Of far less importance, but perhaps worth mentioning in this connection, was the work done by the Assembly in the spring of 1645, in defining for the House of Commons “the particulars of that ignorance and scandal for which persons should be excluded from the sacrament.”⁷ At this time, also, though in a more summary manner, the Assembly had occasion, prior to its entrance on the actual preparation of the Confession, to review in a systematic exhibit all the chief topics of a dogmatic system.⁸

Many topics which touched on the subjects treated in parallel portions of the Confession were also debated in the preparation of the Form of Government; and, we may be sure, this was not without consciousness on the part of the debaters that their investigations would bear double fruit. We meet, for example, on May 6, 1645, before any part of the Confession had come before the Assembly, a note like this: “Debate whether to bring this under the head of government or a Confession of Faith.” And accordingly the proposition thus debated was in substance actually incorporated into the subsequently framed Confession.⁹ Similarly the long debates on the jus divinum cannot fail to have borne fruit both for the Government and for such chapters of the Confession as that on “The Church and Church Censures,” then in process of framing.

Finally the labors of the Assembly in preparing its Catechism, so far as they were carried on before the Confession left its hands, were of course of use to it in preparing the Confession also. In some sense, these labors began indeed as early as December, 1643: but the matter incorporated into the Catechism does not seem to have come before the Assembly itself earlier than September 14, 1646, from which date until January 4, 1647, the substance of the original Catechism was reported as far as that project was prosecuted by the Assembly.¹⁰ During this period the Assembly was in the process of its review of the text of the Confession, and had reached a portion of it for which the debates upon the Catechism could afford little or no aid.¹¹ The scrutiny of the substance of doctrine for the Catechism therefore could serve as a help in the formulation of the Confession only in so far as the members of the Committee at work on the Catechism were moulding their opinions by it. In the general Assembly the influence was the other way about. In fact, Baillie tells us that on the reporting of the first matter for the Catechism, the Assembly fell on such “rubbes and long debates” that it was purposely “laid aside till the Confession wes ended, with resolution to have no matter in it but what wes expressed in the Confession, which should not be debated over againe in the Catechise.”¹² The subject is nevertheless worth mentioning here as indicating afresh how repeatedly the Divines were, in committee or in full house, led to go over the whole series of doctrinal statements either prior to or parallel with their work in formulating the Confession: all of which repeated reviews of the matter to be placed in the Confession of course were of use in its formulation for that purpose.

If there ever was a document, therefore, whose contents might be expected to exhibit that genius, the essence of which consists, we are told, in taking pains, it assuredly is the Westminster Confession of Faith. And when we read its exquisitely balanced phrases, and are moved with admiration for the perfection of the guarding which it gives to its doctrinal propositions on this side and that, we are reaping the benefit of these repeated reviews which the Assembly was forced to give the whole matter, perhaps even more than of the minute scrutiny it lavished on the formulation of it on the final occasion of its actual incorporation into the Confession. And when, after this, and in the light of all the experience gained by such repeated reviews of the material, first the Larger Catechism and then the Shorter Catechism were elaborated, it is not at all strange that a precision of definition was attained which has called forth such praises as these documents, and especially the Shorter Catechism, have received from the most varied quarters.

The framing of a new Confession of Faith was a portion of the task that devolved on the Westminster Assembly through the provisions of the Solemn League and Covenant, by which an engagement was entered into for bringing “the Churches of God in the three kingdoms to the nearest conjunction and uniformity in religion, confession of faith, form of Church government, directory for worship and catechising.”¹³ The prosecution of the work of uniting the two Churches in a common Confession of course involved the substitution of a new Confession, agreed upon by both Churches, for those previously in use, whether in Scotland or in England; it accordingly rendered the revision of the Thirty-nine Articles, on which the Assembly had been engaged during the first months of its labors, no longer ad rem. No doubt the persistency of the Commons in securing the insertion into the “Ordinance” calling the Assembly of a clause setting forth as one of the objects in view the procuring of a “nearer agreement with the Church of Scotland,”¹⁴ although more particularly referring to the point of “Government,” affected in some degree the whole work of the Assembly and bore fruit even in its revision of the Thirty-nine Articles. But the particular instructions given regarding the revision of these Articles limited the Assembly to “vindicating and clearing” them “from all false calumnies and aspersions,” and the Assembly itself looked upon this work accordingly as “relating only to the Church of England.”¹⁵ When now, on the 25th of September, 1643, the Solemn League and Covenant was taken, the whole situation was changed. Parliament was now committed to that policy of uniformity in religion for the whole country for which the Scots had been unwearyingly pressing ever since their Peace Commissioners had gone up to London early in 1641, and the Assembly considered its work on the Articles as entirely set aside by the subsequent order, as it itself expresses it, “to employ us in framing a Confession of Faith for the three kingdoms, according to our Solemn League and Covenant.”¹⁶ It was only with great reluctance and with protestations of their insufficiency that it placed in the hands of the Parliament, when subsequently required to do so, the Articles so far as they had been revised by it.¹⁷

Nevertheless, the severer task of forming a new Confession of Faith for the whole kingdom was not at once entered upon. A still more severe and, in the judgment of all alike, a still more pressing task required attention first - the framing of a unifying “Government” for the Churches of the whole kingdom. This great labor was begun on October 12, 1643, and consumed the energies and time of the Assembly for many months. The first motion toward undertaking the new Confession was made apparently on Tuesday morning, August 20, 1644. Sir Archibald Johnston of Warriston, lately arrived from Scotland, appeared in the Assembly on August 14, bringing letters from the General Assembly; and in presenting them he emphasized “the general desire of all the nation of Scotland for the hastening of the work in hand” - that is, the work of completing the uniformity in all its parts in accordance with the Solemn League and Covenant. In his response Dr. Burgess added his voice to Warriston’s: and “Mr. Henderson also spake to the same purpose, of forwarding and hastening our work. Whereupon it was ordered, that the grand committee should meet to-morrow.”¹⁸ The report from the Grand Committee came in on August 20, and contained five resolutions designed for expediting the work. The second of these proposed “a committee to join with the commissioners of Scotland, to draw up a confession of faith.” No order, however, was as yet come from Parliament “to enable us to such a thing,”¹⁹ and the proposition, therefore, caused some debate; but it was at last determined upon, and a committee of nine, consisting of Drs. Temple, Gouge and Hoyle, Messrs. Gataker, Arrowsmith, Burroughs, Burgess, Vines and Goodwin, was appointed to take the work in hand.²⁰ Two weeks later, Lightfoot tells us further, “Dr. Temple, chairman of the committee for the drawing up of a confession of faith, desired, that that committee might be augmented.”²¹ This also was done, and there were added the names of Dr. Smith and Messrs. Palmer, Newcomen, Herle, Reynolds, Wilson, Tuckney, Young, Ley, and Sedgewick. Baillie congratulates himself that thus the preparation of the Confession had been “put in severall the best hands that are here,” and that “the heads of it being distribute among many able hands, it may in a short time be so drawn up, as the debates of it may cost little time.”²²

It was not until the next summer, nevertheless, that any portion of the Confession came before the Assembly.²³ In the spring it seems to have been taken up in earnest, but progress was still slow.²⁴ Baillie informs us under date of April 25, 1645, that some reports had already been made to the Assembly.²⁵ We hear of it in the Minutes for the first time, however, on Monday, April 21,²⁶ and then after a fashion that hints of pressure brought on the Assembly for completing the work. The Scotch Commissioners, returning on April 9 from their visit to the Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland,²⁷ had had presented by the Grand Committee to the Houses of Parliament and the Assembly of Divines alike a paper setting out the satisfaction of their Kirk with the parts of the Uniformity already prepared, and urging that “it is with no less zeal and earnestness desired and expected by that whole Kirk and kingdom, that the remanent parts of Uniformity be expedited.”²⁸ Stress was especially laid in this paper on the completion of the Form of Government; but when the paper came before the Commons (on April 14) it found that body engaged on matters of doctrine,²⁹ and its immediate fruit was accordingly an action to hasten on the preparation of the “Confession of Faith.” A paper had been sent up from the Divines to both Houses on March 6 looking to the “preserving the sacraments pure,” and both Houses had taken up the matter at once. The debate in the Commons from March 25 took the form of determining the particulars of ignorance and scandal which should exclude from the Lord’s Supper. Several communications were passed between the House, sitting in committee, and the Divines by means of which it was determined what should be defined as “a competent measure of understanding” - “concerning God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost,” “concerning the state of man by the creation, and by his fall,” “the redemption of Jesus Christ, etc.,” “the ways and means to apply Christ, etc.,” “the nature and necessity of faith, etc.,” “repentance, etc.,” “the nature and use of the Sacraments, etc.,” “the condition of man after this life, etc.”³⁰ The report of the Grand Committee embodying these findings was made to the Commons on the 17th of April, and on the same day a Committee was appointed to draft an ordinance in the terms of the findings.³¹ Simultaneously the House voted to desire the Assembly with all convenient speed to resolve upon a Confession of Faith for the Church of England and present it to the House.³² In this we may doubtless see the combined effects of the pressure brought to bear on the House by the letter from Scotland and its own sense of need arising from its labors in defining censurable ignorance. There are entries in the Minutes of the Assembly for April 18 which may be taken as indicating the reception of this order by that body.³³ In this case it would seem that Messrs. Seaman, Tuckney, Burroughs, Young, Whitaker, Rayner, Vines, and Delamarch were appointed “to consider of this order,” and were instructed to meet that afternoon and report at the next meeting. In any event the order was already in process of being obeyed at this next meeting, Monday, April 21. Apparently the Committee appointed on April 18 then reported that the best way to meet the immediate needs of Parliament would be to place in its hands a revised edition of the Thirty-nine Articles, to serve until a Confession of Faith could be prepared. Accordingly it was ordered that the Committee in whose charge the revision of the Thirty-nine Articles had formerly been, or perhaps the new Committee of April 18,³⁴ should “consider how far they or any of them may be useful to be recommended to both Houses of Parliament for the present, till a Confession of Faith can be drawn up by this Assembly”; and further, that “the Committee for Confession of Faith do meet on Wednesday, in the afternoon.”

Nothing further appears until Friday, May 9,³⁵ when, a new order having meanwhile been received from Parliament for dispatch,³⁶ it was ordered “that the Assembly consider on Monday morning the best way to expedite the Confession of Faith, … and that the two Committees for the Confession of Faith be put into one.” What two Committees were here united we have no means of ascertaining. We have heard hitherto of only one Committee to which the “preparing matter” for a Confession of Faith was committed (August 20, 1644), and which was subsequently (September 4) augmented; and even on April 21, as we have just seen, “the Committee for Confession of Faith” is spoken of quite simply as if there were but one, and between that entry and the present one there is no allusion in the Minutes to the matter.³⁷ But Baillie, though in the previous autumn speaking of “a Committee” to which the Confession of Faith had been referred, under date of April 25, says, “The Catechise and Confession of Faith are put in the hands of severall committees.”³⁸ It is probably easiest to suppose that in the meanwhile another Committee, additional to that of August 20-September 4, 1644, had been appointed.³⁹ At all events, in accordance with the provision of May 9, the Assembly on Monday, May 12, proceeded to make further arrangements for “expediting the Confession of Faith.” The report in the Minutes of what was done is somewhat obscure. But it appears that besides reading and debating “the report of the Confession of Faith,” there was an additional “debate about the Committee for drawing up the Confession”; and it was determined that “the first draught of the Confession of Faith shall be drawn up by a Committee of a few”; which Committee was then constituted - apparently of the following members: Drs. Temple and Hoyle, Messrs. Gataker, Harris, Burgess, Reynolds and Herle. This Committee is then instructed to meet that same afternoon; and the Scotch Commissioners “are desired to be assisting to this Committee.” The question arises whether this Committee was additional to the former Committee or Committees (of August 20, September 4, 1644, and May 9, 1645), or was a substitute for it or them. Dr. Mitchell supposes the former, and looks upon this new Committee as erected in order to receive the material collected by the already existing Committee, or Committees, and to digest it into more formal shape before it was finally submitted to the Assembly.⁴⁰ There are certain serious difficulties, however, in the way of this supposition. And these are greatly increased by a subsequent act of the Assembly’s. On Friday, July 11, 1645, it was ordered - “Monday morning to divide the body of the Confession of Faith to the three Committees.” Accordingly on the next Monday - July 14 - we hear of a “debate about dividing of heads of confession”: but the matter was not concluded on that day. On the following Wednesday - July 16, 1645 - we read of a “report made from the Committee of the heads of Confession,” and it was ordered: “The first Committee to prepare the Confession of Faith upon these heads: God and the Holy Trinity; God’s decrees, Predestination, Election, etc.; the works of Creation and Providence; Man’s Fall”; “The Second Committee: Sin, and the punishment thereof; Free will; the Covenant of Grace; Christ our Mediator”; “The Third Committee: Effectual Vocation; Justification; Adoption; Sanctification”; “Those three Committees to meet to-morrow in the afternoon”; “If they think fit to leave out any of those heads, or add any other, they are to make report to the Assembly.” Dr. Mitchell supposes with obvious justice that the three large Committees into which the Assembly was permanently divided for the preparing of its business⁴¹ are referred to in these orders; and that “the material prepared by the previous small committee” was “handed over to these larger committees, and further discussed and elaborated by them before being brought into the Assembly.” This seems altogether reasonable in itself, and is fully borne out by the subsequent proceedings. But certainly, under this supposition, it becomes very unlikely that the earlier Committee or Committees (of August 20, September 4, 1644, and May 9, 1645) still continued in existence - if for no other reason than the complicated process which would in that case be involved in getting the several parts of the Confession before the Assembly. First the Committee of August 20-September 4, 1644, would collect the material; then the Committee of May 12, 1645, with the aid of the Scotch Commissioners, would digest it; then the large Committee required thereto on July 16, would further digest it; and only then would it reach the Assembly. Surely this complication of process throws something in the scale to justify us in looking on the Committee of May 12 as a substitute for that of August 20-September 4, rather than additional to it.⁴² In that case we must suppose that the Assembly had sought at first to get along with only one Committee, which should prepare the matter of the Confession for its discussion; that that first appointed (August 20, 1644), augmented on September 4, 1644, and again perhaps on May 9, 1645, had proved too large and unwieldy for rapid work, and was superseded by a smaller one, May 12, 1645 - the members of which were, however (with one exception, viz., Mr. Harris), taken from the earlier Committees. Subsequently, for the better digesting of the material, it was ordered (July 11 and 16, 1645) that the reports of the Committee should in the first instance be submitted to one or the other of the three great Committees into which the Assembly was divided for the preparation of its business, and be by them actually brought before the whole body.

There are, to be sure, not lacking some difficulties in the way of the supposition of even this very natural and workable arrangement. Among them the chief are that in the action of May 9 we read (as we have seen) of its being ordered, “that the two Committees for the Confession of Faith be put into one”; and in the action of July 4 we read of “the sub-Committee for the Confession of Faith,” as if there were still divisions in the Committee; and again on July 18 we read of’ a “report concerning God, by Dr. Temple” being put in - although Dr. Temple was not a member of the First great Committee to which this topic was assigned, but of the Third great Committee, while, on the other hand, he was a member of the Committee of May 12, and as representing it had “made report of that part of the Confession of Faith touching the Scriptures” on July 7 - i.e., before the distribution of the heads to the three great Committees had been made. These difficulties do not, however, seem to be insuperable. We have already offered a suggestion in explanation of the mention of two Committees on May 9. The term “Sub-Committee” in the action of July 4 need not be pressed: it may be, and probably is, only a designation of the Committee of May 12, called Sub-Committee possibly because of its small size in comparison with the three great Committees; or it may be thought not impossible that the work on the topics of God and the Scriptures may actually have been done by a Sub-Committee of that Committee. It seems further, on closer examination, that Dr. Temple made the report of July 18 on “God,” as well as that of July 7 on “The Scriptures,” in consequence of the order of July 4 “that the sub-Committee for the Confession of Faith shall make report to the Assembly on Monday morning of what is in their hands concerning God and concerning the Scriptures” - so that these two topics were accounted as in that manner already before the Assembly, though in the interval between this and July 18, when the “report concerning God, by Dr. Temple,” was - not made, but - “read and debated,” provision had been made for another course to be subsequently pursued. It is not an insuperable objection to this solution of the difficulty that in the distribution of the heads of the Confession to the three Committees on July 16, the head on “Scripture” is not assigned to the first Committee - doubtless as already fully before the house - while the head on “God and the Holy Trinity” is so assigned, as if it were not yet - at least in full - before the house. There are so many things we do not know about the precise course of action that a plausible supposition such as we have suggested may be allowed to be probable, even though we cannot explain all the details. And it is to be observed that when the report on this topic came from the first Committee on July 23, it was not of “God and the Holy Trinity,” but “of the article of the Trinity.” It may be taken as likely then that the original Committee of May 12 reported as required on the two topics, “The Scriptures” and “God,” and that the first report from the great Committee was on ” the Trinity ” only.

This construction receives further support from other circumstances. We hear nothing of “Committees,” but only of a, “Committee” on the Confession between the dates May 9, when the “two Committees” were “put into one,” and July 16, when the three great Committees were charged with the Confession, while afterwards this is no longer so - as e.g. on August 20 we read of “the Committees for the Confession of Faith.” We hear no more of reports from Dr. Temple on the Confession after those on the “Scriptures” of July 7 and on “God” of July 18. At the very next session - July 23 - we read rather: “Report made from the Committee of the article of the Trinity,” and afterwards, on August 29: “Report from the first Committee concerning God’s decrees”; “Report made by the second Committee of Christ the Mediator”; “Debate on the report of the first Committee of God’s decree”; on September 3, “Report from the first Committee about adding the word ‘absolutely’”; “Debate about the 2d Committee’s report of Christ the Mediator,” and so on.⁴³ This mode of reference varied only to such forms as the following. On September 8, “Dr. Gouge offered a report of an addition, though the Committee was not a full number, but 7” - Dr. Gouge being a member of the First Committee, and possibly at this time its chairman.⁴⁴ On September 9, “Dr. Stanton made report additional of Christ the Mediator.⁴⁵ Mr. Prophet made report of Effectual Calling”⁴⁶ - Dr. Stanton having been from the first chairman of the Second Committee and Mr. Prophet being a member of the Third, the several Committees to which these topics had been assigned on July 16. A note in the proceedings for November 18 (sess. 537) gives the whole state of the case very clearly: “Dr. Gouge [made] report from First Committee of Creation. Mr. Whitakers from the Second Committee, of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and the Punishment thereof. The Third Committee made no report.” In the presence of such clear declarations, supported by a number of incidental references accordant with them (such as have been set down in the footnotes), we need not hesitate to say that the several heads of the Confession were obviously reported directly to the Assembly by the three great Committees, even though there remain a few instances where a reference occurs not easily explicable.

The most striking of these are those instances in which we read of a topic of the Confession being reported by a member who does not seem to have been a member of the great Committee to which this topic was assigned. On one occasion, for example, Dr. Gouge is spoken of as reporting on a topic not belonging to the First, but to the Second Committee: December 15, 1645, “Dr. Gouge made report about Free-will.” Dr. Gouge may have been acting here, however, as representing not the original Committee which reported this subject to the Assembly, but a special Committee to which it or some part of it had been recommitted. Color is lent to this suggestion by three facts. First, the recommitment of special points to special Committees was not uncommon with the Assembly; instances may be noted on pp. 183, 184, 187, 208, 217, 218, 219 of the “Minutes.” Secondly, the note here is made in immediate conjunction with a case of recommitment. The Minutes proceed: “Mr. Arrowsmith made report of that committed concerning the Sacraments.” The Sacraments constituted a topic belonging to the Second Committee, indeed, of which Mr. Arrowsmith was a member, and so this case may be only partially parallel. More clearly similar is the instance of November 7, when we read: “Report made by Mr. Reynolds about Reprobation” - evidently in pursuance of the order of November 6: “The paragraph concerning Reprobation referred to the Committee, to make report tomorrow morning.” Mr. Reynolds was not, however, a member of the First Committee to which this topic belonged, but of the Second:⁴⁷ and thus this would seem to be a case of reference to a special Committee. The matter is plainer still in another instance. We read in the Minutes for March 10, 1646: “Mr. Seaman made report of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience ” - a topic belonging to the First Committee while Mr. Seaman was a member of the Second. The original report on Christian Liberty, however, was made on January 29, and not by Mr. Seaman but by Mr. Coleman - a member of the First Committee. The subject was debated on that day, and again on February 10, 12, 16, when it was resolved: “That this whole head of Christian Liberty shall be recommitted”; and further, “This shall be recommitted to a select Committee” - whose members are then named with Mr. Seaman at their head (p. 187). It is, of course, from this Committee that Mr. Seaman reported on March 10. It should, however, be borne in mind that we cannot implicitly trust the lists of names given in the schedule which Dr. Mitchell prints of the members of the three great Committees at the date nearest to the time when the Assembly was busied with the Confession. For example, we read in the Minutes of January 29, 1646: “Mr. Dury made report from the Second Committee of Church Offices and Censures.” But the name of Mr. Dury does not occur on the roll of the members of the Second Committee, nor indeed on any of the three rolls. A similar instance is found in this same note of January 29: “Mr. Newcomen, Mr. Dury, Mr. Delmy, Dr. Temple, Dr. Gouge, added to the Committee for report about the Law; to report to-morrow morning.” The reference is not to the original Third Committee, which had reported the chapter on the Law at least as early as January 7, but to a special Committee appointed January 12 to consider the propositions under debate concerning the meaning of the terms “ceremonial” and “judicial.” Of the names given in this additional list, two - Messrs. Dury and Delmy - have no place in Dr. Mitchell’s lists of the three Committees. Thirdly, it may be added that it does not appear likely that Dr. Gouge’s report on December 15, 1645, represents the first report to the Assembly on the topic of Free Will. A month before (on November 18) it had been represented to the Assembly that the Second Committee had finished all the heads of the Confession that had been committed to it; and this representation was made the occasion of a new distribution of heads to the three Committees. In the interval, before December 15, topics from this second distribution had been reported from the Second Committee (e.g., December 1, on the Lord’s Supper; December 5, “Of the Sacraments in general”). It does not seem likely that these would be reported before report had been made of material lying ready for report before these topics were undertaken.

In the light of the facts, therefore, it seems certain that the several heads of the Confession were reported immediately from the three great Committees to the Assembly, and that therefore there was no Committee for further digesting their material intermediating between them and the Assembly. It is not safe to differ on such a matter from Dr. Mitchell, but, on the whole, it appears to us likely also that the small Committee appointed on the 12th May, 1645, was substituted for the earlier Committee or Committees (of August 20-September 4, 1644, and perhaps again in the ensuing winter), and that the mode of procedure was that the small Committee of May 12, 1645 - consisting of seven, a quorum of which was five - first drew up the heads of the Confession with the aid of the Commissioners of the Church of Scotland: and that these were then distributed by the Assembly among the three great Committees for thorough digesting: whence they came back finally to the Assembly for discussion and ordering.

The first two of these “heads” had, to be sure, according to our supposition, already been reported to the Assembly by the small Committee, before it had been determined to distribute the heads between the three great Committees. In the Minutes of the session for Friday, July 4, 1645, we read: “Debate about the Confession of Faith. That the sub-Committee for the Confession of Faith shall make report to the Assembly on Monday morning of what is in their hands concerning God and concerning the Scriptures.” Accordingly on Monday, July 7, we read: “Dr. Temple made report of that part of the Confession of Faith touching the Scriptures. It was read, debated.” We hear no more of the report on the head “God,” to be sure, until July 18 - before which date the distribution to the great Committees had been made. But what we read there is not that Dr. Temple made report on this topic, but: “Report concerning God, by Dr. Temple, read and debated”; while subsequently we read (July 23): “Report made from the Committee of the article of the Trinity.” Whatever may be the right explanation of these phrases, the reports of the subsequent heads of the Confession were not made by Dr. Temple, but as we have seen from the First, Second, or Third Committee, or some one of their representatives. This series begins, if not on July 23, at least on August 29, with a notice of a report from the First Committee on God’s decrees and from the Second Committee on Christ the Mediator. Thereafter the heads were reported one by one from the several Committees to which their digesting had been from time to time committed.⁴⁸

The consideration given in the Assembly itself to the several heads was very careful and the scrutiny of every clause and word searching. Recommitments, ordinarily at least to special Committees, were frequent: final dissent on the part of individuals was sometimes entered. In a word, time, pains, and scrupulous care were not spared for perfecting the instrument. Thus the work went slowly on, until near the middle of 1646, at which time, though the work was not yet completed, the attention of the Assembly was withdrawn by the Parliament to other matters. During the course of these long-continued and searching debates, it was inevitable that many alterations should be entered in the drafts of the several heads as they were first laid before the Assembly. It was felt by the Assembly from the first that provision should be made to have the text and alterations properly adjusted. As early as July 8, 1645, therefore, we find this order: “That Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Herle, Mr. Newcomen be desired to take care of the wording of the Confession of Faith, as it is voted in the Assembly from time to time, and to report to the Assembly when they think fit there should be any alteration in the words. They are first to consult with the Commissioners from the Church of Scotland, or one of them, before they report to the Assembly.” Of this Committee we hear nothing more: it doubtless did the work committed to it and saw to it that the amendments made were fitted properly into their places and that all went smoothly. As the work advanced, another Committee of similar but apparently somewhat enlarged powers was appointed. This was done on December 8, 1645: “Ordered - Mr. Tuckney, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Newcomen, Mr. Whitakers, a Committee to review the Confession of Faith as it is finished in the Assembly.” Apparently it was not contemplated that reports should be made from this Committee in the meantime; but rather that it should quietly prepare matter for the further consideration of the Assembly in a final review of its work. At all events, after the stress of interruption was over and the Confession was completed (at least substantially), we find this Committee reporting (June 17, 1646). The note runs: “Report was made from the Committee about ‘the perfecting of the Confession of Faith’” - and at once it is “Ordered - That Mr. Arrowsmith be added to the Committee for [perfecting] the Confession of Faith.⁴⁹ Upon a debate about the ‘reading of the Report again,’ it was Resolved upon the Q., ‘Not to be read again entire, but in parts.’ It was debated, and the Assembly began with the Scriptures; and part of that head was ordered.” From this it would seem that the report of the Committee on “the perfecting of the Confession of Faith” consisted of the presentation of a perfected copy; that this was read first entire; and then ordered to be again read in parts. On June 19, 1646, it is further ordered, “That the Committee for wording and methodizing of the Confession of Faith shall have liberty, as they see things imperfect, to complete them; and to make report unto the Assembly.”

Under the guidance of this Committee the Assembly thus went again over the whole Confession. This work was not done perfunctorily.⁵⁰ It was begun on June 17, 1646: immediately after determining, as has been already mentioned, to review the Confession in parts, it is noted: “The Assembly began with the Scriptures; and part of that head was ordered. Ordered - To proceed in the debate where we left.” Accordingly in the Minutes of the next day (June 18) we read: “The Assembly proceeded in the debate of the Confession of Faith concerning ‘the Scriptures’; and upon debate the whole head concerning the Scriptures was ordered ; and it is as followeth… . The Assembly proceeded in the debate of the Article concerning ‘God and the Holy Trinity’; and upon debate that head also was ordered; and it is as followeth… . The Assembly proceeded in debate of the Article ‘Of God’s Eternal Decree’; and upon debate part of it was ordered. Upon debate about the last clause of it, concerning the handling of this doctrine, it was Resolved upon the Q., To refer this till to-morrow morning.” The next day accordingly: “The Assembly proceeded in the debate of the Confession of Faith; and upon debate, that head ‘of God’s Eternal Decree’ was ordered and is as followeth… .” Similarly chapters iv. and v. were passed on the same day; part of chapter vi. on June 22, and the remainder of chapter vi., and chapters vii. and viii. on June 25. Chapter ix., “of Free Will,” gave apparently more trouble. We read in the Minutes of June 29: “Report was made by Mr. Tuckney ‘of Free Will.’ It was read, and also some additionals to the Article ‘of the Fall of Man.’ The additionals were debated, and ordered to be added. The Assembly debated the Report ‘of Free Will’; and upon debate about the first branch of it concerning ‘the natural liberty in the Will,’ it was Resolved upon the Q., To be recommitted.” In the Minutes of the next day (June 30) accordingly we read: “Report was made from the Committee of the proposition concerning Free Will recommitted. It was read and debated, and the whole Article assented to. It is as followeth… .” On the same day chapter x. was passed upon. After this, work on the Confession was intermitted for nearly a month, and was not resumed until a message was received from Parliament desiring the early completion of the Confession (July 22).⁵¹ On July 23 chapters xi. and xii. were passed: and on the next day, July 24, the interrupted work of framing the first draft of the Confession was also resumed, the Second Committee bringing in its reports on chapters xviii. and xxxii. The time of the Assembly was thereafter largely absorbed in framing the remainder of the first draft: and it is not until September 14 that we meet with the next note bearing on the review: on that date chapter xvii. was passed upon in its perfected form, and on September 15 chapter xviii., while on this latter date also: “Report was made from the Committee for perfecting the Confession of Faith ‘of the Law.’ It was read and debated, and upon debate much of it was assented to, the rest referred to the Committee.” On September 16, chapters xiii. and xiv. were passed upon; on the 17th the rest of chapter xix.; on September 18, chapter xv. On September 21, chapter xvi. was passed; an addition was proposed to it on the 22d by Mr. Prophet, concerning which the Assembly - “Resolved upon the Q., Not to take this paper now read into debate”; nevertheless on September 23 its consideration was pressed on the attention of the Assembly again, whereupon it was “Resolved upon the Q., This proposition shall not be added.” On the same day chapter xiii., on Sanctification, was taken up renewedly and certain alterations proposed by a Committee appointed for the purpose were entered into it. The same afternoon Mr. Whitaker sought to secure a similar review of a clause in chapter iii., but unsuccessfully.

Thus the framing of the first draft of the latter portion of the Confession and the perfecting of that portion of it already drawn up went on side by side. The House of Commons was meanwhile still pressing for its completion and in response to an order received September 18,⁵² chapters xv.-xix. were completed and passed upon September 25, and the first nineteen chapters sent up to Parliament. Chapters xx. and xxi. were passed October 30; chapter xxii. November 6; chapter xxiii. November 9; xxvii. and xxviii. November 10; xxix. November 16; xxv. November 17; xxvi. November 20; xxx. xxxi. xxxii. and xxxiii. November 26. On November 26, 1646, the following note was spread on the Minutes: “The Confession of Faith was finished this day, and by order of the Assembly the Prolocutor gave thanks, in the name of the Assembly, to the Committee that had taken so good [or “great”] pains in the perfecting of the Confession of Faith.”

Even this exhibition of the work done in bringing the Confession to its present form is not, however, a complete account of the pains expended on it. On September 18, 1646, there seems to have been made an unsuccessful effort to establish yet another Committee for the reviewing of the whole Confession, after this second passage of it through the Assembly. We read: “Upon a motion to appoint a Committee to consider of the Confession of Faith, what errors are not obviated in it, and to that end that there be a review of the Articles of England and Ireland, it was Resolved upon the Q., There shall be no Committee to consider of the reviewing of the Articles what errors are not obviated in them.” The meaning of this is perhaps elucidated by the form in which it stands in the other draft of the Minutes, lapping here with the printed copy and called Fascicle iii. by the editors: “A new Committee to consider of all the errors unobviated in several Confessions of England, Ireland and Scotland, to give in the catalogue of these errors to the Committee for the wording. R. - No Committee to consider of the reviewing Articles what errors are not obviated in them.” That is to say, apparently, what was proposed was a Committee to see that all that was erroneous in earlier Confessions had been fitly dealt with in the new Confession: the anxiety seems to have been that no erroneous expressions, however slight and intrenched in the earlier Confessions, should escape correction in this new one.

Though this effort failed, there was, however, a new reviewing made of the text of the Confession that bore fruit for its perfecting. This was accomplished in the process of its transcription. Over this transcription Dr. Burgess had the oversight. He made report September 21, 1646, “of the Confession of Faith transcribed, so much of it as the Assembly had perfected. It was read, and upon debate it was Resolved upon the Q., ‘The several heads of the Confession of Faith shall be called by the name of Chapters.’ Resolved upon the Q., That the several sections be distinguished by figures only.” Thus was inaugurated what was really a second revision of the Confession - a passage of it through the Assembly for the third time. By September 25, as we have seen, nineteen chapters had passed through this third scrutiny, and were ordered sent up to the Parliament. Subsequently to that we find repeated instances in which Dr. Burgess moves certain alterations or additions to the already completed chapters - which do or do not commend themselves to the Assembly: e.g. on November 20 he moves certain additions to chapter xxi., which had been passed on October 30; on November 23, to chapter xxii., which had been passed on November 6; and an addition was made to chapter xxi. on that same day, doubtless on his motion. This process of improvement continues even after the entry made on November 26, celebrating the completion of the Confession, i.e. during the whole process of its official transcription. Thus on November 27 we read: “Dr. Burges moved for some alterations in the Confession of Faith in some words, which were assented to.” And again on December 1, “Upon a motion for an alteration in the chapter of Censures in the Confession of Faith, it was Resolved upon the Q., There shall be no alteration.” Indeed, the onerousness of Dr. Burgess’ work of overseeing the transcription was recognized at this session by the order: “That the brethren that drew up the Confession of Faith” - that is, as we should conjecture, either the Committee appointed May 12, 1645, to frame the first draft (Messrs. Gataker, Harris, Temple, Burgess, Reynolds, Hoyle, Herle) or else the perfecting Committee (Messrs. Tuckney, Reynolds, Newcomen, Whitaker, Arrowsmith and Cawdry) appointed December 8, 1645, and augmented June 17, 1646, and September 1, 1646 - “do assist Dr. Burges in reading over the Confession of Faith with one of the scribes.” On December 3 a number of changes in chapters xix. xxi. xxii. xxix. xxxi. were proposed by Dr. Burgess, and either accepted or rejected, and the Committee was required further to “consider of that which is propounded concerning the chapter of the Civil Magistrate.” Other changes were debated on December 4, and Dr. Burgess’ final report was made, whereupon it was “Ordered - That thanks be returned to the Assessor, Dr. Burges, for his great pains in transcribing the Confession of Faith, which was done by the Prolocutor. Resolved upon the Q., This” [i.e. the transcribed and finally adjusted copy of the Confession of Faith] “shall be presented to both Houses of Parliament by the whole Assembly. The Confession of Faith as it was presented is as followeth… .” Here we reach the really final act in the Assembly’s preparation of the text of the Confession. Nothing remained now but the printing of it, and on receiving from Parliament an order to that effect, it was (December 10) “Ordered - That the Scribes take care of the exact printing of the Confession of Faith.”

The work of preparing proof-texts for the Confession was undertaken somewhat reluctantly by the Assembly, as a consequence of an order from the House of Commons of October 9, 1646, and reported in the Assembly on October 12. It was felt that the demand for proof-texts was only an expedient of “the retarding partie” in Parliament (as Baillie calls it) to delay the completion of the business: and it was feared that the attempt to add the texts would (as Baillie expressed it) “prove a very long business, if not dexterouslie managed,” though, no doubt, it would be ” for the advantage and strength of the work.”⁵³ A Committee was, however, at once appointed to advise the Assembly “how obedience may be yielded” to this order, and their report, adopted October 13, set forth that to append full proofs to so large a Confession would require a volume, and could scarcely be necessary, inasmuch as what was set forth in the Confession was for its substance “received truths among all churches,” and the only question about it concerned “the manner of expression or the fitness to have it put into the Confession.” What the Assembly explicitly asked, however, was only time, not absolute reprieve for the task.⁵⁴ Parliament was inexorable, and the work was fairly begun on January 6, 1647 (Wednesday). We read: “Ordered - That Mr. Wilson, Mr. Byfield, Mr. Gower, be a Committee to prepare Scriptures for the Confession of Faith.” On the very next day the Scriptures for the first chapter were reported, and those for the first paragraph were debated. The work was continued steadily thereafter. The proof-texts of the first chapter were completed on January 15: and meanwhile those for the other chapters were being reported - those for chapter ii. having been brought in on January 8, and for chapter iii. on January 13. On Friday, March 5, 1647, the texts for the final chapters were reported, and the Assembly “Ordered - That thanks be returned to the Committee for the Scriptures, for their great pains and diligence in that business; which was accordingly done by the Prolocutor. Ordered - That Mr. Burges, Dr. Smith, Mr. Calamy, Mr. Palmer, Mr. Seaman, Mr. Strickland, Mr. Spurstow, Mr. Case, Mr. Scudder, and Dr. Hoyle, or any three of them, shall be a Committee to join with the Committee for the Scriptures, to review the Scriptures. They are to meet on Thursday next in the afternoon. The care of this Committee is referred to Mr. Scudder.” These resolutions mark the completion of the proof-texts, however, only in the Committee. At this time the Assembly’s consideration of them had reached no further than the twentieth chapter. It was not until April 5, 1647, that the work was completed by the Assembly. On that date the note is entered in the Minutes: ” The Confession was finished.”

It was not even then “finished,” however, except in first draft; and it was ordered that the report of the reviewing Committee should now go through the three large Committees, and so come to the Assembly - the work to be begun on the next day. There was an effort made at the same time to have some explanatory declaration added with reference to the proper use of the proof-texts, but this was unsuccessful. The action in full was as follows: “Upon a motion by Mr. Seaman that something be annexed by way of caution to show how the proofs are to be applied, it was Resolved upon the Q., There shall be no further debate about cautions to be added about the proofs of Scripture. Resolved upon the Q., That the Review of the Confession of Faith be considered of by the three Committees of the Assembly. Ordered - That the Committees appointed for the Review of the Confession make report to-morrow morning what they have done about it.” It would seem that it was impracticable for the three Committees to report the next day, however, and the expedient appears to have been adopted - in this approximating to the manner in which the text of the Confession itself was first taken up - of having the Committee of Review report the first portion of the texts directly to the Assembly, while the remainder should come to it only through the large Committees. This is at least what appears to be implied by the entry for April 6: “Mr. Scudder made report of the Review of the proofs of the Confession of Faith for the seven first chapters and part of the 8th; and upon debate of it, it was assented to as the proofs are entered in the margin of the Confession of Faith. Ordered - That the rest of the 8th chapter, and chapters 9th to the 17th be referred to the First Committee to review; and from chapter 8th to the 25th to the Second Committee, and from chapter 26th to the end of the Confession to the Third Committee.” On the succeeding days, April 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, the reports of these Committees for the several sections were brought in and the proof-texts passed by the Assembly. On the 15th April it was “Ordered - That Mr. Wilson, Mr. Gower, and Mr. Wallis do draw up, in the margin of two books of the Confession of Faith, the Scriptures, to be presented to the Parliament.” An order having been received from Parliament to send up the texts (April 22), this was done on April 26, 1647, and they were presented to both Houses on April 29.⁵⁵

Thus the Confession of Faith passed in its completed form out of the hands of the Assembly, and the history of the attempt to create a common Confession of Faith for Great Britain properly closes. All the world knows the subsequent fortunes of the product of such long-continued labors. The text of the first nineteen chapters, it will be remembered, was sent up preliminarily to the two Houses of Parliament: they were presented to the House of Commons September 25, 1646, and to the House of Lords, October 1. On December 4 the completed text went to the Commons, and on the 7th of that month to the Lords. Already by November 4, 1646, the first nineteen chapters had passed the House of Lords in the exact form in which they had been sent up by the Assembly: the remainder was passed by them February 16, 1647. In the Commons, however, the matter dragged. The first nineteen chapters were passed perfunctorily on October 6, 1646, and taken up for debate in the Grand Committee on October 9: and then things stopped. Despite prodding from the Lords, the Commons awaited the reception of the proof-texts before they would do anything. On the 29th April, 1647, “the Scriptures” were handed to them, but the commencement of the debate was still postponed until May 19, and their review of the whole was not completed until March 17, 1648. On the 22d of that month a conference was held with the Lords concerning the changes introduced by the Commons, all of which the Lords assented to except that on ” Marriage,” and this being made known on June 3 to the Commons, the amended Confession was ordered printed on June 20, 1648. This edition omits the whole of chapters xxx. and xxxi., and also the fourth paragraph of chapter xx. and part of the fourth and the whole of the fifth and sixth paragraphs of chapter xxiv., together with the last clause of the fourth paragraph of chapter xxiii., besides making some unimportant alterations in that paragraph. “Further than this,” remarks Mr. Shaw, “the Long Parliament never got in its review of the celebrated Confession.”⁵⁶ It was indeed taken up again by “the Rump” in 1650, and on March 2 agreed to as reported from the Assembly “in all the chapters except the 30th and 31st,” and by an Act passed March 5 declared to be “the public Confession of Faith of the Church of England.” But, as Mr. Shaw remarks, “needless to say that the enactment was perfectly futile and unregarded.”

Meanwhile, the Confession as presented to Parliament and printed without proofs in January, 1647, was carried at once to Scotland by Baillie, and presented to the Commission of the General Assembly; and doubtless the edition of the same with proofs, printed in the spring, reached Scotland before the meeting of the Assembly. At all events, it was in this form that, having been carefully considered in the Assembly of that year, it was passed by an approving Act, nemine contradicente, at its twenty-third session. This Act was ratified by the Scottish Parliament, February 7, 1649: and after the evil days of 1661, again in 1690. Thus it comes about that the Confession of Faith of the Church of Scotland is in all respects the Confession as framed by the Assembly of Divines, and that the real history of the creation of the Confession closes with its labors, and may neglect all that was done in Parliament.

For the better apprehension of the progress of the various chapters of the Confession through the hands of the Assembly of Divines we append a tabular statement of the work done upon each:⁵⁷

Chapter I. - “The sub-Committee for the Confession of Faith” was instructed on Friday, July 4, 1645, to “make report to the Assembly on Monday morning of what is in their hands concerning … the Scriptures.” Accordingly on Monday, July 7, “Dr. Temple made report of that part of the Confession of Faith touching the Scriptures. It was read, debated.” It was debated on July 7, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. It was debated in review June 17, 18, 1646. The Scriptural proofs were reported January 7,⁵⁸ 1647, and debated January 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15: and reviewed April 6, 1647. It was debated in the House of Commons on the 19th and 28th May, 1647 (“Journals of the House of Commons,” v. pp. 177, 189) ; and the respited § 8 again debated and accepted, 17th March, 1648 (ibid., v. p. 502).

Chapter II. - “The sub-Committee for the Confession of Faith” was instructed on Friday, July 4, 1645, to “make report to the Assembly on Monday morning of what is in their hands concerning God… .” Meanwhile on July 16, it was “Ordered - The first Committee to prepare the Confession of Faith upon these heads: God and the Holy Trinity… .” Nevertheless on July 18, the “report concerning God” was made by Dr. Temple, the chairman of “the sub-Committee.” This was debated July 18 and 23, and on the latter date it is noted that a report was “made from the Committee,” i.e. obviously the First Great Committee, “of the article of the Trinity.” Clearly “the propositions concerning God” were reported in accordance with the order of July 4 from the “sub-Committee for the Confession of Faith,” and the “article of the Trinity,” in accordance with the disposition of the heads made on July 16, by the First Committee.⁵⁹ The whole “Article concerning ‘God and the Holy Trinity”’ was reviewed June 18, 1646. The Scriptural proofs were reported on January 8, 1647, and debated and ordered on the 18th: and reviewed April 6. It was debated in the House of Commons, May 28, 1647 (“Journals, etc.,” v. p. 189).

Chapter III. - On July 16, 1645, it was “Ordered - The first Committee to prepare the Confession of Faith upon … God’s decrees, Predestination, Election, etc.” On August 29 - “Report from the first Committee concerning God’s decrees” - and debate at once began. Debates were held on August 29, September 2, 3, [8], 9, 11, October 3, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, [30?], 31, November 3, 6, 7, 11. It was debated in review June 18, 19, 1646, and an additional debate was held on September 23, 1646. The Scriptural proofs were reported January 13, 1647, and debated and ordered January 19, 20, 21: they were reviewed April 6. The chapter was debated in the House of Commons, May 28, 1647 (“Journals,” v. p. 189).

Chapter IV. - On July 16, 1645, it was “Ordered - The first Committee to prepare the Confession of Faith upon … the works of Creation and Providence.” On November 17, there was made a “report from the first Committee concerning Creation.” It was debated on November 18, 19, 20, on the latter date the note running: “The Assembly proceeded in the debate of the report of Creation, and finished.” It was reviewed June 19, 1646. The Scriptural proofs were reported on January 15, 1647, and debated and ordered on January 21 and 28; they were reviewed April 6. The chapter was debated in the House of Commons, October 2, 1647 (“Journals,” v. p. 323).

Chapter V. - On July 16, 1645, it was “Ordered - The first Committee to prepare the Confession of Faith upon … the works of Creation and Providence.” On November 27, there was “report made from the First Committee about Providence.” It was debated November 28, December 2 and 4: and reviewed and ordered June 19, 1646. The Scriptural proofs were debated on January 28, 29, and February 1; and they were reviewed April 6, 1647. The chapter was debated in the House of Commons, October 2, 1647 (“Journals,” v. p. 323).

Chapter VI. - On July 16, 1645, it was “Ordered - The first Committee to prepare the Confession of Faith upon … Man’s Fall”: and again, ” The second Committee: Sin, and the punishment thereof.” How the two topics were got together we are not informed. On November 17, 1645, there was made a “report concerning Fall of Man, Sin, and the Punishment thereof.” This was debated November 20, 21. The review was introduced June 19, 1646, and debated and ordered June 22 and 25: and additions were made June 29. The Scriptural proofs were debated and ordered February 2, 1647: and reviewed April 6.

Chapter VII. - On July 16, 1645, it was “Ordered - The second Committee [to prepare the Confession of Faith upon] … the Covenant of Grace.” It was reported before October 9, at which date “the Assembly proceeded in the debate of the report concerning the Covenant[s].”⁶⁰ It was debated further October 10, 17, November 6, 14, 17, December 23, 1645; and reviewed and ordered June 25, 1646. The Scriptural proofs were reported January 21, 1647, and debated and ordered February 3 and 5.

Chapter VIII. - On July 16, 1645, it was “Ordered - The second Committee [to prepare the Confession of Faith upon] … Christ our Mediator.” On August 29 following, there was “report made by the second Committee of Christ the Mediator.” It was debated September 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, and November 14, 1645: and reviewed June 25, 1646. The Scriptural proofs were debated and ordered February 8, 1647, and reviewed April 6 and 7, 1647.

Chapter IX. - On July 16, 1645, it was “Ordered - The second Committee [to prepare the Confession of Faith upon] … Free-will.” On December 15 next, “Dr. Gouge made report about Free-will,”⁶¹ and on the 17th this report was debated. It was reviewed and ordered June 29, 30, 1646. The Scriptural proofs were reported February 2, 1647, and debated and ordered on February 9: they were reviewed April 8.

Chapter X. - On July 16, 1645, it was “Ordered - The third Committee [to prepare the Confession of Faith upon] Effectual Vocation.” On September 9 following, “Mr. Prophet made report of Effectual Calling.” It was debated September 17, 25, 29 (30), November 6, 13: and reviewed and ordered June 30, 1646. The Scriptural proofs were reported February 3, 1647, and debated and ordered February 9: they were reviewed April 8.

Chapter XI. - On July 16, 1645, it was “Ordered - The third Committee [to prepare the Confession of Faith upon] … Justification.” On December 2 next, there was made “report from Mr. Cheynell of Justification.” It was debated December 3, (5), 8, 9, 10, (11), 16; and reviewed and ordered July 23, 1646. The Scriptural proofs were reported February 4, 1647, and debated and ordered February 10, 11: they were reviewed April 8.

Chapter XII. - On July 16, 1645, it was “Ordered - The third Committee [to prepare the Confession of Faith upon] … Adoption.” On November 20 next, “Mr. Prophet brought in a report from the Third Committee about Adoption.” It was reviewed and ordered July 23, 1646. The Scriptural proofs were reported February 5, 1647: debated and ordered February 11; and reviewed April 8.

Chapter XIII. - On July 16, 1645, it was “Ordered - The third Committee [to prepare the Confession of Faith upon] … Sanctification.” On November 20 following, “Mr. Prophet brought in a report from the Third Committee … about Sanctification.” It was debated November 24: and reviewed and ordered September 16 and 23, 1646. The Scriptural proofs were reported February 5, 1647, and debated February 12: they were reviewed April 8.

Chapter XIV. - On the 19th August, 1646, it was “Resolved upon the Q., These heads of Faith, Repentance, and Good Works shall be referred to the three Committees in their order to prepare something upon them for the Confession of Faith.”⁶² From August 21 to August 31 inclusive the Assembly sat only as a Grand Committee, lacking a quorum for a formal meeting: during this time the report on Saving Faith was reviewed.⁶³ This report was formally called up in the Assembly, September 4. It was debated September 9, and reviewed and ordered September 16. The Scriptural proofs were reported February 12, 1647: they were reviewed April 8.

Chapter XV. - This chapter also was ordered to be prepared (by the Second Committee) August 19, 1646 (see under chapter xiv. ad init.). On September 9, “Dr. Stanton made Report of the Article concerning Repentance.” It was debated September 10, 17, 18, at the last of which sessions it was ordered: on September 25, it was finally passed. The Scriptural proofs were debated February 12, 1647: and reviewed April 8.

Chapter XVI. - This chapter also was ordered to be prepared (by the Third Committee) August 19, 1646 (see under chapter xiv. ad init.). On September 3, 1646, “Report was made by Dr. Temple ‘of Good Works.”’ It was debated September 9, 18, 21, and ordered: the matter was reoperied September 22, 23; and the perfected chapter passed September 25. The Scriptural proofs were debated and ordered February 15, 1647: and reviewed April 8.

Chapter XVII. - On November 18, 1645, there was referred “to the First Committee, Perseverance… .” On December 19 following, there was made “Report from the First Committee of Perseverance.” It was debated December 29, 1645; and reviewed September 14, 1646, and finally passed September 25. The Scriptural proofs were debated and ordered February 17, 1647, and reviewed April 8.

Chapter XVIII. - On February 23, 1646, it was “Ordered … To the Second Committee, - Certainty of Salvation… .” It was reported from the Second Committee July 24, 1646, and “Ordered - This to be the title - ‘Of the Certainty of Salvation.’” It was debated July 24 and 30, and September 14, 15, and assented to under the title, “Of Assurance of Grace and Salvation”; and finally passed September 25. The Scriptural proofs were debated on February 17 and 18, and reviewed April 7, 1647.

Chapter XIX. - On November 18, 1645, there was referred “to the Third Committee, the Law… .” On January 1, 1646, “Dr. Wincop made report from the Third Committee about the Law of God.” It was debated on January 7, 9, 12, 13, 29, February 2 and 9, 1646; also in the Grand Committee during the interval in the Assembly’s meetings August 21-31, and in the Assembly September 1, 2, 3, 4, 15, 17, and finally passed September 25, 1646. A slight alteration was further made on December 3. The Scriptural proofs were debated and ordered on February 19 and 22, 1647.

Chapter XX. - On November 18, 1645, there was referred “to the First Committee, … Christian Liberty… .” It was debated January 29, 1646, February 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, (23), March (4), 10,⁶⁴ 26,⁶⁵ 27,⁶⁶ 30, 31,⁶⁷ and again September 23, 24, 25, October 1, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 30. The Scriptural proofs were debated and ordered February 25, 26, 1647, March 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12. This chapter was debated in the House of Commons on the 4th February, 1648, and § 4 respited until chapter xxx. was under consideration (“Journals,” v. p. 455).

Chapter XXI. - On November 18, 1645, there was referred “to the Third Committee, … Religion, Worship… .” And on February 23, 1646, it was “Ordered - To the First Committee, in chief heads, - Christian Sabbath… .” On March 5, 1646, “Mr. Prophet made report of Religion and Worship,” and on March 9, there was made “Report of the Sabbath.” “Religion and Worship” was debated March 9,⁶⁸ 10 (when the title was changed to “of Religious Worship”),⁶⁹ 20,⁷⁰ 26,⁷¹ when the subject is recorded as finished. The topic “Of the Sabbath” was debated April 6 (when the title was set as “Of the Sabbath day”). On October 12 the two heads reappeared together: “Mr. Tuckney made report ‘of Religious Worship and Sabbath-day’”; but it does not appear further that they constituted a single chapter. On October 30, “the Assembly debated the Chapter ‘of Religious Worship’; and upon debate it was assented to …”; and there were further debates on November 20 and 23, and a slight correction was ordered on December 3. Report of Scriptural proofs for the 21st chapter was made February 18, 1647. The process by which the two chapters were reduced to one is obscure. It was debated in the House of Commons on February 4, 1648 (“Journals,” v. p. 455).

Chapter XXII. - On January 8, 1646, there was made a “Report of a Lawful Oath by Mr. Prophet.” Mr. Prophet was chairman of the Third Committee, but no such “head” had been recorded among the “heads” distributed to this Committee: perhaps it had emerged into a separate topic in the discussions of the head of “worship” assigned to the Third Committee on November 18, 1645.⁷² It was debated January 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 1646: and in review, October 12 (“of Lawful Oaths and Vows”), November 3, 6: while on November 23 and December 3 additional adjustments were made. The Scriptural proofs were reported February 18 and reviewed April 12, 1647. It was debated in the House of Commons, 4th February, 1648 (“Journals,” v. p. 455).

Chapter XXIII. - On February 23, 1646, it was “Ordered - To the First Committee, in chief heads … the Civil Magistrate.” It was reported to the Assembly, March 26, 1646, and debated April (23), 24, 27, [and possibly again October (12), 13, 14, 15, 20, although these debates probably belong to chapter xx.]. It was passed November 9, while further adjustments were made on December 3, 4. The Scriptural proofs were debated on March 3, and reviewed April 12, 1647. It was debated in the House of Commons, 4th February, 1648 (“Journals,” v. p. 456).

Chapter XXIV. - On February 23, 1646, it was “Ordered - To the First Committee, in chief heads, - … Marriage and Divorce.” On June 17 next, “Report was made ‘of Marriage’” and the report was taken up July 23, and debated August 3 and 4 - apparently under the simple title “Of Marriage.” Accordingly on August 10, “Dr. Gouge made Report ‘of Divorce,”’ which under the title “Of Divorce” was taken up and debated September 10, 11. The two were, however, reported on October 12 as constituting one “head,” and were so debated November 9, 10, 11, and so passed. The Scriptural proofs were reported on March 3, 1647. The chapter was debated in the House of Commons, February 4, 11, and March 3, 1648 (“Journals,” v. pp. 456, 461, 478).

Chapter XXV. - On November 18, 1645, there was referred “to the First Committee … the Church… .” When we next hear of it, it is already in process of debate, February 16, 1646: the debate continues February 23, 26, 27, March 2, (3, 4), 5 [6, 9,⁷³ 13,⁷⁴ 16, 17, 18, 19, (20), (26), April 3, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17],⁷⁵ 20, 21, 22.⁷⁶ It was taken up in review November 13, 1646, and ordered on the 17th. The Scriptural proofs were reported March 3, 1647. The chapter was debated in the House of Commons, March 10, 1648 (“Journals,” v. p. 489).

Chapter XXVI. - On November 18, 1645, there was referred “to the First Committee … the Communion of Saints.” On February 17, 1646, there was made a “Report of the Committee of the Communion of Sacraments” (sic): and debate was entered upon on it March 3, and continued March 4, 5. It was resumed for review November 13, 17, 19, 20. The Scriptural proofs were reported March 3, 1647, and reviewed April 7. It was debated in the House of Commons, March 10, 1648 (“Journals,” v. p. 490).

Chapter XXVII. - On November 18, 1645, there was referred “to the Second Committee … Sacraments… .” The report was called for December 2, 1645, and given in December 5. It was debated December 11, 12, 15, 16, 24, 25, and recalled for review November 10, 1646. The Scriptural proofs are not referred to in the Minutes. It was debated in the House of Commons, March 10, 1648 (“Journals,” v. p. 490).

Chapter XXVIII. - On November 18, 1645, there was referred “to the Second Committee … Baptism… .” On December 29 following, “Mr. Calamy made report of Baptism.” Debate was held on the chapter, January 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 16, (19), 21, 26, 1646; and again September 11; and on November 10 it was reviewed and ordered. No record of the adding of the Scriptural proofs. It was debated in the House of Commons, March 10, 1648 (“Journals,” v. p. 490).

Chapter XXIX. - On November 18, 1645, there was referred “to the Second Committee … the Lord’s Supper.” On December 1 following, there was made a “Report from the Second Committee of the Lord’s Supper”: debate was “proceeded in” December 26: again it was taken up November 11, 12, 13, 1646, and on November 16 ordered. On December 3 some slight adjustments of language were made. The Scriptural proofs were reported March 5, 1647. The chapter was debated in the House of Commons, March 10, 1648 (“Journals,” v. p. 491).

Chapter XXX. - On November 18, 1645, there was referred “to the Second Committee, Officers and Censures of the Church… .” On January 29, 1646, “Mr. Dury made report from the Second Committee of Church Officers and Censures.” It was debated April 23,⁷⁷ and recalled for review November 13, 23, 26, and at this last date ordered. An alteration was again proposed December 1. The Scriptural proofs were reported March 5, 1647, and voted April 2, 1647 (“Minutes,” p. 345, note 1).

Chapter XXXI. - On November 18, 1645, there was referred “to the Second Committee … Councils or Synods… .” It was reported to the Assembly, August 4, 1646, and debated August 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 19, 20: and again in review November 13 and 26, when it was ordered. On December 3 alterations were debated. The Scriptural proofs were reported March 5, 1647, debated and ordered April 2 (p. 345, note 1), and reviewed April 13.

Chapter XXXII. - On February 23, 1646, it was “Ordered - … To the Second Committee, … the State of the Soul after death. To the Third Committee, - The Resurrection… .” The former was reported July 24, 1646, and debated July 31. The latter was reported August 4, and debated September 4. On November 26, 1646, “the Assembly debated ‘of the State of Man after death’: and upon debate it was assented to… .” How or when the two were united does not appear. The Scriptural proofs for the chapter were reported March 5, 1647, and voted April 5 (p. 345, note 2.) It was debated in the House of Commons, March 10, 1648 (“Journals,” v. p. 491).

Chapter XXXIII. - On February 23, 1646, it was “Ordered - … To the Third Committee, … the Last Judgment, Life Eternal.” The topic was debated in the Grand Committee during the interval in the meetings of the Assembly, August 21-31, 1646, and was debated in the Assembly September 4, and again on review November 26, when it was ordered. The Scriptural proofs were reported March 5, 1647, and voted April 5 (p. 345, note 2). It was debated in the House of Commons, March 10, 1648 (“Journals,” v. p. 491).

N. B. - In the third distribution of the “heads,” made February 23, 1646, the topic “Lies and Equivocations” was assigned to the Second Committee. This topic does not emerge again by report to the Assembly, and there is no such chapter in the completed Confession. Possibly it was found that the material to be dealt with in it was sufficiently covered in chapter xxii., “Of Lawful Oaths and Vows” (see above, chapter xxii., note 73).⁷⁸

To this statement we append the chief references to the work of the Assembly on the Confession made in Baillie’s “Letters”:

Under date of August 18, 1644 (ii. 1841, p. 220), Baillie recounts the coming of Warriston and the efforts for expedition (see the text above, note 19, p. 82), and under date of August 28 (p. 224) he recounts the progress thus far made in the work of “the Covenanted Uniformitie.” Direct mention of the Confession begins in the Publick Letter of October, 1644: “The Confession of Faith is referred to a committee to be put in severall the best hands that are here” (p. 232). Under date of November 21 he writes: “What remains of the Directorie … will soon be dispatched. The Catechise is drawn up, and, I think, shall not take up much tyme. I feare the Confession of Faith may stick longer” (p. 242). Under date of December 26: “If the Directorie and Government were once out of our hands, as a few days will put them, then we will fall on our great question of Excommunication, the Catechise, and Confession. There is here matter to hold us long enough, if the wrangling humour which long predomined in many here did continue; but, thanks be to God, that is much abated, and all inclines toward a conclusion… . I think we must either passe the Confession to another season, or, if God will help us, the heads of it being distribute among many able hands, it may in a short time be so drawn up, as the debates of it may cost little time” (p. 248). Under date of April 25, 1645: “The Catechise and Confession of Faith are put in the hands of severall committees, and some reports are made to the Assemblie concerning both. We expect not so much debate upon these, as we have had in the Directorie and Government” (p. 266). Under date of May 4, 1645: “Our next work will be the Confession and Catechisme, upon both which we have allreadie made some entrance” (p. 272). In an undated letter printed immediately after the one just quoted from: “We are at a point with the Government; and beginning to take the Confession of Faith and Catechise to our consideration” (p. 275). Under date of July 8, 1645: “Mr. Henderson … and Mr. Rutherfoord are gone this day to Epsom waters: so long as anything is to doe here, he cannot be away. I hope the rest of us may ere long be well spared, if once we had through the Catechise and a part of the Confession” (p. 296). Under date of July 8: “Since my last, with our former post, July 1st, we have, thanks be to God, at last finished the whole body of Government… . Since, we have entered on the Confession of Faith; as yet I cannot pronounce of the length or shortness of our proceedings therein” (p. 300). In an undated public letter belonging doubtless to August, 1645: “In the Assemblie we have gone through a part of the Catechisme, and a part of the Confession of Faith; but … many [hindrances,] when least we expect them, comes in our way …” (p. 306). Under date of September 5: “In the Assemblie we are goeing on languidlie with the Confession of Faith and Catechisme” (p. 315). Under date of November 25: “In the Assemblie, we are goeing on with the Confession of Faith. We had long and tough debates about the Decrees of election; yet thanks to God all is gone right according to our mind” (p. 325). “We go on daily in some proposition of the Confession of Faith: till this be ended we will not take in any more of the Catechise” (p. 326). In an undated letter belonging to January 15, 1646: “We are going on in the Assemblie with the Confession, and could, if need were, shortly end it” (p. 336). In an undated letter ascribed by Dr. Laing to about January 20, 1646, he says: “We goe on in the Assemblie with prettie speed now in our Confession of Faith. We have past the heads of Scripture, God, Trinity, Decrees, Providence, Redemption, Covenant, Justification, Sanctification, Free-will, Sacraments in generall, a part of Perseverance, and of the Lord’s Supper” (p. 344). Under date of January 31, 1646: “We proceed but slowlie in the Confession of Faith” (p. 348). In February, 1646: “However we wait daylie on the Assemblie, yet our progresse in the Confession of Faith is but slow … yet we hope, by God’s grace, ere long to end the Confession” (p. 349). Cf. March 17, 1646 (p. 360). Under date of June 26, 1646: “The Parliament’s questions have retarded us much: without them we had ended the Confession of Faith” (p. 377). Under date of July 14, 1646: “I have put some of my good friends, leading men in the House of Commons, to move the Assemblie to lay aside our questions” [“some very captious questions of the Parliament, about the clear scripturall warrant for all the punctilioes of the Government,” sent in, as Baillie thinks, just “to keep all things from any conclusion” (p. 378)] “for a time, and labour that which is most necessar, and all are crying for, the perfecting of the Confession of Faith and Catechise. If this motion take, I hope we shall end shortly our Confession, for there is but a few articles now to goe through: it will be a very gracious and satisfactorie Confession when yow see it” (p. 379). Under date of August 13, 1646: “In the Assemblie we were like to have stucken many moneths on the questions; and the Independents were in a way to gett all their differences debated over againe. I dealt so with Mr. Rous and Mr. Tate, that they brought us ane order from the House to lay aside the questions till the Confession and Catechise were ended. Many took it for a trick of the Independents and Erastians for our hurt; but I knew it wes nothing less. We are now near an end of our Confession: we stick in the article of Synods, upon the proposition of their coercive power, or their power to excommunicat. If this were over, we apprehend no more long debates on the Confession” (p. 388). Under the date of August 18, 1646: “In the Assemblie we are returned to the Confession of Faith, and are drawing towards the end of it” (p. 390). Under date of September 22, 1646: “We have ended the Confession of Faith for the matter, and have perfyted the most half of it, nyneteen chapters; the other seventeen, I hope, in ten or twelve days will be perfyted, and so all be sent up to the Houses. It will be, I hope, a very sweet and orthodoxe peice, much better than any Confession yet extant, if the House of Commons mangle it not to us” (p. 397). Under date of October 2, 1646: “The Assemblie obleidged themselves by promise to sitt before and after noon for some tyme; but now, thinking they have satisfied the Houses, by sending up the half of the Confession, the first nineteen heads, they are relapsed into their former negligence. So we will be able few days in a week to make ane Assemblie; for if there be ane fewer than forty, it is no meeting; and though the rest of the heads be also past, yet, in the review, the alteration of words, and the methodizeing, takes up so much time, that we know not when we shall end. Besides that we have some additionalls, especially one proposition, about libertie of conscience, wherein the Independents offer to keep us long and tough debates; for long agoe they have laid downe in this their maske, and pleads for a libertie weell near universall” (pp. 400, 401). Under date of October 13, 1646: “Our Assemblie for one twenty dayes posted hard; bot since hes gotten into its old pace. The first halfe, and more, of the Confession we sent up to the House; the end of these who called for it, wes the shuffling out the Ordinance against Errors; yet our friends hes carried to goe on with that; but others hes carried the putting of Scriptures to the margin of the Confession, which may prove a very long business, if not dexterouslie managed. It will yet be a fortnight before the other halfe of it be ready; for sundry necessar but scabrous propositions were added in the review” (p. 403). Under date of October 27, 1646: ” … before the Assemblie end the Confession; for that long I purpose to stay, though my permission to goe were come” (p. 406). Under date of December 1, 1646: “With much adoe we have gone through, at last, the rest of our Confession: the first part I sent, to yow three only, in Mr. David’s letter, long agoe; the whole will goe up to the House one of these dayes, and so to the presse. It’s generally taken here for a very gracious and brave peece of worke” (p. 411). About Christmas, 1646: “Our Assemblie, with much adoe, at last have wrestled through the whole Confession, and all is now printed. The House of Commons requires to put Scripture to it before they take it to consideration; and what time that will take up, who knows?” (p. 415). Under date of January 26, 1647: “The third point [of Uniformity], the Confession of Faith, I brought it with me [to Scotland], now in print, as it wes offered to the Houses by the Assemblie, without considerable dissent of any. It’s much cryed up by all, even many of our greatest opposites, as the best Confession yet extant; it’s expected the Houses shall pass it, as they did the Directorie, without much debate. Howbeit the retarding partie hes put the Assemblie to add Scriptures to it, which they omitted only to eschew the offence of the House, whose practice hitherto hes been, to enact nothing of religion on divine right or scripturall grounds, but upon their owne authoritie alone. This innovation of our opposites may weell cost the Assemblie some time, who cannot doe the most easie things with any expedition; but it will be for the advantage and strength of the work” (iii. p. 2). Cf. June 2, 1647 (pp. 5, 6). Speech in the General Assembly at Edinburgh, August 6, 1647: “Right Honourable and Reverend, yow remember, that all your ecclesiastick desyres from your brethren of England, that all the commissions and instructions laid upon us your servants, were only for the obtaining of Uniformitie in four particulars, - in the Worship of God, in the Government of the Church, in a Confession of Faith, and Catechisme… . In your third desyre, the Lord made our successe no less prosperous; a large Confession of Faith is perfyted with farr greater unanimitie than any living could have hoped for, among so many learned divines, in so distempered a place and distracted a season. I am confident, if the judgment of many my wiser do not deceave, this piece of work is so fine and excellent, that whenever yow shall be pleased to look upon it, the sight of it shall draw from the most censorius eye, a good acceptation” (p. 11; cf. p. 12). Under date of September 1, 1647, giving account of the Scotch General Assembly: “We agreed … after much debate in the Committee, to the Confession of Faith” (p. 20).

A word in conclusion as to the title of the volume thus prepared is perhaps not out of place. The Assembly of Divines quite constantly speak of it in their Minutes, from the beginning, as “a Confession of Faith,” or, after it was begun, “the Confession of Faith.” The term was doubtless derived from the Solemn League and Covenant, which enumerates, among the items in which uniformity should be sought between the two nations, “Confession of Faith.” Meanwhile, however, the work of its preparation was prosecuted without formally setting upon a title for the completed book. On the 3d of September, 1646, as it was approaching completion, it was “Ordered - The Committee for the perfecting of the Confession of Faith do prepare a title for it”; and on September 24 this duty was apparently laid specifically on Dr. Burgess. On September 25 the report upon the title came in, “and it was Ordered - This to be the title: ‘To the Hon^ble the House of Commons assembled in Parliament, The humble Advice of the Assembly of Divines, now by authority of Parliament sitting at Westminster, concerning part of a Confession of Faith.”’ To the completed Confession also a like title was assigned: and it was under this title that the Confession was printed in the first instance. The title thus suggested, however, did not meet with the approval of the House of Commons. It seemed to it, as Rushworth tells us,⁷⁹ that nothing was practically a Confession which did not take the form of “I confess” at the beginning of each section, and, moreover, that it were well to keep up the usage established by the Thirty-nine Articles; and so they altered the title to “Articles of Faith agreed upon by both Houses of Parliament,” or rather to “Articles of Christian religion approved and passed by both Houses of Parliament after advice had with the Assembly of Divines” - under which latter title they published the Confession with the slight alterations they had made in it, in the summer of 1648.⁸⁰ The adoption of the earlier title by the Church of Scotland in its previous action, together with the failure of the whole movement in England, has secured that the work has lived under the simple title of “The Confession of Faith”: and it is as such that it is known among all the Churches which still adhere to it.

Footnotes

1. The fundamental authority for the study of the work of the Assembly for the period covered by it is, of course, the volume of its “Minutes” edited by Drs. A. F. Mitchell and John Struthers, and published by William Blackwood and Sons in 1874. Along with this Dr. Mitchell’s Baird Lectures for 1882 on “The Westminster Assembly: Its History and Standards” (ed. 2, Philadelphia, 1897), should be consulted. Next to the “Minutes” the fullest source of information is Robert Baillie’s “Letters and Journals,” edited by Mr. David Laing, Edinburgh, 1841-1842. A very painstaking study of the whole constructive work of the Assembly has recently been published by Dr. Wm. A. Shaw in his “History of the English Church during the Civil Wars and under the Commonwealth, 1640-1660,” 2 vols., London, New York, and Bombay: Longmans, Green & Co., 1900-a book simply packed with facts. The present article was unfortunately written before Dr. Shaw’s book came into our hands. But we have carefully compared it with the account he has given (in pages 357-367 of his first volume) and examined the data afresh in the light of his narrative-not without profit to ourselves, or, occasionally, correction of details in Dr. Shaw’s narrative. Where our account differs from Dr. Shaw’s, therefore, it is to be understood that the difference is not unintentional. ↩

2. See the full and very interesting account of this work given by Dr. Mitchell, “The Westminster Assembly,” ed. 2, pp. 150 sqq. Cf. Dr. Briggs’s article in the Presbyterian Review for January, 1880. ↩

3. He notes the emergence of the matter only on July 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, 18, 27, 28, August 1, 18, and October 12. ↩

4. “The Westminster Assembly,” pp. 150 sq. Cf. Shaw, i. pp. 147 sq. ↩

5. Thus: Art. i. Old and Revised Artt. and Conf. of Faith: “of one substance” (Irish: “of one and the same substance”). Art. ii. Old and Revised Artt. and Conf. of Faith: “very and eternal God” (Irish: “true and eternal God”). Especially the following: Art. ii. Revised Artt. and Conf. of Faith: “and the manhood” (Old Artt. and Irish omit “the”); Art. x. Revised Artt. and Conf. of Faith: “or [to] prepare” (Old Artt. and Irish: “and prepare”). ↩

6. The text of the Westminster revision of the first fifteen Articles of the Church of England may be found in Hall’s “Harmony of Protestant Confessions,” 1844, Appendix i. pp. 505-512; Neal’s “History of the Puritans,” ii. 1849, Appendix vii. pp. 454-457; Stoughton’s “Ecclesiastical History of England,” ii. (“The Church of the Commonwealth”), 1867, Appendix iii. pp. 528-535; but correctly as to the 8th Article only in E. Tyrrell Green’s “The Thirty-nine Articles and the Age of the Reformation,” London, 1896, Appendix iv. pp. 343-348. Mr. Green marks all the changes made in the test. For the Preface and revised Article viii., see especially Mitchell and Struthers, “Minutes,” pp. 541-542. Cf. Schaff, “Creeds of Christendom,” i. 1877, pp. 653 sq. ↩

7. A good account is given by Shaw, “History of the English Church,” i. 1900, pp. 259-261. Cf. “Journals of Commons,” iv. pp. 89 sq., etc., and Minutes of Assembly for March 1, 5, 21, 24, 28, April 2 (4?), 21 (August 14), 1645. ↩

8. For some indication of the nature of these topics see below, p. 85. ↩

9. Chapter xxiii. § 3. ↩

10. See especially Mitchell, “The Westminster Assembly,” pp. 420 sqq., but compare Shaw, i. p. 369, note. References may be found in the Minutes on December 2, 1644, February 7, 1645, May 12, 13, August 1, 4, 5, 19, 20, and September 11. Then especially September 14 (1646), 15, 17, 22, 23, 24, November 27, 30, December 1, 2, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 28, 31, and January 4 and 14, 1647, on which last day the order was given to intermit the preparation of the Catechism on which the Assembly had hitherto been working and to cast the material into two Catechisms. The text of this “first Catechism,” so far as it is recorded in the Minutes, has been put together by Mr. Wm. Carruthers, in his admirable “The Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Assembly of Divines,” in facsimile, London, 1897, pp. 21-26. ↩

11. When the first propositions from the Catechism were reported the Assembly had just passed chapter xvii. of the Confession (though one or two immediately preceding chapters were not yet passed). ↩

12. “Letters,” ii. p. 379: July 14, 1646. ↩

13. It is with reference to this engagement that the following Minute, entered immediately after the completion of the (Larger) Catechism, October 15, 1647, must be read: “Upon a motion made by Mr. Rutherford, it was Ordered - That it be recorded in the Scribes’ books, ‘The Assembly hath enjoyed the assistance of the Hon^ble Reverend and learned Commissioners from the Church of Scotland in the work of the Assembly’; during all the time of the debating and perfecting of the 4 things mentioned in the Covenant, viz., the Directory for Worship, the Confession of Faith, Form of Church Government, and Catechism, some of the Reverend and learned Divines Commissioners from the Church of Scotland have been present in and assisting to this Assembly.” There is no question here of a farewell to the Assembly: but of a record of covenanted work completed. Rutherford’s leavetaking was made on November 9 subsequent. The relation of the Scottish Commissioners to the Assembly and its work is not always fully understood: it is lucidly explained by Dr. Mitchell in his “The Westminster Assembly,” ed. 2, pp. 180-181, note. They were not members of the Assembly and cast no vote in it: they took part in its debates only as private persons on its invitation. They were representatives of the Church of Scotland coordinate as a body with the Assembly as a whole, which represented the Church of England, and conferring with it as a whole on the common formularies. ↩

14. See Shaw, i. p. 127, note, and cf. the “Ordinance” itself as printed in most Scotch editions of the Confession of Faith and in Dr. Mitchell’s “The Westminster Assembly,” pp. xiii. sqq. ↩

15. So it says in its Preface prefixed to the portion of the Thirty-nine Articles it had revised, when this was sent up to the Commons. See the Preface in “Minutes,” pp. 541-542. ↩

16. Preface to Thirty-nine Articles, as above. Cf. Mitchell, “The Westminster Assembly,” p. 185. ↩

17. Mitchell, “The Westminster Assembly,” p. 161. ↩

18. Lightfoot, “Works,” ed. Pitman, xiii. 1824, p. 303. Baillie’s (“Letters,” ii. pp. 220-221) account is as follows: “So soon as my Lord Warriston came up, we resolved on the occasion of his instructings, and the letters of our Generall Assemblie, both to ourselves and to this Assemblie, which he brought, to quicken them a little, who had great need of spurrs. My Lord Warriston very particularlie declared in the Assemblie the passionate desires both of our Parliament, Assemblie, armies, and whole people, of the performance of the Covenanted Uniformitie; and withall we called for a meeting of the grand Committee of Lords, Commons, Assemblie, and us; to whom we gave a paper penned, notablie well, by Mr. Henderson, bearing the great evills of so long a delay of settling religion, and our earnest desyres that some wayes might be found out for expedition. This paper my Lord Say took to deliver to the House of Lords, Mr. Solicitor also for the House of Commons, and a third copy was given to Mr. Marshall, to be presented to the Assemblie… Also we have the grand committee to meet on Monday, to find out wayes of expeditione; and we have gotten it to be the work of the Assemblie itselfe, to doe no other thing till they have found out wayes of accellerating; so by God’s help we expect a farr quicker progress than hitherto.” ↩

19. Lightfoot, as above, p. 305. ↩

20. Lightfoot, “Works,” xiii. p. 305. The Assembly’s own Minute runs: “A Committee to join with the Commissioners of the Church of Scotland to prepare matter for a joint Confession of Faith. R. neg. 12. R. aflirmat. 9 [to be a Committee]. Dr. Gouge. Mr. Burges. or any 5 of them.” Mr. Gataker. Mr. Vines. Mr. Arrowsmith. Mr. Goodwin. Dr. Temple. Dr. Hoyle. Mr. Burroughs. See ” Minutes,” pp. lxxxvi. sq. ↩

21. Lightfoot, p. 308. The Assembly’s own Minute for September 4 runs: Report from the Committee for the Confession of Faith. They desire an addition of those persons to the said Committee-Ordered-Mr. Palmer, Mr. Newcomen, Mr. Herle, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Tuckney, Dr. Smith, Mr. Young, Mr. Ley, Mr. Sedgwicke, be added to the Committee for the ConI- «ion of Faith” (p. lxxxvii.). ↩

22. “Letters,” ii. pp. 232, 248. ↩

23. On December 26, 1644, Baillie tells us why the work on the Confession was delayed: “If the Directorie and Government were once out of our hands, as a few days will put them, then we will fall on our great question of Excommunication, the Catechise, and Confession. There is here matter to hold us long enough, if the wrangling humour which long predomined in many here did continue… I think we must either passe the Confession to another season, or, if God will help us, the heads of it being distribute among many able hands, it may in a short time be so drawn up, as the debates of it may cost little time. All this chalking is on the supposition of God’s singular assistance, continuing such a disposition in the Assemblie and Parliament as hes appeared this moneth or two bypast” (ii. p. 248). ↩

24. It was not until July that any part of the text got before the Assembly. Baillie (ii. p. 275), writing apparently early in June (Shaw, i. p. 190), can still speak of the Assembly as only “beginning to take the Confession of Faith and Catechise to our consideration,” and on the 5th September (ii. p. 315) says, “We are goeing on languidlie with the Confession of Faith and Catechisme.” ↩

25. “Letters,” ii. p. 266. ↩

26. References to the Minutes are of course all to the volume published in 1874 by Drs. Mitchell and Struthers. References are equally easily verifiable whether made by pages, dates, or numbers of sessions - and therefore we shall not burden the footnotes with details. ↩

27. “Minutes,” p. 77. Cf. pp. 28 sq. ↩

28. This paper was brought into the Assembly on April 14: it is given by Dr. Mitchell from the “Journals of the House of Lords,” vii. pp. 317, 318, on pp. 80-81, note, of the “Minutes.” ↩

29. See a full account of the work of the Houses in this matter in Shaw’s “History of the English Church during the Civil Wars and under the Commonwealth,” i. 1900, pp. 257 sqq. ↩

30. Shaw, as above, i. pp. 259-261. “Minutes,” p. 71 (March 21 and 24), p. 74 (March 28), p. 75 (April 2), p. 76? (April 4). ↩

31. Shaw, i. pp. 260-261, citing “Commons’ Journal,” iv. p. 114, April 17. The names of the Committee are given by Shaw, p. 261, note. ↩

32. Shaw, i. p. 358, citing “Commons’ Journal,” iv. p. 113. 34 ↩

33. Shaw, i. p. 358. ↩

34. The language is: “That the Thirty-nine Articles be reviewed by the former Committee, and the Committee to consider &sc… . R. - To be referred to one Committee.” Hence apparently two Committees are in view: but finally the whole matter was committed to one. Which one is not clear. ↩

35. On Tuesday, May 6, when the propositions as to the Civil Magistrate in the Government were under debate, question was raised whether a proposed form of statement should be placed in the Government or in “a Confession of Faith.” ↩

36. Shaw, i. p. 358, quoting “Commons’ Journal,” iv. p. 133: “Minutes” for May 8 (p. 90). ↩

37. The Confession of Faith is mentioned in the interval only on May 6 (as above, p. 78, and p. 86, note 36), and then only incidentally and indeterminately. ↩

38. As cited, ii. p. 266. ↩

39. Shaw, i. p. 358, supposes the Committee “to have subdivided” and to be now reunited. It is possible, of course, that the two parts (that appointed August 20 and that appointed September 4) had been sitting as separate Committees and were only now combined. ↩

40. “The Westminster Assembly,” ed. 2, Philadelphia, 1897, pp. 367 sq. ↩

41. Concerning them see Mitchell, “The Westminster Assembly,” p. 147. ↩

42. Shaw, i. p. 358, also seems to look upon the Committee of May 12, 1645, as a substitute for the former Committee. ↩

43. Reports from First Committee, “Minutes,” pp. 129, 130, 150, 151, 164, 166, 167, 171, 192. Reports from Second Committee, “Minutes,” pp. 130, 131, 150, 181, 162, 166, 167. Reports from Third Committee, “Minutes,” pp. 165, 173. ↩

44. The detailed history of the large Committees is obscure: see Mitchell, “The Westminster Assembly,” ed. 2, pp. 148 sq. Dr. Burgess was the first chairman of the First Committee, but he had in the meanwhile been in disgrace (p. 181) and during his suspension a new chairman must needs have been chosen. Cf. January 29, 1646, “Mr. Coleman made report of Christian Liberty” (cf. p. 104), Mr. Coleman being also a member of the First Committee: March 5, “Report from Dr. Gouge about the Church.” ↩

45. Cf. November 12: “Dr. Stanton [made] report from second Committee”; December 5: “Report from Dr. Stanton of the Sacraments in general” (cf. pp. 164, 167); but December 29: “Mr. Calamy made report of Baptism.” ↩

46. Cf. November 20: “Mr. Prophet brought in a report from the Third Committee,” etc.; March 5, 1646: “Mr. Prophet made report of Religion and Worship,” etc.; but December 2, 1645: “Report from Mr. Cheynell of Justification” - Mr. Cheynell being also a member of the Third Committee; January 1, 1646: “Dr. Wincop made report from the Third Committee about the Law of God” ↩

47. Mr. Reynolds was, however, a member of the Committee of September 4, 1644, and also of that of May 12, 1645: and it is, of course, conceivable that it was to this fundamental Committee that the topic was recommitted. The case would not be so simple in the instances of Mr. Gouge and Mr. Arrowsmith; they were both members of the Committee of August 20, 1644, but not of that of May 12 - which in our view had been substituted for it. In Mr. Seaman’s case, just to be mentioned, it is clear that it was to a special Committee that the recommitment was made, and he was moreover not a member of any of the Committees of August 20, September 4, 1644, May 12, 1645. ↩

48. There were four distributions - July 16, 1645, November 18, 1645, February 23, 1646 - to which should be added the supplementary distribution of August 19, 1646. ↩

49. Mr. Cawdry was added also, September 1, 1646. ↩

50. Compare Baillie’s account of the care expended on this review, ii. pp. 400-403: the passages are extracted below, pp. 119-120. ↩

51. This order was “due to the letter from the Assembly of the Kirk in Scotland of the 18th of June, read in the Lords on the 9th of July (L. J., viii., 425; C. J., iv., 621) “-Shaw, i. p. 360. A letter from the Church of Scotland was delivered also to the Assembly, July 8. ↩

52. The order was made on September 16 (“Commons’ Journal,” iv. p. 670; Shaw, i. p. 361), and received on September 18 (“Minutes,” pp. 285-286). ↩

53. Baillie, “Letters,” ii. p. 403, iii. p. 2. See the text below, pp. 119, 120. ↩

54. The answer of the Assembly to the requisition is printed by Dr. Mitchell in “The Westminster Assembly,” ed. 2, 1897, pp. 377 sq.: the rejoinder of the House in the “Minutes,” 1874, p. 295. ↩

55. For a history of the proof-texts of the Confession, see Dr. Samuel T. Lowrie’s article in The Presbyterian Review, July, 1888 (ix. pp. 443 sqq.), and his reports in the “Minutes” of the General Assembly for 1891 (pp. 129 sqq.), and 1894 (pp. 157 sqq.), or in the “Digest ” of 1898 (pp. 21 sqq.). ↩

56. As cited, i. p. 365. ↩

57. We have taken the idea of this tabular statement from Shaw (i. pp. 367 sqq.), who prints such an one; and we at first intended simply to quote Shaw’s table. But on examination the accuracy of his presentation appeared scarcely adequate, and we have made out the whole afresh - deriving, of course, such aid from Shaw as we could. Where our table differs from Shaw’s, therefore, it differs wittingly. ↩

58. See also ” Minutes,” p. 473. ↩

59. From Baillie also (ii. p. 344) we learn that the Articles “God” and “Trinity” when first passed were two separate Articles. See below, p. 118. ↩

60. Why the bracketed “s” appears in the printed “Minutes” is not obvious. The “s” is arbitrarily present or absent in the allusions in the “Minutes.” ↩

61. Why it is not likely that this is the first report of chapter ix. made to the Assembly is explained above, pp. 94-95. ↩

62. It will be noted that these three chapters were apparently afterthoughts; they were, to all appearance, not contemplated in the first planning of the Confession. ↩

63. “Minutes,” p. 271. ↩

64. Cf. also p. 205. ↩

65. Cf. p. 436. ↩

66. Cf. p. 437. ↩

67. Cf. p. 439. ↩

68. Cf. also p. 205. ↩

69. P. 205. ↩

70. Cf. p. 43. ↩

71. Cf. p. 435. ↩

72. See what is said of the topic, “Lies and Equivocations,” at the end of this tabular statement (p. 116, N. B.). Is it possible that this chapter was developed out of that topic? It is against this supposition that different Committees seem concerned. ↩

73. Cf. also p. 204. ↩

74. Cf. also p. 206. ↩

75. The material developed in the debates recorded on the dates contained within these square brackets entered very little into the formation of chapter xxv. Part of it was incorporated into chapter xxx. ↩

76. The debates on the jus divinum which took place on May (1), 4, 5, 7, 8, 15, 18, 19, (25), 28, June 1, 2, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, July 6, 7, 10, 17, did not, of course, directly concern chapter xxv., but rather were in preparation of the answer of the Assembly to certain Parliamentary “Questions.” See Baillie’s account as given on p. 118, below; and compare Shaw, i. pp. 308 sqq. But the material thus gathered indirectly bore fruit for this chapter also. ↩

77. See above under chapter xxv. (note 76). ↩

78. Shaw (i. p. 372) mentions the topic Dedication to God, which is reported as debated January 2, 1646, as “if not represented by Article XII” (Adoption), probably a subsequently omitted Article. Possibly, however, it signalizes only a debate on one phase of Baptism, in immediate contiguity with which it is mentioned. ↩

79. See Mitchell in “Minutes,” p. 416. ↩

80. Mitchell in “Minutes,” p. 416, and in “The Westminster Assembly,” pp. 378-379, and 526; Shaw, i. p. 365. ↩