Latitudinarians, a name given to those divines who in the 17th century professed indifference to what they considered the small matters in dispute between Puritans and High-Churchmen, and, looking at theology from a philosophical point of view, laid more stress on classical philosophy than on Christian theology. They attempted to compromise the differences between Epis- copalians, Presbyterians, and Independents. Their views vi'cre a residt of the changes then going on in the relig- ious world, and of the influence of philosophy. The doc- trinal Puritans had already taken a position midway be- tween the school of Laud and the fanatical Puritans. Abbot, Carltpn, Hall, and others were the chief leaders of that party. They attached no importance to exter- nals, and prized practical piety far above all matters of form ; and, though themselves attached to the Protes- tant Episcopal Church, they allowed others to differ from them as to the best form of ecclesiastical government. In their theology they adhered to the milder Calvinism of the Thirty-nine Articles; but, being the most mod- erate, they were soon overwhelmed by the other par- ties. As liberal, but differing from them in doctrine, we find among the Eaton scholars Hales, who, although an opponent of Laud's High-Churchism, was in dogmatics an Arminian ; and Chillingworth, who desired to reduce Christianity to a few essential jiractical principles. In the midst of the struggle, and the rapid changes of relig- ious views and systems, the moral conception of Chris- tianity was daily gaining ground ; on the other hand, theology was unable to withstand the inlhience of phi- losophy. The regeneration which the latter had expe- rienced at the hands of Bacon and Des Cartes obliged theology to review its foundations in the light of phi- losophy and science as well as of history (compare Pro- fessor Maurice, Moral and Metaphysical Philosophy, in the Encyclop. Metropol. ii, G56 ; Stewart, Essay on Met- aphysical Philosophy, p. 58, 61, notes, and 24G, note O). Thus Platonic philosophjr and theology were intro- duced into Cambridge by Cudworth ((]. v.) and Henry More (q. v.). Men of these views (among others, also, John Smith, Worthington, bisliop Wilkins, and Theophilus Gale), and especially the more moderate among them, were looked down upon with contempt by the more ambitious ones in (lOwcr, and, as they would not follow the selfish tendencies of the times, were call- ed Latitude-men. In the days of the Commonwealth they were reproached witli Arminianism and prelatism. But when the High-Church party came again into pow- er with tlie Restoration, and its ol<i adversaries tried to atone for their former attacks by all means in their power, the moderate party was accused of want of loy- alty and of opposition to the Church. Whoever refused to submit to the High-Church, or did not take sides with the strict Puritans against it, were called Latitudinuriau. " That name," said a contemporary, '' is the man of straw who, in order to have something to tight against, has been set up for want of a real adversary — a very conven- ient name wherewith to defame any one who we may wish to injure." As the name came thus to be a]>plied to a number of persons who had no connection whatever with the parry which it (h'signated at first, and even to such as were totally indifferent in matters of religion. the appellation soon came to be regarded as equivalent
to Socinian, Deist, and Atheist. As regards the orig- inal Latitudinarians, they retained the liturgy, rites, and organization of the English Episcopal Church. They considered a general liturgy as a necessary guard against the often fanatical prayers of the Piu-itans, and they considered the English liturgy as the best, on account of its solemn earnestness and its character of primitive simplicity. The form of public worship they looked upon as a hajipy medium between that of the Romish Church and that of the conventicles. Ceremonies they deemed useful for the purpose of edification, and episco- pacy they cherished as the most correct and evangelical form of Church government, differing both from what they regarded as the tyrannical authority of Scotch Presbyterianism and from the anarcliy of the Inde- pendents. In point of doctrine they also retained the confession of the English Church, which they consider- ed as according thoroughly with the Scriptures. The commentaries of the primitive Church were the guides by which they wished reason to be governed, and reason they recognised as the source of oiu- knowledge of revealed and natural religion, which agree on all points. The fundamental principles of true religion are freedom of the will, the universality of the redemption by the death of Christ, the sufficiency of divine grace; and these find entrance into the human heart some- times by the testimony of Scripture, sometimes by the unvarying testimony of the primitive Church, and again by reason only. In theology, the oldest views are al- ways found to be the most reasonable. Nothing that is false in philosophy is true in theology; but what God has united, let no man put asunder. Natural sciences have made immense jjrogress, and philosophy and the- ology cannot remain behind. True science cannot be put down any more than the light of the sun or the mo- tion of the ocean. It is the best weapon against atheism and superstition (comp. Smith [John], discourses [ed. 1821], ii, p. 19). Thus the Latitudinarians took at once fur their basis science and toleration. They taught re- spect for the Church by their submission to it, dd'ended it by their learning and activity, and hoped to win over the Dissenters by their moderation, and the Presbyteri- ans by their accommodating spirit, thus preventing them from anarchy. This is the character given to the Lati- tudinarians by one of their contemporaries in a work en- titled .1 brief account of the New Sect of Latitudinari- ans (1GG2). It is remarkable how many ideas of the school of Laud this party still retained, in spite of its philosophical views. Its broad platform admitted men of the most different tendencies. While Cudworth, Whichcote,Worthington, and Wilkins inclined to philo- sophical views, Burnet, Tillotson, AMiiston, and Spencer adhered more to the Church doctrines. Bury, in The Kuked Gospel (1G90), declared all Christian doctrines, ex- cept those of repentance and faith, non-essential. For this he was attacked by Jurieu in his La Relir/ion du Latitudinaire, and vainly attempted to defend the or- thodoxy of his views in his Lcttitudinarius orthodoxus (1G97). The attemjits made by the Latitudinarians in 1G89-1G99 to reconcile the Episcopalians and Presbyte- rians failed utterly. Latitudinarianism was subsequent- ly identified still more with indifferentism, and seldom appeared in theological works. It is only in quite mod- ern times, and especially under the influence of human theology, that this tendency has been brought to light again in the Broad-Church party, which forms a sort of medium between the Higli and Low Church. By their opponents the Broad-C'luirchmen are, however, desig- nated as Latitudinarians or Indiflcronts. Thev consider the differences among Cliristians as unimportant when compared with their essential unity. The watchword of the party is love and toleration. For doctrines, they hold to those of incarnation and atonement, conversion by grace and justification. They coincide with the Low- Church in considering Scripture as the only rule of faith, l)iit taking exceptions hero and there to miracles, and with the High-Church in believing that man shall be