Samuel Clark (1684–1750), usually known as Samuel Clarke of St Albans, was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Nonconformist pastor and theological writer, known for his ''Collection of the Promises of Scripture''. He is not to be confused with his near-contemporary

Samuel Clarke Samuel Clarke (11 October 1675 – 17 May 1729) was an English philosopher and Anglican cleric. He is considered the major British figure in philosophy between John Locke and George Berkeley. Clarke's altered, Nontrinitarian revision of the 1 ...

(1675–1729), philosopher and

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

clergyman.

Life

Samuel Clarke was born on 16 December 1684 at Chelsea, into an extended family of clergy. His father Benjamin Clarke (1653–1722) was the youngest son of Daniel Clarke (1609–1654), vicar of

Kirkburton Kirkburton is a village, civil parish and ward in Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is south-east of Huddersfield. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the township comprised the villages of Kirkburton and Highburton and ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, brother of Samuel Clarke (1599–1683), the Puritan biographer. Benjamin had married Elizabeth (1656–1736), daughter of his first cousin Samuel Clarke (1626–1701), annotator of the Bible. After reading the works of the elder Samuel Clark, who was both his paternal great-uncle and maternal great-grandfather, he went through a course of preparation for the ministry. Clarke declined preferment in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

, on grounds of conscience, as a Dissenter. He became the pastor of a Nonconformist congregation in Dagnall Lane,

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

(now Lower Dagnall Street). The first

charity school Charity schools, sometimes called blue coat schools, or simply the Blue School, were significant in the history of education in England. They were built and maintained in various parishes by the voluntary contributions of the inhabitants to ...

outside London, in connection with a dissenting congregation, was instituted by Clarke about 1715, giving free education in reading, writing, and arithmetic to thirty boys and ten girls (see

Dissenting academies The dissenting academies were schools, colleges and seminaries (often institutions with aspects of all three) run by English Dissenters, that is, Protestants who did not conform to the Church of England. They formed a significant part of educatio ...

). Clarke was on intimate terms with

Isaac Watts Isaac Watts (17 July 1674 – 25 November 1748) was an English Congregational minister, hymn writer, theologian, and logician. He was a prolific and popular hymn writer and is credited with some 750 hymns. His works include " When I Survey th ...

Job Orton Job Orton (4 September 1717 – 1783) was an English dissenting minister. Life He was born at Shrewsbury, Shropshire. He entered the academy of Dr Philip Doddridge at Northampton, became minister of a congregation formed by a fusion of Presbyte ...

, and

Philip Doddridge Philip Doddridge D.D. (26 June 1702 – 26 October 1751) was an English Nonconformist (specifically, Congregationalist) minister, educator, and hymnwriter. Early life Philip Doddridge was born in London, the last of the twenty children ...

, the last of whom he had informally adopted as a recently orphaned thirteen-year-old. The four men were of the same theological school. It was in going to preach Clarke's

funeral sermon A Christian funeral sermon is a formal religious oration or address given at a funeral ceremony, or sometimes a short time after, which may combine elements of eulogy with biographical comments and expository preaching. To qualify as a sermon, it sh ...

that Doddridge is said to have caught the illness which caused his death. Clarke is thought to have suggested to Doddridge some of the books which he published; in particular, his ''Principles of the Christian Religion''. Clarke was awarded the degree of

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

by the University of Glasgow in March 1744, 'on the united testimony of Dr Watts, Dr Guise,' and Dr Doddridge. On Sunday 2 December 1750, whilst administering the Lord's Supper in his Dagnall Street chapel, Clarke suffered a stroke. He died two days later.

Works

Clarke published some sermons, but is remembered for his ''Collection of the Promises of Scripture'', arranged systematically.Other titles: ''The Scripture Promises'', ''A Collection of the Promises of Scripture'', ''Clark's Scripture Promises'', ''Clark's Bible Promises'', ''Book of Promises'', ''Precious Bible Promises''
PreciousBiblePromises.com.
http://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Promises/Clarkes_Bible_Promises.html Online text.] It is a compilation, often reprinted, and was an enduring popular religious volume.

Family

Clarke married Sarah Jones, of St Albans (1701–1757), by whom he had sons Samuel Clark (tutor and minister), Samuel (1727–1769) and Thomas (1730–1742), and daughters Ann (1733–1804), who married Rev Jabez Hirons (1727–1812), who succeeded Clark as minister at Dagnall Lane; Elizabeth, who married

Ralph Griffiths Ralph Griffiths (c.1720 – 28 September 1803) was an English journal editor and publisher of Welsh extraction. In 1749, he founded London's first successful literary magazine, the ''Monthly Review'' (1749–1845), and remained its editor un ...

, editor of the ''

Monthly Review The ''Monthly Review'' is an independent socialist magazine published monthly in New York City. Established in 1949, the publication is the longest continuously published socialist magazine in the United States. History Establishment Following ...

''; and Sarah, who married William Rose, schoolmaster of Chiswick.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Samuel 1684 births 1750 deaths English Congregationalist ministers English theologians