The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

IX. “Fringe” Writers Complicate the Controversy

Several “fringe” writers, moreover, appeared during this century. Among the rationalists there was French-born PIERRE BAYLE (1647-1706), professor of philosophy at the Protestant University of Sedan, and after its suppression and his removal, similarly professor of philosophy at Rotterdam. In his celebrated six-volume Dictionaire historique et critique (1695-1697)—which ran through eight editions in forty years, and was twice translated into English—in various places he opposes the doctrine of eternal torment, ⁴² but from a skeptical viewpoint. Its publication added fuel to the spreading flame. CFF2 241.3

Then there was the learned professor HENRY DODWELL (1641-1711), Irish-English classicist and theologian, educated at Trinity College, Dublin. He was made professor of ancient history at Oxford in 1688. His voluminous and “cumbrous” writings included An Epistolary Discourse (1706). This curious treatise sustained some of the principles of Conditionalism, but on a sacramentarian basis, supposing immortality to be a grace conferred by the effusion of the Holy Spirit, in baptism, and that none have the power of bestowing this immortalizing grace except the bishops. Its issuance created a storm of opposition and intensified the controversy, but it was defended by several writers. So the issues were complicated by certain of these “fringe” writers, not claimed by the Conditionalists. CFF2 242.1

Such was the situation at the close of the eighteenth century. CFF2 242.2

MAJOR 18TH CENTURY WITNESSES TO CONDITIONALISM

No.	Page	Name	Date	Place	Religion	Position	Nature of Man	Intermediate State	Punishment of Wicked
1	205	Blackburne, Fran.	1765	England	Anglican	Archdeacon — historian	Immort. through res.	Unconsciousness
2	214	Priestley, Joseph	1777-82	England — U.S.	Dissenter	Scientist — theologian	Only mortal	Abs. insensibility
3	218	Watts, Isaac	1740	England	Independent	Hymnist — theologian	Subject to total death		Utter destruction
4	221	Warburton, Wm.	1738	England	Anglican	Bp.— controvert.			No eternal torment
5	224	Whiston, Wm.	1740	England	Baptist	Professor — minister	(Mortal)		Utter, ultimate destruction
6	227	Hallett, Jos. Jr.	1729	England	Non—Conform.	Minister	Immort. only thru Christ	Sleep
7	228	Anonymous	1729	England			(Mortal)	Total unconsciousness
8	230	Scott, Joseph N.	1743	England	Dissenter	Physician — theologian	Immort. righteous only		Ultimate annihilation
9	231	Law, Edmund	1745	England	Anglican	Bishop — prof.	Immort. through res.	Unconscious sleep
10	234	Peckard, Peter	156	England	Anglican	Ed. — rector	No innate immort.	Sleeping
11	236	Bourn, Samuel	1758-60	England	Dissenter	Minister	Immort. gift of God		Total extinction
12	239	Pitts, John	11708	England	Anglican	Presbyter	Designed for immort.
13	239	Jackson, John	1735-47	England	Anglican	Rector	No innate immort.	No independ. exist.
14	240	Leland, John	1691-1766	England	Non-Conform.	Minister — writer	Immort. thru Christ
15	240	Dawson, Benjamin	1765	England	Presbyterian — Anglican	Philologist — minister		Asleep in death
16	240	Alexander, John	1766	England	Presbyterian	Min. — comment.	Mortal
17	240	Clarke, George	1792	England			Immort. for righteous		Destruction by fire
18	240	Kenrick, Wm.	1751	Ireland			Not immortal
19	240	Marsom, John	1794	England					Destruction
20	241	Tottie, John	1772	England	Anglican	Archdeacon	No innate immort.
21	241	“Goadby’s Bible”	1759	England					Destruction
22	241	Bayle, Pierre	1695-97	France — Holland	Protestant	Prof. — hist.			Denies eternal torment
23	242	Dodwell, Henry	1706	Ireland — England	High Church	Prof.	No innate immort.
	(Universalism slowly takes on a separate entity as a distinct church.)

SUMMARY OF CONDITIONALISM DURING THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

There is no particular transition point discernible in passing from the seventeenth to the eighteenth century. But there is a growing seriousness and scholarly validity that marks the overall witness of the new century. The scene is again centered chiefly in England—with one noted advocate migrating to the United States about the time of the Revolution of 1776.

T’he religious spread is again seen to be between Anglican, Dissenter, Baptist, Non-Conformist, and Presbyterian spokesmen. “Fringe” writers, who both help and hamper, are found in France, Holland, and Ireland. The stature of the champions of Conditionalism is again clearly seen by the roster—archdeacons, historians, theologians, clergymen, hymnists, scientists, educators, physicians, commentators, schoolmasters, teachers, and two bishops—and an anonymous Anglican.

Again there is balanced stress of the mortality of the soul, unconsciousness in death, and the total ultimate extinction of the wicked. And for the first time a reliable scholarly history appears, by Francis Blackburne, of the conflict over Conditionalism—tracing it from the beginning of Protestantism up to 1772, a century and a half of the crucial years of the recovery of a hidden and well-nigh abandoned doctrine, so far as the Middle Ages are concerned.

So Conditionalism is now in a far stronger position, is accorded much greater respect by its foes, and is gradually but steadily on the increase influence and adherents in the eighteenth century. It is approaching the acceleration point in the nineteenth century.

Thus much for Conditionalism in the eighteenth century.