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 impossible that those should sincerely and heartily
apply themselves to make other people Christians, who have not
really embraced the Christian religion in their own hearts. If the
Gospel and the apostles may be credited, no man can be a Christian
without charity and without that faith which works, not by force,
but by love. Now, I appeal to the consciences of those that persecute,
torment, destroy, and kill other men upon pretence of religion,
whether they do it out of friendship and kindness towards them or
no? And I shall then indeed, and not until then, believe they do so,
when I shall see those fiery zealots correcting, in the same manner,
their friends and familiar acquaintance for the manifest sins they
commit against the precepts of the Gospel; when I shall see them
persecute with fire and sword the members of their own communion
that are tainted with enormous vices and without amendment are in
danger of eternal perdition; and when I shall see them thus express
their love and desire of the salvation of their souls by the
infliction of torments and exercise of all manner of cruelties. For if
it be out of a principle of charity, as they pretend, and love to
men's souls that they deprive them of their estates, maim them with
corporal punishments, starve and torment them in noisome prisons,
and in the end even take away their lives- I say, if all this be
done merely to make men Christians and procure their salvation, why
then do they suffer whoredom, fraud, malice, and such-like enormities,
which (according to the apostle)*(4) manifestly relish of heathenish
corruption, to predominate so much and abound amongst their flocks and
people? These, and such-like things, are certainly more contrary to
the glory of God, to the purity of the Church, and to the salvation of
souls, than any conscientious dissent from ecclesiastical decisions,
or separation from public worship, whilst accompanied with innocence
of life. Why, then, does this burning zeal for God, for the Church,
and for the salvation of souls- burning I say, literally, with fire
and faggot- pass by those moral vices and wickednesses, without any
chastisement, which are acknowledged by all men to be diametrically
opposite to the profession of Christianity, and bend all its nerves
either to the introducing of ceremonies, or to the establishment of
opinions, which for the most part are about nice and intricate
matters, that exceed the capacity of ordinary understandings? Which of
the parties contending about these things is in the right, which of
them is guilty of schism or heresy, whether those that domineer or
those that suffer, will then at last be manifest when the causes of
their separation comes to be judged of He, certainly, that follows
Christ, embraces His doctrine, and bears His yoke, though he forsake
both father and mother, separate from the public assemblies and
ceremonies of his country, or whomsoever or whatsoever else he
relinquishes, will not then be judged a heretic.

  * Luke 22. 25.

  *(2) II Tim. 2. 19.

  *(3) Luke 22. 32.

  *(4) Rom. I.

  Now, though the divisions that are amongst sects should be allowed
to be never so obstructive of the salvation of souls; yet,
nevertheless, adultery, fornication, uncleanliness, lasciviousness,
idolatry, and such-like things, cannot be denied to be works of the
flesh, concerning which the apostle has expressly declared that
"they who do them shall not inherit the kingdom of God."* Whosoever,
therefore, is sincerely solicitous about the kingdom of God and thinks
it his duty to endeavour the enlargement of it amongst men, ought to