is perfect, original religion.'

In this book Deism reaches its climax. The sensation which it created
was greater than even Toland or Collins had raised. No less than one
hundred and fifteen answers appeared, one of the most remarkable of
which was Conybeare's 'Defence of Revealed Religion against
"Christianity as old as the Creation."' Avoiding the scurrility and
personality which characterised and marred most of the works written on
both sides of the question, Conybeare discusses in calm and dignified,
but at the same time luminous and impressive language, the important
question which Tindal had raised. Doing full justice to the element of
truth which Tindal's work contained, he unravels the complications in
which it is involved, shows that the author had confused two distinct
meanings of the phrase 'natural reason' or 'natural religion,' viz. (1)
that which is _founded_ on the nature and reason of things, and (2) that
which is _discoverable_ by man's natural power of mind, and
distinguishes between that which is perfect in its kind and that which
is absolutely perfect. This powerful work is but little known in the
present day. But it was highly appreciated by Conybeare's
contemporaries, and the German historian of English Deism hardly knows
how to find language strong enough to express his admiration of its
excellence.[155]

But Tindal had the honour of calling forth a still stronger adversary
than Conybeare. Butler's 'Analogy' deals with the arguments of
'Christianity as old as the Creation' more than with those of any other
book; but as this was not avowedly its object, and as it covered a far
wider ground than Tindal did, embracing in fact the whole range of the
Deistical controversy, it will be better to postpone the consideration
of this masterpiece until the sequel.

By friend and foe alike Tindal seems to have been regarded as the chief
exponent of Deism. Skelton in his 'Deism revealed' (published in 1748)
says that 'Tindal is the great apostle of Deism who has gathered
together the whole strength of the party, and his book is become the
bible of all Deistical readers.' Warburton places him at the head of his
party, classifying the Deists, 'from the mighty author of "Christianity
as old as the Creation," to the drunken, blaspheming cobbler who wrote
against Jesus and the Resurrection.'[156] The subsequent writers on the
Deistical side took their cue from Tindal, thus showing the estimation
in which his boo