The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

VI. Cambridge Master Peckard—Man Mortal; Immortality Solely Through Christ

DR. PETER PECKARD, or PECARD (1718?-1797), Anglican clergyman, army chaplain, and Cambridge educator, was trained at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, receiving his M.A. in 1741. He held several responsible Church of England appointments, including the rectorship of Fletton until his death. In 1781 he became master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, was made vice-chancellor of Cambridge in 1784, and received his D.D. in 1785. CFF2 234.1

But his Conditionalism went back twenty-five years prior, to 1756, when he published his Observations on the Doctrine of an Intermediate State between Death and the Resurrection. ²⁵ This was a critique of Peter Goddard’s printed sermon, The Intermediate State, contending for the natural immortality of the soul, and based on Luke 23:43. ²⁶ In his well-reasoned reply Peckard declares such a postulate to be unsupported by Scripture:
“It may be proper to observe here, once for all, that the denial of a natural principle of immortality doth not at all affect the Scriptural, the Christian doctrine of a future state: For the Scripture doth not anywhere assure us of the truth of this doctrine, from such natural principle, but from the redemption by Jesus Christ, and from that alone: Nay, the Scripture expressly asserteth the mortality of man, and the restoration to life, from that mortality, by the same Jesus Christ.” ²⁷ CFF2 234.2

1. IF IMMORTALITY INNATE, CHRIST NOT OUR “LIFE.”

This treatise was followed, in 1757, by Further Observations on the Doctrine of an Intermediate State, in answer to the Rev. Dr. Thomas Morton’s Queries. ²⁸ Declaring Jesus Christ to be both “the resurrection and the life,” Peckard challenges the dogma of Innate Immortality:
“The great end of His [Christ’s] coming into the world was to bring life, and all that will enjoy this life must come to Him for it. But if there be a natural principle of immortality, then Christ is not the life.” ²⁹ CFF2 234.3

And these two works were in turn followed by Observations on Mr. [Caleb] Fleming’s Survey of the Search After Souls (1759), ³⁰ issued the year before, in which Fleming does not admit “of a sleeping of the soul.” CFF2 235.1

2. HOPE OF FUTURE EXISTENCE BASED SOLELY UPON CHRIST

In his first treatise Peckard pressed the point that Conditionalism rests upon the authority of Christ, not on the dictums of philosophy. Here is a key statement:
“The important doctrine of a future state then standeth firm upon its own proper foundation, notwithstanding a natural principle of immortality be disallowed. He that buildeth his hopes of future existence upon this foundation, is like the foolish man who built his house upon the sand: but he who taketh the authority of Christ, and will abide by that, is like the wise man, who laid his foundation upon a rock.” ³¹ CFF2 235.2

3. OBJECT OF CHRIST’S COMING TO BRING LIFE

In answering Dr. Morton, Peckard asserts that if man has natural immortality in and of himself, then “Christ is not the Life.” He here brings the two concepts into irreconcilable contrast:
“In short, there is no talking about a second life, with any rational satisfaction, but from the revelation of Jesus Christ. He positively declares Himself to be the resurrection and the life.” ³² CFF2 236.1

When Peckard publicly espoused the view of Conditionalism, or Life Only in Christ, and produced his principal treatise on the subject, the record states that he was subjected to “harsh disciplinary measures.” Nevertheless, he was allowed to continue his service to the Anglican Church, and was rector of Fletton at the time of his death. And his high positions at Cambridge were continued long after he became and remained a Conditionalist. Thus another highly trained schoolman declared his convictions and stood his ground. CFF2 236.2