John Dowling (pastor)

John Dowling
Portrait of John Dowling
Born	John William Dowling (1807-05-13)May 13, 1807 Pevensey, Sussex, England
Died	July 4, 1878(1878-07-04) (aged 71) Middletown, New York, United States
Occupation(s)	Clergyman, writer
Spouse	Maria S. Perkins
Children	John William Dowling

John William Dowling (May 13, 1807 – July 4, 1878) was an American Baptist minister and author known for his religious writings and anti-Catholic polemics in the 19th century.^[1]

Dowling was born in Pevensey, located on the southern coast of Sussex, England.^[2] Both of his parents were members of the Church of England.^[3] When Dowling was seven years old, his mother converted to the Baptist faith under the influence of minister Thomas Gough (d. 1841).^[4] The family later moved to London, where Dowling attended Sunday school at Eagle Street Baptist Church, then led by pastor Joseph Ivimey (1773–1834).^[5]

Dowling converted to the Baptist faith himself at age 16. He received a classical education and became a tutor at a classical institution in London in 1826. Three years later, in 1829, he established a boarding school near Oxford, where he taught until 1832.^[1] That year, Dowling emigrated to New York City with his wife and two children and joined the local Baptist church in Catskill, where he was ordained.^[6]

After a brief visit to Catskill, during which he left his family in New York City, Dowling returned to find that his wife and one of his children had died from cholera during the epidemic.^[7] He then returned to Catskill with his surviving child and became pastor of the local Baptist church. While serving there, he married Maria S. Perkins. The couple had a son named John William Dowling.^[8]

Dowling left Catskill in 1834 and over the next three decades held pastorates in New York, Philadelphia, Providence, and Newport.^[10] He accepted a call to the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Utica, where he remained for several years. Later, he moved to Providence to serve as pastor of the First Baptist Church. While in Providence, the Trustees of Brown University awarded him a Master of Arts degree.

Dowling then relocated to New York City, where he served as a Baptist pastor and became known for his anti-Catholic polemics, including a public debate with Archbishop John Hughes. During this period, he authored The History Of Romanism From The Earliest Corruptions Of Christianity To The Present Time

After leaving New York, Dowling moved to Philadelphia, where he succeeded Dr. William Staughton^[11] as pastor of the Sansom Street Baptist Church. He ministered to a large congregation and remained a prominent figure in the Baptist denomination. Later, he returned to New York,continued his Baptist ministry at various churches.

On June 30, 1878, Dowling was admitted to the Middletown State Homeopathic Hospital in Middletown, New York, where he died on July 4, 1878.^[12][13]

His published works include:^[1]

• Vindication of the Baptists (New York)
• Exposition of the Prophecies (1840)
• Defense of the Protestant Scriptures (1843)
• History of Romanism (1845)
• Power of Illustration
• Nights and Mornings
• Judson Offering

He also edited a Conference hymnbook (1868), Noel's work on Baptism, the works of Lorenzo Dow, Conyers Middleton's On the Conformity of Popery and Paganism, the Memoir of the Missionary Jacob Thomas, and a translation from the French of Cote's work on Romanism.^[1]

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Cleave's Biographical Cyclopaedia of Homeopathic Physicians and Surgeons of 1873.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Dowling (pastor).

• Biography of his son John William Dowling: John Dowling is briefly discussed at the beginning.
• Online book: "The History of Romanism: From the earliest corruptions of Christianity to the present time"
• "Dowling, John" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.