Richard Byfield (1598?–1664) was an English clergyman,

Sabbatarian Sabbatarianism advocates the observation of the Sabbath in Christianity, in keeping with the Ten Commandments. The observance of Sunday as a day of worship and rest is a form of first-day Sabbatarianism, a view which was historically heralded ...

controversialist, member of the

Westminster Assembly The Westminster Assembly of Divines was a council of divines (theologians) and members of the English Parliament appointed from 1643 to 1653 to restructure the Church of England. Several Scots also attended, and the Assembly's work was adopt ...

, and ejected minister.

Life

He was 16 years of age in 1615 and 67 at his death in December 1664; he was probably born in 1598. He was a son of Richard Byfield by his second wife, and Nicholas Byfield was his elder half-brother. In Michaelmas term 1615 he was entered either as servitor or batler at

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...

. He graduated B.A. 19 October 1619, and M.A. 29 October 1622. He was curate or lecturer at Isleworth, probably during his brother's incumbency (i.e. before 8 September 1622), and had some other minor employments before being presented in 1627 by Sir Thomas Evelyn to the rectory of Long Ditton, Surrey. He sat in the Westminster Assembly, but was not one of the divines nominated in the original ordinance of 12 June 1643, being appointed, perhaps through the influence of his nephew Adoniram Byfield, to fill the vacancy caused by the 1645 death of

Daniel Featley Daniel Featley, also called Fairclough and sometimes called Richard Fairclough/Featley (15 March 158217 April 1645), was an English theologian and controversialist. He fell into difficulties with Parliament due to his loyalty to Charles I of E ...

. In 1654 he was appointed one of the assistant commissioners for Surrey, under the ordinance of 29 June for the ejection of scandalous, &c. ministers and schoolmasters. He held his rectory until the passing of the

Uniformity Act 1662 The Act of Uniformity 1662 (14 Car 2 c 4) is an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of England. (It was formerly cited as 13 & 14 Charles II of England, Ch.2 c. 4, by reference to the regnal year when it was passed on 19 May 1662.) It pr ...

; he retired to

Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes. For many cen ...

, where he was in the habit of preaching twice every Sunday in his own family, and did so the Sunday before his death. He died suddenly in December 1664, and was buried in Mortlake church.

Works

Some of the works of his brother Nicholas have been assigned to Richard; he edited a few of them. His own works are: * 'The Light of Faith and Way of Holiness,' 1630. * 'The Doctrine of the Sabbath Vindicated, in Confutation of a Treatise of the Sabbath written by Mr. Edward Brerewood against Mr. Nicholas Byfield,' 1631. Byfield attacks the spelling 'Sabaoth' adopted by Edward Brerewood. * 'A Brief Answer to a lae Treatise of the Sabbath Day,' 1636? (given to Byfield by

Peter Heylin Peter Heylyn or Heylin (29 November 1599 – 8 May 1662) was an English ecclesiastic and author of many polemical, historical, political and theological tracts. He incorporated his political concepts into his geographical books ''Microcosmu ...

, in ''The History of the Sabbath'',' 2nd edit. 1636; it was in reply to ''A Treatise of the Sabbath Day'' &c., 1635, by Francis White, who rejoined in ''An Examination and Confutation'', &c. 1637). * 'The Power of the Christ of God,' &c. 1641. * 'Zion's Answer to the Nation's Ambassadors,' &c. 1645 (fast sermon before the House of Commons on 25 June, from Is. xiv. 32). * 'Temple Defilers defiled,' 1645 (two sermons at Kingston upon Thames from 1 Cor. iii. 17; reissued with new title-page 'A short Treatise describing the true Church of Christ,' &c., 1653, directed against schism, anabaptism and libertinism). * 'A message sent from . . . Scotland to ... the Prince of Wales,' 1648 (letter from Byfield). * 'The Gospel's Glory without prejudice to the Law,' &c., 1659 (an exposition of Rom. viii. 3, 4). * 'The real Way to good Works: a Treatise of Charity.'

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Byfield, Richard 1598 births 1664 deaths Westminster Divines Ejected English ministers of 1662 Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford