A Letter Concerning Toleration
contributor: Eric Lease Morgan (Infomotions, Inc.)
creator: Locke, John
date: 0000-00-00
extent: 114386
format: text/plain
language: en
publisher: Eris Etext Project
rights: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/GPL/2.0/
source: 2
subject: church
subject: religion
subject: magistrate
subject: god
subject: pleased
subject: inquire
subject: mutual
subject: toleration
subject: christians
subject: professions
subject: locke
subject: john
subject: letter
subject: concerning
subject: western
subject: philosophy
type: text
local mirror: locke-letter-116.txt
concordance: http://infomotions.com/alex/cgi-bin/concordance.pl
plain html: locke-letter-116.htm
sort title: Letter Concerning Toleration, A
full text: 1689 A LETTER CONCERNING TOLERATION by John Locke translated by William Popple HONOURED SIR, Since you are pleased to inquire what are my thoughts about the mutual toleration of Christians in their different professions of religion, I must needs answer you freely that I esteem that toleration to be the chief characteristic mark of the true Church. For whatsoever some people boast of the antiquity of places and names, or of the pomp of their outward worship; others, of the reformation of their discipline; all, of the orthodoxy of their faith- for everyone is orthodox to himself- these things, and all others of this nature, are much rather marks of men striving for power and empire over one another than of the Church of Christ. Let anyone have never so true a claim to all these things, yet if he be destitute of charity, meekness, and good-will in general towards all mankind, even to those that are not Christians, he is certainly yet short of being a true Christian himself. "The kings of the Gentiles exercise leadership over them," said our Saviour to his disciples, "but ye shall not be so."* The business of true religion is quite another thing. It is not instituted in order to the erecting of an external pomp, nor to the obtaining of ecclesiastical dominion, nor to the exercising of compulsive force, but to the regulating of men's lives, according to the rules of virtue and piety. Whosoever will list himself under the banner of Christ, must, in the first place and above all things, make war upon his own lusts and vices. It is in vain for any man to unsurp the name of Christian, without holiness of life, purity of manners, benignity and meekness of spirit. "Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ, depart from iniquity."*(2) "Thou, when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren," said our Lord to Peter.*(3) It would, indeed, be very hard for one that appears careless about his own salvation to persuade me that he were extremely concerned for mine. For it is imposs…