The next point, whereon we yet stick, is ruling elders. Many a brave dispute have we had upon them these ten days. I profess my marvelling at the great learning, quickness, and eloquence, together with the great courtesy and discretion in speaking of these men. Sundry of the ablest were flat against the institution of any such officer by divine right, as Dr Smith, Dr Temple, Mr Gataker, Mr Vines, Mr Price, Mr Hall, and many moe; besides the Independents, who truly speak much, and exceedingly well. The most of the synod were in our opinion, and reasoned bravely for it; such as, Mr Seaman, Mr Walker, Mr Marshall, Mr Newcoman, Mr Young, Mr Calamay. Sundry times Mr Henderson, Mr Rutherford, Mr Gillespie, all three, spoke exceeding well. When all were tired, it came to the question. There was no doubt but we would have carried it by far most voices; yet because the opposites were men very considerable, above all gracious and learned little Palmer, we agreed upon a committee to satisfy, if it were possible, the dissenters: for this end we met to-day; and I hope, ere all be done, we shall agree. All of them were willing to admit elders in a prudential way; but this to us seemed most dangerous and unhappy, and therefore was most peremptorily rejected. We trust to carry at last, with the contentment of sundry once opposite, and silence of all, their divine and scriptural institution. This is a point of high consequence; and upon no other we expect so great difficulty, except alone on Independency; wherewith we purpose not to meddle in haste, till it please God to advance our army, which we expect will much assist our arguments. However, we are not desperate of some accommodation; for Goodwin, Boroughs, and Bridges, are men full, as it seems yet, of grace and modesty; if they shall prove otherwise, the body of the assembly and parliament, city and country, will disclaim them.
The other day a number of the city and country ministers gave in an earnest and well-penned supplication to the assembly, regretting the lamentable confusion of their church under the present anarchy; the increase of Anabaptists, Antinomians, and other sectaries; the boldness of some in the city, and about, in gathering separate congregations; requesting the assembly’s intercession with the parliament for the redress of those evils; and withal for the erection at London, during the time of these troubles, of a college for the youth, whose studies are interrupted at Oxford. This was well taken by the assembly. The parliament promised their best endeavours for all. John Goodwin, accused by Mr Walker and D. Homes of Socinianism, and others, are appointed to be admonished for essaying to gather congregations. The parliament the other day became sensible of their too long neglect of writing to the churches abroad of their condition; so it was the matter of our great committee to draw up letters in name of the assembly for the Protestant churches. The drawing of them was committed to Palmer, who yet is upon them. There is a little committee also, which meets in the assembly house almost every morning, for the trial of expectants; and when they have heard them preach, and posed them with questions, they give in to the assembly a certificate of their qualifications: upon the which they are sent to supply vacant churches, but without ordination, till some government be erected in their desolate churches. Plundered ministers are appointed, by order of parliament, to be put in all vacant places in the city and country, in their obedience, till they all be provided. Concerning the affairs of the church, I need say no more at this time.
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In our assembly, thanks to God, there is great love and union hitherto, and great appearance of more before long. We have, after many days debate, agreed, nemine contradicente, that beside ministers of the word, there are other ecclesiastical governors to join with the ministers of the word in the government of the church; that such are agreeable unto, and warranted by the word of God, especially Rom. xii. 8.; 1 Cor. xii. 28. How many and how learned debates we had on these things in twelve or thirteen sessions, from nine to half-two, it were long to relate. None, in all the company did reason more, and more pertinently, than Mr Gillespie. That is an excellent youth; my heart blesses God in his behalf. For Mr Henderson and Mr Rutherford, all the world knows their graces. This day the office of deacon is concluded from the 6th of the Acts. There will be some debate of the perpetuity of his office, and the necessity of it in some cases, as where they are poor, and where the magistrate provides for them; but that will not much trouble us. In the great committee, this afternoon, we have finally agreed on the draught of a letter for the churches abroad, to inform them of our condition, which you may see in print. Also we have begun an business (very handsomely I trust) of great consequence. In the time of this anarchy, the divisions of people does much increase: the Independent party grows; but the Anabaptists more; and the Antinomians most. The Independents being most able men, and of great credit, fearing no less than banishment from their native country if presbyteries were erected, are watchful that no conclusion be taken for their prejudice. It was my advice, which Mr Henderson presently applauded, and gave me thanks for it, to eschew a publick rupture with the Independents, till we were more able for them. As yet a presbytery to this people is conceived to be a strange monster. It was our good therefore to go hand in hand, so far as we did agree, against the common enemy; hoping that in our differences, when we behoved to come to them, God would give us light; in the meantime, we would essay to agree upon the directory of worship, wherein we expect no small help from these men to abolish the great idol of England, the service-book, and to erect in all the parts of worship a full conformity to Scotland in all things worthy to be spoken of. Having proponed thir motions in the ears of some of the chief of the assembly and parliament, but in a tacit way, they were well taken; and this day, as we resolved, were proponed by Mr Solicitor, seconded by Sir Henry Vane, my Lords Sey and Wharton, at our committee, and assented to by all; that a sub-committee of five, without exclusion of any of the committee, shall meet with us of Scotland, for preparing a Directory of Worship, to be communicate to the great committee, and by them to the assembly. The men also were as we had forethought, Mr Marshall chairman of the committee, Mr Palmer, Mr Goodwin, Mr Young, Mr Herle, any two whereof, with two of us, make a quorum: for this good beginning we are very glad. Also there is a paper drawn up by Mr Marshall, in the name of the chief men of the assembly, and the chief of the Independents, to be communicate on Monday to the assembly, and by their advice to be published, declaring the assembly’s mind to settle, with what speed is possible, all the questions needful about religion; to reform, according to the word of God, all abuses; and to give to every congregation a person, as their due: whereupon loving and pithy exhortations are framed to the people, in the name of the men who are of the greatest credit, to wait patiently for the assembly’s mind, and to give over that most unseasonable purpose of their own reformations, and gathering of congregations; but good is expected from this mean. Farther, ways are in hand, which, if God bless, the Independents will either come to us, or have very few to follow them. As for the other sects, wise men are in opinion, that God’s favour in this assembly will make them evanish. We had great need of your prayers. On Wednesday Mr Pym was carried from his house to Westminster, on the shoulders, as the fashion is, of the chief men in the lower house, all the house going in procession before him, and before them the assembly of divines. Marshall had a most eloquent and pertinent funeral-sermon; which we would not hear; for funeral-sermons we must have away, with the rest. The parliament has ordered to pay his debt, and to build him, in the chapel of Henry VII., a stately monument.
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The affairs of church and state here since my last, so far as we of the vulgar sort do hear, have thus proceeded. After that with great and long debates we had gotten well near unanimously concluded all we desired about pastors, doctors, elders, and deacons, we spent two or three sessions upon widows; not that we needed to stay so long on that subject, but partly because every thing that comes to the assembly must be debated, and none of their debates are short; and partly because the committee had prepared no other matter to count of for the assembly to treat on. Sundry things were in hands, but nothing in readiness to come in publick; for this reason, among others, many were the more willing to have the assembly adjourned for the holy-days of Zuil, much against our minds. On the Friday I moved Mr Henderson to go to the assembly; for else he purposed to have staid at home that day; that as all of us stoutly had preached against their Christmas, so in private we might solicit our acquaintance of the assembly, and speak something of it in publick; that for the discountenancing of that superstition, it were good the assembly should not adjourn, but sit on Monday, their Christmas day. We found sundry willing to follow our advice, but the most resolved to preach that day, till the parliament should reform it in an orderly way; so, to our small contentment, the assembly was adjourned from Friday till Thursday next; yet we prevailed with our friends of the lower house to carry it so in parliament, that both houses did profane that holy day, by sitting on it, to our joy, and some of the assembly’s shame. On Wednesday we kept the solemn fast. Mr Henderson did preach to the House of Commons a most gracious, wise, and learned sermon, which you will see in print. Mr Rutherford is desired by them to preach the next fast-day.
One of the committee-matters is the Psalter. An old most honest member of the House of Commons, Mr Rous, has helped the old Psalter, in the most places faulty. His friends are very pressing in the assembly that his book may be examined, and helped by the author in what places it should be found meet, and then be commended to the parliament, that they may enjoin the publick use of it. One of their considerations is, the great private advantage which would by this book come to their friend: but many do oppose the motion; the most, because the work is not so well done as they think it might. Mr Nye spake much against a tye to any Psalter, and something against the singing of paraphrases, as of preaching of homilies. We underhand will mightily oppose it; for the Psalter is a great part of our uniformity, which we cannot let pass till our church be well advised with it. I wish I had Rowallan’s Psalter here; for I like it much better than any yet I have seen. We had great and sharp debates about the paper I wrote of before. Mr Marshall, with a smooth speech, made way for it, and got it read once and again; but several spake much against sundry expressions of it, as giving too much countenance to these who had gathered congregations, and favour more than needed to the Independents; but they did avow, that they were much thereby prejudged, and were most willing to suppress the paper, and would by no means consent to the alteration of any one word of it. I truly wish it had never been moved; for I expect more evil to our cause from it than good: yet since it was moved so much in publick, if it had been rejected, it would certainly have made a greater heartburning among the dissenting brethren than yet had appeared: so at last it passed with the assembly’s allowance; but without voicing. You may see it now in print. What fruits it shall produce, we know not; only, a day or two thereafter, some of the Anabaptists came to the assembly’s scribes with a letter, inveighing against our covenant, and carrying with them a printed sheet of admonitions to the assembly from an old English Anabaptist at Amsterdam, to give a full liberty of conscience to all sects, and to beware of keeping any Sabbath, and such like. The scribe offered to read all in the assembly. Here rose a quick enough debate. Goodwin, Nye, and their party, by all means pressing the neglect, contempt, and suppression of such fantastick papers; others were as vehement for the taking notice of them, that the parliament might be acquaint therewith, to see to the remedy of these dangerous sects. The matter was left to be considered as the committees should think fit; but many marvelled at Goodwin and Nye’s vehemency in that matter. Yet the day following their passion gave greater offence. We were called out before twelve to dine with old Sir Henry Vane. Dr Twinne was absent that day. Dr Burgess fell to be in the chair that day. The question came, What should follow the widows? There were left some branches of the apostles and evangelists duties yet undiscussed. We thought these questions needless, and wished they had been passed; but sundry by all means would have them in, of design to have the dependency of particular congregations from the apostles in matters of ordination and jurisdiction determined. The Independents, forseeing the prejudice such a determination might bring to their cause, by all means strove to decline that dispute; as indeed it is marked by all, that to the uttermost of their power hitherto they have studied procrastination of all things, finding that by time they gained. We indeed did not much care for delays, till the breath of our army might blow upon us some more favour and strength. However that day, we being gone, the one party pressing the debate of the apostles power over congregations, the other sharply declining, there fell in betwixt Goodwin and Burgess hotter words than were expected from Goodwin. Mr Marshall composed all so well as he could. Mens humours, opinions, engagements, are so far different, that I am afraid for the issue. We doubt not to carry all in the assembly and parliament clearly according to our mind; but if we carry not the Independents with us, there will be ground laid for a very troublesome schism. Always it is our care to use our utmost endeavours to prevent that dangerous evil; and in this our purpose, above any other, we had need of the help of your prayers.
We had, as I wrote, obtained a subcommittee of five to join with us for preparing to the great committee some materials for a directory. At our first meeting, for the first hour, we made pretty progress, to see what should be the work of an ordinary Sabbath, separate from fasts, communions, baptisms, marriage. Here came the first question, about readers. The assembly had passed a vote before we came, That it is a part of the pastor’s office to read the scriptures: what help he may have herein by these who are not pastors, it is not yet agitate. Always these of best note about London are now in use, in the desk, to pray, and read in the Sunday morning four chapters, and expone some of them, and cause sing two psalms, and then to go to the pulpit to preach. We are not against the minister’s reading and exponing when he does not preach: we fear it put preaching in a more narrow and discreditable room than we could wish, if all this work be laid on the minister before he preach. My overture was, to pass over that block in the beginning, and all other matter of great debate, till we have gone over these things wherein we did agree. This was followed. So, beginning with the pastor in the pulpit, and leaving till afterwards how families should be prepared in private for the work of the Sabbath, and what should be their exercise before the pastor came to the pulpit, our first question was about the preface before prayer. As for the minister’s bowing in the pulpit, we did misken it; for, besides the Independents vehemency against it, there is no such custom here used by any: so we thought it unseasonable to move it in the very entry, but minds in due time to do the best for it we may. A long debate we had about the conveniency of prefacing, yet at last we agreed on the expediency of it. We were next settling on the manner of the prayer, if it were good to have two prayers, as we use, before sermon; or but one, as they use: if in that first prayer it were meet to take in the king, church, and sick, as they do; or leave these to the last prayers, as we. While we are sweetly debating on these things, in came Mr Goodwin, who incontinent essayed to turn all upside down, to reason against all directories, and our very first grounds; also that all prefacing was unlawful; that, according to 1 Tim. ii. 1. it was necessary to begin with prayer, and that in our first prayer we behoved to pray for the king. All these our debates, private and publick, I have in writ: at meeting you shall have any of them you will. The most of all the assembly write, as also all the people almost, men, women, and children, write at preaching. That day God opened my mouth somewhat to my own contentment, to Goodwin’s new motions; I thought I got good new extemporal answers; however, he troubled us so, that after long debates we could conclude nothing. For the help of this evil, we thought it best to speak with him in private; so we invited him to dinner, and spent an afternoon with him very sweetly. It were a thousand pities of that man; he is of many excellent parts. I hope God will not permit him to go on to lead a faction for renting of the kirk. We and he seemed to agree pretty well in the most things of the directory. Always how all will be, I cannot yet say; but with the next you will hear more; for we now resolve to use all means to be at some point. Our letter to foreign churches, formed by Mr Marshall, except some clauses belonging to us put in by Mr Henderson, is now turned into Latin by Mr Arrowsmith, (a man with a glass eye, in place of that which was put out by an arrow,) a learned divine, on whom the assembly put the writing against the Antinomians. Mr Rutherford’s other large book against the Independents is in the press, and will do good. I am glad my piece is yet in; for if need be to put it out, I can make it much better than it was. Thus much for our church-affairs which most concern us.
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To Scotland. February 18, 1644.—Since my last, January 1st, affairs there had this progress, so far as I understand. The assembly having past, albeit with long debate, yet with reasonable good accord in the end, sundry conclusions, according to our mind, anent all the officers of the church severally; before they entered on their duties, as conjoined in sessions, presbyteries, and synods, for ordination and jurisdiction, they thought meet to consider some things further in the officers, both extraordinary and ordinary, some moe characters of the apostles, their power to ordain officers in all congregations, their power to send out evangelists to ordain any where, their power to decide all questions either of doctrine or fact by word or writ. After much debate arising from mere jealousies, that these things were brought in for prejudice and far ends, at last there was agreeance, while the 14th of Acts, 23d verse, was brought for a proof of the apostles power of ordination, and was going to be voiced. Very learned and acute Mr Gillespie, a singular ornament of our church, than whom not one in the whole assembly speaks to better purpose, and with better acceptance by all the hearers, advertised, that the word χειϱοτονησαντϵς, of purpose by the Episcopal translators turned ordaining, was truly chusing, importing the people’s suffrages in electing their officers. Hence arose a tough debate, that took up two whole sessions. Mr Henderson’s overture ended the plea; for granting, that in the latter part of the verse, the apostles praying and fasting might import their imposition of hands and ordaining, he advised to put the proof on the whole verse, and not on any part, with an express declaration of the assembly’s sense and intention not to prejudge any argument which in due time might be alledged out of this place, either for popular election or against it. In the debating of a proposition, anent the pastor’s power to judge who was meet to be admitted to the table, and who to be excluded, and who to be excommunicated, there were sundry weighty questions stated, especially that of excommunication, by Mr Selden; avowing, with Erastus, that there was no such censure in scripture, and what it was, was merely civil: also that of suspension from the sacrament, the Independents denying the lawfulness of all such censures; these were remitted to their own place. And at last the committee gave in their propositions anent ordination: 1st, That it was a solemn designation of persons for church-officers; the next, That it was always to be continued in the church; the 3d, who were to ordain; the 4th, who to be ordained; the 5th, what rites and actions to be used in ordination. Upon the first two, and their scripture-probations, after two, or three, or four sessions debates, there was a reasonable good accord; but in our last three will be our great controversy. The good God grant us to agree to the truth in them. To-day the debate will begin. The Independents, holding off with long weapons, and debating all things too prolixly which come within twenty miles of their quarters, were taken up sundry times, somewhat sharply, both by divines and parliament-men; to whom their replies ever were quick and high, at will. At last, foreseeing that they behoved, ere long, to come to the point, they put out in print, on a sudden, an apologetical narration of their way, which long had lien ready beside them, wherein they petition the parliament, in a most sly and cunning way, for a toleration, and withal lend too bold wipes to all the Reformed churches, as imperfect yet in their reformation, while their new model be embraced, which they set out so well as they are able. This piece abruptly they presented to the assembly, giving to every member a copy: also, they gave books to some of either House. That same day they invited us, and some principal men of the assembly, to a very great feast, when we had not read their book, so no word of that matter was betwixt us; but so soon as we looked on it, we were mightily displeased therewith, and so were the most of the assembly, and we found a necessity to answer it, for the vindication of our church from their aspersions. What both we and others shall reply, ye will hear ere long in print. The thing in itself coming out at this time, was very apt to have kindled a fire, and it seems both the devil and some men intended it, to contribute to the very wicked plot, at that same instant a-working, but shortly after discovered almost miraculously. Yet God, who overpowers both devils and men, I hope shall turn that engine upon the face of its crafty contrivers, and make it advantageous for our cause.