The Restoration 1660 and its impact on English Presbyterians

[ Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae, H Scott (1915) rev 1917, 1920,1926.; vol 7 p 471-2 ]

        The Restoration of Charles II. in 1660 proved a calamitous event in the history of English Presbyterianism. On19th May1662, there was passed the Act of Uniformity by which Episcopacy obtained complete ascendency and Presbyterianism was rent asunder. Re-ordination by Bishops was made compulsory on all ministers whose previous ordination had been other than Episcopal. Abjuration of the Scottish League and Covenant became obligatory, and the unlawfulness of taking up arms against the King, no matter the provocation, hadto be acknowledged. The time limit of three months expired on St Bartholomew's Day, 24th August 1662, when over 2000 ministers of the Church of England, mainly Presbyterian in their convictions, were driven with their families from their churches and homes. The Conventicle Act forbade any religious gathering of more than five persons unless they were Episcopalian. The Five Mile Act prohibited ejected ministers from entering the towns and burghs. The Oxford Act debarred all save Episcopalians from the Universities. Breaches of any of these Acts were punished with severe fines or by long periods of imprisonment. Many Presbyterian causes in Northumberland and elsewhere are traceable to this dark, obnoxious time.

The Revolution of 1688 and the arrival of a Presbyterian ruler, William of Orange, brought relief to the stricken Presbyterians, who, however, were only "tolerated" by the Episcopal party. They were allowed to build their own" meeting-houses," but anything in the nature of Presbyterian organisation was banned. No Presbytery or Synod was possible. The result was that many Presbyterians adopted a purely independent position and became, for all practical purposes, Congregationalists. The teaching of the pulpit  also and the conduct of divine service, which was subject to no control, succumbed not seldom to the unorthodox tendencies of the times. Arianism and Unitarianism replaced evangelical Christianity, and were often regarded as only another name for Presbyterianism.

With the advent of the eighteenth century there came a revival of Presbyterianism, mainly brought about by the influx of Scots immigrants to the northern and central districts of England and into London, where a Scots congregation had existed since 1672, and a Presbytery in connection with the Church of Scotland was established in 1760. Not a few congregations were created also by those who adhered to the Secession and Relief Churches in Scotland. With one or other of these bodies, the surviving English Presbyterian congregations largely associated themselves, but that the Scottish influence prevailed is seen in the designations of the two Presbyterian groups when they came to constitute themselves into a broader organisation. In 1836 there was formed the Synod of the Presbyterian Church in England in connection with the Church of Scotland. In 1843 the latter part of this designation was omitted . On 13th June 1876, a Union effected between the Presbyterian Church in England and the English U.P. Synod resulted in the reconstituted Presbyterian Church of England.