POL 118B Chapter 1: A Letter Concerning Toleration Summary Notes
9 Feb 2017
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Toleration of christian in their different professions of religion. Toleration is the chief characteristical mark of the true church. No man can be a christian without charity, and without faith which works, not by force, but by love. Persecution (torment, killing) of other men upon the pretense of religion is more contrary to the glory of god, to the purity of church and to the salvation of souls. Any man that thinks it fit to cause another man, whose salvation he desires, to expire in torments, seems strange: no such carriage could proceed from charity, love, or goodwill. Forcing people to profess things that they do not believe, and allowing them to practice things that the gospel does not permit is not what god wants- (cid:862)faith is (cid:374)ot faith (cid:449)ithout (cid:271)elie(cid:448)i(cid:374)g(cid:863) Instead of expiating other sins by the exercise of religion, we add unto the number of our other sins- also those of hypocrisy and contempt of his divine majesty.
