Editing Puritans (section)

=== Jacobean Puritanism ===
{{further|History of the Puritans under James I}}

The accession of [[James VI and I|James&nbsp;I]] to the English throne brought the [[Millenary Petition]], a Puritan [[manifesto]] of 1603 for reform of the English church, but James wanted a religious settlement along different lines. He called the [[Hampton Court Conference]] in 1604, and heard the teachings of four prominent Puritan leaders, including [[Laurence Chaderton]], but largely sided with his bishops. He was well informed on theological matters by his education and Scottish upbringing, and he dealt shortly with the peevish legacy of Elizabethan Puritanism, pursuing an [[eirenic]] religious policy, in which he was arbiter.

Many of James's episcopal appointments were Calvinists, notably [[James Montague (bishop)|James Montague]], who was an influential courtier. Puritans still opposed much of the Roman Catholic summation in the Church of England, notably the ''Book of Common Prayer'', but also the use of non-secular vestments (cap and gown) during services, the sign of the Cross in baptism, and kneeling to receive Holy Communion.<ref>{{cite book |last=Neil |first=Daniel |date=1844 |title=The History of the Puritans, Or Protestant Noncomformists: From the Reformation in 1517, to the Revolution in 1688; Comprising an Account of Their Principles; Their Attempts for a Farther Reformation in the Church; Their Sufferings; and the Lives and Characters of Their Most Considerable Divines |volume=1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=72gPAAAAYAAJ |page=246 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504131815/https://books.google.com/books?id=72gPAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0 |archive-date=4 May 2016 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> Some of the bishops under both Elizabeth and James tried to suppress Puritanism, though other bishops were more tolerant. In many places, individual ministers were able to omit disliked portions of the [[Book of Common Prayer (1604)|revised ''Book of Common Prayer'']].{{cn|date=December 2022}}

The Puritan movement of Jacobean times became distinctive by adaptation and compromise, with the emergence of "semi-separatism", "moderate puritanism", the writings of [[William Bradshaw (Puritan)|William Bradshaw]] (who adopted the term "Puritan" for himself), and the beginnings of [[Congregationalist polity|Congregationalism]].{{sfn|Spurr|1998|loc=Chapter 5}} Most Puritans of this period were non-separating and remained within the Church of England; Separatists who left the Church of England altogether were numerically much fewer.