Miscellaneous Historical Documents, RELATIVE TO THE ECCLESIASTICAL AND POLITICAL EVENTS IN SCOTLAND—1644.

1. Excerpts from Principal Baillie’s Account of the Westminster Assembly, continued from page 384.

To Mr William Spang. May 31, 1644.

You know this is no proper assembly, but a meeting called by the parliament to advise them in what things they are asked; so their not answering comes on no neglect I know very well. By all means encourage Apollonius, and whomever else you can, to assist in this common cause: if this season be missed, it will be hardly recovered. The Independents have no considerable power either in the assembly or parliament, or the General or Waller’s army; but in the city and country, and Manchester’s army, their strength is great and growing; yet by the help of God and our friends, if once we had the assembly at an end, and peace, we would get them quieted. Since our Friday fast we have made good speed in the assembly. Our church-sessions, to which Independents gave all, and their opposites nothing at all, we have got settled with unanimity in the Scots fashion. Our great debate, of the power of excommunication, we have laid aside, and taken in at last the directory. Already we have past the draught of all the prayers, reading of scripture, and singing of psalms, on the Sabbath-day, nemine contradicente. We trust, in one or two sessions, to pass also our draught of preaching. If we continue this race, we will amend our former infamous slowness. Always I can say little till once we pass the directory of the Lord’s Supper. In the committee we found they were very stickling; the Independents, and all, love so well sundry of their English guises, which we must have away; however we are in hope of a better speed than before.

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Publick Letter. June 7, 1644.

Our progress in the assembly, albeit slow, yet, blessed be God, is sensible daily. We have passed, but after a world of debate, all the directory which concerns ordinary prayers, reading of the word, singing of psalms, and preaching. Our toil is exceeding great; every day, from eight in the morning till near one, and oft in the afternoon from three to half-past six, we are in exercise; only the Saturday free, and that for our Sunday’s preaching, when single times any of us does vaik. All of us long much to be at home; but we are all commanded to stay, and attend this great service. Of a truth, to our power, we put spurs to their slow sides. We hope all, ere it be long, shall go according to our hearts desire. The Independents, our great retarders, it is like, shall not vaunt themselves, in the end, of their oppositions. The most of their party are fallen off to Anabaptism, Antinomianism, and Socinianism; the rest are divided among themselves. One Mr Williams has drawn a great number after him to a singular Independency, denying any true church in the world, and will have every man to serve God by himself alone, without any church at all. This man has made a great and bitter schism lately among the Independents. We hope, if once we had peace, by God’s help, with the spirit of meekness mixed with a little justice, to get the most of these erroneous spirits reduced. The ministers of London, near six score, have their weekly meetings. They are all Presbyterians, except Burton, said to be a Brownist; John Goodwin to be a Socinian, and one scrupling Pædobaptism. Some of the Independents are lecturers, but none settled ministers.

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My Publick Letter.

We are proceeding in our assembly. This day before noon we got sundry propositions of our directory for the sacrament of the Lord’s supper passed; but in the afternoon we could not move one inch. The unhappy Independents would mangle that sacrament. No catechising nor preparation before; no thanksgiving after; no sacramental doctrine, or chapters, in the day of celebration; no coming up to any table, but a carrying of the elements to all in their seats athort the church: yet all this, with God’s help, we have carried over their bellies to our practice. But exhortations at tables yet we stick at. They would have no words spoken at all. Nye would be at covering the head at the receiving. We must dispute every inch of our ground.

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For Mr Robert Ramsay. The end of June.

Very many of the assembly are departed for want of means. The allowance granted by the parliament is not paid. What we gave in concerning ordination yet lies still, and, by the underhand dealing of the Independents, is like to come out from the House so mangled, that if we get it not helped, it will much offend us both for the matter and the preparative, it being the first paper came from us to the Houses. Very many things that come to be handled in the assembly are new to us all, and obscure. We have to do with very many scrupulous and thraward wits. Whether we have had need of prayers or not, you may judge. We have overcome many difficulties; our God has extricated us out of very many labyrinths; we are confident therefore, by the assistance of God’s people there, to see a glorious work ended in these dominions, and begun elsewhere, ere it be long.

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To Mr William Spang. June 28.

After very great labour, we gave in, as our first fruits, a paper for ordination to both Houses. Oft had they called for it before it came. When it had lien in their hands neglected for many weeks, at last it was committed to a few of the Commons to make a report to the House about it. We hear surmises, that this committee had altered much of our paper; but I finding by Mr Rous, the chief of that committee, that the alterations were both more and greater than we suspected, and that the committee had closed their report, and were ready to make it to the House, without any further meeting, I persuaded him it would be convenient before the report was made, and either Houses engaged in any thing which was against the mind of the assembly, and of our nation, to confer privately with some of us anent these alterations. Upon this he obtained an order of the House for the committee to call for any of the assembly they pleased. This he brought to the assembly, and called out Marshal and me to tell us his purpose. We gave him our best advice. On his motion the assembly named Marshal, Vines, Burgess, Tuckney, and the scribes, to wait on; and withal requested us to be with them. Great strife and clamour was made to have Mr Goodwin joined; but he was refused by a vote. Marshal came not. At meeting we found, they had passed by all the whole doctrinal part of ordination, and all our scriptural grounds for it; that they had chosen only the extraordinary way of ordination, and in that very part had scraped out whatever might displease the Independents, or patrons, or Selden and others, who will have no discipline at all in any church jure divino, but settled only upon the free-will and pleasure of the parliament. Mr Henderson, and the rest, reasoned against the dangerousness and disgrace of this their way, so clearly, that sundry of the gentlemen repented of their alterations; yet the most took all to advisement. We, in private, resolved we would, by all means, stick to our paper; else, this being the first, if we yielded to these most prejudicial alterations, which the Independents and Civilians underhand had wrought, the assembly’s reputation was clean over-thrown, and Erastus’s way would triumph. What will be the end of this debate, God knows. If the assembly could stand to their deed, we hope to have the parliament reasonable; for they will be loth to lose the assembly and us, for the pleasure of any other party. But we fear the fainting of many of our House: this holds our mind in suspense; only we are glad we have taken the matter before it came to the House. This day we were vexed also in the assembly; we thought we had passed with consent, sitting at the table; but behold Mr Nye, Mr Goodwin, and Bridges, cast all in the hows, denying to us the necessity of any table, but pressing the communicating of all in their seats, without coming up to a table. Mess. Henderson, Rutherford, and Gillespie, all three disputed exceeding well for it, with arguments unanswerable; yet not one of the English did join with us, only Mr Assessor Burgess, who then was in the chair, beginning to speak somewhat for us, but a little too vehemently, was so met with by the Independents, that a shameful and long clamour ended their debate. This has grieved us, that we fear the end of our work, always we expect it shall be better. Prince Rupert is not gone south, but north towards Cumberland. I pray God save Callendar’s army and Scotland from his bloody mouth.

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July 5, 1644.—As for the assembly, these three weeks, Mr Nye, and his good friend Mr Herle, has kept us on one point of our directory alone, the recommending of the communicants coming up to the table to communicate. Their way of communicating, of some at the table, and some about it, without any succession of companies to more tables, is that whereon we stick, and are like to stick longer. Also the great appearance of the parliament’s misleading, by a few, to change the papers we gave in to them, so that nothing shall be established on any scripture or divine right, did much afflict us. But behold, in a moment, when our credit was beginning sensibly to decay, God has come in. Our army has fought Prince Rupert, has overthrown his forces, taken his cannon and baggage, killed many of his chief officers, and chased the rest into York.

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We dare not be too much exalted, only we bless God from our heart, who is beginning to shine on our army, and make it, after very long expectance and beating down of our pride, to be a fountain of joy and hope to these who love the welfare of religion. We hope things in the assembly and parliament may go more after our mind. Our army oft signified to us, they conceived their want of success flowed most from God’s anger at the parliament and assembly, for their neglect of establishing of religion. We oft told them the truth, that we had no hope of any progress here, till God gave them victories; and then, we doubted not, all would run both in parliament and assembly.

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July 12, 1644.—In our assembly we go on as we may. The Independents and others kept us long three weeks upon one point alone, the communicating at a table. By this we came to debate, the divers coming up of companies successively to a table; the consecrating of the bread and wine severally; the giving of the bread to all the congregation, and then the wine to all, and so twice coming up to the table, first for the bread, and then for the wine; the mutual distribution, the table-exhortations, and a world of such questions, which to the most of them were new and strange things. After we were overtoiled with debate, we were forced to leave all these things, and take us to general expressions, which, by a benign exposition, would infer our church-practices, which the most promised to follow, so much the more as we did not necessitate them by the assembly’s express determination. We have ended the matter of the Lord’s Supper, and these last three days have been upon baptism. We have carried, with much greater ease than we expected, the publickness of baptism. The abuse was great over all this land. In the greatest parish of London, scarce one child in a-year was brought to the church for baptism. Also we have carried the parent’s presenting of his child, and not their midwives, as was their universal custom. In our last debate with the committee of Commons, for our paper of ordination, we were in the midst, over head and ears, of that greatest of our questions, the power of the parliament in ecclesiastick affairs. It is like this question shall be hotter here than any where else: but we mind to hold off; for yet it is very unseasonable. As yet we are come to no issue what to do with that paper.

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The chief point we wish were proven, is the real authority, power, and jurisdiction of synods and classical presbyteries over any the members, or the whole, of a particular congregation; also the right of ordinary professors to the sacraments, though they can give no certain or satisfactory signs of real regeneration. These two are the main heads; also I wish the power of presbyteries classical, to ordain and excommunicate, were cleared. Many besides the Independents, by Voetius’s writs, are brought to give the rights of both these actions to the congregational presbytery, much against our mind and practice. The churches of Jerusalem, Corinth, and the rest of the apostolick churches mentioned in the New Testament, which can be proven to have practised either ordination or excommunication, appear to us to have been classical, consisting of more congregations than one, and of greater numbers, when they did exercise either of these acts, than could meet in one place. Also it is a great question about the power of jurisdiction in a congregation. We are not against the people’s power of election of the officers, or, at least, free consent thereto; but beside, they press all process and acts of censures to be done, if not in the name and authority, as the Brownists, and those of New England, yet necessarily in the presence, and with the consent, not only of the presbytery congregational, but also of the whole people, even every communicant male. If in these we were agreed, I think the difficulty would be small in any other matter.

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To Mr David Dickson. July 23, 1644.

Our progress in the assembly is small; there is so much matter yet before us, as we cannot win through for a long time after our common pace. Our Independents continue and increase in their obstinacy. Much is added to their pride and hope by their service at the battle of York; albeit much of their valour is grounded on very false lies, prejudicial to God, the author, and to us, the true instruments, of that day’s honour. The politick part in the parliament is the stronger, who are resolute to conclude nothing in the matters of religion, that may grieve the sectaries, whom they count necessary for the time. Our army is much diminished in number and reputation. Also here Callendar’s army is called very small, and no ways able to reduce Newcastle. The letters we have, both from the committee and presbytery at York, are much for a safe peace; which we wish from our heart; but think their proponing of it is from the conscience of their present weakness. We fear the extraordinar long stay of our commissioners be from new factions and divisions among yourselves.

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The sectaries of divers sorts, Anabaptists chiefly, increase here. Very many are for a total liberty of all religions, and write very plausible treatises for that end. Sundry of the Independents are stepped out of the church, and follow my good acquaintance Mr Roger Williams, who says, there is no church, no sacraments, no pastors, no church-officers or ordinance in the world, nor has been since a few years after the apostles. If our commissioners were once come up, we mind to put them a little harder to it, and see what they understand by their uniformity, which they have sworn to us. We can make no certain conclusion, but that we believe God will work his own gracious ends by man’s weakness. One week we have fair appearance to get all things quickly done according to our mind, another week such alteration in affairs, that nothing less can be hoped for. These vicissitudes of hopes and despair, when we look to the earth, are very frequent.

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Our assembly being wearied with sitting since the beginning of July was a-year, without any intermission, was earnest for a little relaxation; so fourteen days were obtained from the Houses, of vacation. We sit not till Wednesday, August 7th.

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For Glasgow. August 7, 1644.

This day we sit down in our assembly, after our vacance. The House of Commons have past the paper of ordination unanimously, with some alterations, which are to be considered by us. The right settling of that business will be a great step to advance our affairs. The little interruption we have had in our sitting, make both ourselves, the Houses, and the city, and all the world, to call on us for dispatch; and it seems God, disposing of all affairs, is making for our furtherance; so we hope for a farther progress quickly, than for a long time by-gone we have made.

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That old fox Urban is at last gone to his place; yet the devil his father cannot die, and will never want a son to be the Pope’s successor. At our sitting down this day, a great many of our brethren did complain of the great increase and insolency in divers places of the Antinomian and Anabaptistical conventicles. A committee was appointed for a remedy of this evil, to be represented quickly to the parliament. Mr Edwards has written a splendid confutation of all the Independents apology. All the ministers of London, at least more than 100 of them, have agreed to erect a weekly lecture for him in Christ’s Church, in the heart of the city, where he may handle these questions, and nothing else, before all that will come to hear. We hope God will provide remeids for that evil of Independency, the mother and true fountain of the church’s distractions here.

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For Mr William Spang. August 10, 1644.

The first day after our vacance, a number of complaints were given in against the Anabaptists and Antinomians huge increase and intolerable insolencies. Notwithstanding of Mr Nye’s and others opposition, it was carried that the assembly should remonstrate it to the parliament. Both Houses took our complaint well, has sent for the chief of the seditious sectaries, and promises a quick remeid to that great and dangerous evil.

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God permits these gracious men to be many ways unhappy instruments. As yet their pride continues; but we are hopeful the parliament will not own their way so much as to tolerate it, if once they found themselves masters. For the time they are loth to cast them off, and to put their party to despair, lest they desert them. The men are exceeding active in their own way. They strive to advance Cromwell for their head.

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Publick Letter. August 16, 1644.

We have gone through, in the assembly, the whole directory for baptism, except some little things referred to a committee, also the whole directory for solemn thanksgiving, with a good unanimity. So soon as my Lord Wariston came up, we resolved on the occasion of his instructings, and the letters of our general assembly, both to ourselves and to this assembly, which he brought to quicken a little, who had great need of spurs.

Lord Wariston very particularly declared in the assembly the passionate desires of our parliament, assembly, army, and whole people, of the performance of the covenanted uniformity; and withal we called for a meeting of the grand committee of Lords, Commons, Assembly, and us; to whom we gave a paper, notably well penned by Mr Henderson, bearing the great evils of so long a delay of settling religion, and our earnest desires that some ways may be found out for expedition. This paper my Lord Sey took to deliver to the House of Lords, Mr Solicitor also for the House of Commons, and a third copy was given to Mr Marshal, to be presented to the assembly. On Tuesday last there was a solemn fast for General Essex’s army. Mr Palmer and Mr Hill preached that day to the assembly, two of the most Scottish and free sermons that ever I heard anywhere. The way here of all preachers, even the best, has been, to speak before the parliament with so profound a reverence as truly took all edge from their exhortations, and made all applications toothless and adultorious. That style is much changed of late: however, these two good men laid well about them, and charged publick and parliamentary sins strictly on the backs of the guilty; amongst the rest, their neglect to settle religion according to the covenant, and to set up ordination, which lay so long in their hands. This was a means to make the House of Commons send us down that long delayed paper of ordination. On Thursday it was twice publickly read, so much altered from our paper, that all of us did much mislike it. To encourage the assembly to reject it, we did add in the end of our paper an express disavowing of it; and at the committee’s desire, we set down our reasons in writ against the House’s alterations; which did so encourage the assembly, that this day, unanimously, they sent a committee to the House, to crave leave to consider their alterations; for without their express order they have not so much power as to debate a question. This leave is granted: we are confident of reason, seconded by more plain and stout dealing than hitherto has been used, to make them take up their unreasonable alterations of our first paper; also we have the grand committee to meet on Monday, to find out ways of expedience; and we have got it to be the work of the assembly itself, to do no other thing till they have found out ways of accelerating; so by God’s help we expect a far quicker progress than hitherto.

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August 28, 1644.—Our assembly these days bygone has been busy on the House of Commons their alterations of our paper of ordination; at last they have agreed to send back our desires for changing the most of these alterations, according to the papers which we gave in to the assembly and both Houses. Concerning these alterations, we expect, without farther ado, the Houses will pass our desires; so that presently all the youths in England, who for many years have waited for a pure ordination, shall be admitted to churches; and when all these, and what moe Scotland can afford of good youths for the ministry here, are provided, it is thought some thousands of churches must vaik for want of men. Our next work is, to give our advice what to do for suppressing of Anabaptists, Antinomians, and other sectaries. This will be a hard work; yet so much as concerns us will be quickly dispatched, I hope in one session. It is appointed thereafter that we return to the government, and to hold to it till we conclude the erection of sessions, presbyteries, and synods. The most of the directory is passed, and the rest is given to proper hands to prepare the models for the assembly. All the world are sensible of our necessitated delays, and cry for expedition. All of us long much to be at home; but the daily unexpected difficulties, and the necessitated length of our affairs, are incredible to any who is not on the place.

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For Mr William Spang. September 13, 1644.

This day Cromwell has obtained an order of the House of Commons, to refer to the committee of both kingdoms the accommodation or toleration of the Independents; a high and unexpected order; yet, by God’s help, we will make use of it contrare to the design of the procurers.

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Publick Letter. September 16, 1644

We spent a number of sessions on some propositions of advice to the parliament, for suppressing Antinomians, Anabaptists, and these who preach a liberty for all religions. Even in these, our good Independents found us great difficulty; and when we had carried our advices against their mind, they offered to give in contrare reasons to the parliament. We spent two or three days on the matter of a remonstrance to the parliament of the sins which provoked God to give us this late stroke; and here we had the most free and strange parliament that ever I heard, about the evident sins of the assembly, the sins of the parliament, the sins of the army, the sins of the people. When we were in full hope of a large fruit of so honest and faithful a censure, Thomas Goodwin and his brethren, as their custom is to oppose all things that are good, carried it so, that all was dung in the howes, and that matter clean laid by. We are again on the government. We have passed two or three propositions, that the church may be governed by three sorts of assemblies, congregational, classical, and synodical. We begin with synods, and hope to make quicker dispatch than before, by God’s help. We have sundry means of haste in agitation with our private friends.

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For Mr David Dickson. September 16, 1644.

While Cromwell is here, the House of Commons, without the least advertisement to any of us, or of the assembly, passes an order, that the grand Committee of both Houses, assembly, and us, shall consider of the means to unite us and the Independents; or, if that be found impossible, to see how they may be tolerated. This has much affected us. These men have retarded the assembly these long twelve months. This is the fruit of their disservice, to obtain really an act of parliament for their toleration, before we have got any thing for presbytery either in assembly or parliament. Our greatest friends, Sir Henry Vane and the Solicitor, are the main procurers of all this; And that without any regard to us, who have saved their nation, and brought these two persons to the height of the power now they enjoy, and use to our prejudice. We are on our ways, with God and men, to redress all these things as we may. We had much need of your prayers. This is a very fickle people; so wonderfully divided in all their armies, both their Houses of parliament, assembly, city, and country, that it is a miracle if they fall not into the mouth of the King. That party grows in strength and courage. The Queen is very like to get an army from France. The great shot of Cromwell and Vane is to have a liberty of all religions, without any exception. Many a time we are put to great trouble of mind. We must make the best of an ill game we can. Marshal miskens us altogether: he is for a middle way of his own, and draws a faction in the synod to give ordination and excommunication to congregations, albeit dependently, in case of male-administration. God help us! If God be pleased to settle Scotland, and give us Newcastle, all will go well. We must see for new friends at last, when our old ones, without any the least cause, have deserted, and have half-betrayed us.

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Publick Letter. October.

In the assembly, thanks to God, we have throughed not only our presbyteries, but also our synods, provincial and national, and the subordination of all the four meetings, parochial, classical, provincial, and national. We are now to dispute upon the power of all the four. We have strange tugging with the Independents. The House of Commons have appointed a committee to consider of their differences with us, if they be reconcileable; or, if not, how far they may be tolerated. At first the motion did much perplex us; but, after some debates upon it, we are now hopeful to make vantage of it, for the truth against the errors of that very wilful and obstinate party. We are in hopes to get the directory brought towards an end, and the catechism also ere long, with which some of us are likely to be sent down. The Confession of Faith is referred to a committee, to be put in several the best hands that are here. By the help of God, procured by your prayers, our adversaries designs may contribute to the happy closure of these longsome and wonderfully troublesome affairs.

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For Mr William Spang. October 25, 1644.

Their greatest plot, wherewith yet we are wrestling, is an order of the House of Commons, contrived by Mr Solicitor and Mr Marshal, which they got stolen through, to the committee of Lords, Commons, and Divines, which treated with us, to consider of differences in point of church-government, which were among the members of the assembly, that they might be agreed; or if not, how far tender consciences might be borne with, which could not come up to the common rule to be established, that so the proceedings of the assembly might not be retarded. This order presently gave us the alarm; we saw it was for a toleration of the Independents by act of parliament, before the presbytery or any common rule were established. Our most trusty friend the Solicitor had throughed it the House before we heard of it. Mr Marshal had evidently, in the prosecution of it, slighted us. Sir Henry Vane, whom we trusted most, had given us many signs of his alteration; twice at our table prolixly, earnestly, and passionately had reasoned for a full liberty of conscience to all religions, without any exceptions; had publickly, in the House, opposed the clause in the ordination that required ministers to subscribe the covenant, and that which did intimate their being over their flocks in the Lord; had moved the mustering of our army, as being far less than we were paid for; had been offended with the Solicitor for putting in the ordinance the differences about church-government; and not only about free grace, intruding liberty to the Antinomians, and to all sects, he, without the least occasion on our side, did openly oppose us. Always God has helped us against him and them egregiously to this day. In the first meeting of the grand committee, Mr Marshal the chairman, by canny convoyance, got a subcommittee nominate according to his mind, to draw the differences; Goodwin and Nye, other four with himself, who joined with the Independents in giving to the congregations power of excommunication and ordination. Vines, Herle, Reynolds, Temple, Seaman, and Palmer, of our mind, were named; but seeing us excluded by Marshal’s cunning, would not join. The next two or three meetings were spent on the subcommittee’s draught of the differences. We found the Independents clear for the whole people, every communicant male, to have decisive voice in all ecclesiastic causes, in admission, deposition, excommunication of ministers, in determining of schisms and heresies. 2. That no congregation did depend on any superior synod, so that a congregation falling in all the heresies and crimes of the world, neither the whole nor any member of it can be censured by any synod or presbytery in the earth, however it may be refused communion by any who find no satisfaction in its proceedings: but, which is worst of all, they avow they cannot communicate as members with any congregation in England, though reformed to the uttermost pitch of purity which the assembly or parliament are like to require, because even the English, as all the rest of the Reformed, will consist but of professors of the truth in whose life there is no scandal; but they require to a member, beside a fair profession, and want of scandal, such signs of grace as persuades the whole congregation of their true regeneration. We were glad to have them declare this much under their hands; for hitherto it has been their great care to avoid any such declaration; but now they are more bold, apprehending their party to be much more considerable, and our nation much less considerable than before. The change of providence did nothing daunt our courage; yet we were much in prayer and longing expectation that God would raise us from our lowness, near to contempt, and compesce their groundless insolency. At our first meeting, my Lords Sey and Wharton, Vane and the Solicitor, pressed vehemently to debate the propositions of the subcommittee. They knew, when they had debated, and come to voicing, they would carry all by plurality in the committee; and though they should not, yet they were confident, when the report came to the House of Commons, to get all they desired there past. So, without the assembly, they purposed immediately from this committee to get a toleration of Independency concluded in the House of Commons, long before any thing should be got so much as reported from the assembly anent presbyteries. Here it was where God helped us beside our expectation. Mr Rous, Mr Taite, and Mr Prideaux, among the ablest of the House of Commons, opposed them to their face. My Lord Chancellor, with a spirit of divine eloquence, Wariston, with the sharp points of manifold arguments, Maitland, Mr Henderson, Mr Gillespie, and all, made their designs to appear so clearly, that at once many did dislike them; yet Henry Vane went on violently. We refused to consider their propositions, except on two express caveats; one, That no report should be made of any conclusion of the committee, till first it came to the assembly, and from them, after examination, should be transmitted to the House of Commons; another, That first the common rule of government should be resolved, before any forbearance of these who differed therefrom should be resolved upon. The first, after many hours sharp debate, we obtained: the second we are to debate to-morrow; and, if we obtain it not, we have a brave paper ready, penned by Mr Henderson, to be given in to the Houses and assembly, which will paint out the Independents and their adherents so clearly, that I am hopeful that the bottom of their plots shall be dung out. While I am writing, we get the long-expected news of the taking of Newcastle, and that by storm. Blessed be the name of the Lord, who will not for ever contemn the prayers of his people. We were extremely dejected on many grounds: we were perplexed for Scotland; beside winter, poverty, and strong, proud, obstinate enemies within Newcastle, the pest was beginning in our army; the King, with the greatest army he ever commanded, was coming straight upon us, being hopeful to dissipate our armies before they could conjoin, and it was but the miss of one day.

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Before we had ended our prayers on Wednesday, in the assembly, the House of Peers sent us a message, by my Lord Admiral and Pembroke, with all diligence, to haste the church-government, for heresies did spread mightily over all the land; also they told, the King had turned his back on us, and was retiring towards Oxford, finding, against his expectation, that all our armies were joined.

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November 1, 1644.—To comfort them, six or eight of the chief Lords came this day in message from the House of Peers with that letter, intreated the assembly to haste; also in that letter the Commons voted, over the Independents bellies, the dissolving of that dangerous committee which these five weeks has vexed us. The preface of our directory, casting out at doors the liturgy, and all the ceremonies in cumulo, is this day passed. It cost us divers days debate, and these sharp enough, with our best friends.

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Publick Letter. November 21, 1644.

Our church-affairs go on now apace, blessed be God. Our letters from Newcastle moved the Houses to call once, twice, thrice, to the assembly for expedition. They sent up our propositions concerning presbyteries. The Independents gave in the reasons of their dissent therefrom. These are in the hands of a committee. The answer is like to be full and satisfactory to the world, and possibly to the parties themselves. In a few days, all we have done about government will be sent up to the Houses, against which the Independents will have nothing considerable to say more than is in their papers against Presbyteries. But that which most comforts us is the directory. All that we have done in it is this day sent up, with a full unanimity of all. Many a wearisome debate has it cost us; but we hope the sweet fruit will over-balance the very great toil we had in it. The last passage was sensibly from God. After, with huge deal of ado, we passed the parts that concerned prayers, reading of scripture, preaching, both the sacraments, ordination, and sanctification of the Sabbath, there were many references to the preface; one, to turn the directory to a straight liturgy; another to make it so loose and free, that it should serve for little use: but God helped us to get both these rocks eschewed. Always here, yesterday, when we were at the very end of it, the Independents brought us so doubtful a disputation, that we were in very great fear all should be cast in the hows, and that their opposition to the whole directory should be as great as to the government; yet God in his mercy guided it so, that yesterday we got them, and all others, so satisfied, that, nemine contradicente, it was ordered all together to be transmitted to the Houses, and Goodwin to be one of the carriers; which was this day done, to all our great joy, and hope that this will be a good ground of agreeance betwixt us and them, either soon or syne. What remains of the directory, anent marrying and burial, will soon be dispatched. The catechism is drawn up, and, I think, shall not take up much time. I fear the Confession of Faith may stick longer. However, we will, by God’s help, have so much work done in a month, that it seems necessar to have a general assembly in Scotland shortly, that some of us may bring there what has been so long in doing, to be revised, and, I hope, without great difficulty, to be passed. If it please the Lord to perfect this work, it will be the sweetest and most happy business that ever in this isle was enterprised. The hope of it comforts us in the midst of our perplexities, which sometimes are not small.

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Publick Letter. December 1, 1644.

The House of Commons have passed, without any variation to count of, all the directory we sent them, and I hope to-morrow will send it to the Lords to make an ordinance upon it. In the assembly we have stuck longer than we expected on marriage; but I hope to-morrow we shall end it; and before this week end we shall pass the two remanent parts of the directory, fasting, and burial, or visitation of the sick; also, that we shall one of the days of this week send up the rest of our votes of government, except we fall in debate of some passages of our too large answer to the Independents reasons against presbyteries. Believe it, for as slow as you may think us, and as we pronounce ourselves to be, yet all the days of the week we are pretty busy. We sit daily from nine till near one; and after noon till night we are usually in committees. Saturday, our only free day, is to prepare for Sunday; wherein we seldom vaik from preaching in some eminent place of the city. Judge what time we have for letters, and writing of pamphlets, and many other businesses. We would think it a great ease both to our bodies and spirits to be at home.

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Lieutenant-General Cromwell has publickly, in the House of Commons, accused my Lord of Manchester of the neglect of fighting at Newbury. That neglect indeed was great; for, as we now are made sure, the King’s army was in that posture, that they took themselves as lost all utterly. Yet the fault is unjustly laid on Manchester. It was common to all the general officers then present, and to Cromwell himself as much as to any other. Always Manchester has declared himself abundantly in the House of Lords and there has recriminated Cromwell, as one who has avowed his desire to abolish the nobility of England; who has spoken contumeliously of the Scots intention of coming into England to establish their church-government, in which Cromwell said he would draw his sword against them; also against the assembly of divines, and has threatened to make an army of sectaries, to extort by force, both from King and parliament, what conditions they thought meet. This fire was long under the embers; now it has broken out, we trust, in a good time. It is like, for the interest of our nation, we must crave reason of that darling of the sectaries, and in obtaining his removal from the army, which himself, by his own rashness, has procured, to break the power of that potent faction. This is our present difficult exercise.

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To Mr William Spang. December 6, 1644.

We never go so quickly in the assembly as we expect. This week, after many sharp debates, we have agreed, and sent up to the Houses, our directory, for marriage, and days of thanksgiving; also we have, with much difficulty, passed a proposition for abolishing their ceremonies at burial: but our difference about funeral sermons seems irreconcileable, as it has been here and every where preached. It is nothing but an abuse of preaching, to serve the humours only of rich people for a reward. Our church expressly has discharged them on many good reasons. It is here a good part of the ministers livelihood; therefore they will not quit it. After three days debate, we cannot find yet a way of agreeance. If this were passed, there is no more in our directory, but fasting and holidays, wherein we apprehend no difference. Upon these, with our votes of government already passed, and our answers to the Independents reasons, the next week, I think, will be spent.

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This matter of Cromwell has been a high and mighty plot of the Independent party to have gotten an army for themselves under Cromwell, with the ruin, and shamefully unjust crushing, of Manchester’s person, of dissolving the union of the nations, of abolishing the House of Lords, of dividing the House of Commons, of filling the city, and most of the Commons, with intestine wars, of setting up themselves upon the ruins of all; but God, who has drawn us out of many desperate dangers, is like to turn this dangerous mischief on the heads of the contrivers. I hope it shall break the far more supposed than real strength of that party, and unite us more strongly; but we are yet wrestling with them. By the next you may have more.

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Publick Letter. December 26, 1644.

We daily now make good progress in the assembly. We have sent up our directory for marriage and thanksgiving; we have also got through burial. We have some little thing to say of fasting, and visiting of the sick; and so our long-looked for directory will be closed. It is exceedingly liked by all who see it. Every piece of it passes the Houses as fast as we send it. Our answers to the Independents reasons are now ready, and I hope this week may be sent up to the House. We have also put together all our votes of government, and will send them up to-morrow to both Houses. The Independents have entered their dissent only to three propositions: “That in Ephesus was a classical presbytery; That there is a subordination of assemblies; That a single congregation has not all and sole power of ordination.” Their reasons against these three propositions we expect to-morrow. Against the end of the next week we hope our committees will have answers ready to all they will say; and after all is sent up to the House, by God’s help, we expect shortly an erection of presbyteries and synods here; for there appears a good forwardness to expede all things of that kind in both Houses since the taking of Newcastle. If the directory and government were once out of our hands, as a few days will put them, then we will fall on our great question of excommunication, the catechism, and confession. There is here matter to hold us long enough, if the wrangling humour which long predominated in many here did continue; but, thanks to God, that is much abated, and all incline towards a conclusion. We have drawn up a directory for church-censures and excommunication; wherein we keep the practice of our church, but decline speculative questions. This, we hope, will please all who are not Independents; yea, I think even they needed not differ with us here: but it yet appears they will to separation, and are not so careful to accommodate, as conscience would command peaceable men to be. However, we hope to get the debates of these things we most feared either eschewed or shortened. We have near also agreed in private on a draught of catechism; whereupon, when it comes in publick, we expect little debate. I think we must either pass the Confession to another season, or, if God will help us, the heads of it being distribute among many able hands, it may in a short time be so drawn up, as the debates of it may cost little time. All this chalking is on the supposition of God’s singular assistance, continuing such a disposition in the assembly and parliament as has appeared this month or two bypast. On this supposition, two months, or three at most, may do much to put on the cope-stone of our wonderful great work.

* * * *

We hope this day to close in the assembly, the remainder of our directory, and to send it up to-morrow to the Houses; so the next week we expect an ordinance of parliament for the whole directory. We have transmitted our answers to the Independents reasons against our presbytery. They are well taken, and now upon the press. We hope, in the beginning of next week, to send up also our answer to their reasons against synods. We make no question but shortly thereafter the Houses will pass an ordinance for the government; what is behind, a good part of it, will be ended, and follow us to our general assembly; and all the rest, by all appearance, will be closed in a month or two thereafter; for all men now incline to a conclusion.

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For Mr William Spang. December 27, 1644.

We have ended this day the directory in the assembly. The Houses are through the most of it already. Before we go they will pass all. What remains of the government concerning the hard questions of excommunication, Mr Henderson has drawn it up by way of a practical directory, so calmly, that we trust to get it all past the assembly next week, without much debate. The men whom most we feared, profess their satisfaction with that draught. It is certainly true of what you wrote, of the impossibility ever to have gotten England reformed by human means, as things here stood without their brethrens help. The learnedest and most considerable part of them were fully Episcopal. Of these who joined with the parliament, the greatest and most countenanced part were much Episcopal. The Independents had brought the people to such a confusion, that was insuperable by all the wit and strength which was here; but God has so guided it, that all has contributed for the main work. The wickedness of the Popish and Prelatical faction still continuing and increasing; the horrible extravagancies of the sectaries; the unreasonable obstinacy of the Independents; the strange confusions of this long anarchy; and, most of all, God’s good hand on us here in the assembly, and on our armies in the fields, has contribute to, dispose this land to a very fair reformation above all their hopes.

[See continuation of the Account of the Westminster Assembly, appended to the Acts of 1645.]

2. Note of Proceedings in the Convention of Estates relative to the Church, from the 27th of June, 1643, to the 29th of July, 1644.329

1643.

June 27. Act for Printing the Declaration of the General Assembly.—Acts, vol. vi., p. 7.

July 4. Answer of the Convention to the Remonstrance and Desires of the Commissioners of the General Assembly, p. 8.

July 6. Remonstrance of the Commissioners of the General Assembly, concerning the Remedies of the present Danger of Religion, p. 9.

July 11. Committee for the Remedies of the Dangers of Religion, p. 13.

July 13. Warrant to print the Answer of the Convention to the Remonstrance of the General Assembly, and the Second Remonstrance, p. 13.

July 14. Declaration of the Parliament of England, (June 27, 1643,) p. 13.

July 17. Answer of the Estates to the Declaration of the Parliament of England, p. 14.

Aug. 17. Covenant to be betwixt the two Kingdoms, p. 41. The Estates’ Approbation of the Covenant, p. 43.

Aug. 26. The Result of the Treaty with the English Commissioners, (Aug. 25, 1643,) p. 47. Declaration of the Estates to the Parliament of England, p. 50. Earl of Leven appointed Lord General, p. 59. Act anent Non-Covenanters’ Estates, p. 61. Act for putting the Kingdom in a posture of Defence, p. 61.

1644.

Jan. 4. Act ordaining the Rents of Non-Covenanters to be uplifted for the use of the Public.—Acts, vol. vi., p. 61. (See below.) Act for putting the Kingdom in a posture of Defence, p. 61.

Jan. 6. Act anent Presentation of Ministers by Presbyteries to Crown Patronages, p. 66. Declaration of both Kingdoms as to Defence of Religion, &c., p. 66. (See below.)

June 28. Instructions for the Commissioners who are to go to England, p. 101.

July 15. Act anent Ratification of calling Convention, Ratification of League and Covenant, Articles of Treaty, &c., p. 106.

July 16. Commission to those sent to England concerning Treaty of Peace, p. 115.

July 23. Act discharging Execution of Captions on Sunday, p. 127. Act anent Divorce for Adultery, p. 127. Act discharging Patronages belonging to particular Ministers, p. 128. Act against Tavern-keepers selling Drink on Sunday, p. 128. Act declaring the Books of Ministers surviving their Wives, not to fall in their Wives’ Executry, p. 128. Act declaring Vacant Stipends should be employed upon Pious Uses, p. 128. Ratification of Act of Convention concerning Presentations to Kirks of his Majesty’s Patronage, p. 129. Act in favour of Ministers for their Stipends—Universities, &c., anent Malignants’ Rents, p. 129. Act anent Universities of St Andrew’s, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh, p. 129.

July 24. Act renewing Commission for Plantation of Kirks and Valuation of Teinds, p. 130.

July 27. Act extending former Acts anent Designation of Manses and Gleibs to Ministers, p. 142. Ratification in favour of Town of Edinburgh of Mortification granted to them of the Bishopricks of Orkney and Edinburgh, and Deanery of Edinburgh, p. 158.

July 29. Renewing Commission for Conserving Peace, p. 155 and 157.

1644.—Jan. 4. Act anent Non-Covenanters’ Estates.330

THE Conventione ordains the estatis and rentis of all sutche as ar sentenced for not subscryveing the Covenant to be maid furthcumeand and vpliftit for the vse of the publict, reserving alwayes pouer to the Committie of Estaitis to modifie some allowance for mantenance of their wyffis and childrine within the countrey, as they sall think fitting, &c.

1644.—Jan. 6. Act anent Presentation of Ministers.331

THE Convention of Estates having this day receavit an Act of the Commissioners of the Generall Assemblie, for planting of Kirks of His Majesties Patronage dureing the tyme of these troubles, presented unto them by Maister Robert Douglas, Moderator, and Maister Androw Ramsay. And haveing considered the samyne, and the recommendation therin contained for provydeing some way, by authoritie of this Convention, for setleing and possessing the intrants in the stipendis and benefices belonging to these Kirkes, and finding no way so fitt for that end, and for preserveing the right and possession of the Patronages to his Majestie, then that, in this tyme of trouble, presentationes pass his Majesties caschett and Privie Seale, quhilk is alyke, and is hereby declaired to be of as great force and authoritie as if the samyne had past his Majesties royall handis, Therefore gives hereby warrand and command to the Commissioners of the Thesaurerie, or anie one of them, to recive presentations frome Presbyteries to all Kirkes of his Majesties patronages, vaiking, or quhilk heirefter sall vaike during these troubles, and to signe the samyne, and ordaines the samyne, swa signed, to passe his Majesties caschett, and therefter the Privie Seale, and that all Letters and executorialls necessar be direct thereupon, &c.