A place appropriated by Dissenters for the purpose of public worship. Since the act of uniformity passed, 1662, by which so many hundreds of ministers were ejected from their livings, meeting-houses have become very numerous. For a considerable time, indeed, they were prohibited by the conventicle act; but, at last, toleration being granted to Dissenters, they enjoyed the privilege of meeting and worshipping God according to the dictates of their own consciences, and which they still possess to this day. The number of meeting-houses in London, may, perhaps, amount to about 150, though some reckon upwards of 200. In all the respectable towns, and even in many villages of England, there are meeting- houses; and, within a few years, they have greatly increased.
Despite a stated reliance on the plain meaning of the Bible and the dictates of common sense, Buck's Theological Dictionary, first published in London in 1802, seeks to provide a textual basis for the evangelical community. By combining brief essays on orthodox belief and practice with historical entries on various denominations, Buck provided an interpretive lens that allowed antebellum Protestants to see Christianity's almost two millennia as their own history.Wikipedia
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