AINSWORTH, HENRY (1571-1622), English Nonconformist divine '
and scholar, was born of yeoman stock in 1570/1 at Swanton '
Morley, Norfolk. He was for four years from December 1587 a '
scholar of Caius College, Cambridge, and, after associating '
with the Puritan party in the Church, eventually joined the '
Separatists. Driven abroad about the year 1593, he found a '
home in "a blind lane at Amsterdam." He acted as "porter" '
to a scholarly bookseller in that city, who, on discovering '
his skill in the Hebrew language, made him known to his '
countrymen. When part of the London church, of which '
Francis Johnson (then in prison) was pastor, reassembled in '
Amsterdam, Ainsworth was chosen as their doctor or teacher. '
In 1596 he took the lead in drawing up a confession of their '
faith, which he reissued in Latin in 1598 and dedicated to '
the various universities of Europe (including St Andrews, '
Scotland). Johnson joined his flock in 1597, and in 1604 he '
and Ainsworth composed An Apology or Defence of such true '
Christians as are commonly but unjustly called Brownists. The '
task of organizing the church was not easy and dissension was '
rife. Of Ainsworth it may be said that, though often embroiled '
in controversy, he never put himself forward; yet he was '
the most steadfast and cultured champion of the principles '
represented by the early Congregationalists. Amid all the '
strife of controversy, he steadily pursued his rabbinical '
studies. The combination was so unique that many, like the '
encyclopaedists L. Moreri and J. H. Zedler, have made two '
Henry Ainsworths--one Dr Henry Ainsworth, a learned biblical '
commentator; the other H. Ainsworth, an arch-heretic and "the '
ringleader of the Separatists at Amsterdam." Some confusion '
has also been occasioned through his not unfriendly controversy '
with one John Ainsworth, who abjured the Anglican for the Roman '
church. In 1608 Ainsworth answered Richard Bernard's The '
Separatist Schisme. But his ablest and most arduous minor '
work in controversy was his reply to John Smyth (commonly '
called "the Se-Baptist"), entitled a Defence of Holy '
Scripture, Worship and Ministry used in the Christian Churches '
separated from Antichrist, against the Challenges, Cavils '
and Contradictions of Mr Smyth (1609). In 1610 he was '
forced reluctantly to withdraw, with a large part of their '
church, from F. Johnson and those who adhered to him. For '
some time a difference of principle, as to the church's right '
to revise its officers' decisions, had been growing between '
them, Ainsworth taking the more Congregational view. (See '
CONGREGATIONALISM.) But in spirit he remained a man of '
peace. His memory abides through his rabbinical learning. The '
ripe fruit of many years' labour appeared in his Annotations--on '
Genesis (1616); Exodus (1617); Leviticus (1618); Numbers '
(1619); Deuteronomy (1619); Psalms (including a metrical '
version, 1612); Song of Solomon (1623). These were collected '
in folio in 1627, and again in 1639, and later in various '
forms. From the outset the Annotations took a commanding '
place, especially among continental scholars, and he '
established for English nonconformity a tradition of culture and '
scholarship. There is no probability about the narrative '
given by Neal in his History of the Puritans (ii. 47) that '
he was poisoned by certain Jews. He died in 1622, or early '
in 1623, for in that year was published his Seasonable '
Discourse, or a Censure upon a Dialogue of the Anabaptists, '
in which the editor speaks of him as a departed worthy. '
'
LITERATURE.--John Worthington's Diary (Chetham '
Society), by Crossley, i. 263-266; works of John Robinson '
(1851); H. M. Dexter, Congregationalism of the Last '
Three Hundred Years (1880); W. E. A. Axon, H. Ainsworth, '
the Puritan Commentator (1889); F. J. Powicke, Henry '
Barrow and the Exiled Church of Amsterdam (1900), J. H. '
Shakespeare, Baptist and Congregational Pioneers (1906). '
'
Initial text from 1911 encyclopedia -- Please update as needed
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