In order to pass the BA examination, it was, also, necessary to get up Paley's Evidences of Christianity, and his Moral Philosophy. This was done in a thorough manner, and I am convinced that I could have written out the whole of the Evidences with perfect correctness, but not of course in the clear language of Paley. The logic of this book and as I may add of his Natural Theology gave me as much delight as did Euclid. The careful study of these works, without attempting to learn any part by rote, was the only part of the Academical Course which, as I then felt and as I still believe, was of the least use to me in the education of my mind.Charles Darwin. Many scholars have assumed that this was a set text at the University in the early nineteenth century.2 However, a study of the examination papers of the University, and contemporary memoirs, autobiographies and correspondence, reveals no evidence that this was so, though it did appear in some of the College examinations. Theology proves to have been a relatively minor part of the formal curriculum, and natural theology played only a small role within that. The political and religious context suggests that natural theology was less emphasised because of its associations with deism and radicalism. However, I suggest that this is an absence only from formal spheres of education. There was great interest in the natural sciences in Cambridge, and many of the professors undoubtedly saw natural theology as the framework in which they pursued their science.Despite being 'voluntary,' it was through the lectures, and the infectious enthusiasm of the natural sciences professors that natural theology played a far more important role than the analysis of examinations suggests.4
Paley at CambridgeWilliam Paley (1743-1805) wrote three books which he believed formed a system containing 'the evidences of Natural Religion, the evidences of Revealed Religion, and an account of the duties that result from both.' 5 These were, respectively, Natural Theology, A View of the
Evidences of Christianity (1794), and Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy (1785).All three works were acknowledged to be unoriginal, but were praised for their clarity and logical arguments.