, minister of the German chapel at St. James’s, London, the son of Anthony
, minister of the German chapel at St. James’s, London, the son of Anthony
Boehm, minister at Oeetorff, in the county of Pyrmont,
in Germany, who died 1679, was born June 1, 1673, and
after his father’s death was sent to school at Lemgo, and
afterwards at Hameln, whence, after making proficiency
in Greek and Latin, he was removed to the newly-erected
university at Halle. Having finished the usual course of
studies here, and taken orders, he was for some time employed as tutor to the sons of noblemen and gentlemen.
About the year 1701, some German families in London
requested of the university of Halle to send over a proper
person as schoolmaster to their children. Boehm was invited to accept this situation, and arrived at London in
November of that year, where his first object was to acquire the English language. In 1702 he opened a school
in Bedfordbnry, but met with so little encouragement,
although invited hither for the purpose, that he must have
returned to his own country, if, in 1705, he had not been
appointed by prince George of Denmark, queen Anne’s
husband, to be one of his chaplains, and officiate at his
chapel, which he did for some time alternately with his
colleague Crusius, and gave so much satisfaction, not only
to the prince, but to the queen, that after his highness’s
death, in 1708, the queen ordered the same service to be
continued, and gave him access to her presence, which
he improved occasionally in the promotion of acts, of
charity and humanity. On one occasion, particularly, by
his intercession, the queen prevailed on the king of France
to release many of th French Protestants condemned to
the gallies for religion. When king George I. came to
the crown, Mr. Boehm was confirmed in his station, which
beheld to his death, May 27, 1722. He was buried in
Greenwich church-yard, with a characteristic epitaph.
He appears to have been a man of unfeigned and fervent
piety, and remarkably zealous in promoting works of piety
and charity. Dr. Watts said of him, that he feared there
were but few such men then in England, British or German, Episcopal or Non -conformist. His original works
are 1. “Enchiridion Precum, cum introductione de natura Orationis,
” A volume of
discourses and tracts,
” in English. 3. “The duty of Reformation,
” The doctrine of godly sorrow,
”
Plain directions for reading the Holy Bible,
”
Various pious tracts, in the German language. He also translared the
” Pietas Hallensis,“a curious history of the rise and progress of the Orphan
school at Halle, 1705 6 7, and the first
” Account of
the Protestant mission at Tranquebar,“1709 11, some
parts of the works of bishop Hopkins, Dr. Barrow, &c.
Arndt’s
” True Christianity" and edited a Latin edition
of the same, and editions of some other pious treatises by
foreign divines. He left an unfinished history of the reformation in England from Henry VIII. to Charles II. and
some other manuscripts.