ency or neutrality in this cause, which so much concerneth the glory of GoD, the good of the kingdom, and honor of the king; but shall, all the days of our lives, zealously and constantly continue therein against all opposition, and promote the same, according to our power, against all lets and impediments whatsoever; and what we are not able ourselves to suppress or overcome, we shall reveal and make known, that it may be timely prevented or removed: All which we shall do as in the sight of GOD.

"And, because these kingdoms are guilty of many sins and provocations against GOD, and his SON JESUS CHRIST, as is too manifest by our present distresses and dangers, the fruits thereof; we profess and declare, before GoD and the world, our unfeigned desire to be humbled for our own sins, and for the sins of these kingdoms; especially that we have not, as we ought, valued the inestimable benefit of the Gospel; that we have not labored for the purity and power thereof; and that we have not endeavored to receive Christ in our hearts, nor to walk worthy of him in our lives; which are the causes of other sins and transgressions so much abounding amongst us: and our true and unfeigned purpose, desire, and endeavor, for ourselves and all others under our power and charge, both in public and private, in all duties we owe to GoD and man, to amend our lives, and each one to go before another in the example of a real reformation; that the Lord may turn away his wrath and heavy indignation, and establish these churches and kingdoms in truth and peace. And this Covenant we make in the presence of ALMIGHTY GOD, the Searcher of all hearts, with a true intention to perform the same, as we shall answer at that great day, when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed; most humbly beseeching the LORD to strengthen us by his HOLY SPIRIT for this end, and to bless our desires and proceedings with such success, as may be deliverance and safety to his people, and encouragement to other Christian churches, groaning under or in danger of the yoke of antichristian tyranny, to join in the same or like association

and covenant, to the glory of GoD, the enlargement of the kingdom of JESUS CHRIST, and the peace and tranquillity of Christian kingdoms and commonwealths."

The leading pastors in the Westminster Assembly were the Presbyterians, the Congregationalists, and the Erastians. The Presbyterians were much the strongest; the Congregationalists and the Erastians, the weakest. The Congregationalists were not numerous in this body. The most prominent of these were five, distinguished as the five dissenting brethren. These were Dr. Thomas Goodwin, Philip Nye, Jeremiah Burroughs, William Bridge and Sydrach Simpson. Of these, Goodwin was the chief. and the most profound theologian; Nye the most acute and politic, and Burroughs the most gentle and pacific. Others supported independency, to the number of ten or eleven. These were all who went for independency. Occasionally they were supported in some of their views by a few others.

The Erastians arose in 1568, and were so called from Erastus, a physician at Heidelburg, who wrote on the subject of church. government, and advocated the supremacy of the civil magistrate. His theory was, that all disciplinary power in the church and state belonged equally to the civil magistrate, as under the Jewish economy. The Erastian theory put the church in the power

of the state.

After taking the solemn league and covenant, the assembly resumed the consideration of the thirty-nine articles; when, on the 12th of October, its attention was called by Parliament to various questions of church government and discipline. These calls were continued and repeated till the whole system of church organization and government was brought under review, and acted upon. Many of these points occasioned long and earnest debates, but they were all in succession decided in favor of Presbyterianism, and against any authority of the state in church matters. On the latter point, however, the opinions of the assembly were overruled by parliament, which claimed for itself supremacy in church matters.

On being reported favorably upon, and adopted by parliament, as expedient and consistent with the word of God, Presbyterianism was received as the religion of the country.

An ordinance for the appointment of ruling elders throughout the kingdom of England was passed Aug. 19, 1645. This was followed by a more complete ordinance on the subject, March 14, 1646. May 3d, 1647, the first general synod of London was held, attended by one hundred and eight persons, and the province of London was divided into twelve presbyteries. The assembly continued its sittings till Feb. 22, 1649, five years, six months and twenty-two days, having had one thousand one hundred and sixty-three sessions. It was then changed into an ecclesiastical committee, to examine and license ministers, and continued till March 25, 1652; when, at the dissolution of the long parliament, it broke up without any formal dissolution.

The principal labors of the Westminster Assembly were the construction of the confession of faith, adopted 1647; the shorter catechism, the same year; larger catechism, 1648, and the form of church government and discipline. The form of church government had been adopted earlier, in 1645 and 1646.

The Westminster book was never made the standard for England, but it was immediately adopted in Scotland, where it has continued to be a standard of Presbyterianism till now; and it was early adopted as a standard of American Presbyterianism, by the Presbyterians, and continues to hold its place as such in the two great denominations of Old and New School Presbyterians.

In respect to doctrines, it is highly Calvinistic; agreeing with the thirty-nine articles of the church of England, and with the Protestant confessions of that period generally.

Among other matters brought before the Westminster Assembly, was a scheme of the general union of all Protestants in favor of common Protestant Christianity. It was a sublime conception, but no considerable progress was made in the adop

tion of measures to accomplish it. It was altogether too much for those times. And even now, but few, comparatively, can enlarge their charities and sympathies sufficiently to entertain the idea as at all practicable.

So far as England was concerned, the Westminster assembly, with all its labors, was a magnificent failure. It began with dignity; it ended in dishonor. It excited, for a time, the highest expectations of the nation, and of the world. In the end, all those expectations were disappointed. This was owing to various causes, but no inconsiderable cause of its failure to command the confidence and respect of the nation, was the disagreements and controversies that were carried on among its members.

It was an ill-advised measure to appoint persons of fundamentally different principles, to construct a common platform. The majority must preponderate, and the minority be overborne by numbers. It is not often that the erring, in such circumstances, can be convinced by arguments.

But a main difficulty was, that the laws of forbearance and mutual love, and of the essential rights of individuals and churches, were not understood. It was supposed, both erroneously and unfortunately, that the majority were to command the minority in respect to the manner in which they should serve God and administer the affairs of his kingdom.

CHAPTER X.

PRESBYTERIANISM IN SCOTLAND.

ON the death of James V., king of Scotland, his infant daughter, Mary, then a few days old, was entitled to the crown. At six years of age she was affianced to Francis II., dauphin of France, and sent to be educated in that country.

This was the celebrated Mary, Queen of Scots.

She did not return to her country till the death of her first husband, in 1561. During this interval of nineteen years, the country was governed by the queen dowager, Mary of Guise, and a succession of regents.

The doctrines of the reformation had been introduced into Scotland, and were spreading slowly; when, in 1546, Cardinal Beton, archbishop of St. Andrews, seized and burned at the stake George Wishart, a reformed preacher. This excited great indignation, and Norman Lesley, a young nobleman, surprised and killed Cardinal Beton, in his castle, and held possession of it fourteen months. During this time the reformed doctrines were preached freely at St. Andrews, by the celebrated John Knox, and others of like spirit and zeal.

On the reduction of St. Andrews by the assistance of the French, in 1547, John Knox and others were carried prisoners to France. Knox remained a prisoner at the galleys in France till 1549, when he was liberated and went to England, where he was first appointed preacher of Berwick, then of New Castle, and lastly made chaplain to Edward VI., in 1552. He was offered a bishopric, which he refused, as savoring too much of antichrist. On the accession of Mary, in 1554, he left England and sought refuge at Geneva, where he became acquainted with Calvin, and formed a strong attachment to that great reformer, and his systems both of doctrine and church polity. In 1555 he returned to his native country and resumed his labors there, for the promotion of the reformed doctrines. His labors were crowned with great success.

In July, 1556, Knox paid a visit to the English congregation at Geneva. He had been threatened with prosecution, but his enemies did not dare to lay hands on him. He was no sooner gone, however, than they cited him to appear before them, passed sentence of death against him as a heretic, and burnt him in effigy at Edinburgh. In 1558 he started on his return to Scotland, but was persuaded to wait for a time longer, when he