, the son of a Calvinist, who was keeper of the hotel de laTremouille,
, the son of a Calvinist, who was keeper of the hotel de laTremouille, was born in 1640. In his
youth he appears not to have been exempt from dissipation, but the love of study predominated, and after the regular course he was chosen minister of Alenc.on. While
there, he had a dispute with father Larue, a Jesuit, on the
pretended falsifications in the Geneva translation of the
Bible, and the celebrated Huet took his part so far as to
blame the intemperance of this Jesuit. The letters which
passed on this occasion may be seen in the first volume of
a collection published by the abbe Tilladet. On the revocation of the edict of Nantes, Benoit went to Delft, and
became minister of the Walloon church, in which situation
he remained until his death in 1728. Much of this long
life was embittered by his marrying a woman of a mean,
sordid, and irritable temper, and some part of it was
disturbed by controversy. Besides the dispute already mentioned, he had another with Jacquelot, respecting the union
of the two churches; one likewise with Le Clerc, on the
first chapter of the gospel of St. John, and one with Van
der Honert, on the style of the New Testament. His principal works were, 1. “Histoire de Pedit de Nantes,
”
Delft, Histoire et Apologie
de la retraite des pasteurs a cause de la persecution,
”
Francfort, Defense
” of this apology
against d'Artis, ibid. Melanges de remarques critiques, historiques, philosophiques, et theologiques,
” against some of Toland’s writings, Delft, Sermons et des Lettres.
”