John Murray (December 10, 1741 – September 3, 1815) was one of the founders of theUniversalist denomination in theUnited States, a pioneerminister and an inspirational figure.
He was born inAlton, Hampshire (fifteen miles northeast ofWinchester), inEngland on December 10, 1741. His father was an Anglican and his mother aPresbyterian, both strict Calvinists, and his home life was attended by religious severity. In 1751 the family settled nearCork,Ireland. In 1760 Murray returned to England and joinedGeorge Whitefield's congregation[1]; but embracing, somewhat later, the Universalistic teachings of Welsh ministerJames Relly he was excommunicated. In 1770 he emigrated to "lose himself in America", and preached, as a Universalist minister, his first sermon in Good Luck, nowLacey Township, New Jersey, September 30, 1770, residing there with his patron and friendThomas Potter until 1774, itinerating fromVirginia toNew Hampshire. Today the Potter farm is the site of the Murray Grove Retreat and Renewal Center[2].
In 1774, he settled atGloucester, Massachusetts and established a congregation there out of a Rellyite study group. There he met his second wife, the author and philosopherJudith Sargent Murray. He was suspected of being a British spy, but in 1775 was appointed chaplain of the Rhode Island Brigade beforeBoston by GeneralGeorge Washington despite petitions for his dismissal by other chaplains over his rejection of belief inhell.[1] He participated in the first general Universalist Convention atOxford, Massachusetts, September, 1785. On October 23, 1793, he became pastor of the Universalist society of Boston, and faithfully served it until October 19, 1809, when paralysis stopped his work. He was a man of great courage and eloquence, and in the defense of his views endured much detestation and abuse. In regard toJesus, he taught that in him God became the Son; for "God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, are no more than different exhibitions of the self-same existent, omnipresent Being." He taught that all men would ultimately be saved through the sacrifice of Christ, the basis for this being the union of all men in Christ, just as they were united withAdam, and therefore partaking of the benefits of his sacrifice. He was also a writer of hymns and a compiler of hymnals.
Murray suffered a debilitatingstroke on October 19, 1809, which compelled him to give up preaching, and he died in Boston, Massachusetts on September 3, 1815. His wife, Judith Sargent Murray, collected and finished his autobiography to publish posthumously. Murray is buried inMount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge and Watertown, MA.
Sources are his ownLetters and Sketches of Sermons, 3 volumes, Boston, 1812;Autobiography, continued by his wife, (also known asLife of Murray), Boston, 1816, centenary ed., 1870.Additional information and detailed writings from the letters of his wife Judith Sargent Murray were published in 1998 (edited by Bonnie Hurd Smith), in the book "From Gloucester to Philadelphia in 1790" with "Observations, anecdotes and thoughts from the 18th century letters of Judith Sargent Murray". This publication describes the life of the Murray family as they traveled in 1790, with the majority of time in Philadelphia.
In 1875 a church was built inAttleboro, Massachusetts named after him. Services are still held, but it is nowUnitarian Universalist.
Initial text fromSchaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religion
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Further Reading
Bressler, Ann Lee.The Universalist Movement in America, 1770-1880. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
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