CLARKE, SAMUEL English philosopher and divine, son of Edward Clarke, an alderman, who for several years was parliamentary representative of the city of Norwich, was born on Oct. 11, 1675, and educated at the free school of Norwich and at Caius college, Cambridge. The philosophy of Descartes was the reigning system at the university; Clarke, however, mas tered the new system of Newton, and contributed to its extension by publishing in 1697 a Latin version of the Traite de physique of Jacques Rohault, which was used as a text-book till supplanted by the treatises of Newton himself. Having taken holy orders, he became chaplain to John Moore (1646-1714), bishop of Nor wich, who later presented him to the rectory of Drayton near Norwich. He subsequently became chaplain in ordinary to Queen Anne, who in 1709 presented him to the rectory of St. James, Westminster, in which year he became a Doctor of Divinity. As Boyle lecturer, he dealt in 1704 with the Being and Attributes of God, and in 1705 with the Evidences of Natural and Revealed Religion. These lectures, first printed separately, were afterwards published together under the title of A Discourse concerning the Being and Attributes of God, the Obligations of Natural Religion, and the Truth and Certainty of the Christian Revelation, in op position to Hobbes, Spinoza, the author of the Oracles of Reason, and other Deniers of Natural and Revealed Religion. During 1712 he published his celebrated treatise on The Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity. It is divided into three parts. The first contains a collection and exegesis of all the texts in the New Testament re lating to the doctrine of the Trinity; in the second the doctrine is set forth at large, and explained in particular and distinct prop ositions; and in the third the principal passages in the liturgy of the Church of England relating to the doctrine of the Trinity are considered. This book involved Clarke in some trouble in the Convocation, which subsequently blew over.
In 1715 and 1716 he had a discussion with Leibniz relative to the principles of natural philosophy and religion, which was at length cut short by the death of his antagonist. A collection of the papers which passed between them was published in 1717 (cf. G. v. Leory, Die philos. Probleme in dem Brie f wechsel Leibniz and Clarke, Giessen, 1893) . He died on May 17, 17 29.
See W. Whiston, Historical Memoirs, and the preface by Benjamin Hoadly to Clarke's Works (1738-42).