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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