Liberal Thought in America 131 



In the course of Elizabeth s reign we find this 

 Puritanism taking three different shapes. There 

 were the moderate reformers, whose wish was simply 

 to trim and prune the tree of Episcopacy; and 

 secondly, those who were afterward known as &quot; root 

 and branch &quot; men, whose name is descriptive 

 enough. Instead of pruning they would uproot 

 the tree and cast it away. To these Presbyterians 

 the royal supremacy was no more than the papal 

 a part of the living growth of Christ s church ; it 

 was but stubble fit for burning. Kings looked 

 with horror upon such views, which threatened 

 political danger no less than ecclesiastical. &quot; A 

 Scottieli presbytery,&quot; cried James L, &quot; agree th 

 as wel with a monarchy as God and the Devil. 

 Then Jack and Tom and Will and Dick shall meet, 

 and at their pleasures censure me and my council 

 and all our proceedings.&quot; The case could not have 

 been more pithily stated, yet even Presbyterianism 

 stopped short of full-fledged democracy. For Jack 

 and his friends, by means of synods and general 

 assemblies, could create a governing body with 

 power of enforcing conformity upon unwilling 

 congregations. In protest against this somewhat 

 oligarchical method, Puritanism assumed its third 

 form, that of Independency. The beginnings of 

 Independency are to be sought among the Brown- 



