BEL 



203 



BEL 



?on Thomas to his own profession, placed him under the 

 care of eminent schoolmasters until he was of an age to be 

 sent to the Dissenting Academy at Daventry, then under 

 the superintendence* of Dr. Ashworth, where he was a 

 student for five years. By the time his studies were 

 completed, his talents and acquirements attracted such 

 notice that he was appointed assistant tutor, an office 

 which he continued to fill for seven years. Being then 

 desirous of entering upon the duties of his profession, he 

 spent three years, in connexion with a congregation of 

 Protestant Dissenters, at Worcester, where he was greatly 

 esteemed for his learning and urbanity, and was so much 

 attached to the society of the place, that he yielded with re- 

 luctance to the importunity of his friends who were desirous 

 of placing him at the head of the academy at Daventry. 

 He returned to this place in 1781, in the capacity of theolo- 

 gical tutor and head of the institution, which situation he 

 held till 1789. In addition to the labours which devolved 

 upon him in the institution, he became the minister of the So- 

 ciety of Protestant Dissenters in the town, and in both capa- 

 cities he was so eminently successful, that he might probably 

 have continued in them during the remainder of his life, but 

 for a chansre which took place in his religious opinions. He 

 had been educated in the doctrines of Calvinism, but having 

 embraced Unitananism, he relinquished his connexion both 

 with the academy and with his congregation. About this 

 time, a new college being established at Hackney by those 

 Dissenters who were friendly to unrestrained religious in- 

 quiry, it was placed under the direction of Mr. Belsham, 

 but, in a few years, it sunk for want of funds to support it. 

 Before this event took place he was chosen to the vacant 

 pulpit of Dr. Priestley, by the Gravel Pit congregation, 

 where he again entered upon those exertions which were 

 most congenial to his tastes. Eleven years afterwards, in 

 180.5, on the death of Dr. Disney, the colleague and suc- 

 cessor of Mr. Lindsey, Mr. Belsham removed to Essex 

 Street Chapel, London, of which he continued the pastor 

 during the rest of his life. 



From the time that Mr. Belsham avowed his conversion 

 to the doctrines held by the Unitarians, he espoused their 

 cause with great zeal, and advanced it by applying his 

 talents and learning to its defence. One of his earliest pub- 

 lications was A Review of Mr. Wilberforce' s Trent in-, 

 entitled A Practical View of the prevailing Religious Sys- 

 tem of Professed Christians, &c., 1 798, in which it was 

 the writer's design to place the theological doctrines main- 

 tained by the amiable and eloquent author of the ' Prac- 

 tical View,' in contrast with those professed by Unitarians. 

 In 1811 he gave to the public the results of his investiga- 

 tions on the most important subject that had ever occupied 

 his mind, in a work entitled A Calm Inquiry into the Scrip- 

 ture Doctrine concerning the Person of Christ. His single 

 sermons, on subjects chiefly suggested by public events, 

 would make up several volumes, and his controversial 

 writings are numerous. There is hardly any branch of 

 theology, or of the doctrines or evidences of revelation, on 

 which Mr. Belsham has not published his thoughts. His 

 Evidences of the Christian Revelation is a powerfully argu- 

 mentative and sometimes eloquent work, which had a large 

 sale, and was perhaps the roost popular of his performances. 

 His last work, and that, perhaps, on which his reputation 

 must rest, was A Translation nf the Epistles of Paul the 

 Apostle, with an Exposition and Notes. He hail been pre- 

 viously employed on a work of which he is now known to have 

 been the editor, The Improved Version of the New Testa- 

 ment. But Mr. Belsham's literary works were not exclusively 

 theological. In 1801 he published Elements nf the Philo- 

 sophy of the Human Mind and of Moral Philosophy. As 

 a follower of Hartley, he resolved all mental phenomena 

 into the association of ideas. His theory of morals supposes 

 the ultimate happiness to harmonize with the greatest gene- 

 nil good, and he concludes that ' self-love and benevolence 



:ily be reconciled by religion.' Besides his numerous 

 dint nary sermons, he published Mfmoiri i:f the late Ret. 



iphilui Lindsey, M.A., including a Brief Analysis of 

 hn Wnrhi, S;c., 1812, a piece of biography both interesting 

 and useful. In the same tomb which contains the remains 

 of this venerable pastor rests Mr. Be.sham, whose proudest 



: it was to be, as he is described on the stone which 

 covers it, the friend, associate, and successor of Priestley 

 and Lindsey.' 



(See Memoirs nfthe late Rev. Thomas Belsham, by John 

 Williams, 8vo. 1833.) 



BELSHAM, WILLIAM, an active writer on politics 

 and history, brother of Thomas Belsham, was born in 1752. 

 and died November 17th, 1827, at Hammersmith. He 

 resided at one period at Bedford, and was intimately ac- 

 quainted with several of the most celebrated public men 

 belonging to the Whig party, to whose politics he was 

 strongly attached. His literary career commenced in 1 789, 

 by the publication of a series of ' Essays, Historical, Poli- 

 tical, and Literary,' in 2 vols. 8vo. These were followed by 

 Letters and Essays, published at various periods, on the 

 Test Laws, the French Revolution, the Distinction between 

 the Old and New Whigs, Parliamentary Reform, and the 

 Poor Laws. In 1793 he published, in 2 vols. 8vo., 'Me- 

 moirs of the Kings of Great Britain of the House of Bruns- 

 wick-Lunenberg.' In 1 795 he again appeared as an his- 

 torical writer, by the publication of ' Memoirs of the Reign 

 of George III., to the Session of Parliament ending 1 793,' 

 in 4 vols. 8vo. To these were added the 5th and 6th vo- 

 lumes, in 1801. In 1798 he published, in 2 vols. 8vo., a 

 ' History of Great Britain from the Revolution to the Ac- 

 cession of the House of Hanover;' and in 1806 his histo- 

 rical works were published in a uniform edition in twelve 

 8vo. volumes, under the title of ' History of Great Britain 

 to the Conclusion of the Peace of Amiens in 1802.' He 

 was also the author of the following miscellaneous works. 

 In 1797 'Two Historical Dissertations: l.On the Means of 

 the Ministerial Secession in 1717. 2. On the Treaty of 

 Hanover, 1725,' being a reply to some Animadversions con- 

 tained in Coxe's Memoirs of Sir Robert Walpole. In 1798 

 'Two Historical Dissertations on the Silesian War, and on 

 the Character and Conduct of Louis XVI.' In 1800 a 

 ' Reply to Herbert Marsh's Vindication of the History of 

 the Politics of Great Britain and France;' and in 1801 

 ' Remarks on alate publication, styled " The History of the 

 Politics of Great Britain and France.'" In 1802 ' Remarks 

 on the Peace of Amiens.' He was also the author of a 

 volume on the ' Philosophy of the Mind,' 'Letters to Wil- 

 berforce,' and a ' Chronology of the Reigns of George III. 

 and IV.' (Watt's Bibliolhec'a Britannica.) 



BELSHAZZAR 



or TStfNS. BoXrdrep) was 



the last king of Babylon of the Chaldaean dynasty. He is 

 the Nabonnedus of Berosus, Nabonadius of the Canon Pto- 

 lemEei, Nabodenusof Alexander Pdlyhist., Nabonnidochusof 

 MeiTHSthenes Abydenus in Euseb. Chron. Arm., Labynetus 

 of Herodotus, Naboandelus of Josephus. Belshazzar was 

 the son of queen Nitocris. He perished 538 or 539 before 

 Christ, in the seventeenth year of his reign, in the night 

 when Babylon was stormed by Cyrus whilst the attention of 

 the court was engaged by a splendid festival. 



According to Berosus, as quoted by Josephus, Belshazzar 

 being defeated in battle against Cyrus, escaped to Borsippa, 

 where he surrendered and was graciously received by Cyrus, 

 who sent him to Carmauia, where he lived to the end of his 

 days. But this account of Berosus, who makes various incre- 

 dible statements, is inconsistent with the testimony of the 

 Bible. Herodotus, who describes the capture of Babylon 

 by Cyrus, says nothing of the death of Belshazzar : the ac- 

 count of Xenophon in his Cyroncedia, which is not of 

 course considered as historical authority, says that the king 

 was killed, but he does not mention his name. 



According to p>TI3 p flS^DV (ed. Breithaupt, p. 26), 

 one of the eunuchs ha\ing heard Daniel's interpretation of 

 the MENU MBNE TEKKL upHARsiN, Dan. v. 25, in the fol- 

 lowing night cut off Belshazzar' s head and brought it to 

 Cyrus and Darius, who besieged Babylon. Cyrus adored 

 God, and resolved to restore the Jews to their country and to 

 rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. 



(See Dan. chap. v. and vii. ; Is. xiii. 14 ; Comp. Jer. v. 31, 

 41 ; Joseph! Ant. x. 11, 2; Apion. i. 20; Eusebii, Chrnn. 

 Armen. i. p. 43, and pp. 60, 61, 72; Eusebii Preeparatiu 

 Evangelica, ix. 41 ; Herodotus, i. 77, 188, 191 ; Xenuphon, 

 Cyropeedia, vii. 5 ; Bernholdi Dissertutio ir. Dan. v. Altorf. 

 1740, 4to. ; Opferhaus Spicil. Hist. Chron. 263, &c. ; Usserii 

 Annales to the year 3448 ; Harttnann Syst. Chron. 342, seq.; 

 Jahn's Einleitung ii. i. 216 ; Berlhold 4, Exc. zum Daniel, 

 pp. 848, 856.) 



Marsham took Belshazzar for Evilmcrodach. (Can. Chron. 

 597.) Gattercr (Hamlburh der Universal geschichte, i. p. 

 293) took him for I.aborosoarchod, the son and successor of 

 Neriglissar. George Sjncellus took him for Neriglissar 

 himself. (Chron. pp. 223, 230 ; comp. Cedren. Hist. p. 113. 



The history of Belshazzar has been a favourite subject for 



SDI 



