The enforcement of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer marked a pivotal moment in the relationship between church and state in England. This book was introduced as the official liturgy of the Church of England after the English Civil Wars and the Interregnum, a period marked by religious turmoil and the rise of various Protestant sects. The restoration of Charles II to the throne ushered in a desire for uniformity and stability following decades of conflict. The Act of Uniformity was passed, compelling all clergy to adopt the new prayer book and adhere to its doctrines under threat of penal sanctions.

As a result of this enforced conformity, a significant number of ministers from Puritan and other dissenting backgrounds found themselves unable to comply with the new regulations. Many refused to conform to the Book of Common Prayer's liturgical requirements, leading to the Great Ejection, where around 2,000 ministers were forcibly removed from their benefices. This mass ejection exemplified the fraught dynamics of faith and governance at the time, illustrating how efforts to create a unified national church often resulted in increased fragmentation and dissent.

The tension between conformity and dissent was not merely a matter of personal conviction; it had longstanding implications for English society, laying the groundwork for later movements advocating for religious tolerance and pluralism. The Great Ejection exposed the deep divides within English Protestantism, prompting the emergence of various dissenting communities that would shape the course of British religious and political life for centuries to come.