Theophilus Lindsey

Theophilus Lindsey (20 June 1723 O.S. – 1808) was an English Anglican theologian, who became a Unitarian.

Life

He was born in Middlewich, Cheshire, and was educated at the Leeds Free School and at St John's College, University of Cambridge, where in 1747 he became a fellow. For some time he held a curacy in Spitalfields, London, and from 1754 to 1756 he travelled on the continent of Europe as tutor to the young Duke of Northumberland.

He was then presented to the living of Kirkby-Wiske in Yorkshire, and after exchanging it for that of Piddletown in Dorsetshire, he moved in 1763 to Catterick in Yorkshire. Here about 1764 he founded one of the first Sunday schools in England.

Meanwhile he had begun to entertain anti-Trinitarian views, and to be troubled in conscience about their inconsistency with the Anglican belief; since 1769 the intimate friendship of Joseph Priestley had served to foster his scruples, and in 1771 he united with Francis Blackburne, archdeacon of Cleveland (his father-in-law), John Jebb (1736-1786), Christopher Wyvill (1740-1822) and Edmund Law 1703-1787), bishop of Carlisle, in preparing a petition to Parliament with the prayer that clergymen of the church and graduates of the universities might be relieved from the burden of subscribing to the thirty-nine articles, and "restored to their undoubted rights as Protestants of interpreting Scripture for themselves". Two hundred and fifty signatures were obtained, but in February 1772 the House of Commons declined even to receive the petition by a majority of 217 to 71; the adverse vote was repeated in the following year, and in the end of 1773, seeing no prospect of obtaining within the church the relief which his conscience demanded, Lindsey resigned as vicar.

In April 1774 he began to conduct Unitarian services in a room in Essex Street, Strand, London, where first a church, and afterwards the Unitarian offices, were established. Here he remained till 1793 when he resigned his charge in favour of John Disney (1746-1816), who like himself had left the established church and had become his colleague. He died on the 3rd of November 1808.

Works

Lindsey's chief work is "An Historical View of the State of the Unitarian Doctrine and Worship from the Reformation to our own Times" (1783); His other publications include "Apology on Resigning the Vicarage of Catterick" (1774), and "Sequel to the Apology" (1776); "The Book of Common Prayer" reformed according to the plan of the late Dr Samuel Clarke (1774); "Dissertations on the Preface to St John's Gospel and on praying to Jesus Christ" (1779); "Vindiciae Priestleianae" (1788); "Conversations upon Christian Idolatry" (1792); and "Conversations on the Divine Government", showing that everything is from God, and for good to all (1802). Two volumes of Sermons, with appropriate prayers annexed, were published posthumously in 1810; and a volume of Memoirs, by Thomas Belsham, appeared in 1812.

References