259 Chap. VIII. 7he HIST 0 RY of the PuRITANS~ will; doctrines in his opinion, inconfifl:ent with chrifl:ianity. But then /(.Charles!. he obferves, very jufily, that it falls very Gwrt of the Scots claim in points ~ of difcipline ; it yields the magiftrate a power:of convening church aiTemL · blies, and of fuperintending their proceedings; it is filent as to the independency of the church, and the divine rigbt of prefbyteiy, &c. Upon the whole, the a!Tembly's confeffion, with all its faults, has been ranked by very good judges among the mofl: perfeCt fyfl:ems of divinity, that have been publi!bed upon the calvini.flic or anti-arminian principles in the la ft age. While the co7ifdfton was carrying through the a!Tcmbly, committees Ajfemb/y't were appointed to reduce it into the form of cats chifms; one longer, for larger and f · f b\' fi · · h \ · d' h 11 Jhorter cotethe 1 erv1ce o a pu 1c expo 1t1on m t e pu plt, accor mg to t -e CllllOm chifms. of foreign churches ; the other final/er, for the infiruB:ion of children; Rufhw. p. in both which the articles relating to church difcipline are entirely omit- 888, 1060. ted. The larger catechifm is a comprehenfive fyftem of divinity, and the fmaller, a very accurate fummary, though it has been thought a little too long, and in fome particulars too abllrufe for the capacities of children. The Jhorter catechijin was prefented to the houfe of commons, Nov. 5· but the larger, by reafon of the marginal references to fcripture, which the houfes defired might be inferted, was not ready till the I 4th of April, 1648. when the houfe ordered fix hundred copies to be printed for the fervice of the members; and having examined and approved it, they allowed it to be printed by authority, for public ufe, September I 5· I 648. The king, afcer many folicitations, at the treaty of the ijle ifRu!hw. p. Wight, offered to licenfe the fhorter catechifm, with a fuitable preface; 1 3 26 • but that treaty proving unfuccefsful it was not accompliilied. The chief affairs committed to the a!Tembly being thus fi.ni{hed, Mr·. Sc_ots cam– Rutherford one of the ftots divines, moved OC!ober 24. I 647. tbat it 1 ':iJ!'on 1 "v·s .r d d . h r; 'b k '' ea e".! might be recor e m t eJcrz es boo s, that the affembly had enjoyed the the ajfembly. atlifl:ance of the honourable reverend and learned commitlioners of the church of Scotland, during all the time they had been debating and perfeCting thefe four things mentioned in the covenant (viz.) their compqfing a direC!ory for public worjhip ; an uniform confdJion qf faith; aform if church government aud difcipline; and a public catechijin; fome of their number having been pn;fcnt during the whole of thefe tranfaCl:ions; which being done, about a week after, he and the reft of the commiffioners took their leave and returned home; upon which occafion Mr. Herle the prolocutor rofe up, and in the name of the a!Tembly, " thank- " ed the h~nourable and reverend ~ommiilioners, for their ailifl:ance; he " excufed In the beft manner he could, the directory's not being fo well " obferved as it o1,1ght: and l~mented that the alfemb!y had not power " to call offenders to an account; he confe!Tes, that their affairs were L 1 z ~~very
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=