Daily Baptist Encyclopedia Benedict, David, D.D., the Baptist historian, was born in Norwalk, Conn., Oct. 10, 1779.

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10/12/22  · Daily Baptist Encyclopedia

Benedict, David, D.D., the Baptist historian, was born in Norwalk, Conn., Oct. 10, 1779. His love for historical reading and investigation de- veloped itself in early life. At twenty he made a profession of his faith in Christ. Religion did for’ him what it has done for so many thousands of others,—quickened his intellectual nature, and made him aspire after something elevating. He entered Brown University, where he graduated in 1806. Soon after he was ordained as pastor of the Baptist church in Pawtucket, R. I., where he re- mained twenty-five years. During all this time he had been busy in gathering, from every part of the country, the materials out of which to form a com- prehensive history of the Baptist denomination, and had sent to press several volumes relating to the subject of his investigations. After retiring from his pastorate, he gave himself with great dili- gence to the work of completing the task he had undertaken. He felt it to be his special vocation to do this work, and he made everything bend -to its accomplishment. Among his published writings are the following: “ History of the Baptists,” 1813 ;““Abridgment. of Robinson’s History of Baptism,” 1817; ‘ Abridgment of History of the Baptists,” 1820; “ History of all Religions,” 1824; “ History of the Baptists Continued,” 1848; “Fifty Years among the Baptists,” 1860. He wrote also a his- tory of the Donatists, which was completed just before he was ninety-five years of age, and which, since his death, has been printed. All through his life he was in the habit of writing much for the public press. He took a leading part in the found- ing of various religious organizations in his de- nomination, in promoting the cause of .education, in the formation of new churches, ete. He carried the habits of hard work, which he had formed in the maturity of his years, down to the close of life. He was remarkably favored with good eyesight, and his vision was unimpaired to the last. At the time of his death he had been the senior member of the board of trustees of Brown University for sixteen years, and had been in the corporation for fifty-six years. Dr. Benedict died at Pawtucket, Dec. 5, 1874, having reached the great age of ninety- five years one month and twenty-five days.From the Baptist Encyclopedia by William Cathcart Photos from Findagrave (Note: The book photo is of my copy that I recently got on ebay. A free online and downloadable copy of Benedict’s History of the Baptists is available at https://archive.org/…/ageneralhistory0…/page/n6/mode/2up )