¹ Hunt, Religious Thought in England, i, 271.

² Birch, The Life of the most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson, … 2nd ed. (1753), p. 31.

³ Cf. Robert South, Sermons (Philadelphia, 1844), i, 492. “For it is a truth too manifest to be denied, that there have been more innovations upon, and blasphemies against the chief articles of our faith published in this kingdom, and that after a more audacious and scandalous manner, within these several years past, than have been known for some centuries of years before, even those times of confusion both in church and state betwixt forty-one and sixty not excepted: and what this may produce and end in, God only at present knows, and I wish the whole nation may not at length feel” (Sermon of 1694).

⁴ That this challenge to religion was not disregarded may be seen by examining the titles in Arber's Term Catalogues, where is listed book after book apparently devoted to showing the unreasonableness of atheism and the truth of natural religion as a basis for Christianity. In 1696 Bentley wrote: “But of all ages since the coming of Christ, I suppose this present has least reason to compain for want of work and imployment in defence of Religion.” Eight Sermons Preach'd at the honourable Robert Boyle's Lecture, in the First Year, mdcxcii (Cambridge, 1724), p. 346.

⁵ Cf. A Title listed by Arber for June, 1696: A Discourse concerning Natural and Revealed Religion: Evidencing the truth and certainty of both, by considerations (for the most part) not yet touch'd by any. Recommended, pursuant to the design of Mr. Boyle's Lecture, to the consideration of Atheists, Deists, and Scepticks; and useful to confirm and nourish the Faith and Piety of others. By S. N.

⁶ “All those who either are, or pretend to be Atheists; who either disbelieve the Being of God, or would be thought to do so; or, (which is all one), who deny the Principal Attributes of the Divine Nature, and suppose God to be an Unintelligent Being, which acts merely by Necessity; that is, which, in any tolerable Propriety of Speech, acts not at all, but is only acted upon: all men that are Atheists, I say, in this Sense, must be so upon one or other of these three Accounts.”—Samuel Clarke, A Discourse concerning the Being and Attributes of God, 8th. ed., (London, 1732), pp. 1–2. Cf. John Harris, Sermon ii (London, 1698), p. 7.

⁷ “The atheists … are divided into Sects, and (which is the mark and character of Error) are at variance and repugnancy, with each other and with themselves. Some of them will have mankind to have been thus from all Eternity. But the rest do not approve of infinite Successions, but are positive for a Beginning: and they also are subdivided into three Parties: the first ascribe the origin of men to the Influence of the Stars upon some extraordinary Conjunction or Aspect: others again reject all Astrology; and some of these mechanically produce Mankind, at the very first Experiment, by the action of the Sun upon duly prepared Matter; but others are of opinion, that after infinite blundering and miscarrying our Bodies at last came into this Figure by meer chance and accident.”—Bentley, op. cit., p. 103.

“Some have maintain'd, that this world hath thus existed from all Eternity in its present form and condition: but others say, That the Forms of particular worlds are generable and corruptible; so that our present System cannot have sustain'd an infinite Duration already gone and expired: but however, say they, Body in general, the common Basis and Matter of all Worlds and Beings, is self-existent and eternal: which being naturally divided into innumerable little particles or atoms, eternally endued with an ingenit and inseparable power of Motion, by their omnifarious concussions and combinations and coalitions, produce successively (or at once, if matterbe infinite) an infinite number of Worlds; and amongst the rest there arose this visible complex System of Heaven and Earth.”—Ibid., pp. 223–224.

⁸ Cf. Bentley, op. cit., p. 60, Harris, Sermons v and vi (1698), and Clarke, op. cit., p. 29.

⁹ Harris, Sermon i, p. 11, and Bentley, op. cit., p. 3.

¹⁰ Ibid., p. 38.

¹¹ Clarke, op. cit., p. 168. But then, having a prejudice against the Notion of the Immortality of Human Souls, they believe that Men perish intirely at Death, and that one Generation shall perpetually succeed another, without anything remaining of Men after their departure out of this Life, and without any future restoration or renovation of things …. And so upon the whole, this opinion likewise if we argue upon it consistently, must finally recur to absolute Atheism. Cf. Bentley, op. cit., p. 21.

¹² “There are some Infidels among us that not only disbelieve the Christian Religion; but oppose the assertions of Providence, of the Immortality of the Soul, of an Universal Judgment to come, and of any Incorporeal Essence: and yet to avoid the odious name of Atheists, would shelter and skreen themselves under a new one of Deists, which is not quite so obnoxious.”—Bentley, op. cit., p. 7.

“Profess'd Atheists can do no great Harm; for all Persons are aware of them … But there are few such; they have found a way to pass under a fairer Dress and a softer Name: They pretend to be true Deists and sincere Cultivators of Natural Religion; and to have a most profound Respect for the supreme and Almighty Being; But when this Profound Respect comes to be thoroughly examined and duly understood, it will appear to be the most abominable abuse that can be, and a most wicked and Blasphemous Idea of the Deity. For they make him either nothing but the Soul of the World, Universal Matter, or Natura Naturata, a God that is an absolute necessary agent, without any Rectitude in his will; without any Knowledge, Wisdom, Goodness, Justice, Mercy, or Providence over his Works.”—Harris, Sermon, vi, p. 10.

¹³ Clarke, op. cit., pp. 158–159.

¹⁴ “Some men would be thought to be Deists, because they pretend to believe the Existence of an Eternal, Infinite, Independent, Intelligent Being; and, to avoid the name of Epicurean Atheists, teach also that this Supreme Being made the World: Though at the same time they agree with the Epicureans in this, that they fancy God does not at all concern himself in the Government of the world, nor has any regard to, or care of, what is done therein. But, if we examine things duly, this opinion must unavoidably terminate in absolute Atheism.”—Ibid., p. 159.

¹⁵ “Some others there are, that call themselves Deists, because they believe, not only the Being, but also the Providence of God: that is, that every natural thing that is done in the World, is produced by the Power, appointed by the Wisdom, and directed by the Government of God: Though not allowing any difference between moral Good and Evil, they suppose that God takes no notice of the morally good or evil actions of Men; these Things depending, as they imagine, merely on the arbitrary Constitution of Human Laws.”—Ibid., p. 164.

¹⁶ Ibid., p. 165.

¹⁷ Ibid. pp. 167–168.

¹⁸ Ibid., pp. 169–170.

¹⁹ Op. cit., pp. 347–348.

²⁰ The Principles of Deism Truly represented, and set in a Clear Light. In two Dialogues between a Sceptick and a Deist … 4th ed. (London, 1726), p. 7.

²¹ Ibid., p. 8.

²² Ibid., p. 77.

²³ Ibid., p. 43.

²⁴ The Weekly Miscellany, No. 134, as quoted in the Gentleman's Mag., v (1735), 347.

²⁵ Birch, The Life of … Tillotson, pp. 296–297.

²⁶ Cf. Leviathan, Ch. xiii.

²⁷ South, Sermons, i, 337–338.

²⁸ Tillotson, The Works of … containing two hundred Sermons and Discourses, on several Occasions (London, 1820), i, 418.

²⁹ Clarke, op. cit., pp. 226–227.

³⁰ Cf. South, op. cit., iii, 533, Clarke, op. cit., pp. 87, 96.

³¹ Clarke, op. cit., pp. 238–240.

³² Harris, Sermon iii, “The Notion of a God, Neither from Fear nor Policy.” Wilkins, On the Principles and Duties of Natural Religion, 4th. ed. (London, 1699), p. 52.

³³ Clarke, op. cit., p. 87.

³⁴ Clarke, op. cit., p. 27.

³⁵ Ibid., p. 63.—Cf. Spinoza, Short Treatise on God, Man, and Ris Well-Being, Pt. i, Ch. iv, and Ethic, Pt. i, Prop. xxxii, xxxiii.

³⁶ Quoted in the Gentleman's Magazine, iv (1734), 546–547.

³⁷ Characteristics of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times, 5th ed. (Birm., 1773), i, 61, 128.

³⁸ Ibid., i, 97–98.

³⁹ Ibid., ii, 7.

⁴⁰ Ibid., ii, 46.

⁴¹ Ibid., ii, 55.

⁴² Tillotson, Sermons, i, 330, 375–376, iii, 216, and Derham, Physico-Theology (London, 1798), ii, 417.

⁴³ South, Sermons, iv, 19, iii, 34–36; Tillotson, Sermons, i, 395–398, ii, 475–476; Bentley, op. cit., p. 21; Harris, Sermon, i, pp. 8–11.

⁴⁴ Tillotson, op. cit., i, 348–349; Wilkins, op. cit., p. 41; Harris, Sermon iii, p. 26.

⁴⁵ Sermon iii, p. 19.

⁴⁶ Clarke, op. cit., pp. 1–41.—Cf. Wilkins, op. cit., pp. 62–77.

⁴⁷ Bentley, op. cit., pp. 60–61.

⁴⁸ Ibid., p. 78. There is therefore an immaterial and intelligent Being that created our Souls; which Being was either eternal itself, or created immediately or ultimately by some other Eternal, that has all these Perfections. There is therefore originally an Eternal, Immaterial, Intelligent Creator; all which together are the attributes of God alone.—Cf. Derham, op. cit., ii, 153, and Burnet, The Theory of the Earth (London, 1684), p. 301.

⁴⁹ Bentley, op. cit., p. 91.

⁵⁰ Cf. Derham, op. cit., i, 135, and Burnet, op. cit., p. 295.

⁵¹ Cf. Brooke, Universal Beauty.

⁵² Bentley, op. cit., pp. 100–101.

⁵³ Ibid., pp. 103–161.

⁵⁴ Ibid., p. 162.

⁵⁵ Bentley, op. cit., pp. 225–226.

⁵⁶ Ibid., p. 335—Cf. Derham, op. cit., i, 115–123.

⁵⁷ Bentley, op. cit., p. 335.

⁵⁸ “Who would ever say or imagine such a body so different from the globe it serves, could be made by chance, or be adapted so exactly to all those fore-mentioned grand ends, by any other efficient than by the power and wisdom of the infinite God? Who would not rather, from so noble a work, readily acknowledge the workman and as easily conclude the atmosphere to be made by God, as an instrument wrought by its power, any pneumatic engine to be contrived by man!” Derham, op. cit., i, 36.

⁵⁹ Ibid., i, 85.

⁶⁰ Cf. Burnet, op. cit., pp. 291, 298, 306–307. South, Sermons, ii, 226. Derham, op. cit., ii, 206–207.

⁶¹ David Brewster, The Life of Sir Isaac Newton (New York, 1831), p. 210.

⁶² Opera, iv, 429 ff. quoted by Edwin Arthur Burtt, The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science (New York, 1927), pp. 285–286.

⁶³ Elegantissima haecce Solis, planetarum et cometarum compages non nisi consilio et dominio entis intelligentis et potentis oriri potuit. Et si stellae fixae sint centra similium systematum, haec omnia simili consilio constructa suberunt Unius dominio ….

Hic omnia regit non ut anima mundi, sed ut universorum dominus … Deus summus est ens aeternum, infinitum, absolute perfectum: sed ens utcumque perfectum sine domine non est dominus deus … Dominatio entis spiritualis deum constituit, vera verum, summa summum, ficta fictum … A caeca necessitate metaphysica, quae utique eadem est semper et ubique, nulla oritur rerum varatio. Tota rerum conditarum pro locis ac temporibus diversitas, ab ideis, et voluntate entis necessario existentis solummodo oriri potest.—Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Glasguae, 1822), pp. 199–201.

⁶⁴ Opticks, or a Treatise of the Reflections, Refractions, Inflections & Colours of Light. Reprinted from fourth edition (New York, 1931), p. 402.

⁶⁵ Ibid., p. 405.

⁶⁶ The full titles of Derham's works indicate the nature of the argument in each: Physicotheology: or, A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God, from his Works of Creation, and Astro-theology: or, A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God, from a Survey of the Heavens.

⁶⁷ “And as myriads of Systems are more for the Glory of God and more demonstrate his Attributes than one, so it is no less probable than possible, there may be many besides this which we have the privilege of living in.”—Astro-Theology, pp. xliv–xlv.

⁶⁸ Op. cit., pp. 117–118.—In curious contrast with this theory Derham had seen in the variety in men's faces evidence of divine creation, for chance would have made them all alike.—Physico-Theology, ii, 206–207.

⁶⁹ Cf. Barrow, Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions (London, 1678), pp. 29–31. South, Sermons, i, 10, ii, 401, iv, 134–135. Tillotson, Sermons, vi, 288–289, vi, 294.—Tillotson emphasizes the necessity of thinking of all the attributes of God together and says that the greatest mistakes in religion have arisen from isolating one attribute and building a conception of the Deity on that alone.

⁷⁰ Harris, Sermon, vi, p. 11.

⁷¹ South, op. cit., iv, 133–134.—Cf. the views of Archbishop King and Peter Browne as described by Hunt, op. cit., iii, 126.

⁷² George Berkeley, Alciphron: or, the Minute Philosopher (London, 1732), p. 170.

⁷³ Clarke, op. cit., pp. 41–42.

⁷⁴ Ibid., pp. 44–47.

⁷⁵ But no other Body can be Self-Existent, because if so it would be individually the same, at the same time that it is supposed to be different.—Ibid., p. 48.

⁷⁶ Ibid., p. 51.

⁷⁷ Ibid., pp. 51–52.

⁷⁸ As God's Works have been shown to be manifest Demonstrations of his Existence; so they are no less of his Perfections, particularly of his infinite Power, Wisdom, and Goodness; inasmuch as every Workman is known by his work.—Derham, Astro-Theology, p. 209.—Cf. Clarke, op. cit., pp. 73 ff., 110, 113.

⁷⁹ Clarke, op. cit., pp. 114–117.

⁸⁰ Tillotson, op. cit., i, 418.

⁸¹ Clarke, op. cit., pp. 179–182.

⁸² Ibid., p. 178.

⁸³ Ibid., p. 192.

⁸⁴ Ibid., pp. 194–195.

⁸⁵ Harris, Sermon viii, p. 4. Wollaston, Religion of Nature Delineated (L., 1726), p. 7.

⁸⁶ Dean Edward Young, Sermons on Several Occasions (London, 1702, 2 vol.), i, 47.

⁸⁷ Clarke, op. cit., p. 223. Cf. Butler, The Analogy of Religion Natural and Revealed to the Constitution and Course of Nature, ed. by J. H. Bernard (London, 1900), pp. 48–49. Gastrell, A Moral Proof of the Certainty of a Future State, pp. 94–95.

⁸⁸ Tillotson, Sermons, i, 330. Gastrell, op. cit., pp. 1–2 (Preface), 75, 76, 99–100.

⁸⁹ South, Sermons, ii, 17. Gastrell, op. cit., p. 83.

⁹⁰ Tillotson, op. cit., iv, 267–268. Gastrell, op. cit., p. 82.

⁹¹ Clarke, op. cit., pp. 271–272.

⁹² Ibid., pp. 265–266. Gastrell, op. cit., p. 82.

⁹³ Clarke, op. cit., pp. 253–258. Wollaston, op. cit., pp. 113–114.

⁹⁴ Gastrell, op. cit., pp. 4–5.

⁹⁵ Op. cit., p. 73.

⁹⁶ Ibid., p. 99.

⁹⁷ He was therefore in great doubt, whether the surest means was to persuade the world to the belief of the sublime truths, that are contained in the Scriptures, concerning God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and concerning the person of Christ, was to enter much into the discussion of those mysteries. He fear'd, that an indiscreet insisting and descanting upon those points might do more harm than good.—Birch, op. cit., p. 326.

⁹⁸ There are, however, more assertions of possibility of proof than attempts at proof.

⁹⁹ Benjamin Ibbot, A Course of Sermons Preach'd in the Year 1714 (L., 1727), p. 77.

¹⁰⁰ Clarke, op. cit., pp. 274–283.

¹⁰¹ Ibid., pp. 283–308.

¹⁰² Ibid., pp. 318–320.

¹⁰³ Clarke, op. cit., pp. 320–370.

¹⁰⁴ Ibid., pp. 371–444.

¹⁰⁵ Night i, l. 320, Night ii, ll. 45 ff.

¹⁰⁶ Night iv, ll. 728, 742.

¹⁰⁷ Night iv, l. 200.

¹⁰⁸ Night v, l. 81.

¹⁰⁹ Cf. Berkeley, op. cit., pp. 130–131.

¹¹⁰ Night vii, ll. 904–906.

¹¹¹ Night viii, ll. 773–774.

¹¹² Night ix, ll. 836 ff., 957 ff., 1899.

¹¹³ Ibid., l. 1081.

¹¹⁴ Ibid., ll. 1643 ff.

¹¹⁵ In the preface he writes: “… for, as to the being of a God, that is no longer disputed; but it is undisputed for this reason only, viz., because, where the least pretence to reason is admitted, it must for ever be indisputable; and of consequence no man can be betrayed into a dispute of that nature by vanity which has a principal share in animating our modern combatants against other articles of our belief.”

¹¹⁶ Night ix, ll. 1440–1505.

¹¹⁷ Night ix, ll. 1448–59.

¹¹⁸ Ibid., ll. 1476–81.

¹¹⁹ Ibid., ll. 1482–84.

¹²⁰ Ibid., ll. 1494–1501.

¹²¹ Night ix, ll. 907–915.

¹²² Ibid., ll. 1576–79.

¹²³ Ibid., ll. 2202–5.

¹²⁴ Ibid., ll. 1422–29.

¹²⁵ Ibid., ll. 619–635.

¹²⁶ Night ix, ll. 642–656.

¹²⁷ Herbert Drennon, James Thomson and Newtonianism, A Dissertation submitted … in candidacy for the degree of doctor of philosophy, University of Chicago (1928), p. 64.

¹²⁸ Night ix, ll. 138–140. Cf. Ibid., ll. 1596–1600.

¹²⁹ Ibid., ll. 1079 ff.

¹³⁰ Burtt, The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science, p. 291.

¹³¹ Night ix, ll. 1134 ff.

¹³² Ibid., ll. 597–1942.

¹³³ Cf. Blackmore, Creation, Reynolds, A View of Death, Glover, “Poem on Sir Isaac Newton,” Mallet, Excursion, Ralph, Night, poems on Astronomy in Gentleman's Mag., 1734.

¹³⁴ Night ix, 1197–1202.

¹³⁵ Ibid., ll. 1722–25.

¹³⁶ Ibid., ll. 1606–11, 1750 ff.

¹³⁷ Cf. pp. 66, 98.

¹³⁸ Night ix, ll. 772–774.

¹³⁹ Night ix, ll. 844–845.

¹⁴⁰ Ibid. ll. 1271–76.

¹⁴¹ Night iv, ll. 385–387.

¹⁴² Night ix, ll. 830–833.

¹⁴³ Ibid., l. 1510.

¹⁴⁴ Ibid., l. 1520.

¹⁴⁵ Ibid., l. 1587.

¹⁴⁶ Ibid., l. 1932.

¹⁴⁷ Ibid., ll. 2026–28.

¹⁴⁸ Ibid., ix, ll. 1658–67.

¹⁴⁹ Night vii, ll. 1066–68.

¹⁵⁰ Night iv, ll. 550–562.

¹⁵¹ Ibid., ll. 781–783.

¹⁵² Night vii, ll. 1150–55.

¹⁵³ Ibid., ll. 1179–80. Cf. Night viii, l. 691.

¹⁵⁴ Ibid., ll. 1169–76.

¹⁵⁵ Night viii, ll. 707–708, 737–743.

¹⁵⁶ Night vii, l. 250.

¹⁵⁷ Ibid., ll. 177–179. Cf. Night VII, ll. 716–718, Night IX, ll. 377–378.

¹⁵⁸ Night I, ll. 90 ff.

¹⁵⁹ Night IV, ll. 270–271.

¹⁶⁰ Ibid., ll. 703–716.

¹⁶¹ Night VI, ll. 650–656.

¹⁶² Night VI, l. 734.

¹⁶³ Ibid., ll. 678–689.

¹⁶⁴ To see in Young's use of analogy and necessary influence of Butler's famous Analogy is probably erroneous. The particular analogies used by Butler are quite different as his argument involves a consideration of the whole constitution of nature. The theory of Thomas that Butler definitely influenced the ideas and method of Young (Le Poète Edward Young, p. 438) seems hardly tenable. The resemblances which the Night Thoughts bear to the Analogy are also resemblances to works published earlier. The great differences in material and treatment seem to exclude any influence. While chronologically such an influence would have been possible, there is no definite evidence that Young ever read the Analogy. The later great reputation of the book suggests that it should have been known to such persons as Young as the outstanding apologetic work of the day. But as a matter of fact its contemporary reputation does not appear to have been so great. The Gentleman's Magazine, where criticisms and discussions of the religous books of interest at the moment are given, lists only one book referring to the Analogy from the time of its appearance in 1736 until after the Night Thoughts were written, and in all that time the magazine prints not a single comment on it.

¹⁶⁵ Night VI, ll. 696–705.

¹⁶⁶ Ibid., ll. 728–731.

¹⁶⁷ Ibid., ll. 804–805.

¹⁶⁸ Night VII, ll. 26–28.

¹⁶⁹ Night VII, ll. 29–68.

¹⁷⁰ Ibid., ll. 76–103.

¹⁷¹ Ibid., ll. 104–105.

¹⁷² Night VII, l. 142.

¹⁷³ Ibid., ll. 139–252.

¹⁷⁴ Ibid., ll. 275–278.

¹⁷⁵ Ibid., l. 296.

¹⁷⁶ Ibid., ll. 330–331.

¹⁷⁷ Night VII, ll. 341–352.

¹⁷⁸ Ibid., ll. 353–364.

¹⁷⁹ Ibid., ll. 365–378.

¹⁸⁰ Ibid., ll. 379–427.

¹⁸¹ Ibid., ll. 328–443.

¹⁸² Ibid., ll. 467–468.

¹⁸³ Ibid., ll. 477–500.

¹⁸⁴ Ibid., ll. 507–513.

¹⁸⁵ Night VII, ll. 559–600.

¹⁸⁶ Ibid., ll. 609–612.

¹⁸⁷ Ibid., ll. 626–631.

¹⁸⁸ Ibid., ll. 693–703.

¹⁸⁹ Ibid., ll. 1122–28.

¹⁹⁰ Henry Shelley, The Life and Letters of Edward Young (London, 1914), p. 167.

¹⁹¹ Moral Proofs of the Certainty of a Future State, p. 97.

¹⁹² Night IX, ll. 659–662.

¹⁹³ Ibid., ll. 1173–83.

¹⁹⁴ Ibid., ll. 2038–41.

¹⁹⁵ Night IX, ll. 645–646.

¹⁹⁶ Ibid., l. 1672.

¹⁹⁷ Night IV, ll. 225–233.

¹⁹⁸ Tillotson, Sermons, vi, 294.

¹⁹⁹ Gastrell, The Principles of Deism, p. 7.

²⁰⁰ Butler, Analogy, p. 47.

²⁰¹ Night III, l. 395, Night IV, ll. 676 ff.

²⁰² Night IV, ll. 236–300.

²⁰³ Night VII, ll. 1029–40, 1102–16, Night IX, ll. 127–132.

²⁰⁴ Night IX, ll. 135–366.

²⁰⁵ Night VII, ll. 1043–17.