The Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Vol. III.

The Prose Works of Jonathan
Swift, Vol. III.: Swift's Writings
on Religion and the Church, Vol.
I.

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Vol.
III.: Swift's Writings on Religion and the Church, Vol. I., by Jonathan
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Title: The Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, Vol. III.: Swift's Writings on
Religion and the Church, Vol. I.
Author: Jonathan Swift
Release Date: May 4, 2004 [EBook #12252]
Language: English
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WRITINGS ON RELIGION ***

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BOHN'S STANDARD LIBRARY
THE PROSE WORKS OF JONATHAN SWIFT
VOL. III
[Illustration: _Jonathan Swift,
from a picture by Frances Bindon
In the possession of Sir F R Falkiner_]
THE PROSE WORKS
OF
JONATHAN SWIFT, D.D.
EDITED BY
TEMPLE SCOTT
WITH A BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION BY
THE RT. HON. W. E. H. LECKY, M.P.
VOL III
1898
SWIFT'S
WRITINGS ON RELIGION AND THE CHURCH
VOL. I
EDITED BY
TEMPLE SCOTT
1898

PREFACE.
The inquiry into the religious thought of the eighteenth century forms
one of the most interesting subjects for speculation in the history of the
intellectual development of western nations. It is true, that in that
history Swift takes no special or distinguished part; but he forms a
figure of peculiar interest in a special circle of his own. Swift had no
natural bent for the ministry of a church; his instincts, his temperament,
his intellect, were of that order which fitted him for leadership and
administration. He was a born magistrate and commander of men. It is,
therefore, one of the finest compliments we can pay Swift to say, that
no more faithful, no more devoted, no stauncher servant has that
Church possessed; for we must remember the proud and haughty
temper which attempted to content itself with the humdrum duties of a
parish life. Swift entered the service of that Church at a time when its
need for such a man was great; and in spite of its disdain of his worth,

in spite of its failure to recognize and acknowledge his transcendent
qualities, he never forgot his oath, and never shook in his allegiance.
To any one, however, who reads carefully his sermons, his "Thoughts
on Religion," and his "Letter to a Young Clergyman," there comes a
question--whether, for his innermost conscience, Swift found a
satisfying conviction in the doctrines of Christianity. "I am not
answerable to God," he says, "for the doubts that arise in my own
breast, since they are the consequence of that reason which he hath
planted in me, if I take care to conceal those doubts from others, if I use
my best endeavours to subdue them, and if they have no influence on
the conduct of my life." We search in vain, in any of his writings, for
any definite expression of doubt or want of faith in these doctrines.
When he touches on them, as he does in the sermon "On the Trinity,"
he seems to avoid of set purpose, rational inquiry, and contents himself
with insisting on the necessity for a belief in those mysteries
concerning God about which we cannot hope to know anything. "I do
not find," he says, in his "Letter to a Young Clergyman," "that you are
anywhere directed in the canons or articles to attempt explaining the
mysteries of the Christian religion; and, indeed, since Providence
intended there should be mysteries, I don't see how it can be agreeable
to piety, orthodoxy, or good sense to go about such a work. For to me
there seems a manifest dilemma in the case; if you explain them, they
are mysteries no longer; if you fail, you have laboured to no purpose."
It must at once be admitted that Swift had not the metaphysical bent;
philosophy--in our modern sense of the word--was to him only a
species of word spinning. That only was valuable which had a practical
bearing on life--and Christianity had that. He found in Christianity, as
he knew it--in the Church of England, that is to say--an excellent
organization, which recognized the frailties of human nature, aimed at
making healthier men's souls, and gave mankind a reasonable guidance
in the selection of the best motives to action. He himself, as a preacher,
made it his principal business, "first to tell the people what is their duty,
and then to convince them that it is so." He had a profound faith in
existing institutions, which