The English Church in the Eighteenth Century

By

Charles J. Abbey and John H. Overton

THE ENGLISH CHURCH IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

BY

CHARLES J. ABBEY

RECTOR OF CHECKENDON: FORMERLY FELLOW OF UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, OXFORD

AND

JOHN H. OVERTON

CANON OF LINCOLN AND RECTOR OF EPWORTH

REVISED AND ABRIDGED

NEW EDITION
LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
LONDON, NEW YORK, AND BOMBAY
1896

PREFACE

TO

THE SECOND EDITION

Although this edition has been shortened to about half the length of the original one, it is essentially the same work. The reduction has been effected, partly by the omission of some whole chapters, partly by excisions. The chapters omitted are those upon the Jacobites, the Essayists, Church Cries, and Sacred Poetry—subjects which have only a more or less incidental bearing on the Church history of the period. The passages excised are, for the most part, quotations, discursive reflections, explanatory notes, occasional repetitions, and, speaking generally, whatever could be removed without injury to the general purpose of the narrative. There has been no attempt at abridgment in any other form.

The authors are indebted to their reviewers for many kind remarks and much careful criticism. They have endeavoured to correct all errors which have been thus pointed out to them.

As the nature of this work has sometimes been a little misapprehended, it should be added that its authors at no time intended it to be a regular history. When they first mapped out their respective shares in the joint undertaking, their design had been to write a number of short essays relating to many different features in the religion and Church history of England in the Eighteenth Century. This general purpose was adhered to; and it was only after much deliberation that the word 'Chapters' was substituted for 'Essays.' There was, however, one important modification. Fewer subjects were, in the issue, specifically discussed, but these more in detail; while some questions—such, for instance, as that of the Church in the Colonies—were scarcely touched upon. Hence a certain disproportion of treatment, which a general introductory chapter could but partially remedy.

PREFACE

TO

THE FIRST EDITION

Some years have elapsed since the authors of this work first entertained the idea of writing upon certain aspects of religious life and thought in the Eighteenth Century. If the ground is no longer so unoccupied as it was then, it appears to them that there is still abundant room for the book which they now lay before the public. Their main subject is expressly the English Church, and they write as English Churchmen, taking, however, no narrower basis than that of the National Church itself.

They desire to be responsible each for his own opinions only, and therefore the initials of the writer are attached to each chapter he has written.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTORY.
(C.J. Abbey.)

·  Revived interest in the religious life of the eighteenth century 1

·  Lowered tone prevalent during a great part of the period 2

·  Loss of strength in the Puritan and Nonjuring ejections 3

·  Absorbing speculations connected with the Deistical controversy 4

·  Development of the ground principles of the Reformation 5

·  Fruits of the Deistical controversy 6

·  Its relation to the Methodist and Evangelical revivals 7

·  Impetus to Protestant feeling in the Revolution of 1689 8

·  Projects of Church comprehension 8

·  Methodism and the Church 9

·  The French Revolution 10

·  Passive Obedience and Divine Right 10

·  Jacobitism 11

·  Loss of the Nonjuring type of High Churchmen 12

·  Toleration 13

·  Church and State 15

·  Respect for the Church 16

·  Early part of the century richest in incident 17

·  Religious societies 17

·  The Sacheverell trial 18

·  Convocation 19

·  The later Nonjurors 19

·  The Essayists 20

·  Hoadly and the Bangorian controversy 21

·  The Methodist and Evangelical movements 21

·  Evidence writers 22

·  Results of the Evidential theology 23

·  Revival of practical activity at the end of the century 24

·  The Episcopate 24

·  General condition of religion and morality 25

·  Clergy and people 25

CHAPTER II.

ROBERT NELSON: HIS FRIENDS AND CHURCH PRINCIPLES.
(C.J. Abbey.)

·  Contrast with the coarser forms of High Churchmanship in that age 26

·  Robert Nelson: general sketch of his life and doings 27

·  His Nonjuring friends 31

o  Ken 31

o  Bancroft and Frampton 32

o  Kettlewell 33

o  Dodwell 34

o  Hickes 36

o  Lee 38

o  Brokesby, Jeremy Collier, &c. 39

o  Exclusiveness among many Nonjurors 39

·  His friends in the National Church 40

o  Bull 40

o  Beveridge 42

o  Sharp 44

o  Smalridge 46

o  Grabe 47

o  Bray 48

o  Oglethorpe, Mapletoft, &c. 49

·  R. Nelson a High Churchman of wide sympathies 50

·  Deterioration of the later type of eighteenth century Anglicanism 51

·  Harm done to the English Church from the Nonjuring secession 51

·  Coincidence at that time of political and theological parties 52

·  Passive obedience as 'a doctrine of the Cross' 53

·  Decline of the doctrine 55

·  Loyalty 56

·  The State prayers 57

·  Temporary difficulties and permanent principles 58

·  Nonjuring Church principles scarcely separable from those of most High Churchmen of that age in the National Church 60

·  Nonjuror usages 61

·  Nonjuror Protestantism 63

·  Isolated position of the Nonjurors 64

·  Communications with the Eastern Church 65

·  General type of the Nonjuring theology and type of piety 68

·  Important function of this party in a Church 73

·  Religious promise of the early years of the century 74

·  Disappointment in the main of these hopes 75

CHAPTER III.

THE DEISTS.
(J.H. Overton.)

·  Points at issue in the Deistical controversy 75-6

·  Deists not properly a sect 76

·  Some negative tenets of the Deists 77

·  Excitement caused by the subject of Deism 78

·  Toland's 'Christianity not mysterious' 79

·  Shaftesbury's 'Characteristics' 80-2

·  His protest against the Utilitarian view of Christianity 81

·  Collins's 'Discourse of Freethinking' 82-3

·  Bentley's 'Remarks' on Collins' 83-4

·  Collins's 'Discourse on the Grounds and Reasons of the Christian Religion' 84-5

·  Woolston's 'Six Discourses on the Miracles' 85

·  Sherlock's 'Tryal of the Witnesses' 86

·  Annet's 'Resurrection of Jesus Considered' 86

·  Tindal's 'Christianity as old as the Creation' 86-7

·  Conybeare's 'Defence of Revealed Religion' 87

·  Tindal the chief exponent of Deism 88

·  Morgan's 'Moral Philosopher' 89

·  Chubbs's works 90-1

·  'Christianity not founded on argument' 92-3

·  Bolingbroke's 'Philosophical Works' 93-6

·  Butler's 'Analogy' 96-7

·  Warburton's 'Divine Legation of Moses' 97-8

·  Berkeley's 'Alciphron, or the Minute Philosopher' 98-9

·  Leland's 'View of the Deistical Writers' 100-1

·  Pope's 'Essay on Man' 101-2

·  John Locke's relation to Deism 102-5

·  Effects of the Deistical controversy 106-8

·  Collapse of Deism 108

·  Want of sympathy with the Deists 110

·  Their unpopularity 111

CHAPTER IV.

LATITUDINARIAN CHURCHMANSHIP.
(1.) CHARACTER AND INFLUENCE OF ARCHBISHOP TILLOTSON'S THEOLOGY.
(C.J. Abbey.)

·  Use of the term 'Latitudinarian' 112

·  In the eighteenth century 113

·  Archbishop Tillotson:—

o  His close relationship with the eighteenth century 115

o  His immense repute as a writer and divine 115

o  Vehemence of the attack upon his opinions 117

o  His representative character 118

o  His appeal to reason in all religious questions 119

o  On spiritual influence 119

o  On Christian evidences 119

o  On involuntary error 120

o  On private judgment, its rights and limitations 121

o  Liberty of thought and 'Freethinking' in Tillotson's and the succeeding age 125

o  Tillotson on 'mysteries' 127

o  On the doctrine of the Trinity 129

o  On Christ's redemption 130

o  Theory of accommodation 131

o  The future state 133

o  Inadequate insistance on distinctive Christian doctrine 140

o  Religion and ethics 141

o  Goodness and happiness 142

o  Prudential religion 143

o  General type of Tillotson's latitudinarianism 145

CHAPTER V.

LATITUDINARIAN CHURCHMANSHIP.

(2.) CHURCH COMPREHENSION AND CHURCH REFORMERS.

(C.J. Abbey.)

·  Comprehension in the English Church 147

·  Attitude towards Rome in eighteenth century 148

o  Strength of Protestant feeling 148

o  Exceptional interest in the Gallican Church 149

·  Archbishop Wake and the Sorbonne divines 149

o  Alienation unmixed with interest in the middle of the eighteenth century 152

o  The exiled French clergy 154

·  The reformed churches abroad:—

o  Relationship with them a practical question of great interest since James II.'s time 155

o  Alternation of feeling on the subject since the Reformation 156

o  The Protestant cause at the opening of the eighteenth century 158

o  The English Liturgy and Prussian Lutherans 160

o  Subsidence of interest in foreign Protestantism 163

·  Nonconformists at home:—

o  Strong feeling in favour of a national unity in Church matters 164

o  Feeling at one time in favour of comprehension, both among Churchmen and Nonconformists 166

o  General view of the Comprehension Bills 169

o  The opportunity transitory 174

o  Church comprehension in the early part of the eighteenth century confessedly hopeless 175

o  Partial revival of the idea in the middle of the century 177

·  Comprehension of Methodists 180

·  Occasional conformity:—

o  A simple question complicated by the Test Act 183

o  The Occasional Conformity Bill 184

o  Occasional conformity, apart from the test, a 'healing custom' 185

o  But by some strongly condemned 186

o  Important position it might have held in the system of the National Church 187

·  Revision of Church formularies; subscription:—

o  Distaste for any ecclesiastical changes 188

o  The 'Free and Candid Disquisitions' 189

o  Subscription to the Articles 190

o  Arian subscription 193

o  Proposed revision of Church formularies 195

·  Isolation of the English Church at the end of the last century 195

·  The period unfitted to entertain and carry out ideas of Church development 196

CHAPTER VI.

THE TRINITARIAN CONTROVERSY.

(J.H. Overton.)

·  Importance of the question at issue 197

·  Four different views on the subject 198

·  Bull's 'Defensio Fidei Nicænæ' 199

·  Sherlock, Wallis, and South on the Trinity 200

·  Charles Leslie on Socinianism 201-2

·  William Whiston on the Trinity 202-4

·  Samuel Clarke the reviver of modern Arianism 204

·  Opponents of Clarke 205

·  Waterland on the Trinity 205-13

·  Excellences of Waterland's writings 213

·  Convocation and Dr. Clarke 214

·  Arianism among Dissenters 215

·  Arianism lapses into Socinianism.—Faustus Socinus 215

·  Modern Socinianism 216

·  Isaac Watts on the Trinity 217-9

·  Blackburne's 'Confessional' 219

·  Jones of Nayland on the Trinity 219-20

·  Priestley on the Trinity 220

·  Horsley's replies to Priestley 220-4

·  Unitarians and Trinitarians (nomenclature) 225

·  Deism and Unitarianism 226

CHAPTER VII.

'ENTHUSIASM.'

(C.J. Abbey.)

·  Meaning of 'Enthusiasm' as generally dreaded in the eighteenth century 226

·  A vague term, but important in the history of the period 227

·  As entering into most theological questions then under discussion 229

·  Cambridge Platonists: Cudworth, Henry More 230

·  Influence of Locke's philosophy 234

·  Warburton's 'Doctrine of Grace' 237

·  Sympathy with the reasonable rather than the spiritual side of religion 237

·  Absence of Mysticism in the last century, on any conspicuous scale 238

·  Mysticism found its chief vent in Quakerism 240

·  Quakerism in eighteenth century 241

·  Its strength, its decline, its claim to attention 244

·  French Mysticism in England. The 'French Prophets' 246

·  Fénelon, Bourignon, and Guyon 249

·  German Mysticism in England. Behmen 251

·  William Law 253

·  His active part in theological controversy 254

·  Effects of Mysticism on his theology 255

o  His breadth of sympathy and appreciation of all spiritual excellence 257

o  Position of, in the Deist controversy 259

o  Views on the Atonement 259

o  On the Christian evidences 260

o  Controversy with Mandeville on the foundations of moral virtue 261

o  His speculation on the future state 261

o  On Enthusiasm 263

o  His imitator in verse, John Byrom 264

·  The Moravians 265

o  Wesley's early intimacy with W. Law and with the Moravians 266

o  Lavington and others on the enthusiasm of Methodists 269

o  Points of resemblance and difference between Methodism and the Mystic revivals 271

·  Bearing of Berkeley's philosophy on the Mystic theology 274

·  William Blake 275

·  Dean Graves on enthusiasm 276

·  Samuel Coleridge 277

CHAPTER VIII.

CHURCH ABUSES.

(J.H. Overton.)

·  Fair prospect at the beginning of the eighteenth century 279

·  Contrast between promise and performance 279

·  Shortcomings of the Church exaggerated on many sides 280

·  General causes of the low tone of the Church:—

o  (1) Her outward prosperity 280

o  (2) Influence and policy of Sir R. Walpole 281

o  (3) The controversies of her own and previous generations 282

o  (4) Political complications 282

o  (5) Want of synodal action 282-4

·  Pluralities and non-residence 284-6

·  Neglect of parochial duties 286-7

·  Clerical poverty 287-9

·  Clerical dependents 289

·  Abuse of Church patronage 290-2

·  Evidence in the autobiography of Bishop T. Newton 292-3

·  " " " Bishop Watson 293-6

·  " " " Bishop Hurd 296-7

·  Clergy too much mixed up with politics 297-8

·  Want of parochial machinery 298-300

·  Sermons of period too sweepingly censured 300

·  But marked by a morbid dread of extremes 301

·  Political sermons 302

·  Low state of morals 303

·  Clergy superior to their contemporaries 304

·  The nation passed through a crisis in the eighteenth century 306

·  A period of transition in the Church 307