INDEPENDENTS
545
INDEPENDENTS
branding them as antichristian, Robinson, however, while liolding his own to be the most apostoUcal form, counselled recognition of all other forms and Christian fellowship, looking upon charity as the end of the com- mandments. The names also which they had hitherto borne were now exchanged for that of Independents, Robinson, in his Apology, having affirmed " Ccetum quemlibet particularem, esse totam, integram, et jierfec- tam ecclesiam ex suis partibus constantem immediate et independentem [quoad alias eccL] sub ipso Christo." In lOlt), a friend and colaborer of Robinson, Henry Jacob, returned to the mother countrj"-, and organized an Inde- pendent Church at London, which has oftentimes, though incorrectly, been termed " the first Independent Churcli in England" (compare vol. ii, p. 476). " From this, as a nucleus. Independency gradually spread through Eng- land, and, in spite of the harsh measures of Laud and the court, came, in the middle of the 17th century, to occupy a dominant place among the powers by which the destinies of England were swayed."
A prominent place was occupied by the Independents at the Wcstmmster Assembly, they taking an active part in the debates, especially on points of Church or- der; "debating all things," says Baillie, "which came within twenty miles of their quarters," and evidently astonishing the " churchmen" by their " great learning, quickness, and eloquence, together with their great courtesy and discretion in speaking." Skeats {History of the Free Churches, p. 52) asserts that at this "Assem- bly" the representatives of the Independents, some five or six in number, " prayed to be inducted into the pro- posed National Church, the conditions being that the pov,-er of ordination should be reserved to their own congregations, and that they might be subject, in Church censures, to Parliament, but not to any Presby- tery." As they were unsuccessful in this attempt, how- ever, it is believed that, though few in number, they yet prevented the Presbyterians from accomplishing at least their object, standing '• in the breach against the advance of a new State Church, which, if better in many respects than the old (Episcopal), would have been worse in other respects." But it was only after the accession of Oliver Cromwell (himself an Lule]iendent) to the protectorate that the Independents gained the ascendency, and became "the most powerful and im- portant religious body in England" (compare Murraj^, Life of Samuel Rutherfoi'd, chap. viii). The greatest statesmen of England were Independents; the army was Independent in the main ; and Independent minis- ters held appointments as chaplains, or filled leading positions in the miiversities ; among them, most promi- nently, John Owen, Thomas Goodwin, Nj^e, etc. To strengthen the union among themselves, an Assembly was decided to be held at the Savoy. Ministers and delegates of more than a hundred congregations there- upon convened, Sept. 29, 1658, and on Oct. 12 (a few weeks before Oliver Cromwell's death) they adopted and issued a confession of faith and discipline, which was named a " Declaration." Of this declaration the following were fundamental propositions : " A particular Church consists of officers and members : the Lord Christ having given to his called ones— united in Church order — liberty and power to choose persons fitted by the Holy Ghost to be over them in the Lord. The officers appointed by Christ to be chosen and set apart by the Chiu-ch are pastors, teachers, elders, and deacons. The way appointed by Christ for the calling of any person unto the office of pastor, teacher, or elder in a church is that he be chosen thereunto by the common suffrage of the Church itself, and solemnly set apart liy fasting and prayer, with the imposition of hands of the eldership of that Church, if there be any before constituted therein ; and of a deacon, that he be chosen by the like suffrage, and set apart by prayer, and the like imposition; and those who are so chosen, though not set apart after that manner, are rightly constituted ministers of Jesus. The work of preaching is not so pecuharly confined to pas- IV.— Mar
tors and teachers but that others also, gifted and fitted by the Holy Ghost, and approved by the people, may publicly, ordmarily, and constantly perform it. Ordi- nation alone, without election or consent of the Church, doth not constitute any person a church officer. A church fiu^iished with officers, according to the mind of Christ, hath full power to administer all his ordinances ; and where there is want of any one or more officers, those that are in the Church may administer all the or- dinances proper to those officers whom they do not pos- sess; but where there are no teaching officers at all, none may administer the seals, nor can the Chiu-ch au- thorize any so to do. Whereas the Lord Jesus Christ hath appointed and mstituted, as a means of edification, that those who walk not according to the rules and laws appointed by him be censured in his name and authori- ty, every Church hath power in itself to exercise and execute all those censures appointed by him. The cen- siures appointed by Christ are admoniti(m and excom- munication ; and whereas some offences may be known only to some, those to whom they are so known must first admonish the offender in private ; in public offences, and in case of non-amendment upon private admonition, the offence being related to the Church, the offender is to be duly admonished, in the name of Christ, by the whole Church through the elders; and if this censure prevail not for his repentance, then he is to be cast out by excommunication, with the consent of the members." These particulars respecting a declaration of faith but little known indicate the opinions entertained by the Independents, not only at the time of the Restoration, but, with some modification, afterwards; and here it may be added that if, in the theory of Presbyterianism, the ministry, as to the order of existence, precedes the Church, in the theory of Congregationalism, the Church, in that same order, precedes the minister; and in this significant fact may be found a key to some important differences between the two systems. Besides those rules which had reference to the internal order of the churches, there v,-ere these three relative to their dimen- sions, their co-operation, and the catholicity of their fellowship. "For the avoiding of differences, for the greater solemnity in the celebration of ordhiances, and for the larger usefulness of the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost, saints, living within such distances that they can conveniently assemble for divine worship, ought rather to join ui one Church for their mutual strengthening and edification than to set up many dis- tinct societies. In cases of difficulties or differences, it is according to the mind of Christ that many churches holding commimion together do, by their managers, meet in a synod or comicil to consider and give advice ; how- beit, these synods are not intrusted with any Chiu-ch jiower, properly so called, or with any jurisdiction over the churches. Such reforming churches as consist of persons sound in the faith, and of conversation becom- ing the Gospel, ought not to refuse the commmiion of each other, so far as may consist with their own princi- ples respectively, though they walk not in all things according to the same rides of Church order."