BENJAMIN WHITCHCOT or WHICHCOTE (1609-83), Provost of King's College,
Cambridge, 1645. RALPH CUDWORTH (1617-88), Master of Clare College,
Cambridge, 1645, and Christ's College, 1654. JOHN WILKINS (1614-72),
Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, 1648; Master of Trinity College,
Cambridge, 1659; Bishop of Chester, 1668. HENRY MORE (1614-87), Fellow
of Christ's College, Cambridge, 1639. JOHN WORTHINGTON (1618-71),
Master of Jesus College, Cambridge, 1650.
JOHN TILLOTSON (1630-94), Archbishop of Canterbury, 1691. EDWARD
STILLINGFLEET (1635-99), Bishop of Worcester, 1689. SIMON PATRICK
(1626-1707), Bishop of Chichester, 1689; Ely, 1691. WILLIAM LLOYD
(1627-1717), Bishop of St. Asaph, 1680; Lichfield, 1692; Worcester,
1700. THOMAS TENISON (1636-1715), Archbishop of Canterbury, 1694.
By BURNET.
With this great accession of wealth there broke in upon the Church a
great deal of luxury and high living, on the pretence of hospitality;
while others made purchases, and left great estates, most of which we
have seen melt away. And with this overset of wealth and pomp, that
came on men in the decline of their parts and age, they, who were
now growing into old age, became lazy and negligent in all the true
concerns of the Church: They left preaching and writing to others,
while they gave themselves up to ease and sloth. In all which sad
representation some few exceptions are to be made; but so few, that,
if a new set of men had not appeared of another stamp, the Church had
quite lost her esteem over the Nation.
These were generally of _Cambridge_, formed under some divines, the
chief of whom were Drs. _Whitchcot_, _Cudworth_, _Wilkins_, _More_,
and _Worthington_. _Whitchcot_ was a man of a rare temper, very mild
and obliging. He had great credit with some that had been eminent in
the late times; but made all the use he could of it to protect good
men of all persuasions. He was much for liberty of conscience: And
being disgusted with the dry systematical way of those times, he
studied to raise those who conversed with him to a nobler set of
thoughts, and to consider religion as a seed of a deiform nature, (to
use one of his own phrases.) In order to this, he set young students
much on reading the ancient Philosophers, chiefly _Plato_, _Tully_,
and _Plotin_, and on considering the Christian religion as a doctrine
sent from God, both to elevate and sweeten humane nature, in which he
was a great example, as well as a wise and kind instructer. _Cudworth_
carried this on with a great strength of genius, and a vast compass
of learning. He was a man of great conduct and prudence: Upon which
his enemies did very falsly accuse him of craft and dissimulation.
_Wilkins_ was of _Oxford_, but removed to _Cambridge_. His first
rise was in the Elector Palatine's family, when he was in _England_.
Afterwards he married _Cromwell_'s sister; but made no other use of
that alliance, but to do good offices, and to cover the University
from the sourness of _Owen_ and _Goodwin_. At _Cambridge_ he joined
with those who studied to propagate better thoughts, to take men off
from being in parties, or from narrow notions, from superstitious
conceits, and a fierceness about opinions. He was also a great
observer and a promoter of experimental philosophy, which was then
a new thing, and much looked after. He was naturally ambitious, but
was the wisest Clergy-man I ever knew. He was a lover of mankind, and
had a delight in doing good. _More_ was an open hearted, and sincere
Christian philosopher, who studied to establish men in the great
principles of religion against atheism, that was then beginning to
gain ground, chiefly by reason of the hypocrisy of some, and the
fantastical conceits of the more sincere enthusiasts.
_Hobbs_, who had long followed the Court, and passed there for a
mathematical man, tho' he really knew little that way, being disgusted
by the Court, came into _England_ in _Cromwell_'s time, and published
a very wicked book, with a very strange title, _The Leviathan_. His
main principles were, that all men acted under an absolute necessity,
in which he seemed protected by the then received doctrine of absolute
decrees. He seemed to think that the universe was God, and that souls
were material, Thought being only subtil and unperceptible motion. He
thought interest and fear were the chief principles of society: And he
put all morality in the following that which was our own private will
or advantage. He thought religion had no other foundation than the
laws of the land. And he put all the law in the will of the Prince,
or of the people: For he writ his book at first in favour of absolute
monarchy, but turned it afterwards to gratify the republican party.
These were his true principles, tho' he had disguised them, for
deceiving unwary readers. And this set of notions came to spread much.
The novelty and boldness of them set many on reading them. The impiety
of them was acceptable to men of corrupt minds, which were but too
much prepared to receive them by the extravagancies of the late times.
So this set of men at _Cambridge_ studied to assert, and examine
the principles of religion and morality on clear grounds, and in
a philosophical method. In this _More_ led the way to many that
came after him. _Worihington_ was a man of eminent piety and great
humility, and practised a most sublime way of self-denial and
devotion. All these, and those who were formed under them, studied to
examine farther into the nature of things than had been done formerly.
They declared against superstition on the one hand, and enthusiasm on
the other. They loved the constitution of the Church, and the Liturgy,
and could well live under them: But they did not think it unlawful
to live under another form. They wished that things might have been
carried with more moderation. And they continued to keep a good
correspondence with those who had differed from them in opinion,
and allowed a great freedom both in philosophy and in divinity:
From whence they were called men of Latitude. And upon this men of
narrower thoughts and fiercer tempers fastened upon them the name of
Latitudinarians. They read _Episcopius_ much. And the making out the
reasons of things being a main part of their studies, their enemies
called them Socinians. They were all very zealous against popery. And
so, they becoming soon very considerable, the Papists set themselves
against them to decry them as Atheists, Deists, or at best Socinians.
And now that the main principle of religion was struck at by _Hobbs_
and his followers, the Papists acted upon this a very strange part.
They went in so far even into the argument for Atheism, as to publish
many books, in which they affirmed, that there was no certain proofs
of the Christian religion, unless we took it from the authority of the
Church as infallible. This was such a delivering up of the cause
to them, that it raised in all good men a very high indignation at
Popery; that party shewing, that they chose to make men, who would not
turn Papists, become Atheists, rather than believe Christianity upon
any other ground than infallibility.
The most eminent of those, who were formed under those great men I
have mention'd, were _Tillotson_, _Stillingfleet_, and _Patrick_. The
first of these was a man of a clear head, and a sweet temper. He had
the brightest thoughts, and the most correct style of all our divines;
and was esteemed the best preacher of the age. He was a very prudent
man; and had such a management with it, that I never knew any
Clergy-man so universally esteemed and beloved, as he was for above
twenty years. He was eminent for his opposition to Popery. He was no
friend to persecution, and stood up much against Atheism. Nor did
any man contribute more to bring the City to love our worship, than
he did. But there was so little superstition, and so much reason
and gentleness in his way of explaining things, that malice was
long levelled at him, and in conclusion broke out fiercely on him.
_Stillingfleet_ was a man of much more learning, but of a more
reserved, and a haughtier temper. He in his youth writ an _Irenicum_
for healing our divisions, with so much learning and moderation, that
it was esteemed a masterpiece. His notion was, that the Apostles had
settled the Church in a constitution of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons,
but had made no perpetual law about it, having only taken it in,
as they did many other things, from the customs and practice of the
synagogue; from which he inferred, that certainly the constitution
was lawful since authorised by them, but not necessary, since they had
made no settled law about it. This took with many; but was cried out
upon by others as an attempt against the Church. Yet the argument was
managed with so much learning and skill, that none of either side
ever undertook to answer it. After that, he wrote against infidelity,
beyond any that had gone before him. And then he engaged to write
against Popery, which he did with such an exactness and liveliness,
that no books of controversy were so much read and valued, as his
were. He was a great man in many respects. He knew the world well,
and was esteemed a very wise man. The writing of his _Irenicum_ was a
great snare to him: For, to avoid the imputations which that brought
upon him, he not only retracted the book, but he went into the humours
of that high sort of people beyond what became him, perhaps beyond
his own sense of things. He applied himself much to the study of the
law and records, and the original of our constitution, and was a very
extraordinary man. _Patrick_ was a great preacher. He wrote much, and
well, and chiefly on the Scriptures. He was a laborious man in his
function, of great strictness of life, but a little too severe against
those who differed from him. But that was, when he thought their
doctrines struck at the fundamentals of religion. He became afterwards
more moderate. To these I shall add another divine, who, tho' of
_Oxford_, yet as he was formed by Bishop _Wilkins_, so he went into
most of their principles; but went far beyond them in learning.
_Lloyd_ was a great critick in the _Greek_ and _Latin_ authors,
but chiefly in the Scriptures; of the words and phrases of which he
carried the most perfect concordance in his memory, and had it the
readiest about him, of all men that ever I knew. He was an exact
historian, and the most punctual in chronology of all our divines.
He had read the most books, and with the best judgment, and had made
the most copious abstracts out of them, of any in this age: So that
_Wilkins_ used to say, he had the most learning in ready cash of any
he ever knew. He was so exact in every thing he set about, that he
never gave over any part of study, till he had quite mastered it. But
when that was done, he went to another subject, and did not lay out
his learning with the diligence with which he laid it in. He had many
volumes of materials upon all subjects laid together in so distinct a
method, that he could with very little labour write on any of them. He
had more life in his imagination, and a truer judgment, than may seem
consistent with such a laborious course of study. Yet, as much as he
was set on learning, he had never neglected his pastoral care. For
several years he had the greatest cure in _England_, St. _Martins_,
which he took care of with an application and diligence beyond any
about him; to whom he was an example, or rather a reproach, so few
following his example. He was a holy, humble, and patient man, ever
ready to do good when he saw a proper opportunity: Even his love of
study did not divert him from that. He did upon his promotion find
a very worthy successor in his cure, _Tenison_, who carried on and
advanced all those good methods that he had begun in the management
of that great cure. He endowed schools, set up a publick library, and
kept many Curates to assist him in his indefatigable labours among
them. He was a very learned man, and took much pains to state the
notions and practices of heathenish idolatry, and so to fasten that
charge on the Church of _Rome_. And, _Whitehall_ lying within that
parish, he stood as in the front of the battel all King _James's_
reign; and maintained, as well as managed, that dangerous post with
great courage and much judgment, and was held in very high esteem for
his whole deportment, which was ever grave and moderate. These have
been the greatest divines we have had these forty years: And may we
ever have a succession of such men to fill the room of those who have
already gone off the stage, and of those who, being now very old,
cannot hold their posts long. Of these I have writ the more fully,
because I knew them well, and have lived long in great friendship with
them; but most particularly with _Tillotson_ and _Lloyd_. And, as I
am sensible I owe a great deal of the consideration that has been had
for me to my being known to be their friend, so I have really learned
the best part of what I know from them. But I owed them much more
on the account of those excellent principles and notions, of which
they were in a particular manner communicative to me. This set of
men contributed more than can be well imagined to reform the way
of preaching; which among the divines of _England_ before them was
over-run with pedantry, a great mixture of quotations from fathers
and ancient writers, a long opening of a text with the concordance
of every word in it, and a giving all the different expositions with
the grounds of them, and the entring into some parts of controversy,
and all concluding in some, but very short, practical applications,
according to the subject or the occasion. This was both long and
heavy, when all was pye-balled, full of many sayings of different
languages. The common style of sermons was either very flat and low,
or swelled up with rhetorick to a false pitch of a wrong sublime. The
King had little or no literature, but true and good sense; and had got
a right notion of style; for he was in _France_ at a time when they
were much set on reforming their language. It soon appear'd that he
had a true taste. So this help'd to raise the value of these men,
when the King approved of the style their discourses generally ran
in; which was clear, plain, and short. They gave a short paraphrase
of their text, unless where great difficulties required a more copious
enlargement: But even then they cut off unnecessary shews of learning,
and applied themselves to the matter, in which they opened the nature
and reasons of things so fully, and with that simplicity, that their
hearers felt an instruction of another sort than had commonly been
observed before. So they became very much followed: And a set of these
men brought off the City in a great measure from the prejudices they
had formerly to the Church.
75.