Censorship, Salvation and the Preaching of Francis Higgins: A Reconsideration of High Church Politics and Theology in the Early 18th Century

Abstract

This article considers the exploitation of the pulpit by high churchmen between 1690 and 1710, focusing specifically on a series of sermons delivered by Francis Higgins. It is argued that high churchmen, motivated by disgust for the lax press policies pursued in the period, employed the pulpit to attack whig politicians and bishops and suggest that the Church was in danger. It is likewise argued that this strategy was accomplished through contending that the country was drenched in sin and that practices such as occasional conformity were endangering God's providential blessing. In the process of examining high church sermons, the article seeks to untangle the question of why Henry Sacheverell was prosecuted in 1710. Ultimately, the article argues that the events of 1710 were the culmination of a series of disputes between high churchmen and whig politicians and bishops over the power of the pulpit and the true nature of godly reformation.