owner of a salt-works. After initial schooling in Middlewich, where he showed early promise, it was arranged that he would enter the free grammar school, Leeds. Under the influence there of the master, Thomas Barnard, he began to prepare for a university education and a career in the church. His connections with Yorkshire were to prove important for him. Two of his later parishes in the Church of England were in Yorkshire, and among his closest friends were Francis Blackburne, archdeacon of Cleveland; the dissenting minister William Turner of Wakefield; and the lawyer and politician John Lee, who was a native of Leeds. Theophilus Lindsey was admitted to St John's College, Cambridge, in 1741. He received financial support from several quarters. He graduated BA in 2 In 1747 he became morning preacher at the Wheler Chapel, Spitalfields, London, and later that year he was ordained priest. He also served as domestic chaplain to the Duke of Somerset, and accompanied the future Duke of Northumberland on a trip to France as his tutor. He became rector at Kirby Wiske in North Yorkshire in 1752, and vicar of Piddletown in Dorset in 1755. In 1760, in the parish church of Richmond, Yorkshire, Lindsey married Hannah Elsworth, the step-daughter of his friend Francis Blackburne, the archdeacon of Cleveland.
    [Show full text]
  • A History of Unitarianism: in Transylvania, England and America Volume II (1952)
    A History of Unitarianism: In Transylvania, England and America Volume II (1952) This text was taken from a 1977 Beacon Press edition of Wilbur’s book and was made possible through the generous and kind permission of Earl Morse Wilbur’s family, with whom the copyright resides. PREFACE THE AUTHOR'S earlier work, A History of Unitarianism: Socinianism and Its Antecedents (Cambridge, 1945) was designed, though no indication was given in the preface or elsewhere, as the first of two volumes on the general subject. The present volume therefore is to be taken as the second or complementary volume of the work, and any cross-references to the former work are given as to Volume 1. The present book has been written with constant reference to available sources, and the author's obligation to various persons for valued help given still stand; but further acknowledgment is here made to Dr. Alexander Szent-Ivanyi, sometime Suffragan Bishop of the Unitarian Church in Hungary, who has carefully read the manuscript of the section on Transylvania and made sundry valued suggestions; to Dr. Herbert McLachlan, formerly Principal of the Unitarian College, Manchester, who has performed a like service for the chapters of the English section; and to Dr. Henry Wilder Foote for his constant interest and for unnumbered services of kindness in the course of the whole work I can not take my leave of a subject that has engaged my active interest for over forty-five years, and has furnished my chief occupation for the past fifteen years, without giving expression to the profound gratitude I feel that in spite of great difficulties and many interruptions I have been granted life and strength to carry my task through to completion.
    [Show full text]