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class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">1673 work by John Milton</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1257001546">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><table class="infobox vcard"><caption class="infobox-title" style="font-size:125%; font-style:italic; padding-bottom:0.2em;">Of True Religion, Heresy, Schism, Toleration; and what best means may be used against the Growth of Popery <span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Of+True+Religion%2C+Heresy%2C+Schism%2C+Toleration%3B+and+what+best+means+may+be+used+against+the+Growth+of+Popery&rft.author=%5B%5BJohn+Milton%5D%5D&rft.date=1673&rft.place=England"></span></caption><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Author</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/John_Milton" title="John Milton">John Milton</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Language</th><td class="infobox-data">English</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">Publication date</div></th><td class="infobox-data">1673</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Publication place</th><td class="infobox-data">England</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Media type</th><td class="infobox-data">Print</td></tr></tbody></table> <p><i><b>Of True Religion, Heresy, Schism, Toleration; and what best means may be used against the Growth of Popery</b></i> is an <a href="/wiki/Anti-Catholicism" title="Anti-Catholicism">Anti-Catholic</a> polemical <a href="/wiki/Tract_(literature)" title="Tract (literature)">tract</a> by <a href="/wiki/John_Milton" title="John Milton">John Milton</a>, first published in London in 1673. The tract addresses Milton's own problems with the doctrines, practices, and ceremonies associated with the <a href="/wiki/Pope" title="Pope">Pope</a> or the papal system of the <a href="/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Church" class="mw-redirect" title="Roman Catholic Church">Roman Catholic Church</a> and, with what Milton called, the implicit faith of its members. The anti-Catholic ideas in Milton's writing are in direct response to the tolerant stance of <a href="/wiki/King_Charles_II_of_England" class="mw-redirect" title="King Charles II of England">King Charles II of England</a> toward the Roman Catholic Church. Pro-Catholic sentiments had not been popular in England since the reign of the Roman Catholic queen <a href="/wiki/Mary_I_of_England" title="Mary I of England">Mary I of England</a>. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Content">Content</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Of_True_Religion&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Content"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Milton accuses the Roman Catholic Church of blatantly changing scripture and of blindly leading gullible members astray. He argues that the Catholic Church's reliance on popery is false religion and uses that as evidence of <a href="/wiki/Heresy_in_Christianity" title="Heresy in Christianity">heresy</a> within the institution. Milton begins his argument with the claim that "the increase of popery is at this day no small trouble and offence to the greatest part of the nation."<sup id="cite_ref-milton_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-milton-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Milton continues his argument by juxtaposing the supposed errors of the Catholic Church with his own definition of "true religion." He maintains that true religion "is the true worship and service of God, learnt and believed from the word of God only."<sup id="cite_ref-milton_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-milton-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Milton also suggests that members of the Roman Catholic Church live by a system of implicit faith. He proposes a solution to the problem, stating that two principles of true religion would "cut off many debates and contentions, <a href="/wiki/Schism_in_Christianity" title="Schism in Christianity">schisms</a>, and persecutions"<sup id="cite_ref-milton_1-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-milton-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> between Christians. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Two_Principles">Two Principles</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Of_True_Religion&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Two Principles"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In his tract, John Milton frequently cited Biblical passages as evidence against the Catholic Church. Milton quoted from the books of <a href="/wiki/Book_of_Deuteronomy" title="Book of Deuteronomy">Deuteronomy</a> (Deut. 4:2) and <a href="/wiki/Book_of_Revelation" title="Book of Revelation">Revelation</a> (Rev. 22:18,19) and argued that the two main principles of true religion were (1) the word of God only, and (2) "that faith ought not to be an implicit faith, that is to believe, though as the church believes, against or without express authority of scripture."<sup id="cite_ref-milton_1-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-milton-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Historical_context">Historical context</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Of_True_Religion&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Historical context"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Milton wrote his pamphlet in 1673, one year before his death. With his greatest works behind him, Milton could focus on his current state and the condition of his country. He had studied the consequences of the state-run <a href="/wiki/Church_of_England" title="Church of England">Church of England</a><sup id="cite_ref-campbell_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-campbell-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and believed in the <a href="/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state" title="Separation of church and state">separation of church and state</a>. </p><p>Milton was a witness of the unpopularity of King Charles II's tolerance of Catholics. Charles II had promulgated the <a href="/wiki/Declaration_of_Indulgence_(1672)" title="Declaration of Indulgence (1672)">declaration of indulgence</a> (which had suspended the penalties for Catholicism and <a href="/wiki/Nonconformist_(Protestantism)" title="Nonconformist (Protestantism)">nonconformity</a>) in March 1672, but had been forced to rescind it in March 1673. "Milton's tract is tolerant of the <a href="/wiki/Sectarianism" title="Sectarianism">sectarians</a>, who ‘may have some errors, but are not heretics’, but mounts a strong attack on Roman Catholicism, which he denounces as politically dangerous and theologically <a href="/wiki/Idolatry" title="Idolatry">idolatrous</a>."<sup id="cite_ref-campbell_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-campbell-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Because his views seemed to contradict even mainstream ideas such as <a href="/wiki/Trinitarianism" class="mw-redirect" title="Trinitarianism">trinitarianism</a>, it did not receive much attention during his lifetime. However, they would later influence future parliamentary issues like the <a href="/wiki/Popery_Act_1698" title="Popery Act 1698">Popery Act 1698</a>. His writings later became wildly popular to the future revolutionary movements in France and America.<sup id="cite_ref-campbell_2-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-campbell-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Sources">Sources</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Of_True_Religion&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Sources"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-milton-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-milton_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-milton_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-milton_1-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-milton_1-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">John Milton, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ev4QAAAAIAAJ">Protestant Union: A Treatise of True Religion, Heresy, Schism, Toleration, and what Best Means May be Used Against the Spread of Popery</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-campbell-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-campbell_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-campbell_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-campbell_2-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Gordon Campbell, ‘Milton, John (1608–1674)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2009 <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/18800,">accessed 12 Nov 2013</a></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist 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td.hlist ul{padding:0.125em 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbar{display:block;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title .navbar{float:left;text-align:left;margin-right:0.5em}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .navbox-image img{max-width:none!important}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .navbox{display:none!important}}</style></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="John_Milton" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="3"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar 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href="/wiki/Template:John_Milton" title="Template:John Milton"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:John_Milton" title="Template talk:John Milton"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:John_Milton" title="Special:EditPage/Template:John Milton"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="John_Milton" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/John_Milton" title="John Milton">John Milton</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Topics</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/John_Milton%27s_poetic_style" title="John Milton's poetic style">Poetic style</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/John_Milton%27s_reception_history" title="John Milton's reception history">Reception history</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religious_views_of_John_Milton" title="Religious views of John Milton">Religion</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/John_Milton%27s_politics" title="John Milton's politics">Politics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Early_life_of_John_Milton" title="Early life of John Milton">Early life</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/John_Milton%27s_relationships" title="John Milton's relationships">Relationships</a></li></ul> </div></td><td class="noviewer navbox-image" rowspan="9" style="width:1px;padding:0 0 0 2px"><div><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:John-milton.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/John-milton.jpg/120px-John-milton.jpg" decoding="async" width="120" height="151" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/John-milton.jpg/180px-John-milton.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/John-milton.jpg/240px-John-milton.jpg 2x" data-file-width="636" data-file-height="800" /></a></span></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Poetry</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Milton%27s_1645_Poems" title="Milton's 1645 Poems"><i>Poems</i> 1645</a> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/On_the_Morning_of_Christ%27s_Nativity" title="On the Morning of Christ's Nativity">On the Morning of Christ's Nativity</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Upon_the_Circumcision" title="Upon the Circumcision">Upon the Circumcision</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/The_Passion_(Milton)" title="The Passion (Milton)">The Passion</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Arcades_(Milton)" title="Arcades (Milton)">Arcades</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Comus_(Milton)" title="Comus (Milton)">Comus</a></i></li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Lycidas" title="Lycidas">Lycidas</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/L%27Allegro" title="L'Allegro">L'Allegro</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Il_Penseroso" title="Il Penseroso">Il Penseroso</a>"</li></ul></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Paradise_Lost" title="Paradise Lost">Paradise Lost</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Paradise_Regained" title="Paradise Regained">Paradise Regained</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Samson_Agonistes" title="Samson Agonistes">Samson Agonistes</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Milton%27s_1673_Poems" class="mw-redirect" title="Milton's 1673 Poems"><i>Poems</i> 1673</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Milton%27s_antiprelatical_tracts" title="Milton's antiprelatical tracts">Antiprelatical tracts</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0;font-style:italic;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Of_Reformation" title="Of Reformation">Of Reformation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Of_Prelatical_Episcopacy" title="Of Prelatical Episcopacy">Of Prelatical Episcopacy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Animadversions" title="Animadversions">Animadversions</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/The_Reason_of_Church-Government_Urged_against_Prelaty" title="The Reason of Church-Government Urged against Prelaty">The Reason of Church-Government</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Apology_for_Smectymnuus" title="Apology for Smectymnuus">Apology for Smectymnuus</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Milton%27s_divorce_tracts" title="Milton's divorce tracts">Divorce tracts</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0;font-style:italic;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Doctrine_and_Discipline_of_Divorce" title="Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce">Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Judgement_of_Martin_Bucer_Concerning_Divorce" title="Judgement of Martin Bucer Concerning Divorce">Judgement of Martin Bucer Concerning Divorce</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tetrachordon" title="Tetrachordon">Tetrachordon</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Colasterion" title="Colasterion">Colasterion</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/John_Milton%27s_politics" title="John Milton's politics">Political tracts</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0;font-style:italic;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Areopagitica" title="Areopagitica">Areopagitica</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/The_Tenure_of_Kings_and_Magistrates" title="The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates">The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eikonoklastes" title="Eikonoklastes">Eikonoklastes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Defensio_pro_Populo_Anglicano" title="Defensio pro Populo Anglicano">Defensio pro Populo Anglicano</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Defensio_Secunda" title="Defensio Secunda">Defensio Secunda</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/A_Treatise_of_Civil_Power" title="A Treatise of Civil Power">A Treatise of Civil Power</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/The_Ready_and_Easy_Way_to_Establish_a_Free_Commonwealth" title="The Ready and Easy Way to Establish a Free Commonwealth">The Ready and Easy Way</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Other writings</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/Of_Education" title="Of Education">Of Education</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/The_History_of_Britain_(Milton)" title="The History of Britain (Milton)"> The History of Britain</a></i></li> <li><i><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Of True Religion</a></i></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Individual sonnets</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>"<a href="/wiki/When_I_Consider_How_My_Light_is_Spent" title="When I Consider How My Light is Spent">When I Consider How My Light is Spent</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/On_the_Late_Massacre_in_Piedmont" title="On the Late Massacre in Piedmont">On the Late Massacre in Piedmont</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Methought_I_Saw_my_Late_Espoused_Saint" title="Methought I Saw my Late Espoused Saint">Methought I Saw my Late Espoused Saint</a>"</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Disputed</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/De_Doctrina_Christiana_(Milton)" title="De Doctrina Christiana (Milton)"><i>De Doctrina Christiana</i></a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Related</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/John_Milton_(composer)" title="John Milton (composer)">John Milton (father)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Edward_Phillips" title="Edward Phillips">Edward Phillips (nephew)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/John_Phillips_(author)" title="John Phillips (author)">John Phillips (nephew)</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Milton:_A_Poem_in_Two_Books" title="Milton: A Poem in Two Books">Milton: A Poem in Two Books</a></i> (1804–1810)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Neo-Miltonic_syllabics" title="Neo-Miltonic syllabics">Neo-Miltonic syllabics</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a 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