A Brief History of English Puritanism and the Westminster Assembly, Part 4

In 1643 Parliament abolished episcopacy and established a gathering of pastors and theologians to determine appropriate biblical guidelines for the governance of the English church and to define doctrine. There were 151 English Puritans and eight Scottish Presbyterians comprising this group. Initially the intent was to revise the Anglican Thirty-Nine Articles, but after the acceptance of the Scottish League and Covenant a complete reworking of a doctrinal confession was undertaken. The assembly met in 1163 daily sessions from 1643 to 1649, producing several documents. The Westminster Confession of Faith was completed in 1646 and adopted by the Scots in 1647 and the English in 1648. Two catechisms, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, appeared by 1647. A directory for worship was also produced. Part of the delay in acceptance of the Confession was that when Parliament reviewed the first draft it asked the Assembly to go back and provide citations from Scripture to substantiate the statements made. Hence, most current editions of the Confession come with footnoted "prooftexts" that permit the noble-minded reader to imitate the Bereans (Acts 17).

Following the death of Oliver Cromwell around 1660 the country was briefly governed ineffectually by his son and successor Richard. National sympathies swung back toward monarchy, episcopacy, and a more relaxed form of Christianity. Official Presbyterianism in England did not survive the restoration of the monarchy under Charles II but held sway in Scotland and made its way across the Atlantic to North America, where it has enjoyed great hospitality for most of the past 350 years.

With these four posts as a cursory introduction to historical context we are almost ready to begin our examination of the Confession itself.

Tomorrow: A few "housekeeping" notes and observations.