William Stephens (c. 1647–1718) was an English cleric.

Life

Stephens obtained his

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

St Edmund Hall, Oxford St Edmund Hall (sometimes known as The Hall or informally as Teddy Hall) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The college claims to be "the oldest surviving academic society to house and educate undergraduates in any university ...

, in 1671, and his

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

in 1678. He became

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

(1690) of

Sutton, Surrey Sutton is the principal town in the London Borough of Sutton in South London, England. It lies on the lower slopes of the North Downs, and is the administrative headquarters of the Outer London borough. It is south-south west of Charing Cross ...

, now part of London. His pamphlet, "An Account of the Growth of Deism in England" (1696), provides some information on early English

deism Deism ( or ; derived from the Latin ''deus'', meaning "god") is the Philosophy, philosophical position and Rationalism, rationalistic theology that generally rejects revelation as a source of divine knowledge, and asserts that Empirical evi ...

, which he describes as an

unintended consequence In the social sciences, unintended consequences (sometimes unanticipated consequences or unforeseen consequences) are outcomes of a purposeful action that are not intended or foreseen. The term was popularised in the twentieth century by Ameri ...

of the foreign education of young gentlemen. He claims that, when they return home, the trappings of the Church of England remind such men of the powerful Catholic Church they were warned to distrust. In this way he linked the lack of religious tolerance with the growth of religious skepticism. On 30 January 1700 he was asked to preach the traditional sermon before the

House of Commons of England The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of ...

in memory of

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

. (He had delivered a sermon on the same occasion six years earlier, before the Lord Mayor.) He omitted the prayer for the King and Royal Family, and his comments, which included a suggestion that the sermons be discontinued, resulted in a vote of censure. The text was reprinted in 1752. A later pamphlet, "A Letter to the Author of the Memorial of the Church of England" (1707), resulted in a fine of 100

mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

s, and he narrowly escaped time in the

pillory The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. The pillory is related to the stocks ...

Bibliography

* "A sermon preached before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, and aldermen of the city of London at St. Mary-Le-Bow, Jan. 30th, 1693/4" * "An Account of the Growth of Deism in England" (1696) * "A sermon preach'd before the Honourable House of Commons, January 30, 1699/1700 being an anniversary sermon for the day" * "A sermon preached at the Temple-Church on Sunday, the 18th of February 1699/1700" * "A Letter to the Author of the Memorial of the Church of England" (1707)

References

External links

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Text
of "An Account of the Growth of Deism in England" (1696) {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, William 17th-century English Anglican priests 18th-century English Anglican priests 1647 births 1718 deaths