Speece, CoNnAn, a Presbyterian minister, was born in tlie town of New London, Bedford Co., Va., Nov. 7, 177(5. Being engaged in agrictdtiiral pursuits until 1792, he had little early educational advantages, but afterwards studied at a grammar-school near New Lon- don and at Washington College. In the contempla- tion of some mysterious passages of Scripture he was driven, as he says, '• by my own ignorance and pride," to the brink of infidelity, from which he was rescued by means of .Jenyns's Intenial Evidence and Beattie's Ecidences. He united with the Presbvterian Church in April, 1796, at New ISIonmouth, and in September following was received as a candidate by the Presbj-- tery of Lexington. Certain difficulties on tlie subject of infant baptism led to the postponement of his licen- sure, and in the spring of 1799 he became tutor of Hampden Sidney College. He was immersed by a Baptist preacher, April, 1800, and began to preach, but Dr. Archibald Alexander shortly after led liim to ac- cept infant baptism. He withdrew from the Baptist communion, was licensed to preach, April 9, 1801, by the Hanover Presbytery, and appointed general mis- sionary. His labors sjiread over a large jiart of East- ern Virginia. In February, 1803, be commenced his connection with a church in ]Monlg(imer\- County, Mil., called Cajitain John, of which, at the time of his or- dination by the Presbytery of Baltimore, April 22, 1804, he was installed ])astor. This connection, because of his ill-health, was dissolved in April, 1805, He con- tinued to preach in (ioocbland and Fluvanna comities until 180C), and in the counties of Powhatan and Cum- berland until 1)SI2, In October, 1813, he was installed [lastor of Augusta Church, where he labored until his death, Feb. 17, 1836. He published. The Mountaineer (1813-16, 8 editions): — a number of single Sermons (1810-32) : — and some Poems. See Sprague, Anmds <<f the A mer. Pulpit, iv, 284.
Speed, John, an English historian, was born at Farriugion, in Cheshire, aliout 1555. He was brought up to the business of a tailor, but was taken from his shop by Sir I'"ulk (;reville,and supported by him in the study of ICnglish history and antiquities. Besides oth- er works of history, he wrote. The Cloud of Witnesses, or Cenedloi/ies fif\Scrij)ture (1593, 8vo). This was pre- fixed to the new translation of the Bible in 1611, and l)rinted for many years in the subsequent editions. He died July 28, 1629, See Chalmers, JUo;/. Diet. s. v. ; Allibone, IHct. of Brit, and Amer. Authors, s. v.
Spegel, Haqiin, a Swedish prelate, was born at
SPEKE-HOUSE
919
SPENCER
Ronneby, June 14, 1645, being the son of a pastor. Haviuff studied belles-lettres and theology at Lund, Copenhagen, and the iniivcrsities of Holland and Eng- land, he at length (about 1672) became preacher to the queen, and later (1675) of the court of Charles XI. In 1686 he was made bishop of Shara, in 1692 of Lin- kiiping, and in 1711 archbishop of Upsala. After a learned, amiable, and patriotic career, he died at Up- sala, Dec. 14, 1713, leaving several pious and historical works, which are enumerated in Iloefer, Xouv. Biog. Generak, s. v.
Speke-house, a room in religious houses set apart for conversation.
Spells. Constantine had allowed the heathen, in the beginning of his reformation, not only to consult their augurs in public, but also to use charms by way of remedy for bodily distempers, and to prevent storms. Many Christians were much inclined to this practice, and made use of charms and amulets. The Church was forced to make severe laws against this supersti- tion. The Council of Laodicea condemns clergymen who made phylacteries. Those were condemned also who pretended to work cures by enchantments, di- viners, etc., and those who consulted them. See Bing- ham, Christ. Antiq. bk. vi, ch. v, § 6.
Spelt. See Rye.
Spence, James, a minister of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, South, was converted while engaged in the practice of law at Dawson, Ga., 1865. He was li- censed to preach in 1869, and was superannuated by the South Georgia Conference in 1874, His health continued to decline, and he died of heart-disease, April 23, 1875. See Minutes of Annuul Conferences of the M. E. Church. South, 1875, p. 175.
Spence, Joseph, an English divine and scholar, was born in 1698, and educated probably at Winchester School, and New College, Oxford, where he took the de- gree of A.M. Nov. 2, 1727. He was elected professor of poetry July 11, 1728, and about 1731 travelled with the duke of Newcastle into Italy. In 1742 his college presented him to the rectory of (ireat Horwood, in Buckinghamshire; and in June of the same year he succeeded Dr. Holmes as his majesty's professor of mod- ern history at Oxford. He was installed prebendary of the seventh stall at Durham ^lay 24, 1754. His death, by drowning in a canal in Bytleet, Surrey, occurred Aug. 20, 1768. His writings were mostly in the realm of polite literature, as, A n Essay on Pope's Odi/ssei/ (1727) : — Polyinetis (1747, fol.). He published. Remarks and Dissertations nn Virgil, by Mr. Holdsworth, with notes, etc. (1768, 4lo). He wrote a pamphlet entitled Plain Matter of Fact, or a Short Review of the Reigns of our Popish Priiuies since the Reformation (pt. i, 1748, ]2mo). See Chalmers, Biog. Diet. s. v.; AUiboue, Diet, of Brit, ami Amer. A ulkors, s. v.