at Glasgow, with an Ordinance for his subscribing a particular
Declaration of the unlawfulnesse of Episcopacy. _Ib._
45.—Ref. of my Lord Seatons Bill to the Commission of Assembly. _Ib._
46.—Letter from the Presbyterie at the Army, with a Reference to the
Commission concerning the restraint of transporting Women to the Army.
_Ib._
47.—Ref. to the Commission of Assembly concerning the Letters from
the Commissioners at London, &c. and concerning the Paraphrase of the
Psalmes in Meeter. _Ib._
48.—Ref. of my Lord Yesters Bill to the said Commission. _Ib._
49.—Act concerning M. Alexander Trotter. _Ib._
50.—Ref. of Margaret Thomsons Bill to the Commission of Assembly. _Ib._
51.—Remit. to the Presb. of Achterardour, concerning the matter of M.
William Cook. _Ib._
52.—Transplantation of M. William Rait to Brechen. _Ib._
53.—Ordinance for the Ministers of the Presbytery of Peebles their
acknowledgement of their disobedience to the Acts both of the Generall
and Provinciall Assemblies, in admitting M. John Hay, upon their knees
before the Provinciall of Louthian; And approbation of the dissenters;
with M. John Hayes Declaration, and the Assemblies Ordinance for his
subscribing a particular Declaration concerning the unlawfulnesse of
Episcopacie. _Ib._
54.—Ref. concerning the Kirk of Lesmahago to their Provinciall. _Ib._
55.—Ratification of the Contract betwixt James Maxwel of Innerweeke,
and M. John Macghie, concerning augmentation of the Ministers provision
at Dirletoun, and of the Acts of Presbytery and Synod thereanent. _Ib._
56.—Ref. from the Presb. of Hadingtoun, and the Assemblies Answers.
_Ib._
57.—Act. for Presb. of Ersiltouns furnishing of Ministers to the Master
of Cranstouns Regiment, and for sending forth presently M. Thomas
Donaldson. _Ib._
58.—Act for the Presb. of Dalkeith sending a Minister to La. Nidries
Regiment. _Ib._
59.—Ref. to the Commission of Assembly of the desires and Overtures of
Caitnes. _Ib._
FINIS.
=Miscellaneous Historical Documents,=
RELATIVE TO THE ECCLESIASTICAL AND POLITICAL EVENTS IN SCOTLAND—1644.
1. _Excerpts from Principal Baillie’s Account of the Westminster
Assembly, continued from page 384._
_To Mr William Spang. May 31, 1644._
You know this is no proper assembly, but a meeting called by the
parliament to advise them in what things they are asked; so their not
answering comes on no neglect I know very well. By all means encourage
Apollonius, and whomever else you can, to assist in this common cause:
if this season be missed, it will be hardly recovered. The Independents
have no considerable power either in the assembly or parliament, or the
General or Waller’s army; but in the city and country, and Manchester’s
army, their strength is great and growing; yet by the help of God and
our friends, if once we had the assembly at an end, and peace, we would
get them quieted. Since our Friday fast we have made good speed in the
assembly. Our church-sessions, to which Independents gave all, and
their opposites nothing at all, we have got settled with unanimity in
the Scots fashion. Our great debate, of the power of excommunication,
we have laid aside, and taken in at last the directory. Already we have
past the draught of all the prayers, reading of scripture, and singing
of psalms, on the Sabbath-day, _nemine contradicente_. We trust, in one
or two sessions, to pass also our draught of preaching. If we continue
this race, we will amend our former infamous slowness. Always I can say
little till once we pass the directory of the Lord’s Supper. In the
committee we found they were very stickling; the Independents, and all,
love so well sundry of their English guises, which we must have away;
however we are in hope of a better speed than before.
* * * * *
_Publick Letter. June 7, 1644._
Our progress in the assembly, albeit slow, yet, blessed be God, is
sensible daily. We have passed, but after a world of debate, all the
directory which concerns ordinary prayers, reading of the word, singing
of psalms, and preaching. Our toil is exceeding great; every day, from
eight in the morning till near one, and oft in the afternoon from three
to half-past six, we are in exercise; only the Saturday free, and that
for our Sunday’s preaching, when single times any of us does vaik. All
of us long much to be at home; but we are all commanded to stay, and
attend this great service. Of a truth, to our power, we put spurs to
their slow sides. We hope all, ere it be long, shall go according to
our hearts desire. The Independents, our great retarders, it is like,
shall not vaunt themselves, in the end, of their oppositions. The
most of their party are fallen off to Anabaptism, Antinomianism, and
Socinianism; the rest are divided among themselves. One Mr Williams has
drawn a great number after him to a singular Independency, denying
any true church in the world, and will have every man to serve God by
himself alone, without any church at all. This man has made a great
and bitter schism lately among the Independents. We hope, if once we
had peace, by God’s help, with the spirit of meekness mixed with a
little justice, to get the most of these erroneous spirits reduced.
The ministers of London, near six score, have their weekly meetings.
They are all Presbyterians, except Burton, said to be a Brownist; John
Goodwin to be a Socinian, and one scrupling Pædobaptism. Some of the
Independents are lecturers, but none settled ministers.
* * * * *
_My Publick Letter._
We are proceeding in our assembly. This day before noon we got
sundry propositions of our directory for the sacrament of the Lord’s
supper passed; but in the afternoon we could not move one inch. The
unhappy Independents would mangle that sacrament. No catechising nor
preparation before; no thanksgiving after; no sacramental doctrine, or
chapters, in the day of celebration; no coming up to any table, but
a carrying of the elements to all in their seats athort the church:
yet all this, with God’s help, we have carried over their bellies to
our practice. But exhortations at tables yet we stick at. They would
have no words spoken at all. Nye would be at covering the head at the
receiving. We must dispute every inch of our ground.
* * * * *
_For Mr Robert Ramsay. The end of June._
Very many of the assembly are departed for want of means. The allowance
granted by the parliament is not paid. What we gave in concerning
ordination yet lies still, and, by the underhand dealing of the
Independents, is like to come out from the House so mangled, that if
we get it not helped, it will much offend us both for the matter and
the preparative, it being the first paper came from us to the Houses.
Very many things that come to be handled in the assembly are new to us
all, and obscure. We have to do with very many scrupulous and thraward
wits. Whether we have had need of prayers or not, you may judge. We
have overcome many difficulties; our God has extricated us out of very
many labyrinths; we are confident therefore, by the assistance of God’s
people there, to see a glorious work ended in these dominions, and
begun elsewhere, ere it be long.
* * * * *
_To Mr William Spang. June 28._
After very great labour, we gave in, as our first fruits, a paper for
ordination to both Houses. Oft had they called for it before it came.
When it had lien in their hands neglected for many weeks, at last it
was committed to a few of the Commons to make a report to the House
about it. We hear surmises, that this committee had altered much of
our paper; but I finding by Mr Rous, the chief of that committee, that
the alterations were both more and greater than we suspected, and that
the committee had closed their report, and were ready to make it to
the House, without any further meeting, I persuaded him it would be
convenient before the report was made, and either Houses engaged in any
thing which was against the mind of the assembly, and of our nation, to
confer privately with some of us anent these alterations. Upon this he
obtained an order of the House for the committee to call for any of the
assembly they pleased. This he brought to the assembly, and called out
Marshal and me to tell us his purpose. We gave him our best advice.
On his motion the assembly named Marshal, Vines, Burgess, Tuckney,
and the scribes, to wait on; and withal requested us to be with them.
Great strife and clamour was made to have Mr Goodwin joined; but he
was refused by a vote. Marshal came not. At meeting we found, they
had passed by all the whole doctrinal part of ordination, and all our
scriptural grounds for it; that they had chosen only the extraordinary
way of ordination, and in that very part had scraped out whatever might
displease the Independents, or patrons, or Selden and others, who will
have no discipline at all in any church _jure divino_, but settled
only upon the free-will and pleasure of the parliament. Mr Henderson,
and the rest, reasoned against the dangerousness and disgrace of this
their way, so clearly, that sundry of the gentlemen repented of their
alterations; yet the most took all to advisement. We, in private,
resolved we would, by all means, stick to our paper; else, this being
the first, if we yielded to these most prejudicial alterations, which
the Independents and Civilians underhand had wrought, the assembly’s
reputation was clean over-thrown, and Erastus’s way would triumph.
What will be the end of this debate, God knows. If the assembly could
stand to their deed, we hope to have the parliament reasonable; for
they will be loth to lose the assembly and us, for the pleasure of any
other party. But we fear the fainting of many of our House: this holds
our mind in suspense; only we are glad we have taken the matter before
it came to the House. This day we were vexed also in the assembly;
we thought we had passed with consent, sitting at the table; but
behold Mr Nye, Mr Goodwin, and Bridges, cast all in the hows, denying
to us the necessity of any table, but pressing the communicating of
all in their seats, without coming up to a table. Mess. Henderson,
Rutherford, and Gillespie, all three disputed exceeding well for it,
with arguments unanswerable; yet not one of the English did join with
us, only Mr Assessor Burgess, who then was in the chair, beginning to
speak somewhat for us, but a little too vehemently, was so met with by
the Independents, that a shameful and long clamour ended their debate.
This has grieved us, that we fear the end of our work, always we expect
it shall be better. Prince Rupert is not gone south, but north towards
Cumberland. I pray God save Callendar’s army and Scotland from his
bloody mouth.
* * * * *
_July 5, 1644._—As for the assembly, these three weeks, Mr Nye, and
his good friend Mr Herle, has kept us on one point of our directory
alone, the recommending of the communicants coming up to the table to
communicate. Their way of communicating, of some at the table, and
some about it, without any succession of companies to more tables, is
that whereon we stick, and are like to stick longer. Also the great
appearance of the parliament’s misleading, by a few, to change the
papers we gave in to them, so that nothing shall be established on
any scripture or divine right, did much afflict us. But behold, in a
moment, when our credit was beginning sensibly to decay, God has come
in. Our army has fought Prince Rupert, has overthrown his forces, taken
his cannon and baggage, killed many of his chief officers, and chased
the rest into York.
* * * * *
We dare not be too much exalted, only we bless God from our heart,
who is beginning to shine on our army, and make it, after very long
expectance and beating down of our pride, to be a fountain of joy
and hope to these who love the welfare of religion. We hope things
in the assembly and parliament may go more after our mind. Our army
oft signified to us, they conceived their want of success flowed most
from God’s anger at the parliament and assembly, for their neglect of
establishing of religion. We oft told them the truth, that we had no
hope of any progress here, till God gave them victories; and then, we
doubted not, all would run both in parliament and assembly.
* * * * *
_July 12, 1644._—In our assembly we go on as we may. The Independents
and others kept us long three weeks upon one point alone, the
communicating at a table. By this we came to debate, the divers coming
up of companies successively to a table; the consecrating of the bread
and wine severally; the giving of the bread to all the congregation,
and then the wine to all, and so twice coming up to the table, first
for the bread, and then for the wine; the mutual distribution, the
table-exhortations, and a world of such questions, which to the most
of them were new and strange things. After we were overtoiled with
debate, we were forced to leave all these things, and take us to
general expressions, which, by a benign exposition, would infer our
church-practices, which the most promised to follow, so much the more
as we did not necessitate them by the assembly’s express determination.
We have ended the matter of the Lord’s Supper, and these last three
days have been upon baptism. We have carried, with much greater ease
than we expected, the publickness of baptism. The abuse was great over
all this land. In the greatest parish of London, scarce one child in
a-year was brought to the church for baptism. Also we have carried the
parent’s presenting of his child, and not their midwives, as was their
universal custom. In our last debate with the committee of Commons,
for our paper of ordination, we were in the midst, over head and
ears, of that greatest of our questions, the power of the parliament
in ecclesiastick affairs. It is like this question shall be hotter
here than any where else: but we mind to hold off; for yet it is very
unseasonable. As yet we are come to no issue what to do with that paper.
* * * * *
The chief point we wish were proven, is the real authority, power,
and jurisdiction of synods and classical presbyteries over any the
members, or the whole, of a particular congregation; also the right
of ordinary professors to the sacraments, though they can give no
certain or satisfactory signs of real regeneration. These two are the
main heads; also I wish the power of presbyteries classical, to ordain
and excommunicate, were cleared. Many besides the Independents, by
Voetius’s writs, are brought to give the rights of both these actions
to the congregational presbytery, much against our mind and practice.
The churches of Jerusalem, Corinth, and the rest of the apostolick
churches mentioned in the New Testament, which can be proven to have
practised either ordination or excommunication, appear to us to have
been classical, consisting of more congregations than one, and of
greater numbers, when they did exercise either of these acts, than
could meet in one place. Also it is a great question about the power of
jurisdiction in a congregation. We are not against the people’s power
of election of the officers, or, at least, free consent thereto; but
beside, they press all process and acts of censures to be done, if not
in the name and authority, as the Brownists, and those of New England,
yet necessarily in the presence, and with the consent, not only of the
presbytery congregational, but also of the whole people, even every
communicant male. If in these we were agreed, I think the difficulty
would be small in any other matter.
* * * * *
_To Mr David Dickson. July 23, 1644._
Our progress in the assembly is small; there is so much matter yet
before us, as we cannot win through for a long time after our common
pace. Our Independents continue and increase in their obstinacy. Much
is added to their pride and hope by their service at the battle of
York; albeit much of their valour is grounded on very false lies,
prejudicial to God, the author, and to us, the true instruments, of
that day’s honour. The politick part in the parliament is the stronger,
who are resolute to conclude nothing in the matters of religion, that
may grieve the sectaries, whom they count necessary for the time. Our
army is much diminished in number and reputation. Also here Callendar’s
army is called very small, and no ways able to reduce Newcastle. The
letters we have, both from the committee and presbytery at York, are
much for a safe peace; which we wish from our heart; but think their
proponing of it is from the conscience of their present weakness.
We fear the extraordinar long stay of our commissioners be from new
factions and divisions among yourselves.
* * * * *
The sectaries of divers sorts, Anabaptists chiefly, increase here. Very
many are for a total liberty of all religions, and write very plausible
treatises for that end. Sundry of the Independents are stepped out of
the church, and follow my good acquaintance Mr Roger Williams, who
says, there is no church, no sacraments, no pastors, no church-officers
or ordinance in the world, nor has been since a few years after the
apostles. If our commissioners were once come up, we mind to put them a
little harder to it, and see what they understand by their uniformity,
which they have sworn to us. We can make no certain conclusion, but
that we believe God will work his own gracious ends by man’s weakness.
One week we have fair appearance to get all things quickly done
according to our mind, another week such alteration in affairs, that
nothing less can be hoped for. These vicissitudes of hopes and despair,
when we look to the earth, are very frequent.
* * * * *
Our assembly being wearied with sitting since the beginning of July was
a-year, without any intermission, was earnest for a little relaxation;
so fourteen days were obtained from the Houses, of vacation. We sit not
till Wednesday, August 7th.
* * * * *
_For Glasgow. August 7, 1644._
This day we sit down in our assembly, after our vacance. The House
of Commons have past the paper of ordination unanimously, with some
alterations, which are to be considered by us. The right settling of
that business will be a great step to advance our affairs. The little
interruption we have had in our sitting, make both ourselves, the
Houses, and the city, and all the world, to call on us for dispatch;
and it seems God, disposing of all affairs, is making for our
furtherance; so we hope for a farther progress quickly, than for a long
time by-gone we have made.
* * * * *
That old fox Urban is at last gone to his place; yet the devil
his father cannot die, and will never want a son to be the Pope’s
successor. At our sitting down this day, a great many of our brethren
did complain of the great increase and insolency in divers places
of the Antinomian and Anabaptistical conventicles. A committee was
appointed for a remedy of this evil, to be represented quickly to the
parliament. Mr Edwards has written a splendid confutation of all the
Independents apology. All the ministers of London, at least more than
100 of them, have agreed to erect a weekly lecture for him in Christ’s
Church, in the heart of the city, where he may handle these questions,
and nothing else, before all that will come to hear. We hope God will
provide remeids for that evil of Independency, the mother and true
fountain of the church’s distractions here.
* * * * *
_For Mr William Spang. August 10, 1644._
The first day after our vacance, a number of complaints were given in
against the Anabaptists and Antinomians huge increase and intolerable
insolencies. Notwithstanding of Mr Nye’s and others opposition, it was
carried that the assembly should remonstrate it to the parliament. Both
Houses took our complaint well, has sent for the chief of the seditious
sectaries, and promises a quick remeid to that great and dangerous evil.
* * * * *
God permits these gracious men to be many ways unhappy instruments. As
yet their pride continues; but we are hopeful the parliament will not
own their way so much as to tolerate it, if once they found themselves
masters. For the time they are loth to cast them off, and to put their
party to despair, lest they desert them. The men are exceeding active
in their own way. They strive to advance Cromwell for their head.
* * * * *
_Publick Letter. August 16, 1644._
We have gone through, in the assembly, the whole directory for baptism,
except some little things referred to a committee, also the whole
directory for solemn thanksgiving, with a good unanimity. So soon as my
Lord Wariston came up, we resolved on the occasion of his instructings,
and the letters of our general assembly, both to ourselves and to this
assembly, which he brought to quicken a little, who had great need of
spurs.
Lord Wariston very particularly declared in the assembly the passionate
desires of our parliament, assembly, army, and whole people, of the
performance of the covenanted uniformity; and withal we called for a
meeting of the grand committee of Lords, Commons, Assembly, and us; to
whom we gave a paper, notably well penned by Mr Henderson, bearing the
great evils of so long a delay of settling religion, and our earnest
desires that some ways may be found out for expedition. This paper my
Lord Sey took to deliver to the House of Lords, Mr Solicitor also for
the House of Commons, and a third copy was given to Mr Marshal, to be
presented to the assembly. On Tuesday last there was a solemn fast for
General Essex’s army. Mr Palmer and Mr Hill preached that day to the
assembly, two of the most Scottish and free sermons that ever I heard
anywhere. The way here of all preachers, even the best, has been, to
speak before the parliament with so profound a reverence as truly took
all edge from their exhortations, and made all applications toothless
and adultorious. That style is much changed of late: however, these two
good men laid well about them, and charged publick and parliamentary
sins strictly on the backs of the guilty; amongst the rest, their
neglect to settle religion according to the covenant, and to set up
ordination, which lay so long in their hands. This was a means to
make the House of Commons send us down that long delayed paper of
ordination. On Thursday it was twice publickly read, so much altered
from our paper, that all of us did much mislike it. To encourage the
assembly to reject it, we did add in the end of our paper an express
disavowing of it; and at the committee’s desire, we set down our
reasons in writ against the House’s alterations; which did so encourage
the assembly, that this day, unanimously, they sent a committee to the
House, to crave leave to consider their alterations; for without their
express order they have not so much power as to debate a question. This
leave is granted: we are confident of reason, seconded by more plain
and stout dealing than hitherto has been used, to make them take up
their unreasonable alterations of our first paper; also we have the
grand committee to meet on Monday, to find out ways of expedience; and
we have got it to be the work of the assembly itself, to do no other
thing till they have found out ways of accelerating; so by God’s help
we expect a far quicker progress than hitherto.
* * * * *