Philip Doddridge

author

Philip Doddridge

1702–1751

An English Nonconformist minister, educator, and hymn writer, he became one of the best-known devotional voices of the 18th century. His warm, practical religious writing—especially The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul—influenced readers long after his death.

2 Audiobooks

The Life of Col. James Gardiner Who Was Slain at the Battle of Prestonpans, September 21, 1745

The Life of Col. James Gardiner Who Was Slain at the Battle of Prestonpans, September 21, 1745

by Philip Doddridge

Submission to Divine Providence in the Death of Children Recommended and inforced, in a sermon preached at Northampton, on the death of a very amiable and hopeful child, about five years old

Submission to Divine Providence in the Death of Children Recommended and inforced, in a sermon preached at Northampton, on the death of a very amiable and hopeful child, about five years old

by Philip Doddridge

About the author

Born in London in 1702, Philip Doddridge grew up in a family shaped by Protestant dissent and religious exile. He chose the Nonconformist ministry rather than joining the Church of England, and that decision set the course for a life spent preaching, teaching, and writing for readers outside the religious establishment.

Doddridge is especially associated with Northampton, where he served as a minister and led a dissenting academy that trained future ministers. Alongside his pastoral work, he wrote widely used sermons, hymns, and devotional books. His best-known work, The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul (1745), became a lasting spiritual classic.

What makes Doddridge memorable is the tone of his writing: earnest, humane, and meant for ordinary people rather than specialists. He died in Lisbon in 1751 while seeking to recover his health, but his hymns and devotional prose continued to circulate for generations.