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John Wiche (1718–1794) was an English Baptist minister. ==Life== He was born at Taunton, Somerset, on 24 April 1718. His parents were Baptists; his elder brother, George Wiche (died 2 November 1794, aged 78), originally a mechanic, became steward of the assembly rooms in Taunton, where his portrait, by Thorn, was placed by the subscribers. John Wiche was baptised on 25 June 1734 by Joseph Jefferies, Baptist minister of Taunton, from whom, and from Thomas Lucas, Baptist minister (1721–43) of Trowbridge, Wiltshire, he received his early education. By help of the general Baptist fund he studied successively at Taunton, Kendal, and Findern dissenting academies. At Salisbury, where he was assistant and then minister to a declining Baptist congregation (1743–6), he became acquainted and corresponded with Thomas Chubb. In 1746 he went to London to consult Joseph Burroughs and James Foster about leaving the ministry. On their advice he became in December 1746 minister of a small General Baptist congregation at Maidstone, and held this charge till death. His views at this time were Arian, but in 1760 he became a Socinian, after reading the anonymous ‘Letter on the Logos,’ published in 1759, by Nathaniel Lardner. With Lardner he corresponded from 1762, if not earlier. Lardner fenced with him about the authorship of the ‘Letter,’ but on 9 June 1768 (six weeks before his death) wrote to inform him that the ‘Papinian’ to whom it had been addressed was John Shute Barrington, 1st Viscount Barrington. Among his intimate friends was William Hazlitt, father of William Hazlitt the essayist, who had been presbyterian minister (1770–80) at Earl Street, Maidstone. After the Birmingham riots of 1791 he went to Henry Dundas (afterwards first Viscount Melville), then Home Secretary, with a deputation from Maidstone in Joseph Priestley's interest. Though his resources were scanty, he collected a considerable library. Wiche died at Maidstone on 7 April 1794. His portrait (no engraver's name) is given in the ‘Protestant Dissenter's Magazine,’ 1797. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「John Wiche (Baptist)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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