WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY: A synod of Calvinistic divines held in London 1645-52. This synod was the culminating act is the struggle between the Anglican and Puritan parties in the Church of England which had been in progress for more than a century, from the days of William Tyndale, and had been warmly fought during the reign of Elizabeth. It occupies the first place among the synods of the Reformed Church for the distinction of the men who composed it, the character. of the documents it sent forth, and the size of the constituency which accepts these documents. It was never socepted, however, on the continent, where the canons and decrees of the Synod of Dort proved to be the moat widely accepted Reformed symbols.

In spite of the attempts of Elizabeth to crush all Puritan dissent, Puritanism continued to be a strong force tall the end of her reign. Under Elizabeth's successor, James L, 1603r25, and his Summons son Charles L, 1625-49, the repressive cad Object. policy was continued and a certain galling element introduced especially through the Book of Sports (q.v.), and under the rime of Archbishop Laud. To the difference which divided the two parties in matters of ritual and church government was added a wide difference in the matter of doctrine. The theology of both was strongly Calvinistic down to the close-of Elizabeth's reign, as is shown by the Lambeth Articles (q.v.), which were issued in 1595 with the signatures of the archbishops of Canterbury and York and of other Anglican prelates. Arminianism began to infiltrate from Holland into England under James, and was adopted by Laud as a policy to be carried out in determining the appointment of bishops and other clergy. [The so-called Arminianism of Laud and other High-churchmen was rather the semi-Pelagianism of the Roman Catholic Church. e. a. x.] Through the insane measures of Laud Scotch Presbyterians were to be brought into close alliance with the English Puritans. Following in the line of James IL's measures to crush out Presbyterianism and abolish permanently the General Assembly, Laud sought to force episcopacy and the ritual of the Anglican Church upon Scotland, and in 1633 made offensive display of the Anglican ritual at Holyrood House, Edinburgh. Land's Book of Canons and a new liturgy based upon the Book of Common Prayer were to be made obligatory and courts of high commission were set up in every diocese to see that they were observed. The attempt to introduce the new order in Edinburgh, July 23, 1637, produced an uproar (see Geddes, Jenny), sad the resistance of the people embodied itself in

The crisis in England was brought about by the summons of the long parliament in 1640, which Charles, because of his. financial straits, was forced to convene. This parliament, although its leaders were Anglicans, was strongly Puritan in spirit. Petitions poured in upon it to institute ecclesiastical changes, including the." Root and Branch Petition." with 15,000 signatures asking that episcopacy be done away " with all its dependencies, roots and branches." In 1641 the house of commons ordered images, altars, crucifix, and refits of idolatry removed from the church buildings. At the invitation of London ministers, a delegation from the Scotch Assembly led by Alexander Henderson (q.v.) visited London to set up a presbytery. In 1642 parliament abolished episcopacy and the liturgy. The parliamentary and royalist armies were in the field. It was in the midst of this political and ecclesiastical commotion that the Westminster Assembly was called. The "Grand Remonstrance" had been sent up to parliament demanding such a religious assembly to discuss and arrange matters ecclesiastical within the realm. Two bills convening the synod were suppressed by Charles. The third resulted in the gathering which held its first meeting July 1, 1643. The object of the assembly was declared to be " to settle the government and liturgy, of the Church of England and for the vindicating and clearing of the doctrine of the said church from false aspersions and vituperations as should be agreeable to the Word of God and most apt to procure and preserve the peace of the church at home and bring it unto near accord with the Church of Scotland and other Reformed churches abroad."

The membership was fixed by parliament at 121 clergymen and 30 laymen, 20 laymen being chosen from the house of commons and 10 from the house of lords. The clergymen were taken two from each

county, and two each from Oxford,

Member- Cambridge, and the Channel Islands, ship, Place one from each county of Wales, and of Meting, four from London. To this number and was added the delegation sent by the

Parties. Scotch Assembly. Among the eminent

English divines who had no seat in the assembly were Richard Baxter and John Owen (qq.v.). Three delegates are said to have bees invited from New England, John Cotton of Boston, Thomas Hooker of Hartford, and John Davenport of New Haven (qq.v.). The first meeting was held in Westminster Abbey, Dr. Twisee preaching the sermon (not extant) from John xiv. 18. Assembling at first in the chapel of Henry VII., the body adjourned to the Jerusalem Chamber (q.v.) in the deanery of Westminster, where it continued to sit.

In matters of doctrine, all the members were Calvinists, although they were divided between infralapsarianism sad supralapsarisnism. The Minutes of the assembly show that moderate Calvinism was represented by a body of eminent and weighty men. The leading difference was upon the subject of church government. There were five groups, repthe National Covenant, Feb. 28, 1638, which bound resenting four different types of opinion as follows: the people to defend their ecclesiastical liberties ( (1) The Episcopalians, made up of four prelates, inagainst papal corruptions (see Covenanters, § 3). eluding Archbishop Ussher (q.v.), and five doctors

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of divinity. Only one bishop was seen in the assembly and one doctor of divinity, Dr. Daniel Featley (q.v.), who, however, was expelled for offending against the assembly's law forbidding the divulgence of its proceedings. The prelates had been forbidden by Charles to attend. (2) The Erastians, including the great scholars, John Lightfoot and John Selden (qq.v.), who, with Erastua of Heidelberg, regarded the State as the final seat of authority in ecclesiastical matters. (3) The Independents, few in number but powerful in debate, including Philip Nye and Thomas Goodwin (q.v.), later Cromwell's chaplain, both of them returned from exile in Holland. This group, called " the five dissenting brethren," fought Presbyterianism with great tenacity and acumen. They withdrew after the Presbyterian polity was adopted. (4) The Presbyterians, who were preponderant from the beginning and gained in strength. In their number were William Twisae (q.v.), the prolocutor of the body; Herbert Palmer (q.v.), popularly regarded as the chief author of the Shorter Catechism; Stephen Marshall (q.v.), a great preacher and the chief gobetween for the assembly and parliament; and Joseph Caryl (q.v.), the author of the voluminous commentary on Job. (5) The Scotch commissioners, including the Mite of the Scotch clergy, appointed by the assembly, namely, Alexander Hendeison (q.v.), rector of Edinburgh University; Robert Baillie (q.v.), the Boswell of the assembly, principal of Glasgow University; Samuel Rutherford (q.v.), professor at St. Andrew's; and George Gillespie (q.v.), parish minister in Edinburgh. Rev. Robert Douglas, the fifth clerical delegate, did not attend. The two lay delegates were Lord Maitland and Sir Archibald Johnstone. Of the latter, his nephew, Bishop Burnet, said that he often prayed in his family two hours at a stretch. The Scotch were the most vigorous element in the assembly. They acted in agreement and demanded a place on each of the committees, a demand that was granted. They had a great advantage from the start. Parliament in its struggle with Charles had turned to 'i Scotland for help. To the parliamentary delegation was added a delegation from the assembly which called upon the Scotch to take part in its proceedings. In accepting the invitation, the Scotch made their own terms which were embodied in the Solemn League and Covenant. This famous document, drawn up by Alexander Henderson, stated as its object to defend the Reformed religion in Scotland in doctrine, worship, discipline, and government, and " to secure a reformation of religion in England and Ireland according to the Word of God and the practise of the best Reformed churches," and to bring the two countries " into the nearest conjunction and uniformity in religion, confession of faith, form of church government, directories of worship, and catechizing." The aim of the Scotch was to establish Presbyterianism in England and in its work the assembly followed the program laid down in the five particulars of the Solemn League.

The members were chosen by parliament, as were also the prolocutor and the two clerks. The assem bly met every weekday except Saturday, and "commonly" sat from nine in the morning till one

or two in the afternoon. A table stood in the middle of the room at which were seated the prolocutor and the clerks. Benches ran down the room on

each aide, the Scotch sitting in s body Mode of on the moderator's right. The mem-

Procedure. hers of parliament sat on chairs near

the fire. Usually sixty were present No one was admitted to the sittings without an order from parliament. The rules provided that no question should be brought to a vote the day it was proposed, and that speakers should make their statements good from Scripture. There was freedom of debate and the 'speakers spoke as long as seemed to them good. Baillie declares that they "harangue long and learnedly." The body was divided into three committees, to one of which each member belonged, and through these committees the business was brought before the main body. Fast-days were frequently appointed on which religious services were conducted during the day without pause. Baillie speaks of such a day (May 17, 1644, the devotions lasting from nine to five) as the sweetest day he had experienced in England: Up to Feb. 22, 1648, the assembly held 1,163 sea-.

i sions. The body then seems to have closed its appointed work, but continued an irregular existence as a board of triers for examining ministers until 1652, when it seems to have expired of inanition. Fuller says "it dwindled by degrees and vanished with the parliament."

The assembly produced five disciplinary and doctrinal statements. At the direction of parliament, it first set itself to revise the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion (q.v.). When it reached Article XVI. it

was ordered by the same body to turn Its Work. aside and devote itself to the prepara-

tion of a statement on church government which the Scotch regarded as the key to the situation. The result was the " Propositions concerning Church Government and Ordination of Ministers," which was sent to parliament in completed form Nov. 8, 1644. Parliament took many liberties with the document and sent it back to the assembly for amendment. It was not finished till 1648. By order of parliament the Confession of Faith was taken up in Aug., 1644, and presented to the commons Dec. 4, 1646. The assembly was instructed to add the Scripture proofs and the document was completed Apr. 29, 1647. The Scotch assembly approved it in 1647 and the Scotch par-, liament in 1649. The English parliament adopted it with some changes 1648. The " Directory for the Public Worship of God " was completed at the close of 1644 and approved by the English parliament for England and Wales Jan. 3, 1645, and a month later by the Scotch general assembly. It gave prescriptions for the conduct of, public worship and other clerical functions and set aside the prescribed liturgical forms of the Book of Common Prayer. The two Westminster Catechisms, called the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, were prepared simultaneously with the Confession of Faith. It was at first proposed to prepare but a single one, but the assembly, yielding to the feeling expressed by Rutherford, that it is hard " to dress up meat and milk in the same dish," prepared two. The impression still

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prevails that the assembly succeeded in putting much strong meat into both documents.

At the suggestion of parliament the assembly also adopted Rous' version of the psalms, a version which was produced by Sir Francis Rous, himself a member of the house of commons (see Hymnology, IX., § 2).

(1) Parliament nominated the members, proposed the business of the assembly, revised its work, provided the rules by which it was to conduct business, and appointed its officers. (2) The work of the assembly failed in the land which gave

Things to it birth. Under Cromwell, Independ- be Noted. ency ruled, and, in 1660, episcopacy was reestablished as the law of Eng land and the Book of Common Prayer and the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion were again enforced. Puritanism produced Milton and the Pilgrim's Prog ress, but it has never since been an organized force till the last half-century. The Presbyterian Church of England has no historical kinship to the West minster Assembly and is of recent organization. (3) The four outstanding principles emphasized by the assembly are the authority of the Scriptures, which is set forth in a noble form of statement, the sovereignty of God, the rights of conscience, and the sole jurisdiction of the Church within its own domain. The statement of the last two principles easily includes more than the framers intended. When the assembly insisted that " God alone is the Lord of the conscience," it did not mean to issue a brief of religious toleration. The Puritan churches of America were far from any such idea, and Baillie declared " that such a thing as tolerating all and any religion was so prodigious an impiety that this religious parliament can not but abhor the very naming of it." The assembly's assertion of the jurisdiction of the Church over its own affairs did not involve for the men of that day the idea of the separation of Church and State.

The Westminster symbols still remain the canonical books of the Presbyterian churches throughout the world (the word "Presbyterian" being taken in a narrower sense than the expression " Reformed Churches "), but not without important modifications not only in the text of the Confession of Faith, but also in the practical usages in worship and church government. The text of the Catechisms remains,