Hosea Ballou D.D. (April 30, 1771 – June 7, 1852) was an American Universalist clergyman and theological writer. Originally a Baptist, he converted to Universalism in 1789. He preached in a number of towns in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. From 1817, he was pastor of the Second Universalist Church of Boston. He wrote a number of influential theological works, as well as hymns, essays and sermons, and edited two Universalist journals. Ballou has been called one of the fathers of American Universalism.

Life and career

Hosea Ballou was born in

Richmond, New Hampshire Richmond is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,197 at the 2020 census. History The town was first chartered in 1735 by Governor Jonathan Belcher of Massachusetts. Granted to soldiers returning from the ...

, to a family of

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

origin. The family claimed to be of

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 *Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature *Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 1066 ...

heritage. The son of Maturin Ballou, a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

minister, Hosea Ballou was self-educated, and devoted himself early on to the ministry. In 1789 he converted to

Universalism Universalism is the philosophical and theological concept that some ideas have universal application or applicability. A belief in one fundamental truth is another important tenet in universalism. The living truth is seen as more far-reaching th ...

, and in 1794 became pastor of a congregation in

Dana, Massachusetts Dana was a town located in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Dana was lost as a result of the formation of the Quabbin Reservoir. History Formed from parts of Petersham, Greenwich, and Hardwick, it was incorporated in 1801. The town was named fo ...

. This cites: :The biography by Thomas Whittemore (4 vols., Boston, 1854–1855) and that by Oscar F. Safford (Boston, 1889); :and J. C. Adams, ''Hosea Ballou and the Gospel Renaissance'' (Boston, 1904). Ballou was also a high-ranking

freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, who attained the position of Junior Grand Warden of the

Grand Lodge of New Hampshire This is a list of all verifiable organizations that claim to be a Masonic Grand Lodge. A Masonic "Grand Lodge" (or sometimes "Grand Orient") is the governing body that supervises the individual " Lodges of Freemasons" in a particular geographic ...

in 1811. Ballou preached at Barnard, Vermont, and surrounding towns in 1801–1807; at

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsm ...

, in 1807–1815; at

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the ...

, in 1815–1817; and, as pastor of the Second Universalist Church of Boston, from December 1817 until his death there. He was buried at the

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge and Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, west of Boston. It is the burial site of many prominent Boston Brah ...

. He founded and edited ''The Universalist Magazine'' (1819–later called ''The Trumpet''), and ''The Universalist Expositor'' (1831–later ''The Universalist Quarterly Review''), and wrote about 10,000 sermons as well as many

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...

s, essays and polemic theological works. He is best known for ''Notes on the Parables'' (1804), ''A Treatise on Atonement'' (1805) and ''Examination of the Doctrine of a Future Retribution'' (1834). These works mark him as the principal American expositor of

. Ballou married Ruth Washburn; children included Maturin Murray Ballou.Safford. 1890 He is the grand-uncle of

Hosea Ballou II Hosea Ballou II (October 18, 1796May 27, 1861) was an American Universalist minister and the first president of Tufts University from 1853 to 1861. Ballou was named after his uncle and went by the name "Hosea Ballou 2d. " Publishers, friends, e ...

, the first president of Tufts University.

Beliefs

Ballou has been called the "father of American Universalism," along with John Murray, who founded the first Universalist church in America. Ballou, sometimes called an "Ultra Universalist," differed from Murray in that he divested Universalism of every trace of

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John C ...

, and opposed legalism and trinitarian views. As he wrote, "Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit." Ballou also preached that those forms of Christianity that emphasized God as wrathful in turn hardened the hearts of their believers:

References

Notes Bibliography Universalist Quarterly and General Review, Volumes 11–12, pg. 176 Further reading * Universalist Magazine
v.9
(Boston: Henry Bowen, Province House Row, 1827) * * M.M. Ballou. Biography of Rev. Hosea Ballou. Boston : A. Tompkins, 1852
Google books
* M.M. Ballou. Life story of Hosea Ballou: for the young. Boston: A. Tompkins, 1854. Illustrations by

Billings Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metro ...

Internet Archive
* Oscar F. Safford. Hosea Ballou: a marvellous life-story, 4th ed. Boston: Universalist Pub. House, 1890
Google books
*Bressler, Ann Lee. ''The Universalist Movement in America, 1770–1880.'' New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.

External links

*Th
Ballou family papers
are in the Harvard Divinity School Library at

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. * *Th
historical papers
an
sermons
of Hosea Ballou are in the Harvard Divinity School Library at

. * in * at * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ballou, Hosea 1771 births 1852 deaths Writers from Boston Clergy from Boston 19th-century American people Writers from Salem, Massachusetts Writers from Portsmouth, New Hampshire Baptists from New Hampshire People from Windsor County, Vermont American Christian theologians Clergy of the Universalist Church of America Christian radicals 18th-century Christian universalists 19th-century Christian universalists Christian universalist theologians Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery People from Richmond, New Hampshire Former Baptists

Life and career

Beliefs

See also

References

External links