However, the protector did not live to fee the fruits of this affembly, which was appointed to be held at the Savoy, October 12, 1658, where minifters and meffengers from above one hundred congregational churches met together, of which the majority were laymen, the reft pastors in churches, and fome younger divines about the court, as the reverend and learned Mr. John Howe, at that time chaplain to the young protector and others.* They opened their fy nod with a day of fasting and prayer, and after fome debate, whether they should adopt the doctrinal articles of the Westminster affembly for their own, with fome amendments and additions, it was thought more advifeable to draw up a new confeffion, but to keep as near as poffible to the method and order of the other. A committee of the moft eminent divines was chosen for this work, viz. Dr. Thomas Goodwin, Dr. Owen, Mr. Phil. Nye, Mr. William Bridge of Yarmouth, Mr. Jof. Caryl, and Mr. William Greenhill. While these were employed in preparing, and putting together the articles of their confeffion, the fynod heard complaints, and gave advice in feveral cafes which were brought before them, relating to difputes or differences in their churches. The particular heads of doctrine agreed to by the committee, were presented to the fynod every morning, and read by the reverend Mr. George Griffith their fcribe. There were fome fpeeches and debates upon words and phrases, but at length all acquiefced, and the whole was foon after published in quarto, under the title of A declaration of the faith and order owned and practifed in the congregational churches in England, agreed upon, and confented unto by their elders and messengers in their meeting at the Savoy, October 12, 1658. Next year it was tranflated into Latin by profeffor Hornbeck, and publifhed at the end of his Epiftola ad Duraum de Independentiffimo. Some imputed their unanimity to the authority and influence of Dr. Owen, Mr. Nye, and the reft of the elder divines over the younger; but they themselves, in their preface, "look upon it as a great and special work of the Holy "Ghost, that so numerous a company of minifters, and "other principal brethren, fhould fo readily, fpeedily, and jointly give up themselves to fuch a whole body of truths

* Calamy's Abridg. vol. ii. p. 444.

as

"as is there collected." They add further, "that this cr agreement of theirs fell out without their having held any "correfpondence together, or prepared. confultation, by "which they might be advised of one another's minds." Which I confefs is very extraordinary, confidering the con feffion confifts of thirty-three chapters, in which are almost two hundred diftinct articles of faith and difcipline; and that the whole time of the fynod's feffions or continuance, was not above eleven or twelve days.

The Savoy confeffion proceeds upon the plan of the Westminster affembly, which made the work very eafy; and in moft places retains their very words. They tell the world in their preface, that they fully consent to the Westminster confeffion for the substance of it, but have taken liberty to add a few things, in order to obviate fome erroneous opinions that have been more boldly maintained of late than in former times. They have likewise varied the method in fome places, and have here and there expreffed themselves more clearly, as they found occafion. They have omitted all thofe chapters in the affembly's confeffion which relate to discipline, as the 30th and 31ft, with part of the 20th and 24th, relating to the power of fynods, councils, church cenfures, marriage and divorce, and the power of the civil magiftrate in matters of religion. Thefe (fay Thefe (fay they) were fuch doubtful affertions, and fo unfuited to a confeffion of faith, that the English parliament would never ratify them, there being nothing that tends more to heighten diffentions among brethren, than to place these doubtful speculations under fo high a title as a confeffion of faith. After the 19th chapter of the affembly's confeffion, of the law, the Savoy divines have added an entire chapter, of the gospel, in which what is dif perfed up and down the affembly's confeffion is collected, and put together. Upon the whole, the difference between thefe two confeffions, in points of doctrine, is fo very fmall, that the modern independants have in a manner laid afide the use of it in their families, and agreed with the prefbyterians in the use of the affembly's catechism.

At the end of the Savoy confeffion there is a chapter of discipline, entitled, of the inftitution of churches, and the order appointed in them by Jefus Chrift; in which they affert,

"That

"That every particular fociety of vifible profeffors agree"ing to walk together in the faith and order of the gofpel "is a complete church, and has full power within itself to "elect and ordain all church officers, to exclude all offenders, and to do all other acts relating to the edification and well"being of the church.

"That the way of ordaining officers, that is, pastors, "teachers, or elders, is after their election, by the fuffrage "of the church, to fet them apart with fafting and prayer, "and impofition of the hands of the eldership of the church, "though if there be no impofition of hands, they are never"thelefs rightly conftituted minifters of Chrift; but they do "not allow that ordination to the work of the ministry, "though it be by perfons rightly ordained, does convey any "office-power, without a previous election of the church. "That no perfons may adminifter the facrament but fuch as are ordained and appointed thereunto. Nor are the paftors of one church obliged to adminifter the facraments "to any other, than to the members of that church to whom they stand related in that capacity. Nor may any person "be added to the church, as a private member, but by the "confent of the church, after a confeffion of his faith,+ de"clared by himfelf, or otherwife manifefted.

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They difallow the power of all stated fynods, prefby"teries, convocations, and affemblies of divines, over par

It was alfo a practice of the independants, at the first formation of their churches, to fign an agreement, or covenant, which they entered on their church-books. This, fometimes, ran out into various articles, expreffive of their devotedness to the fervice of God, their trust in Chrift, their determination to ftudy the fcriptures, and to form their faith and worship by them, of their mutual engagement to keep the chriftian ordinances, to watch over one another in the Lord, to bear one another's burthens, and to preserve union and love, and of their refolutions to persevere in a course of faith and holinefs. Of thefe forms of agreement, one of the moft fimple is that which was adopted by the church at Wattesfield in Suffolk. It was in thefe words: "We do covenant or agree in the prefence of God, through the affistance "of his holy fpirit, to walk together in all the ordinances of the Lord Jefus, as far as the fame are made clear unto us, endeavouring the ád"vancement of the glory of our Father, the fubjection of our will to the "will of our Redeemer, and the mutual edification of each other in his "moft holy faith and fear." Mr. Thompson's MSS. Collections, under the name Wattesfield. ED.

"ticular

"ticular churches, but admit, that in cafes of difficulty, or "difference relating to doctrine or order, churches may meet "together by their meffengers in fynods or councils, to con"fider and give advice, but without exercifing any jurif

"diction.

"And lastly, they agree, that churches, confifting of per"fons found in the faith and of good converfation, ought "not to refufe communion with each other, though they “walk not in all things according to the fame rule of church "order; and if they judge other churches to be true "churches, though lefs pure, they may receive to occafional "communion fuch members of those churches as are credi"bly teftified to be godly, and to live without offence.

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"These opinions (fay they) may appear new to a great ' many people, because they have not been openly and publickly profeffed in the English nation, but we are able to "trace the footsteps of an independant congregational way, "in the antienteft practice of the church, and in the writings. "of the foundest proteftant divines." They add, “that "their principles do not in the least interfere with the authority of the civil magistrate, nor do they concern themselves ແ upon any occafions with him, any further than to implore "his protection, for the preservation of the peace and liberty of their churches." They glory in this, that ever fince they appeared in the world, they have distinguished themselves in the cause of chriftian liberty. "We have al"ways, fay they, maintained this principle, that among all "chriftian states and churches, there ought to be a forbear"ance, and mutual indulgence to chriftians of all perfuafions, that keep to, and hold fast the necessary foundations of faith and holiness. This principle we have maintained for "the fake of others, when we ourselves had no need of it." They conclude with thankfulness to their prefent governors, for permitting those who could not comply with the prefbyterian establishment to enjoy the liberty of their confciences, and equal encouragement and protection with others; and that this liberty is established by a law, as long as they disturb not the publick peace. This fhould engage us (fay they) to promote the honour and profperity of fuch a government, to be peaceably difpofed one towards another, and to love

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VOL. IV.

as

as brethren; forafmuch as the differences between prefbyterians and independants are differences between fellow-fervants, neither of them having authority from God or man, to impose their opinions upon one another.

Mr. Baxter, in the main a very peaceable and candid divine, lofes all temper when he speaks of this affembly: He finds fault with their definition of juftification, and makes these remarks: "They thought it not enough exprefsly to con"tradict St. James, and to fay unlimitedly, that we are juf

tified by the righteousness of Christ only, and not by any "works, but they contradicted St. Paul alfo, who fays, "that faith is imputed for righteoufnefs; and not only fo, "but they afferted, that we have no other righteousness but "that of Chrift. A doctrine abhorred by all the reformed "and christian churches, and which (fays he) would be an "uter fhame of the proteftant name, if what fuch men “held and did, were imputable to fober proteftants." But is it poffible that Mr. Baxter could believe, that the Savoy divines denied the neceffity of fanctification, or perfonal holinefs? when they have a whole chapter in their confeffion upon fanctification, another upon repentance and good works, and a third upon the moral law, which they declare does for ever bind all men to obedience, both justified and unjuftified. When Mr. Baxter afked fome honeft men who joined them, whether they fubfcribed the confeffion? They faid, no; he then enquired, why they did not contradict this? To which they anfwered, because the meaning was, that they had no other righteoufnefs but that of Chrift to be justified by; which is certainly the doctrine of the Westminfter affembly. What does Mr. Baxter reply to this? Why nothing, but adds very uncharitably, "that the in"dependant confeffions are like fuch oaths as speak one "thing and mean another; fo much could two men, [Dr. "Owen and Goodwin] do with many honeft tractable young "men, who had more zeal for feparating ftrictnefs than judgment to understand the word of God, the interest of "the churches and of themselves." And yet there were in that affembly many divines of as great age and learning as himself; their defign was not to undervalue the WeftminIl Life, p. 104.

fter