Leland, John
Leland, John (1), a celebrated English divine, was born at Wigan, Lancashire, Oct. 18 16, 91, and was educated at the University in Dublin. In 1716 he became pastor of a Presbyterian Church in Dublin. He afterwards distinguished himself in a series of works in which he defended with great eloquence the Christian religion against the attacks of Atheists and Deists. As an acknowledgment of his services, the University of Aberdeen gave him the title of D.D. He died Jan. 16, 1766. His important works are, Defence of Christianity (Dublin, 1733, 2 vols. 8vo, and often; intended as an answer to Tindal's Christianity as old as the Creation, Dublin, 1773, 2 vols. 8vo): — The divine Authority of the Old and New Testament asserted, wcith a particular Indication of the Characters of loses and the Prophets, and Jesus Christ and his Apostles, against the unjust Aspersions and false Reasoning of a Book entitled "The Moral Philosopher" (Lond. 1739, 8vo): — View of the principal Deistical Writers in England in the last and present Century (ibid. 1754, 2 vols. 8vo), and two supplements. A new edition, with Appendix, by W. L. Brown, D.D., was published in 1798 (2 vols. 8vo). The best edition is the fifth, which has a valuable Introduction, comprising a succinct view of the subsequent history of the controversy, by Cyrus R. Edmonds (London, 1837, 8vo). He who can read this work and yet remain an unbeliever in Christianity must be hopelessly obtuse or perversely prejudiced: — Advantage and Necessity of Christian Revelation (London, 1764, 2 vols. 4to). After his death, his Sermons were published in 4 volumes 8vo by Dr. Isaac Weld, with the Life of Dr. Leland. See the last work, and British Biog. vol. 10; Allibone, Dict. of British and American Authors, vol. 2, s.v.
