In theological doctrine the divines of the Westminster Assembly were almost to a man of one mind. They were all, or nearly all, Cal vinistic or anti-Arminian. But upon the subjebt of church goveni tnent they were divided into several violently hostile sections. Episco pacy, even of the most mitigated kind, could scarcely be said to have any representative in the synod as actually constituted; the great majority were Presbyterians ; but there was a small party who passed under the name of Erastians ; and there was a more numerous and also a more active body of Independents, or, as they called themselves, Congregationalists, who, formidable from the perseverance and ability of their leaders, were still more so from the ascendancy which their principles were fast acquiring in the Parliament, in the army, and throughout the nation. The chiefs of the Independent party in the Assembly were Dr. Thomas Goodwin, Philip Nye, Jeremiah Burroughs, William Bridge, and Sidrach Simpson, often spoken of as the Five Dissenting Brethren : their followers might amount to about as many more. The heads of the Erastian party were Selden, and the two divines, Lightfoot and Thomas Coleman ; the only other steady mem bers of the sect being the laymen Whitelock and St. John. In the Parliament however Erastianism was nearly as strong as Independency : indeed, however much the two systems might differ in the grounds on which they professed to stand, they came practically to very nearly the same thing, or at least were easily reconcileable ; and some persons were probably to be classed as adherents of both.
This position of parties explains and makes intelligible the history of the proceedings of the Westminster Assembly, and the results of its deliberations. The ordinance of the Lords and Commons by which the Assembly was constituted only authorised the members, until further order should be taken by the two houses, "to confer and treat among themselves of such matters and things touching and concerning the Liturgy, discipline, and government of the Church of England, or the vindicating and clearing of the doctrine of the same," &c. as should be " proposed to 'them by both or either of the said houses of Parliament, and no other," and to deliver their opinions and advices to the said houses from time to time in such manner and sort as by the said houses should be required. They were not empowered to enact or settle anything. It was expressly provided that the Assembly should not assume to exercise any jurisdiction, power, or authority eccle siastical whatsoever, or any other power except 'merely this right of delivering their opinion and advice upon the matters submitted to it. As its discussions proceeded, a discordance of principles and views upon various points between the ruling Presbyterian party in the Assembly and the growing Independent or Erastian majority in the Parliament became more and more evident ; while the progress of events also tended to separate the two bodies more widely every day, and at last to place them almost in opposition and hostility to each other. The Assembly of Divines continued to sit under that name till the 22nd of February, 1649, having existed five years, six months, and twenty-two days, during which time it had met 1163 times. The Scottish com missioners bad left above a year and a half before. Those of the members who remained in town were then changed by an ordinance of the Parliament into a committee for trying and examining ministers, and continued to bold meetings for this purpose every Thursday morning till Cromwell's dissolution of the Long Parliament, 25th of 3Iarch, ma, after which they never met again.
All the important work of the Assembly was performed in the first three or four years of its existence. On the 12th of October, 1643, the Parliament sent them an order directing that they should "forthwith confer and treat among themselves of such a discipline and government as may be most agreeable to God's holy word, and most apt to procure and preserve the peace of the church at home, and nearer agreement with the Church of Scotland and other Reformed churches abroad, to be settled in this church in stead and place of the present church government by archbishops, bishops, itc., which is resolved to be taken away; and touching and concerning the directory of worship or Liturgy hereafter to be in the church." This order produced the Assembly's Directory for Public Worship, which was submitted to parliament on the 20th of April, 1644 ; and their Confession of Faith, the first part of which was laid before Parliament in the beginning of October, 1616, and the remainder on the 26th of November in the same year. Their Shorter Catechism was presented to the House of Commons on the 5th of November, 1647 ; their Larger Catechism on the 15th of September, 1648. The other publications of the Assembly were only of temporary importance, such as admonitory addresses to the Parliament and the nation, letters to foreign churches, and some controversial tracts. What are called their Annotations on the Bible did not proceed from the Assembly at all, but from several members of the Assembly and other clergymen nominated by a committee of Parliament, to whom the business had been entrusted.
The Directory of Public Worship was approved of and ratified by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland held at Edinburgh in February, 1645 ; the Confession of Faith, by that held in August, 1647; the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, by that held in July, 1643; and these formularies still continue to constitute the authorised standards of that establishment. The Directory of Public Worship was also ratified by both houses of the English Parliament on the 2nd of October, 1644 ; and so was the doctrinal part of the Confession of Faith, with some slight verbal alterations, in March, 1648. On the 13th of October, 1647, the House of Commons passed an order that the Presbyterian form of church government should be tried for a year; but it was never couclusivdy established in England by legis lative authority ; and even what was clone by the parliament in partial confirmation of the proposals of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, having been done without the royal assent, was all regarded as of no validity at the Itestoratiou, upon which event episcopacy resumed its authority without any act being passed to that effect.
It is remarkable that there is not in existence, as far as is known, any complete account of the proceedings of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, either printed or in manuscript. The official record is commonly supposed to have perished in the fire of London. Three volumes of notes by Dr. Thomas Goodwin are preserved in Dr. Wil liams's Library, London ; and two volumes by George Gillespie in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh. Baillie's Letters, however, contain very full details of what was done during the period of his attendance ; and a Journal kept by Lightfoot has also been printed. Much in formation is to be found scattered in various works, such ae Reid's ' Memoirs of the Westminster Divines ;' Orme's ' Life of Owen;' and especially Neal's ' History of the Puritans.'