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II
Church Intolerance
II
Intolerance Church
Intolerance. pro
Arguments compiled
II Preserving from poison
of heresy
The arguments against
prosecuting Infidelity
plead almost all
of them with redoubled
force against prevention
of Heresy &
Schism, whether
Catholic, Greek, or
Protestant
1. The poison is
not pretended to
be near or mischievous
2. The scandal and
danger of employing
this antidote
against it would is
be much greater
3. So would the difficulty
of encompassing
the effect. Religionists
will not always sit
so quiet under
proscription as Unbelievers
do. Unbelievers Atheists
have either
no zeal for propagating
their opinions
or none
but what the sentiments affections
of philanthropy
or the love
of applause reputation are
capable of supplying lighting up giving
both. To these forces Religionists
superadd the frequently
boundless
one of the persuasion
of religious
duty. Atheism requires
no outward
acts as most religions do.
---page break---
4. Quarrels among
Christians weaken
the common cause
and give matter
of triumph &
source of argument
to the common enemy.
The above is only
one argument ad
hominem to be
used by one Christian
to another:
but to which no
Christian can consistently
be inattentive.
---page break---
III. Preserving the
peace
1. It is curious that
the only method
of breaching the
peace should be
insisted upon so
vehemently and so
generally as the
only method for
preserving it.
Verbal contro disputation
to with whatever
temper conducted carried on
and to whatever
pitch pursued of heat wound up
is no breach of
the peace but in
the dictionary of
tyrants.
If men from
words proceed to
blows, there is
the time for the
magistrate to
interfere: but
such interference
is not intolerance
but common justice:
the persons culpable
guilty are punished
not as Unbelievers for Unbelief,
Heretics
or Schismatics,
but for Assault &
or Homicide as
the case may be.
The idea of stopping
up crimes
by drying up the
source without
regard to the expence
[of the undertaking]
---page break---
is of all the devices
of tyrants the most convenient
to themselves
and the most dangerous
to society. Proscribe such
words as may lead to
blows, you must proscribe
all writing conversation
and all writing. The
shorter and the sure
course is to take away
the power faculty. Cut men's
hands off, you will
prevent their boxing.
Cut women's tongues
out you will prevent
their scolding.
When the magistrate
in the pretence
of keeping the peace
or any others the magistrate
interferes with
pains and penalties
to suppress religious verbal
controversy, from that
moment the peace
is broken, and he the
Law-maker is the peace-breaker
it is that breaks it,
and the only mischief there is is of his making
there remains one &
one only way for restoring
peace, which
is to repeal the law.
To proceed to To keep peace in the
Church by felonies &
pramemories is as if
the a Speaker were to fire
castrea grape shot among
the Members by way of
keeping order in the House.
---page break---
IV Intolerance Preventing
Difference of opinion
1. What does this amount
to? doing
the worst of mischief
in the groundless
hope of preventing
that which is none.
2. Ill humour apart
difference of opinion [is not so Anger much
as an inconvenience]
upon questions of a
speculative nature
so far being a mischief
is not so
much as an inconvenience.
Identity Bating
this accidental mixture of opinion
is not in itself
more desirable than
diversity. Diversity
opinion is not in itself, is not
more undesirable
than identity: it
keeps conversation
alive, exercises the
mental powers, &
promotes furnishes rational
amusement.
3. Which then has
the most tendency
to breed ill humour?
The equal liberty of
both parties, or the partial
oppression exercised
upon one?
---page break---
4. The importance
of the subject of difference
is here out
of the question. Whether
that circumstances
furnishes
a proper ground
for interposition
in this way has been
considered already.
If mere difference
of opinion be so
mischief deserving capable of
of warranting the use of such a remedy
why stop any
where.
5. Establish a commission
for the decision
of all sorts
of questions that
can occur arise in art
or science or common
conversation:
Transfer the support
of the Ecclesiastical
laws now subsisting
to the decisions of this
caste.
Begin for experiment's
sake upon the
debating clubs in
London. Let a
Bishop send the
President a decision.
---page break---
on the question
of the evening for
every body to sign,
with backed with
excommunication
or whatever may be
most proper to ensure
compliance
and it will be seen you will see
how it succeeds as
a recipe for promoting
good humour
among the
company keeping
the company in
good humour.
6. The Church of
England in this view
amongst others, in the
view of putting an
end to differences of
opinion has comprized
the the decision of on what in
his eye seemed the
most important subjects
of difference in
39 Articles; which
all persons who are
supposed likely to have
any thing to say opinion to deliver upon
these subjects are
enjoined obliged to sign. This
39 though more by
all the number than
can answer any useful
purpose, are
not enough by 39,000
to answer this useless one.
If good humour among
Divines had had nothing
better to depend
upon
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