Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography/Volume 3/Toland, John
TOLAND, John, an English writer of considerable notoriety in his day, was born near Londonderry in Ireland in 1669. His parents were papists, and "he was educated," he tells us, "in the grossest superstition and idolatry—but God was pleased to make his own reason the happy instrument of his conversion." He was christened by the portentous name of Janus Julius, an appellation which exposed him to so much ridicule and annoyance from his companions at school, that his master made him exchange it for that of John. At the age of eighteen he went to Glasgow college, where he graduated in 1690. He then studied for two years at the university of Leyden, and afterwards at Oxford, where he began to acquire the character of a freethinker. On leaving Oxford he settled in London, where in 1696 he published his work, entitled "Christianity not Mysterious, or a treatise showing there is nothing in the Gospel contrary to Reason nor above it, and that no Christian doctrine can be properly called a mystery." All that is alarming in this work is contained in the title-page. Its theological innovations seem to be entirely verbal, and its contents to be very weak and very harmless. For example, he tells us that the sinfulness of human nature was a mystery to the ancient philosophers, but that it is "now no mystery to us who have the mind of Christ. We know that Adam the first man became also the first sinner and mortal, and that so the whole human race propagated from him could be naturally no better than he was; 'by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin.'" To the man who should say, "Still I do not thoroughly understand the origin of sin, there seems to be some mystery about it," Toland would reply, "It may be quite true that we have no adequate idea of the origin of sin, but for all that, it is no mystery." It is obvious that such a dispute turns entirely on words. He professes, too, the most unquestioning faith in miracles, denying only that they are mysterious, inasmuch as God is all-powerful, a conclusion we may assent to, or not, according to the meaning we attach to the word "mysterious." Nevertheless Toland's book excited an indescribable commotion, about as much as Essays and Reviews have stirred up in the present day. The clamour crossed over into Ireland, and when Toland went thither in 1697 he found the country too hot to hold him. His work was condemned by the Irish parliament, and ordered to be burnt by the hangman. Mr. Brown, senior fellow of Trinity college, and afterwards bishop of Cork, fell foul of it in very unmeasured terms, and wished that its author could be handed over for punishment to the civil magistrate. There are some curious passages about Toland in Locke's correspondence with Molyneux. Toland was an ardent admirer of Locke; and it is amusing to observe how the philosopher is divided between his desire to retain an active adherent, and his wish to shake off an obnoxious author, against whom the tide of public opinion was running strong. Besides this work, Toland wrote a "Life of Milton," "Letters to Serena," and a good many pamphlets. He also edited Harrington's Oceana. His works were condemned by both houses of convocation, but on consulting lawyers they found that without a license from the king they had no authority to censure such works judicially. From 1701 to 1710, Toland lived principally on the continent. On his return to England he was supported by the patronage of Harley, earl of Oxford, who made use of him to forward his political projects. He afterwards lost the favour of this minister, and then he wrote pamphlets against him. Toland died at Putney in 1722, declaring on his deathbed that he was killed by the violent medicine which had been administered to him by his doctor, who, when taxed with this by his patient, "seemed no otherwise concerned than gravely to say, 'that it was very remarkable.'" Toland, though a man of some learning, was but a poor writer. He scarcely seems entitled to the bad pre-eminence usually assigned to him, of being one of the leading rationalists in religion. He is classed by Leland among the deistical writers; but his worst faults appear to have been dullness, pedantry, vanity, and indiscretion. A collection of several pieces of Mr. John Toland, now first published from his original manuscripts, with some memoirs of his life and writings, 2 vols., was put forth in 1726.—J. F. F.