Peters, Richard, D.D., a Protestant Episcopal clergyman of colonial days, was born at Liverpool. Eng- land, where he was educated as a clergyman of the Church of England, and came to Philadelphia in 1735. His services were soon engaged at Christ's Church, for which he was licensed by the bishop of London. He shortly resigned, and then held an important Church
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agency, and also became secretary to a succession of gov- ernors. In May. L749, lie became a member of the pro- vincial council, but in 1762 he resigned all civil offices and was made one of the ministers of the United Church; was afterwards chosen their rector, and in 17UI went to England to receive bis license in due form. On bis return he resumed his duties. He resigned in 177.\ and died July 10, 177(1. He published a Sermon on Educa- tion i 1751 '. See Sprague, Annals qftke Amer. Pulpit', v. 88; Dorr, Hist, o/tht Christ. Church, vol. i. (J. H.W.)
Peters, Samuel Andrew, D.D., LL.D., an ec- centric Protestant Episcopal clergyman, was born at Hi bron, Conn., Nov. 20, 1735, and passed A.B. in Vale, 17o7. when he went to England for ordination. He re- turned in 1759, and in 1762 took charge of the Church at Hebron, where he continued for many years. Dur- ing tin' Revolution, being a Tory, be retired iir.-t to Boston, and soon sailed to England, as bis imprudence and loyalty to the English cause' made him very ob- noxious. ( If course his ro\ al master rewarded his fidel- ity by a pension and a grant of confiscated lands. In 17*1 he published a general history of Connecticut, which has been called "the most unscrupulous and ma- in Lous of lying narratives." Its narrations are inde- pendent of time, place, and probability. In I7'.H he was chosen bishop of Vermont, but he was never con- secrated. Alter being struck off the pension roll by William Pitt, he returned borne in 1805, and spent bis years in useless petition-- to Congress for lands granted to Jonathan Carver, the Indian traveller. In 1*17 he journeyed westward, and in 1818 returned to New York, where he lived in obscurity and poverty until his death, April 19, 1826. He is the "Parson Peter" of Trumbull's M'Fingal. l'cters published, -I General History of Connecticut, by a Gentleman oft/u Province I I.ond. 1781): 1 Letter on the Possibility of Eternal Punishnu nts, etc i ibid. 1785 ) :— and Tin History <>/ 1!< <•. ////v// Peti /.-■. etc. (ibid. bs||7 i. See Sprague, Annals of the Amer. Pulpit, v, 191. (J. H.W.)
Peters, William, an English clergyman, who flourished in the latter part of the 18th century, dis- tinguished himself especially as a painter. He was a man of w it. and possessed a lively imagination and great conversational powers, which made him a favorite. Having a passion tor painting, be practiced it first as an amusement, and, by associating much with the em- inent artists of the time.be greatly improved bis man- ner, and produced many beautiful works which were -■really admired. lie painted for the Shakespeare Gal- lery seems from that author's dramatic works; also sev- eral pictures for Macklin's Gallery, as the Resurrection of a Pious Family; tin Guardian Angels and the Spirit of a Child; the Cherubs, etc., all of which were very pop- ular, lie executed many fancy Subjects from bis own imagination, which are pleasingly sentimental, lie was much patronized by the nobility, and be sometimes
painted subjects not strictly in accordance with just
notions of propriety. His pictures are well c posed,
and his coloring neb and harmonious, with an admira- ble impasto, in which be imitated Reynolds. Many of bis works were engraved by Bartolozzi, Thew, Simon". Smith, Marcuard, and others. He is generally called the Rev. W. Peters. The duke ,,f Rutland was his chief patron, and presented him with a valuable living. Ilie bishop id' Lincoln gave him a prebendal stall in bis cathedral, lie died in 1814. See Spooner, Biog. Hist ofHu Fine Arts, ii, 684.
Petersen, Johann Wilhelm, a German writer liuied for bis theological studies, and bis heresies in
certain brandies of Christian doctrine, was ln.ru duly 1.
1649, at < »suai.ni, k. was educated at Lubeck in the pre- paratorj branches, ami studied theology at the univer- sities of Giessen, Rostock, Leipsic, Wittenberg, and Jena. He then lectured for awhile at Giessen, preached al Lu- beck, ami finally accepted a professorship at the univer- sity in Rostock, lb- bad written a poem satirizing the
.Te-uits; they in turn bad made it so uncomfortable for him at Lubeck that be went to Rostock, but also here, and at Hanover later, they followed him witb their op- position and invectives, and in 1678 be gladly accept- ed the superintendency of the churches at Eutin. In 1088 he became superintendent at LUneburg, but did not remain long, as differences sprang up between him and the pastes. In 1692 be wa- deposed, on the ground I bat be espoused chiliastic ideas. He now pun base. 1 a farm near Zerbst, and died in retirement, Jan. 31, 17-J7. His last years were spent in the advocacy ofebifiastico- pietistic opinions, and be wrote much for that purpose. A list of all his writings is given in bis autobiography
(1717). 'Ibis I k is valuable, as it indicates the