BEAUSOBRE, ISAAc DE, an eminent French protestant divine, was born at Niort in Swisserland, on the 8th of March 1659. Little is known of his ancestors, but that they were originally from Pro. vence, and had taken refuge in Swisserland from the massacre of St Bartholomew. From his tenderest years Beausobre displayed a magnanimous superiority to the feelings of avarice and ambition. He might have entered upon life with the fairest prospects of opu lence and honours ; for a cousin-german of his father, ) who was nearly related to Madame de Maintenon, strongly urged him to study law, that he might present him to that lady, and thus ensure his future fortune. But Beausobre, who had still more exalted views, re sisted all his solicitations; and resolved to devote him self to the sacred ministry. After studying divinity at the college of Saumur, he was ordainechat the age of 22 years, and appointed to the charge of a protes tant congregation in some part of France. He had not been above three years in that office, when a vio lent persecution arose against the protestants, and his church was ordered to be shut up. With a zeal, na tural to his age, but extremely imprudent, he opposed the orders of the court, and broke the • royal seal, which had been affixed to the door of his church. Being condemned to make amende honorable for this offence; he was forced to conceal himself, till he had an opportunity of leaving France.
His first intention was to seek an asylum in England, but particular circumstances afterwards determined him to go to Holland. There he became known to the Princess of Orange, who could well appreciate his merits, • and thought herself fortunate in getting him appointed chaplain to her daughter, the Princess of Anhalt Dessau. In this capacity he repaired to Des.. sau in 1686. The happiness which he enjoyed in this retreat, made him ample amends for the loss of his country. The Princess of Anhalt, a lady of great accomplishments, honoured him with the fullest con fidence ; and he was enabled to pursue his studies without. disquiet or interruption. It was here he published his first work, entitled, A Defence of the Doctrine of the Reformed, occasioned by the circum stance of a prince of the house of Saxony having changed his religion. It was printed at Magdeburg in 1693, and though the typography was extremely bad and incorrect, the book was very favourably received.
Next year, (1694,) he was induced, by the advan tages which the French refugees enjoyed in Bran denburg, and the faCilities which Berlin afforded for study, and for the education of a family, to repair to that city, in which he continued to reside during the rcmainder of his life. At first he was enrolled among the number of ordinary pastors, who minister ed in the parishes granted by the court to the refugees. But his talents soon raised him to higher employ ments. He was made chaplain to their majesties,
counsellor of the royal consistory, director of the French house, inspector of the French college; and, a-year before his death, was appointed superintendant of the French churches in Berlin, and of the towns comprehended in that diocese. While he discharged With the highest honour to himself the duties of these several offices, he at the same time pursued his stu dies with unwearied assiduity. The first work which he undertook, was a History of the Reformation, which occupied him for upwards of forty years. • He left it in manuscript ready for the press, and it was published at Berlin in 1784 and 1785. This work, of which the principal object is to trace the origin and progress of Lutheranism, contains some very cu rious details relative to the diffusion of protestant principles in France and Swisserland, and the chardc ters and writings of those who were most active in opposing or defending the reformed religion. He was employed, along with his colleague L'Enfant, by the court of Berlin, in translating the New Testa ment into French. St Paul's Epistles fell to the share of Bcausobre, and the work, which was published in 171S,'with an ample preface and notes, was very fa vourably received. He was one of the principal mem bers of the Anonymous Society in Berlin, and had the direction of the Bibliotheque Germnnique till his death. To that journal he contributed several papers.
i While engaged in composing the History of the formation, he was led into a digression on the tory of Mancheus and Manicheism, which, swelling far beyond the bounds within which he originally intended to confine it, was published as a separate work in two volumes 4to. This is by far the Most elaborate and esteemed of his writings; and has drawn forth the warm commendations of Gibbon and Lard ner, who were of all men the best qualified to judge. of its merits.
No man ever possessed a happier combination of the talents necessary to a preacher than Beausobre. His sermons were distinguished by a fire of imagina tion, a richness and elegance of diction, an originali ty of thought even on the most .common topics, and a felicity of illustration, which have seldom been sur passed. His elocution, naturally easy and graceful, was aided by the advantages of a most engaging countenance, a noble figure, and a graceful air. And his instructions, flowing warm from his heart, were recommended and enforced by the bright ex ample • of a life actively employed in the exercise of every Christian virtue. He died on the 5th'of June 1738, at•the age of eighty years ; retaining to the last the possession of his faculties, and the full re lish of life. See Memoire sur la Vie de Beausobre, prefixed to the 2d vol. of his Mist. du (A.)