THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF ENGLAND. In England the principles of the Puritans were practically Presbyterian, although they were for the most part more concerned with resistance to power, exercised as they believed against the Word of God, than with the development of Church government. Still the ministers of Lon don and its vicinity organized a presbytery at Wandsworth, in Surrey, in 1572, and other pres byteries followed in spite of the hostility of Queen Elizabeth. In July, 1643, in obedience to a summons from Parliament, the Westminster Assembly met in Westminster Abbey and con tinued in session until 1647. The documents known as the Confession of Faith, the Form of Church Government, the Directory for Worship, and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, drawn up by this assembly, were approved by Parlia ment in 1648. ( See CREEDS AND CONFESSIONS.) Parliament in 1647 passed an ordinance making Presbyterianism the established religion of Eng land, but this law never went into practical effect. When Cromwell and the Independents came into power, their influence was thrown against Presbyterianism, partly perhaps because of the resistance of the latter to the trial and execution of Charles I. After the Restoration, by command of Charles 11.. the Savoy Conference (q.v.) was held at the residence of the Bishop of London in 1661. The purpose was, nominally, to alter and reform the Liturgy in such a way as to meet the feelings of those who had serious scruples against its use. The negotiations were a failure, as the bishops refused to make any changes. This conference was followed by the
Act of Uniformity, which took effect August 23, 1662. Two thousand ministers who would not consent to abjure the Solemn League and Cove nant, or to be episcopally reordained, resigned their charges or were ejected from them. Sixty thousand church members were imprisoned or fined, five thousand of whom died in prison. After the Revolution and the Act of Toleration in 1689, Presbyterianism flourished again. In 1691 the Presbyterians entered into articles of agreement with the Independents, giving up pres byteries and synods. Arian and Socinian doctrines prevailed to such an extent that the name Pres hyterian became synonymous in England with Unitarian. In the meantime, there existed in England a few congregations connected with the Scottish Church formerly known as the Secession Church, later as the United Presbyterian Cburch. At the formation of the Free Church of Scot land, the greater number of the English churches connected with the Church of Scotland espoused the cause of the Free Church, and took the name of the Presbyterian Church of England. On June 18. 1876, the first synod of the Presbyterian Church of England was constituted by the union of the Presbyterian Church and the United Pres byterian. The united Church has grown from 263 congregations, in 1S76, to 311 in 1900. They carry on an extensive home and foreign mission ary work.