Hammond, Henry, Dd

Hammond, Henry, D.D.

a learned divine of the English Church, was born Aug. 18, 1605, at Chertsey, Surrey. He was sent at an early age to Eton, whence he removed to Magdalen College, Oxford, and became a fellow of that society in 1625. In 1633 the earl of Leicester presented him to the rectory of Penshurst, Kent, where he resided till 1643, when he was made archdeacon of Chichester. "By birth and education a confirmed Royalist, he retired to Oxford soon after the civil war broke out, continued to reside there while that city was held by the king, and attended the king's commissioners to Uxbridge, where he disputed with Vines, a Presbyterian minister. He was appointed canon of Christchurch and public orator in 1645, and attended Charles I as his chaplain from the time when he fell into the hands of the army until the end of 1647, when the king's attendants were sent away from him. Hammond then returned to Oxford, and was chosen sub dean of Christchurch, from which situation he was expelled in March 1648, by the parliamentary visitors, and placed for some time in confinement. On his release he repaired to Westwood, Worcestershire, the seat of Sir John Packwood, where the remainder of his life was spent in literary labor, 'doing much good to the day of his death, in which time he had the disposal of great charities reposed in his hands, as being the most zealous promoter of almsgiving that lived in England since the change of religion.' He died after long suffering from a complication of disorders, April 25,1660. It is said that Charles II intended for him the bishopric of Worcester. Hammond was a man of great learning, as well in the classics and general philology as in doctrinal and school divinity, and possessed great natural ability" (Jones, Christ. Biogr. p. 210). Of his writings the following are some of the most important: Practical Catechism (1644): — Paraphrase and Annotations on the New Testament (Lond. 1653, 8vo; often reprinted; last edition 1845, 4 vols. 8vo). It was translated into Latin by Leclerc (Amster. 1698), with observations and criticisms. Dr. Johnson was very fond of Hammond's Annotations, and recommended them strongly. The theology of the work is Arminian. Paraphrase and Annotations upon the Psalms (1659, fol.; new ed. 1850, 2 vols. 8vo ): — Discourses on God's Grace and Decrees (1660, 8vo), taking the Arminian view: — Annotations on the Proverbs (1683, fol.): — Sermons (1644, fol.). These, with many valuable writings on the Romish controversy, may be found in Fulman's Collected Works of Dr. Hammond (3rd edi., London, 1774, 4 vols. fol.), of which the 1st vol. contains his Life by Dr. Fell. The Life was reprinted in 1849, and may be found in Wordsworth, Eccles. Biography, 4, 313. See also Hook, Eccl. Biography, 5, 534. Hammond's miscellaneous theological writings are reprinted in the Library of Anglo- Catholic Theology (Oxford 1847-51, 4 vols. 8vo).