He was born in Dublin, Ireland, received his MA from Trinity College in 1698[1] and served as a chaplain in the British Army before getting a parish in County Cork in 1709.
In 1718, he again attacked high churchmen with A Rational and Historical Account of the Principles which Gave Birth to the Late Rebellion.
He argued that Smedley had suffered persecution for his Whig views before 1714 (and the death of Queen Anne) and his tirelessness in the righteous causes of Protestantism.
During this time Smedley attempted to get subscriptions for a projected A Universal View of All the Eminent Writers on the Holy Scriptures, but this came to nought.
Smedley was unable or unwilling to live within his income, and he mortgaged part of his deanery in Clogher to Benjamin Hoadley, then a rising figure in the political side of the Church.
In 1729, Smedley resigned Clogher for the position of chaplain to Fort Madras in the British East India Company.