Abbadie, Jacques

Abbadie, Jacques, born about 1658, at Nay, in Bearn, studied at Saumur and Sedan. His proficiency was so early and so great, that at seventeen he received the title of D.D. from the Academy at Sedan. In 1676 he incepted an invitation from the Elector of Brandenburg, and was for some time pastor of the French Protestant church at Berlin. The French congregation at Berlin was at first but thin; but upon the revocation of the edict of Nantes great numbers of the exiled Protestants retired to Brandenburg, where they were received with the greatest humanity; so that Dr. Abbadie had in a little time a great charge, of which he took all possible care; and, by his interest at court, did many services to his distressed countrymen. The Elector dying in 1688, Abbadie accepted a proposal from Marshal Schomberg to go with him to Holland, and afterward to England with the Prince of Orange. In the autumn of 1689 he accompanied the Marshal to Ireland, where he continued till after the Battle of the Boyne, in 1690, in which his great patron was killed. He returned to London, was appointed minister of the French Church in Savoy; next was made dean of Killaloe, in Ireland, and died near London, Sept. 15 (other authorities say Oct. 2 or 6), 1727. His chief work is his Traiti de la Verite de la Religion Chretienne (Rotterd. 1692, 2 vols. 12mo), which has passed through several editions, and has been translated into several languages (in English, Lond. 1694-8, 2 vols. 8vo). Madame de Sevigne called it "the most charming of books;" and, though written by a Protestant, it found just favor among French Romanists, and even at the court of Louis XIV. His other principal writings are: Reflexions sur la Presence du Corps de Jesus Christ dans l'Euchariste; Les Caracteres du Chretien et da Christianisme; Traite de la Divinite de Notre Seigneur Jesus Christ; L'Art de se connaitre (Rotterd. 1692, translated into different languages); La Verite de la Religion Reformee (Rotterd. 1718, 2 vols. 8vo); Le Triomp de la Providence et de la Religion, an explanation of a portion of the Apocalypse (Amst. 1723, 4 vols. 12mo); Accomplishment of Prophecy in Christ (Lend. new ed. 1840, 12mo). A full list of his writings is given by Haag, La France Protestante, 1:7. — Hoefer, Biog. Generale 1:38.