We want a Godly lifestyle! We want a preaching Ministry with a learned clergy rather than dumb dogs! We want strict observance of the Sabbath! We want the removal of all traces of Catholicism in the ceremonies of the C of E! We want strict emphasis on the Scriptures as the primary authority for Christians!

“Puritan” was a term of abuse meaning “killjoy” “Puritan” was a term of abuse meaning “killjoy”. It was used to describe those who wanted to remove all traces of Catholicism from the C of E. They had much in common with Scottish Presbyterians and Dutch Calvinists. Puritans wanted to sweep away Popes, priests and bureaucracies that came between man and God and get back to the simple authority of the Scriptures. They were on a mission to get rid of all vestiges of the Catholic Church e.g. altar rails, genuflecting and music. There were two types of Puritans in 1603: 1.) Moderate reformers within the Church who wanted changes in the Liturgy but not to get rid of Bishops. 2.) Separatists or Independents who wanted to establish local self-governing congregations.

James’ Approach To Puritans Issues Which Angered Puritans James made peace with Spain at a time of anti-Catholic feeling. The Thirty Years War had made some Puritans more radical and anti-Catholic. 1618 Declaration of Sports, which allowed people to play sports on Sundays, was unpopular with Puritans. Arminianism, a school of Puritan thought in Europe (followers of Jacobus Arminius), sharpened religious debate. Puritans acted as a pressure group from within (there were Puritans in Parliament). This made them more dangerous than Catholics. James, modelling himself on King Solomon, preferred to compromise with religion. J.P. Kenyon, Maurice Lee, Jenny Wormald all agree James was successful in achieving a broad based Church. P. Lake and K. Fincham argue James was successful in assessing the Catholic and Puritan threat.

The Millenary Petition - 1603 The Millenary Petition was signed by 1,000 clergy. It acknowledged James’ authority over the Church, stressed the petitioners loyalty to the Sovereign and made only polite and moderate demands. It was therefore not a threat to the King. It was more a request that James review the C of E, as every other Sovereign had done. The contents of the Petition stressed its’ non-confrontational nature. The Petition addresses ceremonies and rites, rather than the structure of the Church and therefore did not encroach on the Royal Prerogative. If anything, the Petition reinforced the Royal Prerogative, since it recognised that any significant changes had to come from the Sovereign. James responded by calling the Hampton Court Conference…

The Hampton Court Conference was a sensible move, as James wanted to assert his supremacy without confrontation. It was attended by Archbishop Whitgift, other Bishops and Archbishop Bancroft, who was a Puritan Basher. James invited religious debate in a way Elizabeth had never countenanced. However, he was particularly sensitive to the erosion of Bishops’ power, as he believed without Bishops there could be no King. The Puritans raised points about e.g. liturgy and the Sabbath, however, James viewed traditions such as signing the cross and baptism as harmless. At one point the Conference became controversial when a Puritan, Reynolds, started referring to the Presbytery (a Scottish system in which the Monarch had less authority). James did not give much to the Puritans, as he wanted to consolidate, not concede, his power. He did agree to a new Authorised Version, to end pluralism (holding more than one Church office) and to a more learned ministry. The importance of the Conference lies in what happened afterwards rather than in the discussions themselves. In 1604 Bancroft, who emphasised conformity, succeeded Whitgift as Archbishop of Canterbury. Crucially, the Canons were introduced. This meant clergy had to sign to say they accepted the King as Supreme Governor and would conform to the Book of Common Prayer and the Authorised Version. The Canons were a success for James, however, he had failed to rid the country of Puritanism and some historians have argued that the growing Puritan Choir in Parliament was a long term cause of the English Civil War.