Preaching or
printing matter concerning the controversy of free will versus
predestination was forbidden. Geneva Bibles, which were popular
among laymen, were prohibited from being imported. Many were
excommunicated for sitting instead of kneeling at communion. The
clergy prohibited marriage if they liked by withholding their
license, and they licensed marriages without banns. The Ritualists
encouraged certain sports to be played after church on Sunday. The
Puritans protested vehemently to this because they wanted to
strictly observe the sabbath. The Puritans saw the high churchmen
as wanting to return to the doctrine and customs they thought to
be Papist. The Ritualists were absolutists in their political
views and accepted the King's intervention in church matters. The
ecclesiastical Court of High Commission enforced the edicts of the
church, excommunicating those who did not conform and expelling
clergymen who, for instance, did not bow at the name of Jesus or
wear the surplice. It was used against the Puritans and imposed
high fines and imprisonment for religious eccentricity and Puritan
preaching. Charles supported the established church in this
endeavor because it agreed that he had a divine right to rule.
The universities and high churchmen were beginning to adopt the
doctrine of free will over predestination. Parliamentarian and
Puritan Oliver Cromwell and others feared this presaged a return
to justification by works and the popish faith.
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