THE INNOVATIONS OVERTURNED IN 1638.
James Dodson
The General Assembly of 1638 overturned the whole previous innovations, consisting of kneeling at the communion, Romish holy days, &c., and restored the Presbyterian system in its integrity. Reference is not made to instrumental music, because it existed in very few cases, and had received
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the sanction of no General Assembly true or false. The reasons for setting aside and annulling the proceedings of the Perth Assembly, 1617, are worthy of notice, especially No. 9.
Assembly 1638, Sess. 12:—
No. 9. “In all lawfull assemblies, the grounds of proceeding were, and used to be, the Word of God, the Confession of Faith, and Acts of former Generall Assemblies. But in this pretended Assembly, the ground of their proceeding in voicing, was the King’s commandment only,” &c.
In Sess. 17, “Declaring the Five Articles of Perth to have been abjured, and to be removed.”
It is added, “The Assembly remembering the uniformity of worship which was in this Kirk before the Five Articles of Perth, the great rent that entered at that time, with the lamentable effects that it hath produced,” &c.; and the Act concludes thus: “And therefore prohibiteth and dischargeth all disputing for them, or observing of them, or any of them, in all time coming,” &c.
The Act contains a quotation from the Confession of Faith or Covenant of 1580—
“We willinglie agree . . . detest all his vain allegories, rites, signes, and traditions brought into the Kirk, without or against the Word of God, and doctrine of this true reformed Kirk,” &c.
Thus what was decided against the Papacy, its ceremonies and adjuncts, was held to apply to Prelacy and its concomitants, for the Act adds, “And these Five Articles are contrarie to the
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Religion then professed, were confuted by the Word of God and Kirk of Scotland,” &c.
In the same Assembly (1638), Sess. 14, the Act “condemning the Service Book, Book of Canons, Book of Ordination, and the High Commission;” proceeds on these grounds—because “not only as illegally introduced, but also as repugnant to the doctrine, discipline, and order of this reformed Kirk, to the Confession of Faith, constitutions of Generall Assemblies, and Acts of Parliament establishing the true religion; and doth prohibite the use and practice thereof, and ordaines Presbyteries to proceed with the censure of the Kirk against all such as shall transgresse.”
The above is from the sentence on the Service Book. Those on the other innovations follow in like terms. It is important also to notice in this Assembly, 1638, Ass. Sess. 20, that the sentences of deposition of the bishops proceed, as on other grounds, so on this, their “pressing the Kirk with novations in the worship of God.”
In the Assembly 1641, Sess. 14, there follows all this an “Act anent Novations” as follows:—“Since it hath pleased God to vouchsafe us the liberty of yearly General Assemblies, it is ordained, according to the Acts of the Assembly at Edinburgh, 1639, and at Aberdeen, 1640, that no novation in doctrine, worship, or government be brought in or practised in this Kirk, unless it be first propounded, examined, and allowed in the General Assembly, and that transgressors in this kind be censured by the Presbyteries and Synods.” It has
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been hinted that all this legislation has become invalid because of Acts of Parliament or Assembly since passed; but not only has the Church never repealed any of these Acts, it is important to observe that the Act 1690, c. 5, re-establishing the Presbyterian Church, rescinds, annuls, and makes void all “acts, laws, statutes, ordinances, and proclamations, and that, in so far allenarly as the said Acts and others generally and particularly abovementioned are contrary or prejudicial to, inconsistent with, or derogatory from the Protestant religion and Presbyterian government now established.”
Calderwood, who was appointed by the Church of Scotland to write its history, and whose authority in such a matter is unimpeachable, discusses this subject in his great book on worship, entitled “Altare Damascenum,” and not only testifies to the fact that the Presbyterian Church entirely opposed the use of musical instruments in worship, but in the eighth chapter of his book, towards the end, sets forth, with much research and learning, the grounds of this opposition. Concerning this treatise Row says in his History (p. 441), “But as for books and treatises published by Scottsmen, I recommend to all good Christians who desire to know the truth of God in thir controversies that book called ‘Altare Damascenum.’” Dr John Lee (Evidence before the Committee on Church Patronage) says, speaking of another matter, “Calderwood, on the other hand, who ought to have understood the subject better perhaps than
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any one else of that period, because he had been born in the pure time of Presbytery, and from his laborious researches had a complete knowledge of the forms of the Church.”
There can be no doubt that this struggle resulted in the entire abolition of any organs which existed, and of all innovations in the worship of the Church of Scotland, and the restoration of its original simplicity, together with the “singing of psalms,” which became the stereotyped rule under the Directory.