Book: A Fair Way with the Dissenters and Their Patrons

Overview

Mary Astell's A Fair Way with the Dissenters and Their Patrons (1704) addresses the contested relationship between the Church of England, organized Protestant dissenters, and those who support them for political ends. The pamphlet balances a moral appeal to conscience with a political concern for national order, aiming to prescribe a tempered response to religious nonconformity rather than inflamed polemic. Astell sets out to distinguish between honest religious conviction and factional opportunism, arguing for remedies directed at motives and consequences rather than mere labels.

Historical and political context

The pamphlet appears amid early eighteenth-century debates over toleration, ecclesiastical authority, and the alignment of religious groups with political parties. England was still grappling with the consequences of the seventeenth-century conflicts over church governance and the realignments that followed the Glorious Revolution; dissenters occupied an ambiguous place as both victims of past persecution and active participants in contemporary political life. Astell writes from the perspective of a committed Anglican who is nevertheless wary of crude coercion and of political actors who exploit religious divisions for short-term advantage.

Main arguments

Astell argues that the state and church should pursue a fair, measured policy toward dissenters that recognizes the sincerity of many nonconformists while guarding against practices that threaten social cohesion. She insists conscience deserves respect, but she contends that unchecked religious fragmentation can undermine the public good by encouraging factionalism and eroding common moral standards. Patrons who support dissenters for political leverage come in for particular criticism: Astell accuses such patrons of sacrificing religious stability to partisan interests and of failing in their duty to promote the common welfare.

Prescriptions and recommended measures

Rather than urging wholesale repression or unconditional toleration, Astell proposes a mixed regimen of persuasion, legal restraint when necessary, and moral oversight designed to promote reconciliation and civic order. She favors approaches that address the roots of dissent where possible, education, correction of abuses, and appeals to reason and Scripture, while acknowledging the state's responsibility to limit practices that actively subvert public peace. Her approach is pragmatic: encourage conformity by argument and example, but do not ignore the political dimensions that empower factional dissent.

Rhetoric and style

Astell's tone combines moral earnestness with rhetorical prudence. She marshals religious language and appeals to civic duty, and she deploys reasoned arguments against both the perceived excesses of dissenting leaders and the cynical manipulation of patrons. The pamphlet reflects the formal, argumentative style of early eighteenth-century political prose, aiming to persuade a readership that included clergymen, magistrates, and politically minded laypeople.

Impact and significance

A Fair Way with the Dissenters and Their Patrons contributed to the period's intense pamphlet literature and to ongoing conversations about liberty, conformity, and the limits of toleration. It illustrates how conservative thinkers could advocate restraint without endorsing harsh persecution, and it reveals anxieties about the interplay of religion and party politics. The pamphlet is notable for presenting a balanced, if establishment-oriented, case for addressing dissent through a combination of moral suasion and prudent policy rather than through raw partisan advantage.