Philip Doddridge

Born in London in 1702, Philip Doddridge grew up outside the established Church of England and went on to become a leading Nonconformist minister. He is especially associated with Northampton, where he served as pastor and led a dissenting academy that trained future ministers.

Doddridge wrote hundreds of hymns and a number of influential religious books. His best-known work, The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul, was widely read in Britain and America for its direct, encouraging approach to Christian devotion.

He spent his later years under heavy workloads and poor health, and in 1751 he died in Lisbon, where he had traveled in hopes of recovering. Remembered as both a teacher and a pastor, he remains an important figure in English hymnody and Protestant devotional literature.