William Ashdowne (1723–1810) was an English Unitarian preacher.Jennett Humphreys, 'Ashdowne, William (1723–1810)’, rev. M. J. Mercer, first published Sept 2004, 240 words
Life As a probationer for the ministry, William Ashdowne went to Dover,Winnifrith Alfred, Men of Kent and Kentish men: biographical notices of 680 worthies of Kent p. 49 1913 then following the death of his father-in-law became minister in the (Unitarian) General Baptist denomination at Mount Ephraim, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. He was an active contributor to several magazines, but not always accepted for publication, as in 1786, an article on baptism by the editor of the Repository.H. McLachlan, The Story of a Nonconformist Library (1923) p. 99
He was a friend and correspondent of Joseph Priestley.Schofield Robert E. The enlightened Joseph Priestley: a study of his life and work from 1773 to 1804 p. 226
Works
He wrote several religious booklets including one arguing for an allegorical reading of the New Testament devil passages: An attempt to shew that the opinion concerning the devil or satan, as a fallen angel, and that he tempts men to sin, hath no real foundation in scripture.by William Ashdowne 1791, printed by J. Grove; and sold by Johnson, in St. Paul's Church-yard; Marsom, bookseller, Holborn; Bristow, Canterbury; and Ledger, Ashdowne acknowledged continuity with 'The Notions concerning Dæmons, about our Saviour’s time, have been collected, from the best authorities, by Dr Lardner, in his Tracts; by Dr Newton, in his Dissertations on Prophecy; and lately by Mr Farmer, in his Dissertations on Miracles: It only remains, that we should search the Scriptures, and point out some Errors in the application of known Truths.'.Ashdowne, ‘'AN INQUIRY INTO THE Scripture Meaning of the Word SATAN, AND ITS SYNONIMOUS TERMS, The DEVIL, or the ADVERSARY, and the WICKED-ONE', page 40, 1794 Ashdowne's view forms part of a wider stream of similar arguments in the writings of Thomas Hobbes (1651); Arthur Ashley Sykes (1737); Richard Mead (1755) and others,Burke, J. Christianity in the Witch Hunt Era, 2008 and his 1794 work was cited in general reference works such as the Penny Cyclopedia of 1837.e.g. entry The Devil, in Penny cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful p. 447
Among his other works were several focussing on the subject of baptism, including: A dissertation on St. John, iii. 5. In which, from arguments intirely new, is fully made appear from the New Testament, that by the word Spirit, is meant the word of God; ... Likewise that baptism, ... is the only initiating right [sic] into the Kingdom of God, (1798)
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