A Publick Letter. London, April 25, 1645.
Affairs here stand thus, so far as I understand. The assembly hath now, I may say, ended the whole body of the church-government, and that according to the doctrine and practice of the church of Scotland, in every thing material. We have been these two or three weeks on additional propositions, which seemed to be wanting for the making of the rest practicable and perfect; these also we have ended, except one or two, which I trust at our next session we shall pass. There will then remain no more for the government, but the methodizing and wording of these matters, that they may be transmitted to the houses of parliament for their authority. The catechism, and Confession of Faith, are put in the hands of several committees, and some reports are made to the assembly concerning both. We expect not so much debate upon these, as we have had in the directory and government. The Independents, these six weeks, have not much troubled the assembly; for after we had been a long time troubled with their opposition to all things, it was found meet to put them to declare their mind positively what they would be at. This they have shifted to this day, as it was thought not fully agreeing among themselves; but now being put peremptorily to it, they could not get it declined. Since, they have been about that task, and we expect daily when they shall present to us their platform of church-government. The assembly purposes not to take it into publick debate, but to give it to some committee that they may frame an answer to it, if so it be found convenient. The Houses have past of our votes of government, purposing quickly to erect the ecclesiastical courts, of sessions, presbyteries, and synods, and thereafter to pass so much of our government as they think necessary. We will have much to do with them to make sundry of our votes pass; for most of their lawyers are strong Erastians, and would have all the church-government depend absolutely on the parliament; for this end they have past a vote in the House of Commons, for appeals from sessions to presbyteries, from these to synods, from these to national assemblies, and from these to the parliament. We mind to be silent for some time on this, lest we mar the erection of the ecclesiastick courts; but when we find it seasonable, we mind to make much ado before it go so. We are hopeful to make them declare, they mean no other thing, by their appeals from the national assembly to a parliament, than a complaint of an injurious proceeding; which we never denied.
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For Mr Robert Ramsay. May 4, 1645.
The assembly having put the Independents to shew what positively is their judgement in things controverted, we have been quit of their cumber these six or seven weeks. Every day this month we have been expecting their positive tenets, but as yet we have heard nothing of them; only in their sermons in the city they are deviating more and more towards old and new errors, especially liberty of conscience. Their ways are daily more and more disliked. The directory is so far from being cried down as fools say there, that there is an ordinance of parliament coming out for the practice of it, if it be not changed, that I will be caution few shall dare to contemn, either that whole book, or any part of it. We have these fourteen days been upon our advice to a subcommittee of the House of Commons, anent the execution of our votes of government: for it is the work of that subcommittee to draw two ordinances; the one, for the practice of the directory, wherein their punishment is as rigorous, if it be not mitigated, for the contemners of any part of that book as it was before to the contemners of their religion. For preachers, or writers, or publishers, against it, were they Dukes and Peers, their third fault is the loss of all their goods, and perpetual imprisonment. The other ordinance is for the erection of ecclesiastick courts over the whole kingdom. For their help herein, they called the ministers of London to advise them for their city, and they sent to the assembly for their advice anent the rest of the kingdom. The city-ministers have sent them their unanimous advice (for of 121 city-ministers, there are not three Independents) for planting, just after our Scottish fashion, an eldership in every congregation; of fourteen presbyteries within the lines of communication, every one consisting of ministers betwixt twelve and sixteen, and also many ruling elders; and of a provincial Synod for London and ten miles round about. The assembly have presented their advice this day. We went through this forenoon-session unanimously what concerns provincial and national assemblies, as yesterday what concerned presbyteries, and the days before congregational elderships. They have concluded provincial synods twice a-year, presbyteries once a-month, and national assemblies once a-year; and after, every one of these as it shall be needful. Herein the greatness of this nation forces them to differ from us with our good liking. Their provincial assemblies cannot consist of all the ministers, but of so many delegated from every presbytery; for in sundry of their provinces will be above 600 churches, which would make at least 1200 members in a provincial synod: also their national assembly is constitute of three ministers and two ruling elders, deputed, not from every presbytery, but as it is in France and Holland, from every provincial synod, whereof there will be at least sixty. We shortly expect an ordinance according to our advice, and the execution presently upon the back of it. Our next work will be the Confession and Catechism, upon both which we have already made some entrance.
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To Mr William Spang.
The condition of our church affairs is good. We are at a point with the government, and beginning to take the Confession of Faith and Catechism to our consideration. These eight days we have been on our advice for the manner of chusing of elders in every congregation, and division of the country into presbyteries and provincial synods. We hope now shortly, by God’s help, to see a synod and fourteen presbyteries in London, and a session in every church, just after the Scots fashion. But other matters are in a dangerous posture. Hurry and Montrose have fought a most bloody battle.
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The Erastian party in the parliament is stronger than the Independent, and is like to work us much woe. Selden is their head. If L’Emperour would beat down that man’s arrogance, as he very well can, to show, out of the Rabbins, that the Jewish state was diverse from their church, and that they held the censure of excommunication among them, and a double Sanhedrim, one civil, another ecclesiastick; if he would confound him with Hebrew testimonies; it would lay Selden’s vanity, who is very insolent for his Oriental literature. Also if any of you would meddle with Erastus, whom Beza, they say, durst never answer, it would do us a great deal of good.
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For my Lord Lauderdale.
Worcester-house, June 17, 1645.
My Lord Fairfax sent up, the last week, an horrible Antitriastrian; the whole assembly went in a body to the Houses to complain of his blasphemies. It was the will of Cromwell, in the letter of his victory, to desire the House not to discourage these who had ventured their lives for them, and to come out expressly with their much-desired liberty of conscience.