PREFACE. THE authentic minutes or journal of the proceedings of the Westminster Assembly of Divines have unhappily been lost, or lie concealed in some place where they have escaped the notice of all who have given any account of this venerable Assembly. But if we had them, it is not probable that they would afford us much satisfaction, as they of course would contain no more than a dry detail of motions and resolutions, without any report of the reasonings and arguments for or against each proposition. As far as we know, no history of the Assembly has ever been separately written. Neal, in his "History of the Puritans," has given by far the fullest account of this important synod; but it is interspersed in the civil and political history of the times. Neal seems to have had access to important documents, some of which are referred to as manuscripts, in his possession; he never refers, however, to the journals of the Assembly, from which it may be inferred, that he had not seen them. Robert Baillie, Principal of the University of Glasgow, and one of the Scottish Commissioners to the Westminster Assembly, wrote many letters during his attendance on the body, giving a brief, familiar account of various transactions, and particularly describes their manner of sitting and doing business, with some notice of persons and transactions. Most of these were addressed to the Rev. Mr. Spang, his own cousin, and minister of an English congregation in Holland. These letters furnish much information of particulars which will be grateful to the curious. Dr. Lightfoot, so well known to the literary public, was a leading member of this Assembly, and kept a brief journal of the proceedings for more than a year; but his remarks are very concise, and his journal does not extend to the most interesting period of the transactions of the Assembly. This journal has been published in the last volume of the late octavo edition of his works. Dr. Ayton, in his "Life of Alexander Henderson," has mentioned some facts, not in the other authorities; but he has added very little to the knowledge of this Assembly, previously possessed. In the life of Dr. Goodwin, by his son, it is asserted, that this distinguished Independent, who occupied a a large space in the debates of the Assembly, left behind him a journal of the transactions, extending to eighteen volumes of duodecimo, manuscript; but no part of these volumes has ever been published, and whether they are still extant, is entirely unknown to us. It might have been expected that Lord Clarendon, in his "History of the Rebellion," would have had much to say about the Westminster Assembly, the influence of which was so considerable on the civil affairs of the country; but the whole that he says, is included in one paragraph; which, however, is replete with contemptuous bitterness. The compiler of the following history has now indicated the sources from which he has derived his materials. He puts in no claim to original research: if he deserves any credit, it is merely for collecting and arranging what he found scattered in the authors named. For many years he sought for information on this subject, with but little success. He has found the same complaint of a want of information, and a desire to obtain it, in many persons; especially in young ministers, and candidates for the ministry, which induced him to undertake the labour of collecting, under suitable heads, such information as was accessible to him; and if it should prove unsatisfactory to some, whose knowledge is more extensive, yet he is persuaded that it will supply a desideratum to many, who will be gratified with the particulars which he has been able to collect. |