1. One who exhorts or urges on to action. Obs.
1552. Huloet, Exhortoure, suasor.
1554. T. Martin, Marr. Priests, A a iv. A moste deuoute exhorter, & a most earnest perswader.
1655–60. Stanley, Hist. Philos. (1701), 85/2. Socrates … as being a Man Absolute and Perfect … never needed any exhorter.
1875. C. F. Wingate, in N. Amer. Rev., CXX. 146. He took a lively interest in prayer-meetings and church-going, and was an earnest exhorter.
2. spec. In various Christian Churches, a person appointed to give religious exhortation under the direction of a superior minister. Cf. EVANGELIST 3 c.
1513–75. Diurn. Occurr. (Bannatyne Club), 88. It was ordanit be the Ministeris, exhortaris and reidaris of this realme.
1564. Act Edin. Gen. Assembly, 25 Dec. An Act … ‘Ordaining every Minister, Exhorter and Reader to have one of the Psalm Books.’
1637–50. Row, Hist. Kirk (1842), 40. The Generall Assemblie [to] appoynt the proportion how much shall a Superintendent have, how much a Commissioner, how much ane Exhorter, how much a Reader.
1772. Wesley, Jrnl., 5 June. One of these exhorters was Jacob Rowell.
