The Great Case of Liberty of Conscience Once More Briefly Debated & Defended, by the Authority of Reason, Scripture, and Antiquity.

The Author W. P. [Penn, William]

Published by 1670 [i.e. 1671], [London], 1670

About this Item

Rare second edition of one of the most persuasive defences of liberty and â the free and uninterrupted exercise of our consciences"(William Penn). Quarto, bound in full modern morocco, gilt titles and ruling to the spine, inner dentelles elaborately stamped in blind. A powerful argument for toleration and against the intrusion of civil authority into religious matters, this second edition was revised and enlarged from the first edition during Penn's imprisonment at Newgate in 1670, a defining episode in his lifelong defense of religious liberty. This is evidently a 2nd edition, being much enlarged from the 1st, which may be seen on comparison; and "J." for Junior is here omitted in the Title page, and also the Dedication to the King which the first contains -- and an address "to the Supream Authority of England," dated, "Newgate, the 7th of the 12th monteth, called February, 1670." -- and a Preface added; also new matter in the work" (Smith Friends' Books II, p.286-7). In very good condition. Bookplate of William Tarun Fehsenfeld to the pastedown. The Great Case of Liberty of Conscience Once More Briefly Debated & Defended, by the Authority of Reason, Scripture, and Antiquity constitutes one of William Pennâ s earliest and most systematic expositions of the principle of religious toleration. This second edition, revised and enlarged during his imprisonment in Newgate Prison in 1670, following his arrest for preaching at an unlawful Quaker meeting, develops and refines arguments first articulated in the initial printing. Drawing on reason, Scripture, and early Christian authority, Penn maintains that civil government possesses no jurisdiction over matters of faith and that coercion in religion violates both divine and natural law. Produced during a formative period of persecution, the text articulates a mature defense of liberty of conscience that would later inform Pennâ s political philosophy and the legal and religious framework of his American colony.

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Great Case of Liberty of Conscience Once More Briefly Debated & Defended, by the Authority of Reason, Scripture, and Antiquity.
• Publisher: 1670 [i.e. 1671], [London]
• Publication Date: 1670
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
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