(John), an eminent dissenting minister, was the son of Mr John Abernethy a dissenting minister in Colraine, and was born on the 19th of October 1680. When about nine years of age, he was separated from his parents, his father being obliged to attend some public affairs in London; and his mother, to shelter herself from the mad fury of the Irish rebels, retiring to Derry, a relation who had him under his care, having no opportunity of conveying him to her, took him with him to Scotland; by which means he escaped the hardships he must have suffered at the siege of Derry, where Mrs Abernethy lost all her other children. He afterwards studied at the university of Glasgow, till he took the degree of master of arts; and, in 1708, he was chosen minister of a dissenting congregation at Antrim, where he continued above twenty years. About the time of the Bangorian controversy (for which, see Hoadley), a dissension arose among his brethren in the ministry at Belfast, on the subject of subscription to the Westminster confession; in which he became a leader on the negative side, and incurred the censure of a general synod. Being in consequence deserted by the greatest part of his congregation, he accepted an invitation to settle in Dublin, where his preaching was much admired. He was distinguished by his candid, free, and generous sentiments; and died of the gout in Dec. 1740, in the sixtieth year of his age. He published a volume of sermons on the Divine Attributes; after his death a second volume was published by his friends; and these were succeeded by four other volumes on different subjects; all of which have been greatly admired.

a town in Strathern, a district of Perthshire in Scotland. It is seated on the river Tay, a little above the mouth of the Erne. It is said to have been the seat of the Pictish kings; and was afterwards the see of an archbishop, since transferred to St Andrews. It is now greatly decayed.