618J Andrew Le Mercier (1692-1763)

The church history of Geneva, in five books. Wherein the state of religion in that place before Christianity is described; and also how the Gospel was first preached there, and by whom. A catalogue of all the Bishops of Geneva, to the time of the Reformation. The state o that church in times of popery. An exact account of the blessed Reformation. The history of that church from that time to this. And lastly, several things, concerning the church-government, the discipline, the ministers and the manners of that church.
as BOUND WITH
A geographical and political account of the republick of Geneva. .. By the author of The church history of Geneva.

Boston, New-England : Sold by S. Gerrish, and other booksellers, 1732.
and
Boston, New-England: Printed by B. Green, and sold at the booksellers shops. 1732. Price: $1,500

Octavo Signatures: π3A-O⁸;[title page two] A-K⁴ L⁴(-L⁴blank) This is bound in full modern sheep in the style of a New England binding of the time, (see above)

Andrew Le Mercier (1692-1764) was French-born Protestant Huguenot leader in Boston in the 18th century. Le Mercier was born in Normandy, France after, completing clerical studies in Geneva at the then Geneva Academy in 1715 he arrived in Boston (then in the English colony of Province of Massachusetts Bay) in 1716 recruited by André Faneuil to succeed Rev. Pierre Dailleas pastor of the Boston French Church (now 24 School Street) and remained there until 1741 when the church closed. He was the last of the early French Protestant Ministers in Boston. He was also involved in establishing a settlement on the infamous Sable Island [île de Sable]—the graveyard of the Atlantic. Since 1583 the first recorded wreck was the English ship Delight, part of Humphrey Gilbert’s Newfoundland expedition, there have been over 350 recorded shipwrecks on Sable Island.

The work is dedicated To the most Reverend the Pastors of the Churches of Christ in New-England, and was probably written for their benefit. Le Mercier was a respected leader amongst the small Huguenot community that existed in New England for almost three decades. He wrote “The Church History of Geneva, in Five Books, with a Political and Geographical Account of that Republic” (Boston, 1732), and a “Treatise against Detraction” (1733). and The Christian Rapture. A Poem. Boston: Rogers and Fowle for D. Gookin, 1747

“The Huguenots were French Protestants who followed the teachings of the religious reformer John Calvin (1509-1564). They faced persecution and even death during the French Religious Wars in the second half of the sixteenth century. The conclusion of these wars produced the Edict of Nantes (1598),
which allowed Protestants to freely practice their religion in specified areas
of France. After the assassination of King Henri IV (1553-1610), a one-time
Huguenot, the provisions of this Edict began to be eroded. As persecution
of Protestants intensified and their faith was declared illegal throughout
predominantly Catholic France in 1685, many Huguenots sought refuge in
Protestant states such as the Netherlands, Dutch-controlled South Africa, Swiss city-states, the Palatinate, Great Britain, and in the British North
American colonies.” (Paula Wheeler Carlo)

“Le Mercier as “perhaps the most literate of the Huguenots to come
to America.” Mercier, who was proficient in French, English, and perhaps several ancient languages, Le Mercier had written the following in this book, The church history of Geneva, addressing the New England protestants:
There is a great difference between Articles of Doctrine and
Points of Discipline. One may in this last respect conform
himself to the ways of the Places where he liveth … without any
prejudice to his Religion and Conscience…. [As] to Articles of
Discipline, we must be of a sociable Spirit, and submit to the
order of the Churches among which we live; because order is not
an unalterable thing … it depends upon the circumstances of
times and places; so that it may be very well said of two opposite
forms, that they are both of them good.

“Le Mercier’s book, The Church History of Geneva, published in 1732,
presented a perfect paradigm for Huguenot identity and Protestant unity. It
was dedicated to “The Most Reverend Pastors of the Churches of Christ in
New–England” in response to their frequent inquiries about Geneva and its
Academy, where Le Mercier had lived and studied. He referred to the Church
of Geneva as the “Mother of the other Churches” and placed the French-
speaking city, French reformers, and Huguenot refugees in Geneva at the
heart of the international Protestant movement. In this way, he emphasized
the Huguenot sense of identity while fostering memories of their centrality
to the Reformation.
Le Mercier further observed that despite “difference[s] in the way of
Publick Worship,” the Genevan Church has “always maintained as much
as they could, a sincere Communion and a true and extensive Charity
with all true Protestants of all Denominations.” (Paula Wheeler Carlo)