Covenanted Church decision, stability, permanence, spiritedness, and
undecaying strength, than the superlative formulas of truth produced by
this illustrious Assembly. Our inheritance received from their hands
should awaken our admiration for the men and our interest in their work.


ORIGIN.

This Assembly came into existence in peculiar times and for a remarkable
purpose. England was goaded to desperation by the despotism of King
Charles. As king of that nation and head of the Episcopal Church, he
attempted to stifle liberty and conquer conscience. He clashed with his
parliament in London. A great awakening had suddenly spread over all
England. New ideas of life electrified the people, and they arose in the
majesty of their inalienable rights to realize their ideals. The action
and reaction became terrible. The king and the parliament called out
their armies each against the other. England was plunged into a horrible
civil war. The parliament, perceiving that Episcopacy was the bulwark of
the king's tyranny and hostile to the interests of the people, attempted
to abolish that system of Church government. But this destructive act
necessitated a constructive work. Accordingly parliament, by an
ordinance, created an Assembly for "settling the Government and Liturgy
of the Church of England."


CHARACTER OF THE MEMBERS.

The ordinance provided for an Assembly of "learned, Godly, and judicious
divines." Milton, while not in sympathy with their work, called this
"The Select Assembly." Baxter, another disapproving contemporary, said,