An Account of the Growth of Deism in England

by William Stephens

I prevail'd upon one of my Friends, a Deist, to read those three Letters, because therein the Substance of the Christian Religion is distinguish'd from the Circumstantials and Appendages; for want of which distinction being well understood, Deism has arose, as that great Man in the fore-cited Letter hath observed. When Men (says he) see so much Religion placed by Professors of Christianity in these things which every intelligent Man values but as Forms, or Inventions, or Modes, or Artifices, and yet as great weight laid upon them, as great fervour and animosity us'd for or against them, as almost for any Points of Christian Religion; They are apt presently to censure and throw off all Religion, and reckon all of the same make. Thus that Upright Judge, whose three Letters my Friend having read, did well approve of 'em, acknowledging, that with great Exactness he had distinguished between Religion and Priest-craft: And he added, If you will shew me, Sir, any Christian Church where that distinction is observed, I will become a Member of it. I recommended the Church of England; he presently told me that he had read the 39 Articles, and observed that 3 of them were wholly design'd to uphold the Power of the Clergy over the People. And then he had me only compare the Design, which has been, and still is, carrying on under the Name of the Church of England, with the Design of the Christian Religion, as 'tis described by Sir Matthew Hale; and I should find the one in all its parts a Contradiction to the other. 'Tis plain (said he) the Clergy do not allow of Sir Matthew's Notions, nor will they suffer us to take any thing for Religion, that is distinguished from their particular Interest. To what end have so many Persecutions and Penal Laws been set a foot by the Clergy in Christendom? was it to bring Men to any one Point of that full Description of Christian Religion, which you cited from Sir Matthew Hale? or only to bring them to that short Article of their Clergy Religion, i.e. to submit to their Power? Did not the Honourable Sir R. H. lately write a Treatise, wherein with great Learning and accurate Judgment he distinguished betwixt Religion and Priest-craft? and was he not treated for it with a true Priestly Insolence and Malice in the Pulpit at White-hall, by A. one of their Majesties Chaplains, and represented as a Scorner and an Atheist, because he scorns to submit to any Religion but what is of Christ's Institution? Suppose a Man should govern himself by the Law of Christ, and go no further, is there any Christian Church which would own such an one for a Member? If you will be a Son of the Church of England you must hold Kings and Bishops to be jure divino, the Apostolical Doctrine of Passive Obedience; you must not be indifferent to their Ceremonies, though declar'd but indifferent things; and the Reason is, because you must have a profound Respect for the Power of the Bishops, by which these Ceremonies were ordain'd: And besides this, you must shew a perfect Abhorrence of all who do not submit to the Spiritual Royalties of their Diocesan Bishops; for your Churchmanship will not appear by any Mark so well, as by the Hatred you bear to all Dissenters, in Conjunction with a deep aversion to all the ancient Rights and just Liberties of your Native Country. In fine, (said he) when your Clergy Preach the Law of Christ without turning it to any By-end, or false Interest, you shall meet me at Church. You know the Clergy love Precedency of the Laity; Let them turn Christians first, and I can follow.

6. I have known some, who have alledged as a Reason why they have forsaken the Christian Faith, the impossibility of Believing. Many Doctrines (say these) are made necessary to Salvation, which 'tis impossible to believe, because they are in their nature Absurdities. I replied, That these things were Mysteries, and so above our Understanding. But he asked me to what end could an unintelligible Doctrine be revealed? not to instruct, but to puzzle and amuse. What can be the effect of an unintelligible Mystery upon our Minds, but only Amusement? That which is only above Reason must be above a rational Belief, and must I be Saved by an irrational Belief? If a Proposition be inconsistent with it self, I cannot but believe it to be false: 'Twas once to serve a Turn against the Papists your Church held all Doctrines necessary to save Souls, were plainly revealed in Scripture; How could you say plainly revealed unless you understood the Revelation? Besides, I cannot think that the belief of any unprofitable Doctrines, i.e. such as admit of no Application to Moral Duties, can be a saving Faith so much as in part; nor can I imagine that Faith tends to save a Soul, because what we believe is only True, (for so the belief of Euclids Elements might have a saving Effect upon Souls) but because our Belief is Good, it has a practical Effect, and tends to make us better Men. Besides, you all agree the Belief of your Trinity is absolutely necessary to Salvation, and yet widely differ in what we must believe concerning it; whether three Minds or Modes, or Properties, or internal Relations, or Oeconomies, or Manifestations, or external Denominations; or else no more than a Holy Three, or Three Somewhats; or otherwise only one of these Three to be God in the highest Sense, and each of the other two to be a God without Self-subsistence and Independence. I am confident, if I should be perswaded that an Explanation of the Trinity were necessary to save my Soul, and see the Learned so widely differing and hotly disputing what it is I must believe concerning it, I should certainly run mad through despair of finding out the Truth: But since these Doctors cannot agree which Party of 'em shall captivate my Belief in Obedience to his Faith, I will reserve it to be the Hand-maid of Truth; whenever she appears she shall command it.

7. I remember one Gentleman objected to the Christian Faith, that it made Men insolent, quarrelsom and ill-natur'd. From whence I concluded, (as I told him) that he had never read over the Gospels; truly he could not say that he had read 'em carefully, but yet that in reading the History of what had passed in Christendom, he observed that most of the Quarrels in which this part of the World had been engaged, arose from Contentions among the Christian Priesthood. Church-History is chiefly a Relation of Church-mens Wrangles, and D. Cave in a late Book of his had denominated every Century from some eminent Quarrel which arose among the Clergy. But besides this, what was the Holy War, what all the holy Massacres and Croisados which filled Europe with Blood, but the Inventions of Holy Church? And what is holy Inquisition, but a perpetual Series of Murthers carry'd on in barbarous Forms of Law against the common Sense of Mankind? Does History account for any Barbarities so great as those committed by the Popes? Any Cruelties so savage as those of the Holy Inquisition? Any Murthers so solemn, and religiously brutal as the Acts of Faith? Any Pragmaticalness so insufferable as that of the Jesuits? is not their Humanity extinguished by their Christian Religion? such is their Malice that no Man can eat Bread where they have to do, unless he submit his Faith to their guidance, witness the present French Persecution. Nor can any Sovereign Prince keep his Word or Oath, though he had only sworn to maintain those Laws by which he Reigns as King, any longer than this Spiritual Fatherhood will give him leave, as Lewis XIV. of France, and James II. of England do witness. Let these Inhumanities be considered, as supported and carried on by the name of Catholick Church, and (if the Devils believe) you may as decently say Church of Hell as Church of Rome.

And as Devotion, continu'd our Deist, to holy Church is the center upon which all things turn on the other side the Water, so is it the same thing here. Do not our Priesthood of England make as high Pretences to dispose of all Offices and Trusts in the Kingdom, to those of their own Faction, as those of Rome? Have they not long since got their Bill of Exclusion to be passed into a Law, whereby no Man can enjoy a Place of Profit or Trust in the State, but whom they qualify at their Altars? where Men were capacitated to be Bumbails, keep Gaming-houses and sell Ale. What was it but the Insolence of the Priesthood that brought about Father Laud's and Father Peter's Revolutions? Besides (said he) do you not observe what a keen Edge Christian Faith puts upon the ill-nature of Divines, when they are disputing about matters of Religion? 'Tis common for Philosophers, Lawyers, Physicians, &c. to differ about matters which concern their Professions, and write one against another: But you will find some Temper and Decorum observed in their Writings. But let the Controversy be about any Branch of Christian Faith; and then see the Odium Theologorum, the Malice of Divines in the late Writings of two of your Church Doctors against each other; at least this shews that Christian Faith doth not improve the Temper of such Men who are of mean Birth, and narrow Education. And I cannot but observe, that your Protestant Malice is under a worse Management than the Popish; they only thirst for the Blood of Protestants, but you are for sucking one anothers Blood; as when for the Service of King Charles the II. (who was Head of your Church) and his Popish Brother, the Blood of the best Protestants in England, (and some of them of your own Church) was to be spilt, the Court Blood-suckers, viz. Attorney general, and Judges, besides Juries and Evidence, were all of 'em chosen Men out of your own Church; and the Posse of the Clergy was raised to hold their Heads to the Block, by Preaching the Doctrine of Passive Obedience.

But in requital, it must be confessed, that your Clergy require the King to do their Persecuting Journey-work with the same Insolence as the Popish Priesthood use; For must not the Sovereign Monarch of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, by his Authority Royal, execute the Decrees and Anathema's of the Arch-deacons and Bishops Chancellors, by Imprisoning his loyal and useful Subjects, for not conforming to their Ceremonies? If a King will submit to this Drudgery, he shall have the vox Cleri of his side, and be as great as Noise and fulsom Flattery can make him; but in the mean time is really King but of one Moiety of his People, whilst the danger which the other half apprehend from the Secular Arm directed by Spiritual Power of Necessity, weaneth their Hearts from the Government. Thus Charles the II. who for two Years after his Return, reigned in the Hearts of all his People, was by the Act of Uniformity reduced to be King of the Church-party; and at last, whilst the Popish and Protestant Priesthood zealously contended whose Property he should be, (like the Truth among Controversial Divines) he was lost in the Scuffle.

He instanced in likewise the late King James, who (said he) had it in his power to be universally beloved and obey'd, beyond any King of England this Age has produced. His Right to the Crown was owned by all; his Wilfulness had passed upon the Church of England Party for Magnanimous Resolution, which struck such an Awe upon them, that they were coming to a Temper, and would have consented to a Toleration of Protestant Dissenters, and Roman Catholicks too, provided their Maintenance might be continued to them. Thus the Heart of all England had been set upon the King; but the Popish Priesthood would be content with nothing less than delivering the whole Nation to Satan, and their King must execute the dreadful Anathema, though 'twas manifest that he must thereby lessen himself to the size of one of the 7 Kings of Kent; for he could be Sovereign of no more than the Two hundredth part of the People. For King Charles in numbering the People, had found that the Proportion between Papist and Protestant was as 1 to 200: whereas had his own Priesthood been so favourable to him, as to have excused him from executing that Satanical Power, which by a Right purely Divine was vested in Sacred Majesty, his Reign might have been happy, and his Memory precious. What an unhappy Effect had the Spirit of Father Laud upon King Charles the First? And what hath brought Lewis the XIV. to the present Diminution of his Glory, but that haughty Insolence and unnatural Cruelty in Persecuting his own Subjects, which Father la Chaise has inspired him with? What Figure will this Grand Monarch make in Story? His Name will pollute the Annals of this Age, and his cowardly Conquests be the Scorn of Posterity. Now from all that he had said, he concluded, that for Luck-sake, as well as to preserve his good Nature, he would be cautious of being (at least) a zealous Christian.

8. 'Twas not long since I met one of my old Acquaintance, who told me that he had lately cast off these Prejudices he had conceived against the Christian Faith, by the Assistance of a Book called, The Five Letters of Inspiration. By the last of those Letters he was convinced of the reality of reveal'd Religion, from the Intrinsick value and Excellency thereof; and he was fully confirmed in his Judgment by a late Book called, The Reasonableness of Christianity, as delivered in the Scripture. Upon this, he had read over the Old-Testament once, and the New several times, with great attention of Mind. Indeed he always thought the Moral part of the Bible very good; but then he also thought, that by the strength of his own Reason, he could have written as good a Moral himself. But by the last of these Books he was convinced, that he was indebted to Revelation more than he thought of, and considering how long the Ceremonial Law had obtain'd among the Jews, and what a profound respect they paid to the Scribes, Pharisees, and Spiritual Guides and Rulers; he plainly saw that there was need enough of Miracle to bear down their Prejudices, to make 'em leave their Ceremonies, and listen to that excellent Moral which Christ gave 'em; nay, he was convinced that no Miracles were strong enough to prevail over the Priest, or a Priest-ridden People, to become Proselytes to the Doctrine of universal Love and Charity; for (said he) if a Teacher should now be sent from Heaven with this Message, that all the Protestant Parties in England should be reconciled and live well with one another, making nothing necessary to their religious Communion, but what Christ had appointed, and such Circumstances as Time and Place, and what in the nature of the thing was needful, and if this Teacher's Mission were confirm'd by Miracle, it would have (as he thought) no better effect upon our several Sects of Clergy, and those who are bigotted to their Parties, than it had upon the Pharisees and their Disciples of old.

Having heard him speak so sharply against the Clergy after his old way, I could not but tell him that I perceived he was but almost a Christian; for he who loveth the Institution of Christ, cannot but respect those who are the Ministers thereof; at least, I hoped that he would pay a respect to the Clergy of the Church of England, which was the best Reformed Church in the World; and therefore I expected that he was already a Member of our Church: He reply'd, that he should always be ready to pay his respect to every good Man of what Order or Degree soever; he should always be willing to hear a good Minister Preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to him, and exhort him to the sincere Practice of it. That he was ready to contribute his share to the Maintenance of such Ministers, and to join with that Church-of-England Congregation near to which he liv'd, in publick Worship; but yet he could not condemn the Worship of other Congregations, nor exclude himself from joyning with them as occasion should serve him. So that as to Church-membership he could be a Member of any Church, which would own him upon the terms of Faith and Practice, contained in the Book he mentioned, concerning the Reasonableness of the Christian Religion, &c. But still he conceiv'd, that Church-Communion in holy Offices was designed only to raise his Devotion towards God, not towards the Clergy, which made him admire the unparallell'd Impudence of the Roman Priesthood, who measure the Religion of all Christians by their Devotion to the See of Rome, i.e. indeed to themselves; and he doubted whether any Church were sufficiently Reformed from Popery, which made any Doctrines of Faith necessary to Salvation that were not declared so in the Gospels, and where the Clergy would always distinguish between Church and State, and give the Precedency to themselves. But yet he would join with any Church as far as it promoted the Honour of God, and separate from it, wherein on pretence of Religion, he saw, that it aimed at a By-end of its own.

Here I urged him again to joyn to our Church, which had no other design but God's Glory. To this he said, that he should be glad that the Church of England would own him, though he could not be of their Party: He would willingly pass as a Church-man for his Credit-sake; for (said he) though a Man doth ever so firmly believe Jesus Christ to be the Messiah whom God had of old promised, and in due time sent to give us a perfect Rule of Life, in order to make us truly religious here, and ever happy hereafter; and though a Man should shew forth his Faith by an agreeable course of Life, in doing Justice, loving Mercy, and an humble walking with God; yet if he were not owned as a Member of some Church, he would by all Churches be accounted, if not an Atheist, yet a Sceptic, a Man of no settled Principle, but own who has his Religion to choose. For if you look over the State of Religion as it standeth in Christendom, there is no Church whatsoever which will accept you as a Member of its Communion, but upon some particular terms of Belief, or Practice, which Christ never appointed, and it may be such as an honest and a wise Christian cannot consent to. I am not more able to give up my Reason to the Church of England, than to give up my Senses to the Church of Rome; it looks like a Trick in all Churches to take away the use of Mens Reason, that they may render us Vassals and Slaves to all their Dictates and Commands. But what greater slavery than to force on Men a Belief of such things as necessary to Salvation, of which 'tis not possible to form any Idea? Though I am satisfied there is no such thing as a change of Bread into the Flesh of Christ, yet I can form an Idea, that such a thing may be, that the same Power which changed Earth into a Man, may change Bread into Flesh: But I can frame to my self no Idea of what your Church Teacheth in the Sacrament, that the Body and Blood of Christ are verily and indeed taken and received of the faithful: And when I ask how can this be understood by a Protestant, who believeth that there is no other Body but that of Bread? I am told that the Church meaneth it in a Spiritual Sense. Now I have try'd, and find it impossible for me to form to my self an Idea of a Body verily and indeed in a Spiritual Sense.

And therefore I must say 'tis an unwise and a hard Thing for any Church to impose absurd or unintelligible Notions (especially such Speculations, which tend to make no body the better) as necessary to Salvation; for Wise Men, and such who will take Courage to examine what they Believe, will not submit to such an Usurpation; and weak Men are kept all their Life long in Fears and Doubts of their Eternal State, as being always uncertain whether they firmly believe such Doctrines, or no.