Free (or Free-will) Offering (i^^f?' 'nedahah', i. e. voluntary, as often), spoken of a spontaneous gift (Exod. XXXV, 29; Ezra i, 4; comp. 7), but cliiefly of a voluntarij sacrifice (Lev. xxii, 23 ; Ezra iii, 5 ; Ezek. xlvi, 12; plur. 2 Chron. xxxi, 14; Lev. xxiii, 38; Amos iv, 5 ; fig. Psa. cxix, 108), as opposed to one in consequence of a vow (^'^3), or in expiation of some offence. See Thank-offering.
Freeke, William, an English Socinian, born in 1663, wrote a book in the form of questions and an-
FREEMAN
G60
FRELINGHUYSEIS^
swers, entitled A Dialof/ue on (he Deity, and a Covfuta- tUm of the Doctrine of the Trinity, which was publicly burned ; and the author was lined £500 and compelled to make a recantation in Westminster Hall. — Allibone, Diet, of Authors, s. v. ; Kose, New Biog. Diet, vii, 448- 9. (j'.W. M.)
Freeman (JnriXevSttpoq, one manumitted, a freed- man, 1 Cor. vii, 22; so Josephus, Ant. vii, 11, 2; Mi- chines, lix. 25; Xenophon, Athen. i, 10), FKEEWOM- AN {tXtvSiipa, nfree-botti female. Gal. iv, 22, 23, 30; elsewhere simply "free"). See Freedom.
Freeman, Jajies, the first pastor of a Unitarian churcli in New England, was born in Charlestown, April 22, 1759, and graduated at Harvard in 1777. His theological studies were carried on with difficulty dui'- ing the war. In 1782 he was invited to officiate as reader in King's Chapel for six months, and in 1783 he was chosen pastor of the church, stipulating, however, for permission to omit the Athanasian Creed from the service. He soon began to feel doubts as to the doc- trine of the Trinity, and fmallj^ preached a series of sennons to his people renouncing the doctrine. The church resolved (in 1785) to alter their liturgy and re- tain their pastor. Tlius tlie first Episcopal church in New England became the first Unitarian church in America. Application was made to Bishop Provost in 1787 to ordain Mr. Freeman ; l)ut the bishop, of course, refused, and the pastor ^vas ordained by his own people. He was a man of fine social qualities, and of excellent intellectual powers, and was very successful as pastor and preacher. He died November 14, 1835. Besides contributions to periodical literature and to the Collec- tions of the Massachusetts Historical Society, he pub- lished Sermons and Addresses (Boston, 1832). — Ware, Unitarian Bior/raphu, i, 143, sq. ; Sprague, Annals, viii, 162.
Free Religious Association, the name of an association established in Boston, United States, in May, 18C7. The Constitution adopted at the first meeting declared the objects of the association to be to promote the interests of pure religion, to encourage the scientific studj* of theology, and to increase fellow- ship in the spirit ; and to this end all persons interest- ed in these objects are cordially invited to its mem- bership. Each member of the association is left indi- vidually responsible for his own opinions alone, and affects in no degree his relations to other associations. Any person desiring to co-operate with the association will be considered a member, with full right to spealc in its meetings, but is required to contribute a small annual fee as a preliminary to the privilege of voting on questions of Ijusiness. The association is to hold an annual meeting at Boston, one month's notice of the meeting being previously' given. A permanent organization was effected of officers and committees. At the first meeting speeches were made liy Unitari- ans, Universalists, S])iritualists, Progressive Friends, Progressive Jews, and others connected with no par- ticular religious denomination. At tlie second meet- ing, held in 1868, a Baptist clergyman, who had been censured for close communion practice, and an Epis- copalian clergyman, wlio liad been tried for an ex- change of pulpit with a nc)n-Episcopal clergyman, were among the speakers. (A. J. S.)
Free Spirit, Brethren of tlie. See Breth- ren OF THE Free Spirit.
Free-thinkers, " a name adopted by sceptics to express tlie Ubaiy which they claim and exercise, to tliink (or doubt) as they please upon all subjects, es- pecially those connected with religion. The term originated in the 18tli century, thoui^h ' free-thinking' had earlier ajipeared in England. In 1718, a weekly paper, entitled The Free-thinle?; Vfas i)ublished; and in France and Germany a corresponding spirit exten- sively prevailed." — Eden, Churchman's Diet. s. v. See Infidelity.
Free ■will. See Will.
Free-"will Baptists. See Baptists.
Frelinghiiysen, the name of a family eminent in the history of the American Church.
1. Frelingiiuysen, Theodorus Jacobus, first minister of the Keformed Protestant Dutch Cliurch in Somerset County, N. J. He was born at Lingen, in East Friesland (now in Hanover, Prussia), about 1691, was educated there, and was ordained in 1717. By the personal influence of Sieco Tjadde, one of the minis- ters of the classis of Amsterdam, Holland, he was in- duced to come to America, where he arrived in Janua- ry, 1720, and became pastor of the Dutcli people in the vicinity of the present cit}' of New Brunswick, upon the banks of the Raritan and its tributaries. Encountering all the difiicultics of a newly-settled country and a sparse population, whose religious spirit was verj' formal and relaxed, liis faithful and fearless ministrj' gave great offence to many, and aroused a spirit of persecuting opposition. But, with apostolic zeal, he declared, "I would rather die a thousand deaths than not preach the truth." A great revival of religion resulted from his evangelical labors. The highest testimony to his success has been left on rec- ord b}' such men as llev. Gilbert Tennent, George Whitefield, and President Edwards; and by liev. Dr. A. Messier, in his Historical Review of the R. D. Church of Raritan ; also in his paper entitled "The Hollanders in New Jersey," read before the New Jersey Histori- cal Society, September, 1850 — a valuable document. A characteristic volume of his sermons, translated from the Dutch language by Rev. William Demarest, was issued in 1856 (r2mo, pp. 422) by the Board of Publication of the R. P. D. Church, New Yorlv. His biographer says " his labors continued for more than a quarter of a centurj- ; and although he was often attacked in the civil courts, before the colonial author- ities, and by complaint to the Classis of Amsterdam, he never succumbed. He was alwajs sustained by tlie ecclesiastical authorities. All his children were believers. His five sons were ordained to the minis- try, and his two daughters were married to ministers." His ministry closed about 1747 (see Memoir of Hon. Tkeo. FreliiK/huysen, by Rev. T. W. Chambers, D.D., N. Y., Harpers, 1863). (W. J. R. T.)