Gilbert Burnet and the Problem of Nonconformity in Restoration Scotland and England

Abstract

One of the thorny questions facing Restoration churchmen was what to do about those who failed to conform to the re-established Church of England. Virtually all churchmen could agree that those who dissented from the established church were guilty of schism. Beyond that, however, there was little consensus on what the church ought to do about these nonconformists. Gilbert Burnet, the Scottish-bom churchman who became Bishop of Salisbury in 1689, has acquired, both popularly and with his biographers, a reputation as a champion of toleration. Yet, although Burnet often expressed his distaste for the persecution of religious minorities, to characterize him as an “advocate of toleration” is misleading. Burnet shared with the majority of Restoration churchmen a commitment to a strong national church. Where he differed from most, however, was in his willingness to stretch the terms of communion within that national church so that the more moderate dissenters could be brought into it. Comprehension, rather than toleration, was Burnet’s answer to the problem of nonconformity. And Burnet’s commitment to comprehension is one that stretches all the way back to his days as a parish minister in Scotland. As such, the passing of the Toleration Act in 1689 in no way marked “the realisation of one of his most cherished dreams.”