Early Modern · 1686–1688
Philosophical Commentary on the Words Compel Them to Come In
Pierre Bayle · 1647–1706
What it is
A refutation of the text used to justify forced conversion, arguing that an erring conscience binds as much as a correct one and must therefore be left free.
Why it lasted
The most radical toleration argument of the century, extending liberty to atheists and idolaters, written by a Huguenot exile after his brother died in a French prison.
Scripture it works from
Where to read it
This work is in the public domain and can be read in full, free, at the archives below. The Library catalogues it; it does not host the text.
These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.
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