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Samuel Johnson was a deeply religious man and he came to depend on his Christian faith as the principal means by which to endure the pain of existence. He sought throughout his life to render himself worthy of salvation, but the difficulties which he ecperienced in trying to maintain a high degree of reigious discipline - as well as his doubts about God's ultimate concern for man and his fears of his own spiritual unworthiness - led him in to periods of madness and a perpetual dread of damnation. Charles Pierce examines the effect of Johnson's religious concerns upon the formation of his complex character, and on the great moral writing that began with The Vanity of Human Wishes and ended with Rasselas. He explores the paradox of a life which was dedicated to the Christian ideal and tormented by that same ideal. Previous works on Johnson's religious beliefs have been concerned with ascertaining whether what those beliefs were, and not with their effect. The main theme of this study is the importance of Johnson's beleifs in the formation of his character and their effect on the moral values expressed in his greatest writing and on the conduct of his life. It will be essential to anyone interested in the life and thought of one of the greatest English literary figures. Charles E. Pierce, Jr., is Associate Professor of English at Vassar College, N.Y.
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The Religious Life of Samuel Johnson This page intentionally left blank The Religious Life of Samuel Johnson Charles E. Pierce, Jr. THE ATHLONE PRESS London First published 1983 by The Athlone Press Ltd 58 Russell Square, London WClB 4HL • Charles E. Pierce, Jr., 1983 Published in the USA by Archon Books 995 Sherman Avenue, Hamden, CT 06514 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Pierce, Charles E. The religious life of Samuel Johnson. 1. Johnson, Samuel, 1709-1784—Religion and ethics. I. Title 820'.6 PR3523 ISBN 0-485-30010-9 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America To W. Jackson Bate He, in a sense was spiritually self-conscious, was a tragic figure, i.e. worth putting down as part of the whole of which oneself is part. Samuel Beckett, speaking of Samuel Johnson Shall I, who have been a teacher of others, myself be a castaway? Samuel Johnson, speaking to Sir John Hawkins Contents Preface 9 Acknowledgments 13 1. The Anvil of Anxiety 15 2. The Crucible of Faith 34 3. The Pursuit of Piety 63 4. The Character of fearing 84 5. The Meaning of the Journey 111 6. A Crisis of faith 131 7. The Last Grarf Trial 146 Notes 165 Bibliography 177 Index 179 This page intentionally left blank Preface No thoughtful reader of Samuel Johnson has ever doubted the truth of Boswell's remark that "the history of his mind as to religion is an important article."1 Johnson himself made no attempt to conceal the importance of religion for him nor the central place that it occupied in his life. Writing to Queeney Thrale just six months before he died, he exhorted her to "believe a man whose experience has been long, and who can have no wish to deceive you, and who now tells you that the highest honour, and most constant pleasure this life can afford, must be obtained by passing it with attention fixed upon Eternity."2 Johnson was a deeply religious man who accepted without question the existence of God, who affirmed his faith in the principal truths of Christianity, who was an ardent Church-of-England man, and who sought throughout his life to render himself worthy of salvation. Few commentators have provided a better general sense of