Not less liberal was Jeremy Taylor, who was numbered among the dissenters.
In the introduction to his Liberty of Prophesying he said, "So long as men
have such variety of principles, such several constitutions, educations,
tempers, and distempers, hopes, interests, and weaknesses, degrees of light
and degrees of understanding, it was impossible all should be of one mind."
Taylor justly said that in heaven there is room for all faiths. His Liberty
of Prophesying, Chillingworth's Religion of Protestants, and Milton's
Liberty of Unlicensed Printing are the great expressions of the spirit of
toleration in the seventeenth century. Each was broad, comprehensive, and
noble in its plea for religious freedom. It has been said of Taylor that
"he sets a higher value on a good life than on an orthodox creed. He
estimates every doctrine by its capacity to do men good."[9]
Another advocate of toleration was John Locke, whose chief influence was as
a rationalist in philosophy and religion. While accepting Christianity with
simple confidence, he subjected it to the careful scrutiny of reason. His
philosophy awakened the rationalistic spirit in all who accepted it, so
that many of his disciples went much farther than he did himself. While
accepting revelation, he maintained that natural knowledge is more certain
in its character.
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