Richard Byfield

Richard Byfield (1598?–1664) was an English clergyman,

Sabbatarian controversialist, member of the Westminster Assembly

Life

He was 16 years of age in 1615 and 67 at his death in December 1664; he was probably born in 1598. He was a son of Richard Byfield by his second wife, and

batler at The Queen's College, Oxford

. He graduated B.A. 19 October 1619, and M.A. 29 October 1622.

He was curate or lecturer at

Uniformity Act 1662; he retired to Mortlake

, where he was in the habit of preaching twice every Sunday in his own family, and did so the Sunday before his death. He died suddenly in December 1664, and was buried in Mortlake church.

Works

Some of the works of his brother Nicholas have been assigned to Richard; he edited a few of them. His own works are:

'The Light of Faith and Way of Holiness,' 1630.

'The Doctrine of the Sabbath Vindicated, in Confutation of a Treatise of the Sabbath written by Mr. Edward Brerewood against Mr. Nicholas Byfield,' 1631. Byfield attacks the spelling 'Sabaoth' adopted by Edward Brerewood.
'A Brief Answer to a lae Treatise of the Sabbath Day,' 1636? (given to Byfield by
Peter Heylin, in The History of the Sabbath,' 2nd edit. 1636; it was in reply to A Treatise of the Sabbath Day &c., 1635, by Francis White
, who rejoined in An Examination and Confutation, &c. 1637).

'The Power of the Christ of God,' &c. 1641.

'Zion's Answer to the Nation's Ambassadors,' &c. 1645 (fast sermon before the House of Commons on 25 June, from Is. xiv. 32).

'Temple Defilers defiled,' 1645 (two sermons at Kingston upon Thames from 1 Cor. iii. 17; reissued with new title-page 'A short Treatise describing the true Church of Christ,' &c., 1653, directed against schism, anabaptism and libertinism).

'A message sent from . . . Scotland to ... the Prince of Wales,' 1648 (letter from Byfield).

'The Gospel's Glory without prejudice to the Law,' &c., 1659 (an exposition of Rom. viii. 3, 4).

'The real Way to good Works: a Treatise of Charity.'

References

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Byfield, Richard". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

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