About this time, he was presented with the rectory of Drayton near Norwich, by his friend Dr Moore, who likewise procured for him a parish in that city. While he continued in that situation, he preached without notes, a practice in which he is said to have been peculiarly happy. But his powerful talents were soon to be exert ed on a more conspicuous theatre. He was appointed in 1704 to preach at the lecture founded by Mr Boyle, and chose for his subject the being and attributes of God ; his discourses on which interesting and difficult subject gave so much satisfaction, that he was re-appointed to the same office the following year, when he delivered a series of sermons on the _Evidences of Natural andReveal ed Religion. In his discourses on the divine nature and attributes, lie adopted the a priori mode of reasoning, which, though less intelligible to common minds, and therefore less generally useful than the opposite mode, is, when conducted with the abilities of a Clarke, by far the most satisfactory, and may be regarded as the highest ef fort of the human understanding. It was preferred by Mr Clarke, not from any conviction of its superior utility, or any ambitious desire to display his metaphysical pow ers; but as Hobbes, Spinoza, and other infidel writers, had employed metaphysical subtleties against religion, he thought it proper to spew that the same mode of reason ing might be employed, with greater effect, in its service. The uncommon ability with which he executed this un dertaking, entitles him to rank in the highest class of metaphysicians ; and he has merited the gratitude of all the friends of religion, by placing this particular proof of the existence of God in the clearest light of which it will, perhaps, admit. In his discourses on the evidences of religion, he traced the foundation of morality to the mu tual relation of things and agents, to the unalterable fit ness or unfitness of actions, and to the will of the Cre ator, evident from his making men capable of perceiving these relations and that fitness, of judging concerning them, and acting according to his judgment. Ile next proceeds to demonstrate, that the Christian religion is worthy of God, from the perfect conformity of its main design to the light of nature, and to all the moral obli gations of eternal reason; and then proves, from the ex ternal evidence of prophecy and miracles, that this reli gion was actually revealed from heaven. This work, though it excited a host of opponents, is of inestimable value, as it contains the most irrefragable proofs of the divine origin, authority, and obligation of the Christian system.
The ardent wishes of his patron for his removal to London, as a scene both of honour and of usefulness more adequate to his splendid talents, were at length gratified in 1706, when his interest procured for Mr Clarke the rectory of St Bennet, Paul's Wharf. In the same year he published his letter to Mr Dodwell, who, in his Epis tolary Discourses, had advanced the very strange posi tions, that the soul is a principle naturally mortal, but immortalized actually by the pleasure of God to punish ment or reward, by its union with the divine baptismal spirit ; and that none, since the apostles, have the power of conferring this immortalizing- spirit, excepting only the bishops. This letter, says Bishop IIoadly, gave uni versal satisfaction ; yet it engaged Alr Clarke in a new controversy, particularly with Collins, who, in his En quiry into Human Liberty, produced every thing that could be plausibly said against the immateriality of the soul. This controversy, however, did not prevent the indefatigable mind of Clarke from publishing, in the same year, a translation of Sir Isaac Newton's Optics into ele gant Latin, a task which he had undertaken at the author's solicitation ; who, in return for this favour, complimented him with the sum of 1001. for each of his five children.
Being now introduced at court by his friend the Bishop of Norwich, he was appointed by Queen Annc to be one of her chaplains in ordinary ; and was soon after present ed, at the bishop's request, to the rectory of St James's. Piths exalted to a situation in which he would have to associate with the highest characters in the state, it was thought desirable that he should take the degree of Doc tor in Divinity. Ile repaired for this purpose to Cam
bridge, he delivered a thesis on the proposition, .Vull:uz Filci Christiana Dogma in S. Scri/ituris traditum, est recto rationi disscntaneum ;—" No articles of the Christian Faith, delivered in the Sacred Scriptures, is contrary to right reason." On this occasion, he excited, in all who heard him feelings of delight and astonishment, which were not soon forgotten, not only by the profound erudition which his thesis displayed, but by the powerful eloquence and classical purity of language, with which he defended it against his able and acute opponent, Dr James, then Regius professor of divinity. A few years after (1712), he gave the world a specimen of his classi cal taste and erudition, in his splendid folio edition of Cxsar's Commentaries, enriched with many judicious notes and corrections, and embellished with some beauti ful engravings. Mr Addison, in a just eulngium on this work in the 567th number of the Spectator, considers it as an honour to the English press ; necessarily very cor rect, after passing " through the hands of the most accu rate, learned, and judicious writer" of the age ; and af fording, in the beauty of the paper and thc character of the plates, " a true instance of English genius, which, though it does not come the first into any art, generally carries it to greater height than any other country in the world." About the same time, Dr Clarke involved him self in a tedious and unpleasant controversy, by his pub lication of the Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity. Before the appearance of this treatise, her Majesty's ministers, afraid of the agitation which it might produce in the pub lic mind, then but too unsettled, sent a message to re quest that he would either relinquish his design, or at least delay the publication. But without regarding their application, he proceeded with his work, and submitted his opinion to the examination of the public. Whatever may be thought of his opinions on this important but mysterious subject, he at least deserves credit for the candid and judicious manner in which he conducted his investigation. Aware that it was a doctrine of mere re velation, he did not set himself to invent any ingenious hypothesis, or by metaphysical and abstract reasoning, to support any opinions concerning it already entertained. He had recourse to the scriptures themselves ; he ex plored every text in which mention was made of the three persons, or of any one of them ; and accurately examin ing the words employed, by the best rules of grammar and criticism, he endeavoured to fix plainly what was, and what was not, declared in scripture, respecting Fa ther, Son, and Holy Ghost. Ills work provoked a number of antagonists, the most able of whom was Dr \Vaterland, with whom, indeed, our author was at length engaged for some time in single combat. Superior to all his op ponents in wielding the weapons of controversy, thcy re solved to overpower him by a more formidable mode of attack. The Lower House of Convocation made a for mal complaint to the bishops, in 1714, of the heterodox opinions and dangerous tendency of his obnoxious work. The bishops, though they applauded the zeal of the in ferior house, and requested them to give in extracts from the book in support of their charges, evinced a very becoming spirit of conciliation and peace; and when D: Clarke, at the instigation of some of his friends, gave in a statement of his opinions respecting the Trinity, they expressed themselves satisfied, and dismissed the com plaint. It has been alleged, that in this statement Dr Clarke made a sacrifice of his private opinions to the peace and unity of the church ; a sacrifice for winch he has been censured or applauded, according to the dif ferent views and tempers of his biographers. Ile him self is said to have afterwards regretted his statement, and to have been sensible, when too late, of the error into which he had fallen. It is certain, that to the last he entertained the same sentiments respecting the Trinity which he had avowed in his Scripture Doctrine.