The British Churches Under Cromwell [pp. 629-655]

1867.] The British Churches unJer Cromwell. 641
called to assist in church matters, had drawn up and recommended a Presbyterian system of doctrine, discipline, worship,
and government; and the whole had been enacted by Parliament as the law of the land. Accordingly England and Wales
had been divided ecclesiastically into provinces, and these again
into classes, each of which contained a number of parishes, subject respectively to the authority of parochial, classical, and
provincial assemblies: the first to meet once a week, the second
once a month, the third twice a year, and, crowning the system,
national assemblies were to meet as often as summoned by
Parliament. But many difficulties had occurred in carrying
out that order. A large number of the people clung to the
ancient practice, as far as it was allowed, and did not understand, or did not like the new. ~Iany of the ministers resisted
it or imperfectly complied. Some deeming it an unscriptural
radicalism, preferred in their hearts the Episcopal forms;
others holding it to be not radical enough, demanded that the
ultimate authority should be reposed in each congregation, and
could take little interest in attending either classical or provincial councils; and others whose hearts were not profoundly
engaged in religion, reluctated against the strictness of its discipline. Only in London, which was one of the ecclesiastical
provinces, and in Lancashire, was it observed fully and consistently.
Presbyterians themselves further aggravated the evil by their
own dissensions, and by an unnecessary urgency on the point
of Divine right. Not content with the establishment of their
church government, they insisted that the public and Parliament, by authoritative action, should recognize it as alone possessed of the Divine sanction, or as alone expressly and completely revealed under the gospel. Gratuitous offence was
thereby given to many who would otherwise gladly have complied with it as consistent with Scripture.
In this excited transition state in the abolishing of the old
system, and imperfect enforcing of the new, many congregations were greatly neglected, and improper persons either
allowed to re~nain in pastoral charge of them, or introduced
without sufficient scrutiny; and that not from neglect or carelessness, but from the nature of the circumstances.
VOL. XXXIX.-NO. iv. 81