Daniel Neal

Daniel Neal (* December 14, 1678 in London, † April 4, 1743 ) was an English clergyman and Reformed church historian. He is particularly known for his multi-volume history of Puritanism ( published 1732-1738 ).

Life and work

Neal's parents died when he was still a child, he grew first under the care of a maternal uncle to. From September 1686 he attended the Merchant Taylors ' School and excelled there as best in class. The offer, as a fellow at St John 's College (Oxford) study, he suggested, and opted instead for a career as a minister in the Reformed confession ( Dissenter ). From about 1696 he prepared to Thomas Rowe in Little Britain prior to the rectory. He is said to have at this time the attention of King William III. have attracted and to have had the privilege to enter the Kensington Palace through a side entrance so as not to have to leave the strict admission control endure. In 1699 he went to Holland and studied for two years in Utrecht under D' Uries, Johann Georg Graevius and Pieter Burmann the Elder, then a year in Leiden. Among his English fellow students included here Martin Tomkins and Nathaniel Lardner. In 1703 he returned to England and began the following year as assistant pastor of John Singleton in a community in the London Aldersgate Street his career at the Rectory. After Singleton's death, he was elected by the congregation as his successor and ordininiert on July 4, 1706 the Loriner 's Hall. Soon his church grew at that they in Jewin Street moved into a larger house of worship, where he was to preach to the end of his career. On June 22, 1708 married in the church of St Katharine 's by the Tower Elizabeth Lardner, the sister Nathaniel Lardner. They had two daughters and a son.

The time that remained to him in addition to preaching and pastoral duties, he was in church history studies. In 1720 he published his first work, the History of New England. It was very well received, particularly in Puritan New England dominated and brought him already in 1721 an honorary master's degree from Harvard University a. In 1722 he attacked the treatise A Narrative of the Method and Success of inoculating the Small Pox in New England in the initiated by Mary Wortley Montagu debate about the smallpox vaccination and referred it to the success of the performed under Benjamin Colman vaccination campaign in New England. Vaccination was rejected by the majority of doctors and pastors of all denominations; Neal shied why the theological debate and made rather clear in his introduction that he wanted to make only as a historian help to answer question here is whether the vaccination is feasible and useful. The treatise also caught the attention of Princess Caroline of Brandenburg- Ansbach, who invited him to discuss the situation of the non-conformist churches in England, to which even her husband Georg August attend an, Prince of Wales and 1727 when George II King of Great Britain and Ireland.

1732 appeared the first volume of his History of the Puritans, an applied across multiple volumes history of Puritanism. It was originally intended to be a supplement and continuation of a previously started historical work of John Evans, who had taken the history of the nonconformist churches of the Reformation to the 1640 attack. Evans, however, died in 1730 before the completion of his work, so that the saw stopped Neal, based on Evans ' preliminary work also portray this era itself. A second volume appeared in 1733, a third in 1736, a fourth in 1738. The work is now covered the years from until the adoption of Tolerance Act 1698. Neal was planning at least a fifth band, but prevented his increasingly weak constitution to continue his studies. In Reformed circles Neal's work has been very well received, but he had to fend off harsh criticism from representatives of the Anglican Church Office. Isaac Maddox published in 1733, the treatise A Vindication of the Doctrine, Discipline, and Worship of the Church of England, established in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, from the injurious Reflections of Mr. Neal 's first volume of the History of the Puritans to fight against false to protest, inaccurate or biased representations in the first volume of Neal's History. Neal responded to the challenge of his hand with the defense letters A Review of the Principal Facts objected to in the first volume of the History of the Puritans. The second, third and fourth volumes were reciprocated by the official church with three scathing reviews ( 1736, 1737.1739 ), written by Zachary Grey. It is likely that Neal was also planning a defense here, but his health problems kept him well away from. He died on April 4, 1743 in London and was buried in Bunhill Fields.

His History of the Puritans appeared in the following decades in England and America in several editions and remained until well into the 19th century a standard work for his subject. A quarto edition of 1754 is provided with a portrait frontispiece in Neals. These further the five-volume, edited by Joshua Toulmin edition from the year 1797. A Dutch translation appeared in 1752 in Rotterdam, on German appeared in 1754 in Halle, a translation of the first volume, provided with a preface by Siegmund Jakob Baumgarten.

Writings

Church History of art

• The history of New - England Containing at impartial account of the civil and ecclesiastical affairs of the country to the year of Our Lord, 1700. To Which is added the present state of New - England, with a new and accurate map of the country and to Appendix Containing Their Present charter, Their Ecclesiastical Discipline and Their Municipal - Laws. In two volumes .. Printed for J. Clark, at the Bible and Crown in the Poultry, R. Ford, at the Angel in the Poultry, and R. Cruttenden, at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside, London 1720.
• The history of the Puritans or Protestant non- conformists: from the Reformation to the Act of Toleration in 1689 with an account of their principles; Their Attempts for a Further Reformation in the Church; Their sufferings; and the lives and characters of Their principal divines. Printed for Richard Hett, London 1732-1738. (4 volumes)

Sermons and tracts

• A Letter to the Reverend Dr F. Hare ... occasion'd by his reflection on the Dissenters, in his late visitation sermon and postscript. Printed for John Clark, London 1720.
• The Christian's duty and interest in a time of publick danger: a sermon preach'd at the Reverend Mr. Jenning 's meeting -place in Wapping, on Friday, October 27, 1721; being a time of solemn prayer on account of the plague. Printed for John Clark, London 1721st
• A narrative of the method and success of inoculating the small- pox in New England By Mr. Benj. Colman. With a reply to the Objections made ​​against it from principles of conscience. In a letter from a minister at Boston. To Which is now prefixed, an historical introduction. Printed by George Grierson, at the Two Bibles in Essex - Street, Dublin in 1722.
• A Sermon [on Ps xciv. 16] preach'd to the Societies for the Reformation of Manners, at Salters - Hall; on Monday June 25, 1722. By Daniel Neal, M. A. Publish'd At Their Request. Printed for Eman. Matthews at the Bible in Pater- Noster Row, London 1722.
• The method of education, in the charity schools of Protestant dissenters: With the Advantages did do arise to the Publick from them. A Sermon preach'd for the Benefit of the Charity - School in Gravel - Lane, Southwark. January 1st, 1723. Publish'd at the request of the Manager, By Daniel Neal, MA Printed for John Clark, at the Bible and Crown in the Poultry near Cheapside, London, 1723.
• A funeral sermon occasioned by the much lamented death of the late Reverend Mr. Matthew Clarke: who departed this life, March 27, 1726. . was doing. LXII. By Daniel Neal, A. M. Printed for John Clark and Richard Hett, and Samuel Chandler, London in 1726.
• Of sorrowing for them who sleep in Jesus. A sermon occasion'd by the death of Mrs. Anne Phillibrowne, who departed this life, Feb. 1, 1726/7. age in the 43d year of her. By Daniel Neal, AM .. Printed for John Clark and Richard Hett, London 1727th
• The duty of praying for the Minister, and for the success of Their ministry. A sermon preached at the separation of Mr. Richard Rawlin, to the pastoral office in the church at Fetter Lane, June 24, 1730. By Daniel Neal, MA Printed for Richard Hett, London 1730.
• A letter from a dissenter to the author of the Craftsman: occasioned by his paper of the 27th of October load. Printed for J. Peele, London 1733.
• A Review of the principal facts objected to the first volume of the History of the Puritans, by the author of the Vindication of the government, doctrine and worship, of the Church of England, established in the reign of Queen Elizabeth [ Z. Grey ]. Printed for Richard Hett, London 1734th
• The supremacy of St. Peter and the bishops of Rome his Successors: consider'd in a sermon preached at Salters - Hall, January 23, 1734-5. By Daniel Neal, M. A. Printed for R. Hett, at the Bible and Crown in the Poultry, London 1735.

Translated into German works

• Detailed message on the nature and success of Blatter Beltzens in New Engelland described by Benjamin Colman, preachers to Boston, together with a letter of another preacher there in which the darwieder made ​​scruple of conscience to be answered. Recently in London publiciret and with a historical introduction by Daniel Neal explains. Nunmehro but several Bekräfftigung the ehemahls it edirten Scriptures from the English übersetzet of Abraham father. Bey of Gerdesischen widow, Wittenberg, 1723.
• Daniel Neal's History of the Puritans, or Protestant nonconformists, together with a message from their teachings, attempts by the church improvement, their suffering and the life and character of their vornemsten divines / 1: First Part With a preface from its origin to the death of Queen Elizabeth 1602. Siegmund Jakob Baumgarten. Printed by Johann Justinus Gebauer, Halle, 1754.