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Minds and Oaths*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2010

Harry M. Bracken
Harry M. Bracken
Affiliation:
McGill University
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Extract

The Protestant Reformation is said to have had a number of ramifications within philosophy. Popkin has traced the sceptical crisis in 17th century philosophical thought back to the criterion problem, the search for a rule of religious truth, which was precipitated by the Reformation. Rex has shown how the elaboration of what might be called the epistemology of religious certitude devised by Calvinist theologians provided fertile intellectual ground for the acceptance of Cartesianism. I shall claim that one product of the Reformation was a set of closely related doctrines, doctrines which were to become associated with Cartesianism, and which were essential to the formulation ofthe Reformers' case.

Type
Articles
Information
Dialogue: Canadian Philosophical Review / Revue canadienne de philosophie , Volume 17 , Issue 2 , June 1978 , pp. 209 - 227
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Philosophical Association 1978

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References

Notes

1 Popkin, Richard H., History of Scepticism from Erasmus to Descartes, (New York: Harper and Row, 1968)Google Scholar.

2 Rex, Walter, Essays on Pierre Bayle and Religious Controversy, (The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1965)CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

3 This is clear in, e.g., the debates between Jurieu and Bayle. Cf. Bayle, Pierre, Commentaire philosophique sur ces paroles de Jesus-Christ, contrain-les d'entrer… in Œuvres Diverses (2nd ed.; La Haye, 1737)Google Scholar, II, 439a, (Pt. II, ch. x).

4 Cf. Walter Rex, Essays on Pierre Bayle … esp. Pt II, chs. 3, 5.

5 On the general question of Carte sianism see Walter Rex op. cit. and Labrousse, Elisabeth, Pierre Bayle II, (La Haye: Martinus Nijhoff, 1964)CrossRefGoogle Scholar, esp. chs. 6, 7, 18, 19. The role of dualism is clear and explicit in Bayle's Commentaire Philosophique.

6 Cf. Locke, John, Epistola de Tolerantia, edited by Klibansky, Raymond, transl. by Gough, J.W.. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968), p. 135Google Scholar. Klibansky discusses Bayle in the Preface.

7 Lowde, James, A Discourse concerning the nature of man … (London: Walter Kettilby, 1694), p. 184Google Scholar.

8 Rutherfurd, Samuel, A free disputation against pretended liberty of conscience tending to resolve doubts moved by Mr. John Goodwin, John Baptist, Dr. Jer. Taylor, the Belgick Arminians, Socinians, and other Authors contending for lawlesse liberty, or licentious toleration of sects and heresies. (London: Andrew Crook, 1649)Google Scholar.

9 Whitfeld, Thomas, A discourse of liberty of conscience … (London: John Wright, 1649)Google Scholar.

10 William Ames, Conscience with the power and cases thereof, [s.l.] 1639.

11 [anon.] Against universall libertie of conscience … [with Cranford's Imprimatur] (London: Thomas Underhill, 1644)Google Scholar.

12 Cotton, John, The controversie concerning liberty of conscience … (London: Thomas Banks, 1646)Google Scholar.

13 Sharp, John, A discourse of conscience: with respect to those that separate from the Communion of the Church of England upon the pretence of it … (London: Walter Kettilby, 1684)Google Scholar.

14 St. Paul's text (Romans, xiii, 1), “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be, are ordained of God,” is a frequent subject for sermons throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.

15 Gillespie, George, from a Sermon before the House of Lords at Westminster 27 August 1645. (London: Robert Bostock, 1645)Google Scholar.

16 SirWolseley, Charles, The unreasonableness of atheism made manifest … 2nd ed. rev. (London: Nath. Ponder, 1669)Google Scholar.

17 Paley, William, The Moral Philosophy of Paley: with Additional Dissertations and Notes by Alexander Bain. (Edinburgh: W. & R. Chambers, 1852)Google Scholar. Cf. Bk III, Pt 1. pp. 149 f.

18 Canne, John, The snare is broken. Wherein is proved by Scripture, Law and Reason, that the Nationall Covenant and Oath was unlawfully given and taken (London: M. Simmons, 1649)Google Scholar.

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20 Tillotson, John, Works. 9th ed.; (Dublin: George Grierson, 1726)Google Scholar. Sermon xxii.

21 Comber, Thomas, Sermon, 14 July 1681. “The nature and usefulness of solemn judicial swearing …” (London: R. Clavell, 1682)Google Scholar.

22 Fleetwood, William, A Sermon upon Swearing, (London: J. Roberts, 1721)Google Scholar.

23 Wake, William, Sermon 5 November 1705. (Dublin: Reprinted for Edwin Sandys, 1705)Google Scholar.

24 Pratt, Benjamin. Sermon to commemorate the Irish Rebellion, 23 October 1703. (Dublin: 1703)Google Scholar.

25 Greene, Thomas, Sermon. 20 November 1715. (London: John Wyat, 1715)Google Scholar.

26 Stillingfleet, Edward, “A discourse concerning the unreasonableness of a new separation, on account of the oaths …” in The Works ofthat Eminent and Most Learned Prelate, Dr. Edw. Stillingfleet. 6 vols. (London: Henry and George Mortlock, 1710)Google Scholar. III, 937 f.

27 Report of the Committee … 6th ed.; (London: John Morphew, 1717), p. 4Google Scholar. There is a voluminous literature on the Bangorian controversy.

28 Hoadley, Benjamin, An Answer to the Representation drawn up by the Committee … 2nd ed.; (London: J. Knapton and Tim. Childe, 1717)Google Scholar.

29 [Stebbing, Henry], A defence of the first head of the chargeof the committee of the lower house of convocation … (London: Henry Clements, 1718)Google Scholar.

30 Stebbing, Henry, An Essay concerning human government, consider'das it stands related to religion. Wherein the magistrate's right to support and encourage true religion by human laws is asserted … (London: Jonah Bowyer, 1724)Google Scholar.

31 Law, William, A Reply to the Bishop of Bangor's Answer to the Representation of the Committee … (London: William and John Innys, 1719)Google Scholar.

32 For example, Synge, Edward suggested, in the course of a 1725 Sermon commemorating the Irish Rebellion (see, e.g. his A Vindication of aSermon … in Answer to the Revd. Mr.Radcliffe's Letter. (Dublin: A. Rhames, 1726))Google Scholar that a very modest measure of toleration be extended to Papists. Synge was troubled by the spread of hypocrisy and he rejected the gospel doctrine: Compel them to enter. Stephen Radcliffe attacked Synge in a series of papers 1725–27 and defended the magistrate's use of coercion when he proceeds against men's opinions in the interests of the civil authority and the security of the state. See his A Reply to the Reverend Mr. Edward Synge … (Dublin: J. Hyde, 1726)Google Scholar.

33 Christopher Hill has produced several excellent studies of this period.

34 “Has the State the right to restrict freedom of expression? It is possible to hold that it is best not to do so at all: that the State should restrain, where necessary, overt and material actions, but should leave purely verbal utterances strictly alone …. [However] words are in fact an integral part of many patterns of action. If this is accepted that absolute distinction between words and actions is broken down, and words and actions together become part of a pattern of behaviour which is and should be amenable to law.” From remarks by Dr Conor Cruise O'Brien in moving the second stage of the Broadcasting Authority bill, 1975, before the Irish Senate, 12 March 1975. From The Irish Times, 13 March 1975, p. 9.

35 See the discussion in Chomsky, Noam, Reflections on Language, (New York: Pantheon, 1975) p. 132Google Scholar.