derate conscionable conformists did pray for, contend for, write for, suffer for, and which, if they had lived to see, would have caused them to have sung old Simeon's song. And at the conclusion of their address, they expressed their hopes, that, in their weighty undertaking, they might do all things to the advancement of the power of godliness, the suppression of errors, schisms, and profaneness, the edification, peace, and establishing of the church, the just and due content of the Christian magistrate, and the peace and comfort of their own souls here.

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE MODE IN WHICH THE PRESBYTERIAN DISCIPLINE WAS PUT INTO EFFECT IN THE FIRST CLASSIS OF LANCASHIRE, NAMED THE MANCHESTER CLASSIS.

By Dr HIBBERT.

HITHERTO a strange kind of reluctance has been shown by some writers to record the events connected with the Presbyterian form of church government which prevailed in Lancashire, although it subsisted during so long a period as fourteen years. To follow this example in the present volume, would be of equal absurdity with the attempt to draw up a history of the religion of Europe to the omission of the Protestantism of a Luther. There are indeed no events of greater interest to be found in the annals of Manchester, than those which occur from the year 1646 to 1660; but in order to understand them, some previous familiarity with the church discipline to which they refer becomes indispensable. To this object the present chapter will be wholly devoted. "

k To illustrate this part of our history very little indeed has been written. Mr Walker, in his Sufferings of the Episcopal Clergy, has given some few extracts from the minutes of the second Lancashire classis, in which the churches of Bury, Bolton, Rochdale, and some others were included. "They are," he observes, "the only things of that kind I ever saw, nothing of a like nature having, as far as I know, been yet made public." Very recently, however, extracts from the proceedings of the first or Manchester classis were published by a respectable minister of Manchester through the medium of a periodical journal. On these being pointed out to me, I made interest to avail myself of a similar source of information, which was in a very obliging manner granted. But as numerous other particulars were desirable, I have been obliged to glean them with exceeding labour from contemporary pamphlets, which have now become extremely rare.-S. H.

Agreeably to an act of the two Houses, dated the 2d October 1646, each gregation in the various parishes of Lancashire had been directed to be rule its own proper Presbytery.

A Presbytery was composed of teaching elders who were regularly orda and of lay or ruling elders. While the former were named ministers, it was to limit the title of elders to the latter.

A certain number of contiguous parishes or congregations constituted a cla division, nine of which classical divisions were included in the county of

The Presbyterian discipline was carried on, first, by congregational assem each congregation being under the immediate rule of its ministers and elders condly, by monthly classical assemblies, composed of delegates from the se congregations of each classical division of Lancashire; and, thirdly, by sy which were formed by delegates from each classis. These will be severall scribed in reference to the Church of Manchester.

1st, The Congregational Government of the Church of Manchester. The congregation of Manchester was under the immediate rule of its ow nisters and elders.

The former were Mr Heyrick, who continued for some time to retain his functions, and emoluments of warden; Mr Hollingworth, Fellow of the Col and Mr William Walker, who simply styled himself minister. They were directed to be quick-sightedly watchful against the springing up and spreadi errors, and the breaking out of divisions.-This indeed was the general a given to the ministers of Lancashire.

The congregation of Manchester was very early induced to chuse for itse ders. The number required does not appear to have been limited, but to kept pace with its exigencies. The first elders chosen were Mr John Ga Mr Edward Johnson, Mr Ralph Briddocke, and Mr Thomas Smith.

When a vacancy occurred in the eldership, the minister summoned the co gation, and after a sermon had been delivered, demanded that an election s be made. Among later elders created in the church of Manchester, we fin names of Mr Richard Meare, Mr John Brownsword, Mr Rowland Wright Thomas Diconson, Mr Richard Hawarth, and Mr Thomas Bradshaw.

The lay elders received no pecuniary emoluments. With regard to mini the Presbyterian divines argued that tithes were to be considered as holy a devoted to the service of the Church, but that, as an expedient, a settled ma

nance was to be preferred. Some churches made provision for their ministers from the lands which they possessed, but this was not always possible, as many endowments became confiscated to the use of the state. The sentiments of the people being highly democratic, tithes were with difficulty collected.

The joint duty of ministers and ruling elders was summed up after the following manner :-they were to labour according to their places to bring all their people to the knowledge of the Christian faith and religion. In the prosecution of this duty, they were commanded to keep up constant meetings, and to register their most material acts.

Private members of congregations were exhorted to observe diligently the ordinances of the Gospel, of which discipline was considered as nothing more than the conservatory. Governors of families were particularly recommended to promote the church discipline, by seeing that the domestic duties of prayer and religious instruction were duly kept up.

To the labour of catechising the greatest importance was attached. One of the first resolutions of the Synod of Lancashire was, that the ministers within the province should endeavour to bring in all to be catechised by them either publicly or privately. The elders were likewise urged to assist in instructing such as had not given satisfaction to them in point of religious knowledge. For the special advancement of this object, one day at least during each month was set apart. It was named a public exercise, and was kept as a fast.

It is now of some consequence to remark, that the whole of this course of instruction was directed to the main and professed object of the Presbyterian discipline, which was to prepare each member of a congregation to receive the Lord's Supper worthily. "No person," said the Lancashire Synod, " is on any account wretchedly to deprive himself of that soul-feasting ordinance, but he must submit to be catechised by the minister, and tried and ordained by the eldership.”

It was the province of the ruling elders to observe if a communicant came regularly to the Lord's Supper; and it was left to them to use such means for the purpose as they should deem expedient, provided that they were not found to be generally offensive. In all cases where the members of a church had the opportunity of convening, private communions were not allowed; and if a congregation happened to be for a time without a minister or an efficient eldership, members might repair to the communion table of some neighbouring congregation but in this case, they were required to bring with them a testimonial from the Presbytery they had at any time served under of their good life and conversation. This testimonial was equally necessary whenever a communicant removed from one classical division of the county to another.

I i

The mode in which the sacrament was administered appears to have been nearly the same as that of the present Scottish Presbyterians. In the first classis of Lancashire a direction was published, (the importance of which it is difficult to comprehend,) that all the ministers, for the sake of uniformity, should, in the ce lebration of the Lord's Supper, bless the bread and wine severally.

The admission of the unworthy to the communion of saints (for such was the term commonly used) was considered as a profanation of the most heinous kind. A solemn charge was therefore given to every member of a congregation, who should be acquainted with such offences of a brother as would unqualify him, except upon repentance, to receive the divine ordinance worthily, to adopt in this case the rule of Christ. This rule was explained after the following manner :-As the recovery of a fallen brother is to be accounted a happy gain, the first step to the process of church discipline is to meet him in private, with a set, solemn, and effective admonition, delivered with wisdom, fidelity, and meekness. If this does not produce repentance, the second step is to return to him accompanied by one or two faithful brethren, that they may be both witnesses and assistants to a second admonition. If the labour be still ineffective, the third remedy is to tell the offence to the church, by acquainting the eldership with the trespass, and the means which have been used to recover the transgressor. In this course of admonition and prosecution, the memory of old and forgotten offences is not from private spleen to be revived. The fallen brother is to be also advised to receive the admonitions of a church officer as an act of conscience, love, and kindness, and as an excellent oil wherewith to heal him.

An exception, however, was made to this rule whenever openly divulged scandals occurred. It was ordered in this case, that the last remedy be forthwith and at once put into effect.

Any irresolution under such circumstances to prosecute accused persons, or the reluctance of witnesses to give their testimony, was deemed highly culpable. When the necessity has arrived, says the Synod, to bring a fallen brother before the eldership, it is on no account to be omitted by any one who tendereth the saving of the offender, the putting away the evil from the church, the vindication of the name of Christ, the purity of the divine ordinance, and even the freeing himself from being a partaker of the sins of another.

The censures of the church, which were variously awarded against the ignorant and scandalous, were three in number: the censure of admonition, the censure of suspension from the Lord's table, and the censure of excommunication.

The censure of admonition, which was applicable to offences of a less heinous

nature, was rendered additionally painful by the publicity with which it was accompanied. If the admonition to not persist in the crime was disregarded, the more severe sentence was pronounced of suspension from the holy ordinance.

The censure of suspension due to more weighty offences was calculated to excite a deeper sense of shame, and to awaken poignant feelings of dread for the great peril that awaited the soul during its exclusion from the benefits of the holy ordinance. Nor could the sentence be averted without concessions of the deepest and most degrading humiliation, pronounced before the minister and elders in the face of an assembled congregation. These public professions of repentance were then accepted under the name of satisfaction.

In the proceedings of the classical Presbytery of Manchester and the neighbourhood, several directions were given relative to the mode in which the satisfaction offered by an offender ought to be published. It was ordered, that, when an eldership had dealt with a man who was guilty of some notorious sin, and had found some willingness in him to give satisfaction, they were to publish this his willingness, with a desire that the congregation would pray for him, and observe the sorrow of the work of God in him, preparing him for public satisfaction. It is stated, for example, in the minutes of the Manchester Presbytery, that George G—— declared himself willing to give public satisfaction for the great sin of incest, and that the congregation would have timely notice of the day when his concession would be made. In the meantime, his compunctions were marked, and public intercessions were offered up in his behalf. At the expiration of two months he made due amends, which are thus recorded: "He made public acknowledgment in the Church of Manchester upon the Sabbath day of the 10th of February, betwixt the hours of nine and ten in the forenoon."

But when an offender refused to tender satisfaction to the church, private notice was given him that his obstinacy would be proclaimed, and that the higher sentence of excommunication might ensue. For a notification of this kind, the following directory was drawn up by Mr Hollingworth, and ordered to be used:

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"Forasmuch as A. B. hath been convicted [by witness or by his own confession, or both,] before the eldership of this congregation to stand guilty of [adul tery, fornication, or the like,] they having seriously considered the heinousness. and scandalousness of the sin in itself, [here let some few pertinent Scriptures be produced to prove the greatness of the said sin,] and the several aggravating circumstances in A. B., [here let the aggravations be mentioned] and having used all Christian and loving means to bring him to the sight of and godly sorrow for his grievous sin, [here let the means used by the eldership be stated in case of