tical censures is alone in the Congregational presbyteries. They grant the divine right and many excellent uses of synods lesser and greater, only deny their power of jurisdiction over any congregation. Ordination of all officers, also, their depositions; and excommunication of all members, they give to the Congregational consistory. They give so much authority to a synod, and to every neighbouring congregation, when they receive no satisfaction from any scandalous congregation, to abstain from communion with it; and to pronounce their sentence of non-communion with it.

2. They will admit of none to be members of their congregations, of whose true grace and regeneration they have no good evidences. By this means, they would keep out of the Christian church, forty for one, of the members of the best reformed churches.

3. They make it necessary to have all the men, who are communicants, present at every act of jurisdiction of the consistory.

4. They give liberty to every one who is able, though he never entered the ministry, to profess and preach publicly in the face of the church.

5. They do not censure in their churches the denial of pœdo-baptism, though they profess their dislike of that error.

6. Many of them preach, and some print for a liberty of conscience; at least the great equity of a toleration of all religions; that every man should be permitted without any fear so much as of discountenance from the magistrate, to profess publicly his conscience, were he never so erroneous, and also liveaccording thereunto; if he trouble not the public peace, by any seditious or wicked practice."

CHAPTER VII.

Fifteen Articles of the Church of England revised.-A view of the alterations proposed.

As has been already mentioned, the first object of the Assembly was, not to overthrow the hierarchy, or to set aside the thirty-nine Articles of Religion, but to alter and improve both. Accordingly, one of their first acts was, to divide their whole number into three committees, to each of which was assigned the consideration of a certain number of the ARTICLES of the English Church. The design of this revision was, not to alter any of the doctrines of those Articles, but to render their expression more explicit, in favour of Calvinistic doctrines. Certain persons were appointed to search for the most authentic copies of those articles which could be obtained, and to exhibit the same to the Assembly. Ten weeks were occupied in discussing the amendments proposed to the first fifteen of the THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES. At this point, they were arrested in their proceedings, by an order from Parliament, to proceed immediately to the forming a DIRECTORY for public worship; because the liturgy being virtually set aside, the churches were at a great loss how to proceed in the public worship of God. And after the arrival of the Scottish Commissioners, it was ascertained, that uniformity between the English and Scottish churches, could be more easily obtained, by forming a new Confession, than by amending the Articles of the Church of England. The further revision of these Articles was never afterwards resumed in the Assembly. But as so much time was employed in this work, and as the revision is still extant, a history of the Westminster Assembly would not be complete without an exhibition of the changes made in the Articles, which were considered. The fairest view of what alterations were proposed and adopted, in these fifteen Articles, will be afforded by exhibiting, in parallel columns, these Articles in their

original form, and opposite to them, the same Articles