AUGUSTUS MONTAGUE

See also:

• AUGUSTUS MONTAGUE TOPLADY (1740-1778)

TOPLADY (1740-1778)  , Anglican divine, was born at Farnham, Surrey, and educated at Westminster and Trinity College, Dublin . Although originally a follower of Wesley, he in 1758 adopted extreme Calvinist opinions . He was ordained in 1762 and became vicar of Harpford with Fenn-Ottery, Devonshire, in 1766 . In 1768 he exchanged to the living of Broadhembury, Devonshire . He is chiefly known as a writer of hymns and poems, including " Rock of Ages," and the collections entitled Poems on Sacred Subjects (Dublin, 1759) and Psalms and Hymns for Public and Private Worship (London, 1776) . His best prose work is the Historic Proof of the Doctrinal Calvinism of the Church of England (London, 1774) . Some comments by Wesley upon Toplady's presentation of Calvinism led to a controversy which was carried on with much bitterness on both sides . Toplady wrote a venomous Letter to Mr Wesley (1770), and Wesley repeated his comments in The Consequence Proved (1771), Whereupon Toplady replied with increased acridity in More Work for Mr Wesley (1772) . From 1775 to 1778, having obtained leave of non-residence at Broadhembury, he lived in London, and ministered at a Calvinist church in Orange Street .