19 Facts About Thomas Chubb

Thomas Chubb was a lay English Deist writer born near Salisbury.

Thomas Chubb saw Christ as a divine teacher, but held reason to be sovereign over religion.

Thomas Chubb questioned the morality of religions, while defending Christianity on rational grounds.

Thomas Chubb, the son of a maltster, was born at East Harnham, near Salisbury.

Thomas Chubb picked up a fair knowledge of mathematics and geography, but theology was his favourite study.

Thomas Chubb spent some years living and working in London at the house of Joseph Jekyll, Master of the Rolls.

Thomas Chubb made his first appearance as an author in the Arian controversy.

Thomas Chubb's tracts were collected in a quarto volume in 1730 and attracted wide notice.

Thomas Chubb returned to the question in 1735, in some "Observations" on Thomas Rundle's nomination to the Diocese of Gloucester, Rundle having been accused of disbelieving the story.

In 1738 Thomas Chubb published The True Gospel of Jesus Christ asserted, which provoked various attacks, including one from Ebenezer Hewlett.

Thomas Chubb persisted in stating that true Christianity consisted of a belief that morality alone could make men acceptable to God, that repentance for sin would secure God's mercy, and that there would be future retribution.

Thomas Chubb argues against interpreting literally the command to give all to the poor, noting that Stebbing himself was a pluralist with two livings, a preachership and an archdeaconry, and due to be chancellor of the Diocese of Salisbury, so that he could hardly interpret the command literally to himself.

The last work that Thomas Chubb published himself was Four Dissertations, attacking some Old Testament passages with a freedom that gave wide offence.

Joseph Waligore states in a 2012 article, "The Piety of the English Deists", that Thomas Chubb discussed prayer more than any other deist.

Thomas Chubb's longest writing on the subject was a 30-page pamphlet, "An Enquiry Concerning Prayer", where he began by insisting that prayer was a duty God required for achieving a closer relationship with him.

Thomas Chubb said even though they were "ministering spirits", we could not be sure they heard our prayers, and they might not be at liberty to help us without God's direct guidance.

Thomas Chubb spent a final ten pages wondering whether we should pray to Jesus or just to God the Father, concluding we should pray to God the Father "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ".

Thomas Chubb was sure that God heard all our petitions, but he did not think God answered them all in the way we wished.

Thomas Chubb cited evidence that God did not often answer our prayers: over the previous 200 years, millions of sincere, fervent prayers had petitioned God for the defeat of the Antichrist, but the Roman Catholic hierarchy or other interests ostensibly bent on defeating God's kingdom still existed.