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.