Henry Grove
Encyclopedia
Henry Grove was an English nonconformist minister, theologian, and dissenting tutor.
, Somerset
, on 4 January 1684. His grandfather was the ejected vicar of Pinhoe
, Devon
, whose son, a Taunton upholsterer, married a sister of John Rowe
, ejected from a lectureship at Westminster Abbey
; Henry was the youngest of fourteen children, most of whom died young. Grounded in classics at the Taunton grammar school
, he proceeded at the age of fourteen (1698) to the Taunton dissenting academy. Here he went through a course of philosophy and divinity under Matthew Warren
. The text-books were David Derodon
, Franco Burgersdyck, and Eustachius de Saint-Paul; Grove devoted himself to Jean Leclerc
, Richard Cumberland
, and John Locke
. In 1703, he moved to London to study under his cousin Thomas Rowe
, in whose academy he remained two years. Rowe was a Cartesian; Grove became a disciple of Isaac Newton
. He studied Hebrew, and formed his style of preaching on Richard Lucas
and John Howe. With Isaac Watts
he began a close friendship, which survived many differences of opinion.
In 1705 Grove returned to Somerset, where his preaching attracted attention. He married, and probably settled for a short time at Ilchester
. Warren died on 14 June 1706. The Somerset presbyterians met to arrange for carrying on the Taunton Academy, and appointed Grove, in his twenty-third year, tutor in ethics and pneumatology
. He lived at Taunton, and took charge of the neighbouring congregations of Hull Bishop's and West Hatch
, with James Strong.
The resignation of Darch, his colleague at the academy, threw on him the conduct of the departments of mathematics and physics. Early in 1725 Stephen James, the divinity tutor, died, and Grove, without relinquishing his other work, took his place, with the assistance of his nephew, Thomas Amory
. He resigned his congregations to succeed James as minister at Fullwood (or Pitminster), near Taunton. He declined invitations to Exeter and London. He refused to take any share in the doctrinal disputes which spread from Exeter to London in 1719, and produced the rupture at Salters' Hall. His orthodoxy was called in question by John Ball
, especially because of his discourse on saving faith (1736); but though he laid great stress on the reasonableness of Christianity, and on the moral argument for a future state, he avoided speculations on the doctrine of the Trinity.
The Taunton Academy sustained its reputation during his tutorship. A list of ninety-three of his students is given by James Manning; twenty-two extra names are given in Joshua Toulmin
's manuscript list.
Grove preached on 19 February 1738, and was seized the same night with a violent fever, of which he died on 27 February. He was buried at Taunton, where there is a tablet to his memory in Paul's Meeting, bearing a Latin inscription from the pen of John Ward
of Gresham College. James Strong of Ilminster and William May of London preached funeral sermons. His wife died insane in 1736; he had thirteen children, of whom five survived him.
In 1708 he corresponded with Samuel Clarke
on the defects of his argument for the existence of God
. For Clarke, as a Newtonian, he had respect, but thought him inferior as a metaphysician to Andrew Baxter
. In 1714 he contributed four papers to the revived issue (eighth volume) of The Spectator
. Grove published (1718) an essay on the immateriality of the soul.
Grove's publications included:
Posthumous were:
Some of his verses were included in the continuation of John Dryden
's 'Miscellany Poems,' 1706, vol. vi., and in similar collections. His letters on free will and immortality and in defence of the presbyterians (against John Trenchard
) appeared in the 'St. James's Journal,' 1722. His last 'Spectator' was included by Bishop Edmund Gibson
in his edition (1731) of Joseph Addison
's 'Evidences of the Christian Religion.'
At the time of his death Grove was writing the life of Elizabeth Rowe. The lists of subscribers to his posthumous works include the names of Archbishop Thomas Herring
, with Hoadly, Secker, and Hutton among the bishops.
Life
He was born at TauntonTaunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, 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...
, on 4 January 1684. His grandfather was the ejected vicar of Pinhoe
Pinhoe
Pinhoe is a village on the north eastern outskirts of Exeter in the English county of Devon, which was incorporated into the city in 1966. The 2001 census recorded a population of 6,108 people resident within Pinhoe Ward , one of 18 wards comprising the City of Exeter...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, whose son, a Taunton upholsterer, married a sister of John Rowe
John Rowe
John Rowe may refer to:*John Rowe , English clergyman*John Rowe , British actor*John Rowe , navy officer of the U.S...
, ejected from a lectureship at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
; Henry was the youngest of fourteen children, most of whom died young. Grounded in classics at the Taunton grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
, he proceeded at the age of fourteen (1698) to the Taunton dissenting academy. Here he went through a course of philosophy and divinity under Matthew Warren
Matthew Warren
-Life:He was a younger son of John Warren of Otterford, Somerset. He was educated at Crewkerne grammar school, and St John's College, Oxford, where he matriculated on 3 July 1658. At the Restoration of 1660 he left Oxford with his tutor. After a year at Reading he returned to Otterford, and began...
. The text-books were David Derodon
David Derodon
David de Rodon or plain Derodon , was a French Calvinist theologian and philosopher.Derodon was born at Die, in the Dauphiné. He had the reputation of being one of the most eminent logicians of his time. His knowledge of philosophy was both extensive and profound. He taught philosophy at Orange, at...
, Franco Burgersdyck, and Eustachius de Saint-Paul; Grove devoted himself to Jean Leclerc
Jean Leclerc (theologian)
Jean Le Clerc, also Johannes Clericus was a Swiss theologian and biblical scholar. He was famous for promoting exegesis, or critical interpretation of the Bible, and was a radical of his age...
, Richard Cumberland
Richard Cumberland (philosopher)
Richard Cumberland was an English philosopher, and bishop of Peterborough from 1691. In 1672, he published his major work, De legibus naturae , propounding utilitarianism and opposing the egoistic ethics of Thomas Hobbes.Cumberland was a member of the latitudinarian movement, along with his friend...
, and John Locke
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
. In 1703, he moved to London to study under his cousin Thomas Rowe
Thomas Rowe (tutor)
Thomas Rowe was an English nonconformist minister, significant as the teacher of the next generation of Dissenters, particularly in philosophy, in one of the first of the dissenting academies.-Life:...
, in whose academy he remained two years. Rowe was a Cartesian; Grove became a disciple of Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
. He studied Hebrew, and formed his style of preaching on Richard Lucas
Richard Lucas (clergyman)
Richard Lucas was a Welsh clergyman and writer of devotional works.-Life:Lucas was born at Presteigne, Radnorshire. He was educated at Jesus College, Oxford, matriculating there on 3 March 1665 at the age of 16. He obtained his B.A. in 1668 and his M.A. in 1672. He was appointed a Fellow of the...
and John Howe. With Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts was an English hymnwriter, theologian and logician. A prolific and popular hymnwriter, he was recognised as the "Father of English Hymnody", credited with some 750 hymns...
he began a close friendship, which survived many differences of opinion.
In 1705 Grove returned to Somerset, where his preaching attracted attention. He married, and probably settled for a short time at Ilchester
Ilchester
Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. The parish, which includes the village of Sock Dennis and the old parish of Northover, has a population of 2,021...
. Warren died on 14 June 1706. The Somerset presbyterians met to arrange for carrying on the Taunton Academy, and appointed Grove, in his twenty-third year, tutor in ethics and pneumatology
Pneumatology
Pneumatology is the study of spiritual beings and phenomena, especially the interactions between humans and God.Pneuma is Greek for "breath", which metaphorically describes a non-material being or influence....
. He lived at Taunton, and took charge of the neighbouring congregations of Hull Bishop's and West Hatch
West Hatch
West Hatch is a hamlet and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south east of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. It has a population of 292.-History:The name of the hamlet indicates it lies to the west of Hatch Beauchamp....
, with James Strong.
The resignation of Darch, his colleague at the academy, threw on him the conduct of the departments of mathematics and physics. Early in 1725 Stephen James, the divinity tutor, died, and Grove, without relinquishing his other work, took his place, with the assistance of his nephew, Thomas Amory
Thomas Amory (tutor)
Thomas Amory D.D. was an English dissenting tutor and minister and poet from Taunton.-Biography:His father was a grocer and his mother a sister of Henry Grove. He was at school under Chadwick, a local dissenting minister, and learned French at Exeter under André de Majendie, a refugee minister...
. He resigned his congregations to succeed James as minister at Fullwood (or Pitminster), near Taunton. He declined invitations to Exeter and London. He refused to take any share in the doctrinal disputes which spread from Exeter to London in 1719, and produced the rupture at Salters' Hall. His orthodoxy was called in question by John Ball
John Ball (minister)
-Life:Ball was one of ten sons of Nathanael Ball, M.A. ejected from Barley, Hertfordshire. He was educated for the ministry under the Rev. John Short at Lyme Regis, Dorset, and finished his studies at Utrecht, partly under Henry Hickman, ejected fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, who died minister...
, especially because of his discourse on saving faith (1736); but though he laid great stress on the reasonableness of Christianity, and on the moral argument for a future state, he avoided speculations on the doctrine of the Trinity.
The Taunton Academy sustained its reputation during his tutorship. A list of ninety-three of his students is given by James Manning; twenty-two extra names are given in Joshua Toulmin
Joshua Toulmin
Joshua Toulmin of Taunton, England was a noted theologian and a serial Dissenting minister of Presbyterian , Baptist , and then Unitarian congregations...
's manuscript list.
Grove preached on 19 February 1738, and was seized the same night with a violent fever, of which he died on 27 February. He was buried at Taunton, where there is a tablet to his memory in Paul's Meeting, bearing a Latin inscription from the pen of John Ward
John Ward (academic)
John Ward was an English teacher, supporter of learned societies, and biographer, remembered for his work on the Gresham College professors, of which he was one.-Life:...
of Gresham College. James Strong of Ilminster and William May of London preached funeral sermons. His wife died insane in 1736; he had thirteen children, of whom five survived him.
Works
He took care over his sermons, and systematised his lectures on metaphysics and ethics; his ethical system (published posthumously and in an unfinished state) was his favourite work. His first publication, on the 'regulation of diversions' (1708), was designed to produce in his pupils the love of a high morale. He wrote hymns; his poetical flights were stimulated by the friendship of Elizabeth Singer, later the wife of Thomas Howe, the tutor's nephew.In 1708 he corresponded with Samuel Clarke
Samuel Clarke
thumb|right|200px|Samuel ClarkeSamuel Clarke was an English philosopher and Anglican clergyman.-Early life and studies:...
on the defects of his argument for the existence of God
Existence of God
Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers, theologians, scientists, and others. In philosophical terms, arguments for and against the existence of God involve primarily the sub-disciplines of epistemology and ontology , but also of the theory of value, since...
. For Clarke, as a Newtonian, he had respect, but thought him inferior as a metaphysician to Andrew Baxter
Andrew Baxter
Andrew Baxter was a Scottish metaphysician.Baxter was educated at King's College, University of Aberdeen. He maintained himself by acting as tutor to noblemen's sons. From 1741 to 1747 he lived with Lord Blantyre and Mr Hay of Drummelzier at Utrecht, and made excursions in Flanders, France and...
. In 1714 he contributed four papers to the revived issue (eighth volume) of The Spectator
The Spectator (1711)
The Spectator was a daily publication of 1711–12, founded by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele in England after they met at Charterhouse School. Eustace Budgell, a cousin of Addison's, also contributed to the publication. Each 'paper', or 'number', was approximately 2,500 words long, and the...
. Grove published (1718) an essay on the immateriality of the soul.
Grove's publications included:
- 'An Essay towards a Demonstration of the Soul's Immateriality,' &c., 1718, (has preface on the reality of an external world against Arthur CollierArthur CollierArthur Collier was an English Anglican priest and philosopher.-Early life:Collier was born at the rectory of Steeple Langford, Wiltshire...
). - 'The Evidence for our Saviour's Resurrection,' &c., 1730, (greatly commended by Lardner).
- 'Some Thoughts concerning the Proofs of a Future State from Reason,' &c., 1730, (against Joseph Hallet, tertius).
- 'Queries proposed to … all such as think it an injury to Religion to show the Reasonableness of it,' &c., 1732, (anon.)
Posthumous were:
- 'Miscellanies in Prose and Verse, most of them formerly published,' &c., 1739.
- 'Sermons and Tracts,' &c., 1740, 4vols.; second series, 1741-2, 6 vols.; the two series reissued as 'Posthumous Works,' 1745, 10 vols.
- 'A System of Moral Philosophy,' &c., 1749, 2 vols. (edited, and the last eight chapters written, by Amory, who edited the other posthumous works).
Some of his verses were included in the continuation of John Dryden
John Dryden
John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.Walter Scott called him "Glorious John." He was made Poet...
's 'Miscellany Poems,' 1706, vol. vi., and in similar collections. His letters on free will and immortality and in defence of the presbyterians (against John Trenchard
John Trenchard
John Trenchard is the name of:* John Trenchard * John Trenchard...
) appeared in the 'St. James's Journal,' 1722. His last 'Spectator' was included by Bishop Edmund Gibson
Edmund Gibson
Edmund Gibson was a British divine and jurist.-Early life and career:He was born in Bampton, Westmorland. In 1686 he was entered a scholar at Queen's College, Oxford...
in his edition (1731) of Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was a man of letters, eldest son of Lancelot Addison...
's 'Evidences of the Christian Religion.'
At the time of his death Grove was writing the life of Elizabeth Rowe. The lists of subscribers to his posthumous works include the names of Archbishop Thomas Herring
Thomas Herring
Thomas Herring was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1747 to 1757.He was educated at Wisbech Grammar School and later Jesus College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, he was a contemporary of Matthew Hutton, who succeeded him in turn in each of his dioceses...
, with Hoadly, Secker, and Hutton among the bishops.