William Outram (Or Owtram)
William Outram (Or Owtram) [1]
Outram (Or Owtram), William, D.D.,
an English divine, was born in Derbyshire in 1625. He entered Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1641, and upon the completion of his university course became rector of St Mary Woolnoth, London, which position he resigned in 1666; was appointed archdeacon of Leicester in 1669; became prebendary of Westminster in 1670, and was also. for some time rector of St. Margaret's, Westminster. He was much esteemed by his contemporaries. Both the Churchmen and the Dissenters had great confidence in his piety and his judgment (see Stoughton, Eccles. Hist. [Church of the Restoration], 1:439). He was well versed in rabbinical learning, and in the writings of the fathers. He died in 1679. His works are: De Sacrisfciis Libri duo, quorum altero explicantur omnia Judceorum nonnulla Gentium Profanorum Sacrificia; altero Sacrificiumn Christi Contra F. Socinum (Lond. 1677, 4to; Amster. 1688, 12mo); this was translated into English, with additional notes and indexes, by John Allen, under the title of Two Dissertations on Sacrifices; the first on all the Sacrifices of the Jews, with Remarks on some of those of the Heathens; the second on the Sacrifice of Christ; in both which the General Doctrine of the Christian Church on these Subjects is defended against the Socinians (1817, 8vo; 1828, 8vo; 1833, 8vo). "Some of the best discussions on the subject of sacrifice," says Orme, "are to be found in this work; and in no work is the typical relation of the ancient sacrifices to the nature and design of the death of Christ more satisfactorily explained. The English translation is respectably executed, and has made the work accessible to all." "This work," says Horne, "is of singular use to the divinity student, as affording, in a comparatively small compass — one of the most masterly vindications of the vicarious atonement of Christ: — Twenty Sermons preached on several Occasions (1652, 8vo, posth.; 2d ed. 1679, 8vo). These were edited by Dr. J. Gardiner, bishop of Lincoln, who commends them highly in his preface. See Allibone, Dict. of Brit. and Amer. Authors, vol. ii, s.v.; Orme, Bibl. Bibl. s.v.; Home, Introd. vol. ii.
