The Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D. — Volume 03 / Swift's Writings on Religion and the Church — Volume 1

A collection of tracts, sermons, essays, and letters that examine religion and the role of the established church in public life. The pieces defend ecclesiastical order and political stability while criticizing sectarianism, papal influence, and speculative theology, favoring practical moral guidance over metaphysical debate. Several writings offer counsel to clergy about duty, residence, and pastoral conduct, and others engage polemically with contemporary controversies over episcopal authority and tests. The diverse formats are arranged to show a consistent concern for how religious institutions shape civic behavior and the limits of reform that preserve social cohesion.