Locke, A Letter Concerning Toleration: Reading Guide

The Readings book contains extracts.

Locke's Letter on Toleration was published in 1689, in Latin, and translated into English shortly afterwards by another hand. It was prompted by the persecution of the French Protestants by the government of Louis XIV, and by suspicion that James II was planning persecution in England. A critic, Jonathan Proast, published an answer to Locke's Letter, and Locke wrote a Second Letter, and the exchange continued until Locke's Fourth Letter.

Locke begins the first Letter by questioning the Christian charity of the persecutors, and their consistency.

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?... 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) manifestly relish of heathenish corruption, to predominate so much and abound amongst their flocks and people?. (p. 22.)

He goes on to explain his view of the relation of Church and State:

Read p. 25 ('The commonwealth...') to p. 27 ('the world to come.')

'Civil interests' correspond to property (including life, liberty and estates) in the Second Treatise.

Read p. 27 to p. 28 ('... authorised thereunto'), and p. 30 ('The end of a religious society...') to p. 31 ('... of that church').

Compare Marsilius. Marsilius also says that the Church has no coercive power at all. However he allows the 'faithful human legislator', i.e. a Community of Christians, acting through the ruler, to give coercive effect to rules made by the Church; see Marsilius, pp. 148-9. Marsilius regards the life of the future world as part of the state's concern (I.iv.4, p. 14; I.v.2, p. 15; I.v.10, p. 19). Locke does not agree: the civil magistrate 'is confined to the care of things of this world, and hath nothing to do with the world to come'.

Locke then asks, what the duty of toleration requires? First, it does not require that anyone be retained as a member who violates the rules of the Church - the Church has the right to excommunicate, provided the sentence of excommunication 'carry with it no rough usage of word or action whereby the ejected person may any wise be damnified in body or estate', p. 31. (Compare the remarks on excommunication made by John of Paris, Of Royal and Papal Power, pp. 156-7; Giles of Rome, On Ecclesiastical Power, pp. 99-101; and Marsilius of Padua, Defensor Pacis, p. 148: in the middle ages excommunication did have unpleasant consequences.) 'Excommunication neither does, nor can, deprive the excommunicated person of any of those civil goods that he formerly possessed', p. 31. It is merely exclusion from the Church. Second, no one is to be prejudiced in his civil enjoyments because he is of another Church or religion. If the magistrate joins or leaves a Church that makes no difference to its rights. 'It neither acquires the power of the sword by the magistrate's coming to it, nor does it lose the right of instruction and excommunication by his going from it', p. 32.

From the clergy the duty of toleration requires the same respect for the civil interests of others. Their authority, whatever it is, 'ought to be confined within the bounds of the Church, nor can it in any manner be extended to civil affairs, because the Church itself is a thing absolutely separate and distinct from the Commonwealth', p. 35. The clergy should preach the duty of toleration.

What does it require of the magistrate? -

Read from p. 37 ('In the last place...') to p. 42 ('...their own consciences.')

These passages give further reasons why the civil magistrate should not enforce religion.

Read from p. 46 ('You will say...') to p. 47 ('... pretence of public good.'), and p. 56 ('But to come to particulars...') to p. 58 ('... not be tolerated.').

Note the limits to toleration. There is no toleration for Catholics or for atheists.

Locke, A Letter Concerning Toleration: Reading Guide

Further reading on Locke on toleration