156 



BUTLER. 



Butler, having been recommended by Mr Talbot, on his 

 Joseph, death-bed, to his father the bishop of Durham, he 

 " was presented to the benefice of Haughton in 1722 ; 

 nearly four years before the publication of his sermons. 

 This living and the Rolls he held together for three 

 years, agreeably dividing his time between the town 

 and the country : a mode of life peculiarly adapted 

 to the temperament of a man who was at once de~ 

 pendent on the society of his friends, and yet attached 

 to contemplation and retirement. ,In 1725, his steady 

 friend Seeker, who had acquired a very considerable 

 influence with Bishop Talbot, prevailed on that pre- 

 late to remove Butler from Haughton, where exten- 

 sive repairs of buildings had become necessary, for 

 which the incumbent had neither money nor talents. 

 He was accordingly presented to the rectory of Stan- 

 hope in the same diocese : a living of much superior 

 value, and indeed one of the richest parsonages in 

 England. Having quitted the Rolls in the follow- 

 ing year, he resided wholly at Stanhope ; where, for 

 the space of seven years, he devoted himself to the 

 conscientious discharge of all the duties of a parish 

 priest. e 



This retirement, however favourable to Butler's 

 contemplative turn of mind, and to the production of 

 his Analogy* which we may suppose was now the 

 main employment of his recluse hours, was far too 

 solitary for his disposition, which had in it a deep 

 tincture of melancloly. He felt at times, most pain- 

 fully, the want of that select society to which he had 

 been accustomed in the metropolis, and which was so 

 well calculated to afford a delightful relaxation after 

 the fatigues of study, and of professional labour. 

 This circumstance was not unknown to his friends, 

 who were therefore extremely anxious to bring him 

 back into the world. Mr Seeker particularly exert- 

 ed himself on this occasion. Having himself been 

 appointed king's chaplain in 1732, he one day, in the 

 course of a conversation with Queen Caroline, took 

 occasion to mention his friend's name. Her majesty 

 said she thought he had been dead : and asked Arch- 

 bishop Blackburne if this was not the case. His re- 

 ply was, " No, madam, but he is buried." This 

 activity of Mr Seeker in behalf of Butler, was at last 

 rewarded with complete success; having found means, 

 on the elevation of Mr Charles Talbot to be lord 

 chancellor, to have him effectually recommended to 

 his lordship for his chaplain. The chancellor accord- 

 ingly, in 1733, nominated Butler, who accepted the 

 nomination, and immediately set off for London. 

 Taking Oxford in his way, he was there created 

 Doctor of Laws. A prebend in the church of Ro- 

 chester was also conferred upon him by the same pa- 

 tron; and that he might once more return to his fa- 

 vourite mode of life, it was agreed that he should still 

 reside half the year at Stanhope. 



In 1736 he was appointed clerk of the closet to the 

 queen ; to whom, in the same year, he presented a 

 copy of his great and immortal work, " The Analogy 

 of Religion, Natural and Revealed, to the constitu- 

 tion and course of Nature ;" together with two brief 

 dissertations annexed to it ; one on personal identity, 

 and the other on the nature of virtue. 



His philosophy of morals had been published by 

 the author when young, in the form of sermons. His 



riper judgment induced him to throw his theory of 

 religion into the form of regular dissertation. The 

 reasoning contained in the Analogy, is founded on a 

 topic, which the author had treated in one of his ser- 

 mons, the ignorance of man ; a topic to which he 

 was somewhat partial on all occasions. The general 

 idea which runs through the work is as follows : The 

 difficulties which occur in religion, both natural and 

 revealed, are precisely of the same complexion as 

 those which occur in the economy of nature. But 

 as, from our limited knowledge, the difficulties of 

 nature are admitted to be no proof of its not having 

 a divine author ; so the difficulties in religion, having 

 probably no other cause than our ignorance, not 

 merely are no evidence against its truth ; but afford 

 rather a presumption, from the similarity in both 

 cases, that both nature and religion are conducted by 

 the same government, and on the same plan. Since, 

 then, we perceive a striking resemblance between the 

 systems of nature and of religion, and as to many re- 

 markable events in the economy of grace there may 

 be found corresponding facts in real life ; it is logical 

 to conclude, that this resemblance will be found to 

 hold in parts beyond our view, and that to natural 

 occurrences which take place at present, there will 

 be corresponding occurrences in an after state. -Ta- 

 king therefore this analogy as his guide, Butler follows 

 it most beautifully through the constituent tenets of 

 religion, and thus confirms the doctrines of a future 

 existence, of probation, of retribution, of the moral 

 government of God, and of the peculiar doctrines of 

 revelation. It ought ever to be had in recollection, 

 that, from its very nature, analogical reasoning is, by 

 by itself, incapable of establishing any point, except 

 perhaps, the single one of theoretical possibility. Its 

 chief effect is merely to confirm evidence derived from 

 a different source ; and while it pretends to no infal- 

 lible deductions, contents itself with simple proba- 

 bility. There are two important objects which Dr 

 Butler has accomplished by his Analogy, with respect 

 to the Christian religion : he has at once disposed 

 our minds more readily to admit its positive evidences, 

 by shewing its conformity to the other departments 

 of the divine government; and clearly demonstrated 

 that it is not, prima facie, according to the absurd 

 assertion of some Deists, a proper subject of ridicule, 

 but a system that at least may be true. 



During the short remainder of Queen Caroline's 

 life, who died in 1737> she, required the attendance of 

 Dr Butler for two hours every day, from seven to 

 nine in the evening. Her demise was no obstacle to 

 his preferment ; for so effectually had that excellent 

 princess recommended him to his majesty's protection, 

 that in the ensuing year he was promoted to the epis- 

 copal dignity, being consecrated to the see of Bristol 

 on the 3d of December, 1738. In addition to this 

 splendid mark of royal approbation, the king confer- 

 red upon him, in 1740, the deanery of St Paul's, Lon- 

 don ; upon which, from the great accumulation of 

 duty, he immediately resigned the rich benefice of 

 Stanhope. During this period he was called upon 

 to preach several sermons on public occasions in the 

 metropolis ; which were printed, and have been since 

 annexed to those preached at the Rolls. In 1746, 

 upon the death of Dr Egerton, bishop of Hereford, 



Butler, 

 Joseph. 



