Peirce, James, a learned English Dissenting di- vine, is noted for the part he took in the Exeter Dis- putes of the last century, which resulted in the weak- ening of Presbyterianism in England and the estab- lishment of Unitarianism. He was born in the city of London in 1673. Losing his parents early, he was placed under the care of Mr. Matthew Mead (one of the ejected ministers of 1662, and then pastor of a Nonconformist congregation at Stepney), who had him educated, along with his own sons, imder his own roof; alter Avhich Peirce went to Utrecht, where he had liis tirst academical instruction. He afterwards re- moved to Leyden, where he studied for some time; and having passed between five and six years at these two celebrated universities, attending the lectures of Wit- sius, Leydecker, Grsevius, Spanheim, and other learned men, he returned to England. On his arrival he took up his abode for some time in London, and set up a Sabbath-evening lecture at Miles's Lane, which he con- tinued for two years, when he accepted an invitation from a congregation of Dissenters at Cambridge to be- come their pastor. \\\ 1713 he was luianimously in- vited by the three dissenting congregations in Exeter to succeed one of their ministers, lately deceased, the surviving ministers joining the people in the invita- tion, lie accepted the offer, and accordingly settled in that city, where his residence, for the first three years, proved exceedingly agreeable to him. During this period he published his Vindication of the Protestant Dissenters, written first in Latin, but by him translated into English, and published with large additions (Lond. 1717, 8vo). Peirce compares the constitution of the Established Church, its forms and ceremonials, its ritu- al, and the origin of the administration of its revenues, with the practices wliich prevailed in the early ages of Christianity. Tlie work became in a brief period the most popular defence of Nonconformity, and was one of two subsequently recommended by Doddridge for tlie education of Nonconformists. But, notwithstanding his popularity, Peirce was much suspected of Arian prin- ciples; and wlien in 1718 the excitement ran high, not only in Exeter Imt also in London, on the Trinitarian doctrine, and Peirce did not so clearly pronounce him- self as to be beyond the suspicion of heresv, and even refused to sign a document clearing Idmself from the charge, he was ejected from his chapel by the trustees, althougli the majority of ids congregation were opposed to it. These summary proceedings against him and others implicated in a like charge liad a tendoncv to arouse public opinion in their favor, and a chapel was promptly built for Inm and the other ejected ministers. Those who had hoped to break up Arian sentiments
had by their rash measures only strengthened it, and at Exeter in a xerj short time very little was known of Presbyterianism. It is needless to add here that the same course pursued in other parts of England finally resulted in the dismemberment of the Presbyterian Church in England. See Pi{esi$ytkriaxis>[. Peirce continued to preach at Exeter until his death in 1726. He is charged with double-dealing. But there seems to be no reasonable ground for so severe an accusation. He was probably semi-Arian in tendencij, but not in prin- ciple. At a conference of ministers, when all were asked to give individually their declaration on the Trinitari- an doctrine, Peirce said : '• I am not of the opinion of Sabellius, Arius, Socinus, or Slierlock. I believe there is but one God, and can be no more. I believe the Son and Holy Ghost to be divine persons, but subordinate to the Father; and the unity of God is, I think, to be resolved into the Father's being the fountain of the divinity of the Son and the Spirit." Opposition drove him into Latitudinarianism (q. v.), and finally he came out a Unitarian. His publications are numerous, amounting in all to about twenty-four; but that by wliich he is best known is his continuation of Mr. Hal- let t's Paraphrase and Notes on the Epistle to the He- brews (Lond. 1733, 4to). This work was translated into Latin by Michaelis, and published at Halle in 1747. That great divine speaks in the highest terms of ad- miration of the profound learning and acute discern- ment of Peirce. He also gave to the public a volume containing Fifteen Sermons on various Occasions, and an Essay on the A ncient Practice of giving the Eucharist to Children. See Jones, Christ. Biog. s. v.; Allibone, Diet, of Brit, and Amer. Auth. s. v.; Bogue and Bur- nett, History of Dissenters, vol. iii ; Skeats, Hist, of the Free Churches of England, p. 302-10; Prot. Dissenie7's Magazine, vol. ii.
Pe'kah (Ilcb. Pekach, rij?!?, an opiening, as of the eyes; Sept. ^aKii; Josephus, ^uKkaq; Vulg. Phacee^, son of Kemaliah, originally a captain of Pekahiah, king of Israel, murdered his master, seized the throne, and became the eighteenth sovereign (and last but one) of the northern kingdom. His native countr}- was prob- ably Gilead, as fifty Gileaditcs joined him in the con- spiracy against Pekahiah ; and if so, he furnishes an instance of the same undaunted energy which distin- guished, for good or evil, so many of tlie Israelites who sprang from that country, of which Jephthah and Eli- jah were the most famous examples (Stanley, iSin. and Pal. p. 327). Under his predecessors Israel had been much weakened through the payment of enormous tribute to the Assyrians (see especially 2 Kings xv, 20), and bv internal wars and conspiracies. Pekah seems steadily to have applied himself to the restoration of its power. For this purpose he sought the support of a foreign alliance, and fixed his mind on tlie plunder of the sister kingdom of Judali. He must have made the treaty by which he proposed to share its spoil with IJezin, king of Damascus, wlien Jotham was still on the throne of Jerusalem (2 Kings xv, 37) ; but its execution was long delayed, probably in coiise(|uence of that prince's righteous and vigorous administration (2 Chron. xxvii). Wiien, however, his weak son Aliaz succeeded to the crown of David, the allies no longer hesitated, and formed the siege of Jerusalem, 'i'he history of the war, which is sketched under Ahaz. is found in 2 Kings xvi and 2 Chron. xxviii; and in the latter (ver. 6) we read that Pekah "slew in Judah one iiundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men," a statement which, even if we should be obliged to dimin- ish the number now read in the text, from the uncer- tainty as to numbers attaching to our present MSS. of tlie books of Ciironicles (Keiinicott, Hebrew Text of the Old Testament Considered, p. 532), proves that the char- acter of his warfare was in full accordance with Gilead- itish precedents (Judges xi, 33; xii, 0). The war is famous as the occasion of the great prophecies in Isa.