CLARKE, Samuel. A Discourse Concerning the Being and Attributes of God, the Obligations of Natural Religion, and the Truth and Certainty of the Christian Revelation... London: Printed by Will. Botham, for James Knapton, 1716. The Fourth Edition, Corrected. Octavo, [xiv], 314pp, [ii], 42pp, [ii].
This volume stands is a monument of the Enlightenment-era Christian philosophy and rational theology. Originally delivered as the prestigious Boyle Lectures at St. Paul’s Cathedral across 1704 and 1705, Dr. Samuel Clarke's discourses represent one of the most formidable intellectual defenses of faith ever published. Clarke’s objective was radical for its time: he sought to prove the existence and moral attributes of God using a rigid, logical method inspired by his close friend and mentor, Sir Isaac Newton.
Writing during an era when traditional religious authority was increasingly challenged by early secular thought, Clarke aimed his sharp philosophical arrows directly at the absolute titans of early modern skepticism—namely Thomas Hobbes, Baruch Spinoza, and Charles Blount.
In this work, Clarke constructed an architectural masterpiece of a priori reasoning to prove divine necessity, cosmic order, and human free will.
This scarce Fourth Edition of 1716 is bibliographically highly significant because it includes the early print appearance of the famous "Letters from a Gentleman in Gloucestershire" bound at the rear. This fascinating exchange was secretly conducted by a young, brilliant Joseph Butler (who would later become one of England's greatest moral philosophers and authors of the Analogy of Religion). Butler’s anonymous, razor-sharp critiques regarding Clarke's definitions of space and time—and Clarke’s patient, intellectual responses—form one of the most celebrated philosophical dialogues in British history.
Provenance
• Early Owner’s Inscription: The upper margin of the primary title page bears a crisp, contemporary ink ownership signature written in a formal cursive hand: "John A. Creswell 1744". This inscription roots the physical volume directly in the mid-18th century, documenting its preservation and active study during the height of the Georgian era.
The British / Early Colonial Connection: The Creswells (often spelled Cresswell) were a prominent family of English gentry, particularly in regions like Northumberland, though some branches crossed over into early colonial Maryland and Virginia in the 1700s. Having a signature dated precisely to 1744 grounds this specific copy as an authentic artifact of mid-18th-century Enlightenment study.
Condition Report
• Binding: Hardcover bound in a beautiful, contemporary full English calfskin leather binding. The front and rear boards feature handsome blind-tooled perimeter borders surrounding a central rectangular panel accented with corner flourishes.
• Spine: The spine features five heavy, raised bands dividing the spine into six classic compartments. The leather across the spine shows deep, rich patina with minor cosmetic cracking along the outer joints, though the boards remain securely attached.
• Interior: Firmly bound with an intact textblock. Pages show minor age-toning and very light, clean margins consistent with hand-pressed 1716 rag paper. The internal layout includes the secondary internal title page for A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God, the distinct letters section at the rear, and closes with a contemporary leaf advertising publisher James Knapton’s inventory at the Crown in St. Paul’s Church-Yard.
