Reed, Sampson, a Swedenborgian of note as a writer especially, was born at West Bridgewater, Mass., in 1800, and was educated at Harvard College, class of 1818. He became editor of the New Church Magazine and co-editor of the New Jerusalem Magazine, and died in 1875. He published Observations.
Reed, Samuel, a minister of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, Avas born in Union County, O., Nov. 18, 1816. He entered the ministry in 1838, and was sent to the Peru Circuit as a supply. He was admitted into the Conference, and travelled Auburn Mission in 1839-40, Frankfort in 1841-42, Vincennes in 1843, Evansville in 1844, Bedford in 1845, North Indiana Conference, Cov- ington, in 1846-47. This fall he went to St. Louis and remained one year, returned with impaired health, and was superannuated for five years following. He was again made effective and appointed to New Harmony in 1853, to Petersburgh in 1854, to New Albany in 1855, and to Bedford in 1856, where he remained to the close of that conference year, when he superannuated a second time. He declined in health, but lingered on until Feb. 6, 1869. — Minutes of Annual Conferences, 1869, p. 187. 188.
Reelai'ah (Heb. Reelayah', n^?* \ fearer of Je- hovah; Sept. 'P«\<ttc), one of "the children of the province" who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel (Ezra ii, 2) ; called in the parallel passage (Neh. vii, 7) by the synonym Raamiah (q. v.).
ReeTius (Vtikiac, v. r. BopoAiVrf), one of the Is- raelites who returned with Zerubbabel from Babylon (1 Esdr. v, 8) ; inserted in place of the Bigvai of the Hebrew lists (Ezra ii, 2 ; Neh. vii, 7) by confusion for the Reelaiah of Ezra's list.
Rees, Abraham, D.D., a dissenting minister who held a distinguished rank in the literary and scientific world, was the son of a Welsh Nonconformist minister, and was born at Montgomery in 1743. Intended for the ministry, he was first placed under Dr. Jenkins, of Car- marthen, whence he was removed to the Hoxton Acad- emy, founded by Mr. Coward, where his progress in his studies was so rapid that in his nineteenth year he was appointed mathematical tutor to the institution, and soon after resident tutor, in which capacity he continued upwards of twenty-two years. In 1768 he succeeded Mr. Read as pastor to the Presbyterian congregation of St. Thomas's, Southwark. On the death of Mr. White, in 1783, Rees accepted an invitation to become minister of a congregation in Jewin Street, Cripplegate, where he continued to officiate till the time of his death, June 9, 1825. On the establishment of the dissenting semi- nary at Hackney in 1786, Dr. Rees, who had, in con- junction with Drs. Savage and Kippis, seceded from that at Hoxton two years before, was elected to the situation of resident tutor in the natural sciences. This position he held till the dissolution of the academy, which took place on the death of Dr. Kippis (q. v.). It
is, however, in a literary capacity that Dr. Rees is prin- cipally and most advantageously known. In 1776 he was applied to by the proprietors of Chambers's Encyclo- pedia to superintend a new and enlarged edition of that valuable compilation, which, after nine years' incessant labor, he brought to a conclusion in four folio volumes. The success of this work stimulated the proprietors to still further exertions. A new undertaking, similar in its nature, but much more comprehensive in its plan, and printed in quarto size, was projected and carried on by him ; and he had at length the satisfaction to see the new Cyclopedia, now generally known by his name, advance from the publication of the first volume in 1802 to its completion in forty-five volumes with undi- minished reputation. His other works, besides those of a secular character, are, Practical Sermons (1809-12, 2 vols.) : — The Principles of the Protestant Dissenters Stated and Vindicated: — besides a variety of occasional discourses. See Jones, Christian Biography, p. 357; Annual Biography, 1825: London Gentleman's Maga- zine, 1825.
Reesai'as (Pijaaiac), given (1 Esdr. v, 8) in place of the above Reelaiah (Ezra ii, 2) or Raamiah (Neh. vii, 7).
Reese, E. Yates, D.D., a minister of the Meth- odist. Protestant Church, but especially noted as a writer, was born about the year 1820. He early en- tered the ministry, and, after filling many positions of prominence in the pastorate, became editor of the Meth- odist Protestant newspaper at Baltimore, and was in this position until, in 1860, in a fit of mental derange- ment, he committed suicide. The Lutheran of Phila- delphia thus commented at the time: "Dr. Reese was one of the noblest and most genial of men. His paper was among the very best of the denominational organs in our country; but it was much more than a denomi- national organ, immeasurably more than a sectarian one. He drew around him many admirable writers, not only of his own Church, but of other churches, but no pen among them all was so versatile, so happy, as his own. He was a poet and an orator, who consecrated every gift to the service of the Saviour of men. His consecration had a wonderful charm. His delicacy of feeling, his fine tact, his generosity and large catholic- ity of feeling, made him very dear to all that knew him." Such testimony from another denomination is surely rare; but it was reprinted also by the Reformed Messenger of the German Reformed Church, and thus given still further approval than the bounds of one out- side denomination.