Book contents
- Front matter
- Contents
- List of figures and tables
- Acknowledgements
- Notes on contributors
- List of abbreviations
- 1 Introduction: Church polity and politics in the British Atlantic world, c. 1635–66
- 2 ‘From the Apostles’ time’: The polity of the British episcopal churches, 1603–62
- 3 Peers, pastors and the particular church: The failure of congregational ideas in the Mersey Basin region, 1636–41
- 4 ‘One of the least things in religion’: The Welsh experience of church polity, 1640–60
- 5 Polity, discipline and theology: The importance of the covenant in Scottish presbyterianism, 1560–c. 1700
- 6 Presbyterian ecclesiologies at the Westminster assembly
- 7 ‘They agree not in opinion among themselves’: Two-kingdoms theory, ‘Erastianism’ and the Westminster assembly debate on church and state, c. 1641–48
- 8 The New England way reconsidered: An exploration of church polity and the governance of the region’s churches
- 9 The association movement and the politics of church settlement during the interregnum
- 10 Polity and peacemaking: To what extent was Richard Baxter a congregationalist?
- 11 ‘Promote, protect, prosecute’: The congregationalist divines and the establishment of church and magistrate in Cromwellian England
- 12 The Restoration episcopate and the interregnum: Autobiography, suffering and professions of faith
- Index
11 - ‘Promote, protect, prosecute’: The congregationalist divines and the establishment of church and magistrate in Cromwellian England
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 March 2026
Book contents
- Front matter
- Contents
- List of figures and tables
- Acknowledgements
- Notes on contributors
- List of abbreviations
- 1 Introduction: Church polity and politics in the British Atlantic world, c. 1635–66
- 2 ‘From the Apostles’ time’: The polity of the British episcopal churches, 1603–62
- 3 Peers, pastors and the particular church: The failure of congregational ideas in the Mersey Basin region, 1636–41
- 4 ‘One of the least things in religion’: The Welsh experience of church polity, 1640–60
- 5 Polity, discipline and theology: The importance of the covenant in Scottish presbyterianism, 1560–c. 1700
- 6 Presbyterian ecclesiologies at the Westminster assembly
- 7 ‘They agree not in opinion among themselves’: Two-kingdoms theory, ‘Erastianism’ and the Westminster assembly debate on church and state, c. 1641–48
- 8 The New England way reconsidered: An exploration of church polity and the governance of the region’s churches
- 9 The association movement and the politics of church settlement during the interregnum
- 10 Polity and peacemaking: To what extent was Richard Baxter a congregationalist?
- 11 ‘Promote, protect, prosecute’: The congregationalist divines and the establishment of church and magistrate in Cromwellian England
- 12 The Restoration episcopate and the interregnum: Autobiography, suffering and professions of faith
- Index
Summary
This chapter charts the various experiments by the leading ‘magisterial’ congregationalist ministers, in the 1640s called the ‘Dissenting Brethren’, to establish a version of the New England model of church and state in interregnum England. It looks at the political theology of these congregationalists in regard to the magistrate and then charts the various programmes and confessions advanced by the congregationalists to achieve a national religious settlement. The chapter explores the tensions between the congregationalists’ goals: the desire to preserve liberty of conscience for those holding to the foundations of sound Christian doctrine with the need to define what the boundaries of that doctrine were. This attempt culminated in the ‘Savoy Declaration’ of 1658, the political theology of which is analysed using sermons and other contemporary literature.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Publisher: Manchester University PressFirst published in: 2026
Accessibility standard: Unknown
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
Accessibility compliance for the PDF of this chapter is currently unknown
and may be updated in the future.
- 1
- Cited by