PREFACE.

THERE is an increasing desire, in our church, to know something of the men who formed the Assembly of Divines, convened at Westminster, in the year 1643. As our Confession of Faith, and Catechisms, which are the standards of doctrine in our Church, were composed by this Assembly, the desire before mentioned, is natural and laudable; and to furnish, in some measure, the means of its gratification, the following biographical notices have been collected. The authors from whom they have been derived, are Calamy, Neal, Brooks, Wilson, Reid, Smith, &c. The writer had, for another purpose, collected a number of biographical sketches, of eminent theologians, among whom were several members of this venerable Assembly; but by the kindness of a friend, he afterwards obtained the use of the work of James Reid, entitled, "Memoirs of the Lives and Writings o those Eminent Divines, who convened in the famous Assembly, at Westminster, in the seventeenth century." This work contains some account of almost all the members of the Westminster Assembly; and the author deserves much credit for the pains which he has taken, in making this compilation. The author of the present work has drawn his materials from the sources referred to above, with very little alteration of

the style of the original memoirs; but in some cases, his work may be considered original, as he laboriously searched for some memorials of those members, of whom no biographical memoir has been published. The principal objection to the re-publication of this work, in connexion with our history of the Westminster Assembly, is, its bulk, being contained in two considerable volumes; and the one half of this bulk, is entirely unnecessary for our purpose; as consisting of pious reflections on the incidents recorded; and minute and uninteresting circumstances, which can well be dispensed with, in a work intended for the Presbyterian Church, in America. As far as the work of Reid has been used, therefore, the memoirs have been much abridged; but in a number of cases, where there is an agreement in language, with this author, our memoir was written before his work came to hand, and the coincidence is to be accounted for, by the fact, that we drew our materials from the same source. The same similarity is observable, between the "Memoirs," by Reid, and those by Thomas Smith, entitled, "Select Memoirs, &c., of English and Scottish Divines," published in Glasgow, in 1829. The compiler of this volume lays claim to no original research, or composition: he has merely taken such memoirs as he could. find; generally abridging them to less than one half their original bulk; but omitting nothing which appeared important to a fair exhibition of the persons, of whom a notice has been given. In looking over Reid's "Memoirs" of the members of the Westminster Assembly, it was observed, that some names had been entirely omitted, and that too, of persons of considerable distinction. These have been supplied, as far as it could be done, with the materials in our pos

session; and as no notice is taken by him, of any of the laymen, who were members of that Assembly, a brief memoir, therefore, of each of those eminent men, John Selden, and Matthew Hale, has been appended. To these it was wished to add that of Francis Rouse, Esq., a member of Parliament, and of the Assembly, and much distinguished, in his day, as the friend and patron of evangelical ministers, and a man of great influence in both civil and ecclesiastical matters. But no memoir of this excellent person has been found. He will have his memory, therefore, perpetuated, chiefly, by his version of the Psalms, adopted by the Westminster Assembly, and, after careful revision, by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

In proportioning the length allowed to these memoirs respectively, the compiler was governed by two considerations; the importance of the person, and the access to materials, from which a biographical sketch could be made out. Of some of the members of this venerable Assembly, who were in their day, distinguished for learning, piety, and eloquence, very few memorials have been preserved; while of others, not more distinguished, we have, in print, extended biographies. The lives of some eminently pious and profoundly learned men, run on in a tenor so even and uniform, that they furnish no incidents for biography; while, in regard to others, many vicissitudes and interesting occurrences so chequer their course through life, that they furnish large materials for the biogra pher.

As the object of this compilation is, not only to give a sketch of the lives of these eminent divines, but also, as far as it could be done, a complete list of

their publications, a larger space has been commonly allowed to authors of valuable and voluminous works, than to others. The lists of the writings of the divines of this Assembly, will, we think, be gratifying and useful to the young theologian; and will enable such persons as are curious to learn the theological opinions of these divines, as recorded in their own writings, to gratify their curiosity. And in looking over these memoirs, the reader will be surprised to find how many of them were authors; and also how many learned and pious works are still extant, and in demand, which were written by the members of this Assembly. The information contained in the two parts of this history, would, at any period of his life, have been very acceptable to the compiler; and he is therefore ready to conclude, that there are many others who will be gratified to have these scattered materials collected into one view; so that the information which they desire, respecting the Westminster Assembly, may now be had, in a single volume, of moderate price.

That the work may be useful in promoting the best interests of the Presbyterian Church, in these United States, is the sincere prayer of the author.