Richard Alleine
Encyclopedia
Richard Alleine was an English
Puritan
divine.
He was born at Ditcheat
, Somerset
, where his father was rector. He was a younger brother of William Alleine
, the saintly vicar of Blandford. Richard was educated at St Alban Hall, Oxford, where he was entered commoner in 1627, and whence, having taken the degree of B.A., he transferred himself to New Inn, continuing there until he proceeded M.A. On being ordained he became assistant to his father, and immediately stirred the entire county by his burning eloquence.
In March 1641 he succeeded the many-sided Richard Bernard
as rector of Batcombe, Somerset
. He declared himself on the side of the Puritans by subscribing "The testimony of the ministers in Somersetshire to the truth of Jesus Christ" and the Solemn League and Covenant
, and assisted the commissioners of the parliament in their work of ejecting unsatisfactory ministers. Alleine continued for twenty years rector of Batcombe and was one of the two thousand ministers ejected in 1662. The Five Mile Act drove him to Frome Selwood, and in that neighborhood he preached until his death in 1681.
His works are all of a deeply spiritual character. His Vindiciae Pietatis (which first appeared in 1660) was refused license by Archbishop Sheldon, and was published, in common with other nonconformist books, without it. It was rapidly bought up and "did much to mend this bad world." Roger Norton, the king's printer, caused a large part of the first impression to be seized on the ground of its not being licensed and to be sent to the royal kitchen. Glancing over its pages, however, it seemed to him a sin that a book so holy and so salable should be destroyed. He therefore bought back the sheets, says the historian Edmund Calamy
, for an old song, bound them and sold them in his own shop. This in turn was complained of, and he had to beg pardon on his knees before the council-table; and the remaining copies were sentenced to be " bisked," or rubbed over with an inky brush, and sent back to the kitchen for lighting fires. Such "bisked" copies occasionally occur still. The book was not killed. It was often reissued with additions, The Godly Man's Portion in 1663, Heaven Opened in 1666, The World Conquered in 1668. He also published a book of sermons. John Wesley
credited him as the originator of the covenant prayer
that he introduced into Methodism
in 1755.
Richard Alleine's daughter Theodosia married her cousin, the ejected minister Joseph Alleine
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
divine.
He was born at Ditcheat
Ditcheat
Ditcheat is a village and civil parish south of Shepton Mallet, and north-west of Castle Cary, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish of Ditcheat incorporates three hamlets: Wraxall, Alhampton and Sutton.-History:...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, where his father was rector. He was a younger brother of William Alleine
William Alleine
William Alleine was an English minister.He was the younger brother of Richard Alleine. was born at Ditcheat, Somerset, in 1613–14. As with all this remarkable family, his first education was under his own father. He proceeded to the University of Oxford, being, like Richard, entered at St Alban...
, the saintly vicar of Blandford. Richard was educated at St Alban Hall, Oxford, where he was entered commoner in 1627, and whence, having taken the degree of B.A., he transferred himself to New Inn, continuing there until he proceeded M.A. On being ordained he became assistant to his father, and immediately stirred the entire county by his burning eloquence.
In March 1641 he succeeded the many-sided Richard Bernard
Richard Bernard
Richard Bernard was an English Puritan clergyman and writer.-Life:Bernard was born in Epworth and received his education at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he matriculated in 1592, obtained his BA in 1595, and an MA in 1598. He was married in 1601 and had six children...
as rector of Batcombe, Somerset
Batcombe, Somerset
Batcombe is a village and civil parish in the Mendip District of Somerset, England, situated in the steep valley of the River Alham five miles south-east of Shepton Mallet. The parish has a population of 379...
. He declared himself on the side of the Puritans by subscribing "The testimony of the ministers in Somersetshire to the truth of Jesus Christ" and the Solemn League and Covenant
Solemn League and Covenant
The Solemn League and Covenant was an agreement between the Scottish Covenanters and the leaders of the English Parliamentarians. It was agreed to in 1643, during the First English Civil War....
, and assisted the commissioners of the parliament in their work of ejecting unsatisfactory ministers. Alleine continued for twenty years rector of Batcombe and was one of the two thousand ministers ejected in 1662. The Five Mile Act drove him to Frome Selwood, and in that neighborhood he preached until his death in 1681.
His works are all of a deeply spiritual character. His Vindiciae Pietatis (which first appeared in 1660) was refused license by Archbishop Sheldon, and was published, in common with other nonconformist books, without it. It was rapidly bought up and "did much to mend this bad world." Roger Norton, the king's printer, caused a large part of the first impression to be seized on the ground of its not being licensed and to be sent to the royal kitchen. Glancing over its pages, however, it seemed to him a sin that a book so holy and so salable should be destroyed. He therefore bought back the sheets, says the historian Edmund Calamy
Edmund Calamy (historian)
Edmund Calamy was an English Nonconformist churchman, divine and historian.-Life:A grandson of Edmund Calamy the Elder, he was born in the City of London, in the parish of St Mary Aldermanbury. He was sent to various schools, including Merchant Taylors', and in 1688 proceeded to the university of...
, for an old song, bound them and sold them in his own shop. This in turn was complained of, and he had to beg pardon on his knees before the council-table; and the remaining copies were sentenced to be " bisked," or rubbed over with an inky brush, and sent back to the kitchen for lighting fires. Such "bisked" copies occasionally occur still. The book was not killed. It was often reissued with additions, The Godly Man's Portion in 1663, Heaven Opened in 1666, The World Conquered in 1668. He also published a book of sermons. John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
credited him as the originator of the covenant prayer
Wesley Covenant Prayer
Wesley's Covenant Prayer or A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition is a prayer adapted by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, for use in services for the Renewal of the believer's Covenant with God. In his Short history of the people called Methodists , Wesley describes the first covenant...
that he introduced into Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
in 1755.
Richard Alleine's daughter Theodosia married her cousin, the ejected minister Joseph Alleine
Joseph Alleine
Joseph Alleine was an English Puritan Nonconformist pastor and author of many religious works.-Life:...
.
Works
- A Brief Explanation of the Common Catechisme Distinguished into Three Parts, London, 1630
- Vindiciae Pietatis, London, 1660
- Cheirothesia Tou Presbyteriou, or A Letter to a Friend, London, 1661
- The Godly Mans Portion and Sanctuary, London, [1662?]
- Heaven Opened, or, A Brief and Plain Discovery of the Riches of Gods Covenant by Grace, London, 1665
- The Best of Remedies for the Worst of Maladies, London, 1667
- The World Conquered, or A Believer's Victory Over the World, London, 1668
- Two Prayers: One for the Use of Families, the Other for Children, [ca. 1670]
- Godly-Fear, or, The Nature and Necessity of Fear, and its Usefulness, London, 1674
- A Rebuke to Backsliders, and a Spurr for Loyterers, London, 1677
- A Murderer Punished and Pardoned or, A True Relation of the Wicked Life, and Shameful-Happy Death of Thomas Savage, London, 1679
- A Companion for Prayer, London, 1680
- Instructions About Heart-Work, London, 1681
- The Christian's Daily Practice of Piety, Edinburgh, 1703
- The Voice of God to Christless Unregenerate Sinners, Boston, 1743
Further reading
- Stephen Wright, ‘Alleine, Richard (1610/11–1681)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 17 Sept 2008