The Failure of Comprehension Between the Church of England and Dissenters, 1688–1690: Politics and Liturgy

Abstract

Beginning with Elizabeth’s via media, both clergy of the Church of England and the monarchy launched efforts to create greater religious harmony between various religious factions. Elizabeth sought to generate a period of tranquility in England after the religious storms under Edward VI and Mary by forming a church that could unify the disparate religious elements of that tattered kingdom. The intransigence of both Catholic recusants and Puritan zealots, however, dashed any attempts at reconciliation. Charles II made a similar effort to heal the religious wounds arising from the Civil War, yet a Comprehension scheme at the beginning of his reign failed; and church opposition, suspecting Charles’ true intentions, blocked the Act of Indulgences of 1672. On the other hand, when James II made a similar gesture in 1687, his motivations stemmed clearly from a cynical effort to enlist the support of Dissenters. The gambit failed, and James eventually fled...