CHAPTER V.

CONCLUSION OF THE WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY.

The Larger and Shorter Catechisms-Inquiry concerning their Authorship-Departure of the Scottish Commissioners-Final Dissolution of the Westminster Assembly-The Ratification of the Directory of Worship and of Church Government by the Church of ScotlandAlso of the Confession of Faith, with an Explanation Guarding against any Erastian Construction-Brief View of Public Events connected with the Assembly's Proceedings-Struggle between the Parliament and the Army-Cromwell's Usurpation-Death of Charles I. -Dissolution of the Long Parliament and the Westminster Assembly -Synod of London-The Independents in Power-Committee of Triers-The Savoy Confession-Restoration of Charles II.-Prelacy Restored-Act of Uniformity and Ejection of Two Thousand Presbyterian Ministers on St. Bartholomew's Day-Retrospective Review and Summary of the Westminster Assembly's Proceedings-Religious Uniformity in the Three Kingdoms by Mutual Consultation, intended to Form the Basis of a Secure and Permanent Peace-Erastian Element and its Consequences-Mutual Misunderstandings-Mutual Agreement-Effect on the Universities-On Theological Literature— On Education-State of the Kingdom and Army-Sectarians-Toleration-Its True Nature Intimated-How Misunderstood by both Parties-Liberty of Conscience-Unlimited Toleration not Granted by the Independents when in Power-Great Idea of a General Protestant Union entertained by the Westminster Assembly-How yet Attainable-Conclusion.

ALTHOUGH the chief duties for which the Assembly of Divines were summoned to meet at Westminster, may be regarded as having been discharged when they had prepared and laid before the Parliament Directories for Public Worship and Ordination, a Form of Government, Rules of Discipline, and a Confession of Faith, yet there remained several matters, subordinate indeed, but still important, on account of which they continued to sit and deliberate for some time longer, an outline of which we now proceed to give, before offering some concluding remarks on the whole subject.

A catechism for the instruction of children and of the comparatively ignorant in religious truth will always be regarded as a most important matter by every true Christian Church; and as the Catechism of the Church of England was undeniably both meagre and unsound, it formed a part of the Assembly's duty to prepare a more accurate and complete catechism, as a portion of the national system to be established. The attention of the Assembly was occupied almost entirely by the discussions respecting the Directories of Ordination and Worship, till towards the end of 1644. They then began to prepare for composing a Confession of Faith and a Catechism; and according to their usual course of procedure, committees were appointed to draw up an outline, in regular systematic order, for the consideration of the Assembly. But the progress of the Assembly in these points was retarded by the various events which have been already related, so that little was done till towards the end of May, 1645. The committees from that time forward carried on their labors in preparing the Confession and the Catechism simultaneously, but, as Baillie says, "languidly, the minds of the divines being enfeebled by the delay of the House to grant the petition respecting power to exclude scandalous persons from communion." After some progress had been made with both, the Assembly resolved to finish the Confession first, and then to construct the Catechism upon its model, so far at least as to have no proposition in the one which was not in the other; by which arrangement there would be left scarcely any ground for subsequent debate and delay.* But political movements, answers to the Independents and to the Erastians, and other disturbing influences, so impeded the Assembly's progress, that the Catechisms were not so speedily completed as had been expected. The Shorter Catechism was presented to the House of Commons on the 5th of November, 1647, and the Larger on the 14th of April, 1648. After they had been carefully perused by the Parliament, an order was issued on the 15th of September, 1648, commanding them to be printed for public use. The king, during his residence in the Isle of Wight, after many solicitations, consented to license the Shorter Catechism,

Baillie, vol. ii. p. 379.

with a suitable preface; but as the negotiations did not end in a treaty, that consent was never realized.

*

There had been many inquiries in order to ascertain, if possible, by whom the original draught or outline of the Catechism was prepared, but hitherto without success. In our opinion, there is no reason to think it was done by any one person. Committees were appointed to prepare everything that was to be brought before the Assembly. We find no separate committee named expressly for the purpose of drawing up the Catechism; and we find repeated proofs of a very close connection between the Catechism and the Confession. It may reasonably be inferred that both subjects were conducted by the same committee, which was composed of Drs. Gouge and Hoyle, and Messrs. Herle, Gataker, Tuckney, Reynolds, Vines, and the Scottish Ministers. Some add Arrowsmith, and Palmer; both men of great piety, learning and abilities, and the latter termed by Baillie "the best catechist in England." Palmer, it appears, was appointed to draw up a section in the Directory of Public Worship, on catechising; but it did not give satisfaction, and that topic was not inserted in the Directory. Scarcely could it be called an unfair inference, were we to conclude from this fact that Palmer had no peculiar share in framing the Catechism. It may be mentioned, that Dr. Arrowsmith was appointed Master of St. John's College, Cambridge, in the year 1644, before the Catechism was begun, and that his attendance upon the Assembly after that period was only occasional, in consequence of the new sphere of duties on which he was called to enter. Mr. Palmer was also constituted Master of Queen's College, Cambridge, in the same year; but he continued to attend the Assembly very constantly till the time of his death, in the year 1647-at which time the Catechism was still unfinished. It has been also conjectured, that the first outline of the Catechism may have been drawn by Dr. Wallis, one of the scribes of the Assembly at that period, and afterwards so justly celebrated as Savi-, lian Professor of Geometry at Oxford, and one of the first mathematicians of the age. This conjecture may have arisen from the fact that he wrote a short treatise, entitled, "A Brief and Easy explanation of the Shorter Catechism;"

* Baillie, vol. ii. p. 148.

which was so much approved of by the Assembly that they caused it to be presented to both Houses of Parliament.* But in truth, as has been already suggested, the framing of the Catechism appears to have been the work of the committee, and not of any one individual; and it was brought to its present admirable degree of nearness to perfection by the united deliberations of the whole Assembly.

The chief matters on account of which the Assembly had been called together being now completed, so far as depended on that venerable body itself, the Scottish commissioners prepared to take their departure. This, indeed, had to a certain extent already taken place, though not formally. The celebrated Alexander Henderson had been sent to Newcastle to converse with the king, during his majesty's residence along with the Scottish army, for the purpose of endeavoring to persuade him to consent to such terms as might form the basis of a satisfactory and permanent peace. Exhausted already with the long continuance and severity of his arduous public toils, and finding it impossible to make any impression on the mind of the infatuated monarch, Henderson left Newcastle and returned to Edinburgh, where he soon afterwards died, leaving behind him a reputation unsurpassed by any man since the days of the first reformers. And towards the close of the year 1646, Baillie obtained permission to leave the Assembly and return to Scotland, that he might communicate to the Commission of the Scottish General Assembly what had been done by the Westminster Divines, preparatory for the meeting of the Assembly at Edinburgh in August, 1647, when it was expected that the proceedings of the Westminster Assembly would be formally considered and approved of by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, as the ground of the desired uniformity in religion between the two kingdoms. Gillespie and Rutherford still remained, as the Westminster Assembly had been required by the Parliament to add Scripture proofs to the Confession of Faith; but Gillespie left London in time to be present in the General Assembly, Rutherford remaining a little longer. It may be stated, that the Assembly had intentionally abstained from inserting texts of Scripture in the copy of the Confession first presented to Parliament, not because they * Reid's Lives of the Westminster Divines, vol. ii. p. 214.

had themselves any difficulty in doing so, but to avoid giving offence to the Parliament, whose custom had previously been, to enact nothing concerning religion on divine right, or on scriptural grounds.* This change in the procedure of the Parliament was doubtless intended to cause delay; but its effect was, the rendering of the Confession a much more perfect work than it would otherwise have been.

On the 24th of October, 1647, Samuel Rutherford moved, that it might be recorded in the books of the scribes, that the Assembly had enjoyed the assistance of the honorable, reverend, and learned commissioners of the Church of Scotland, during all the time they had been debating and perfecting these four things mentioned in the Covenant, namely, a Directory for Public Worship, a uniform Confession of Faith, a Form of Church Government and Discipline, and a public Catechism. The Assembly assented unanimously to this motion; and Mr. Herle, the prolocutor, rose up, and, in the name of the Assembly, returned thanks to the honorable and reverend commissioners for their instance. He went on to explain the causes which prevented the Directory from being so well observed as it ought to be, and lamented that the Assembly had not power to call offenders to account. He further adverted to the chaos of confusion in which public affairs in Enggland were continuing, the king having been seized by the army, and the Parliament being overawed by the same usurping power; acknowledging that their extraordinary successes hitherto had been granted in answer to the ers of their brethren of Scotland, and other Protestants abroad, as well as to their own.†

pray

The business of the Assembly was now virtually at an end. The subjects brought before them by Parliament had been all fully discussed, and the result of their long and well-matured deliberations presented to both Houses to be approved or rejected by the supreme civil power on its own responsibility. But the Parliament neither fully approved nor rejected the Assembly's productions, nor yet issued an ordinance for a formal dissolution of that venerable body. Negotiations were still going on with the king; and in one of the papers which passed between his majesty and the Parliament, he signified his willingness to • Baillie, vol. iii. p. 2. † Neal, vol. ii. p. 431.