THE WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY AND WORSHIP.
James Dodson
In the year 1643, in anticipation of the meeting of the Westminster Assembly, the General Assembly passed an Act, Session 12, dated 15th August 1643, appointing a Directory for worship, to be prepared and reported to next Assembly, “That unity and uniformity might be observed throughout the kingdom in all the parts of the public worship of God.”
On 1st July 1643 the Assembly of Divines met at Westminster under an ordinance of the English Parliament. It had been arranged by the Scotch Parliament and General Assembly that, at the request of both Houses of Parliament in England, commissioners should be sent from the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Accordingly the Assembly met at Edinburgh, and on 19th August 1643, session 14, five days after they had ordered the preparation of a Directory for public worship, and probably after it had been submitted in draft, they commissioned “Mr Alex.
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Henderson, Mr Robert Douglas, Mr Samuel Rutherford, Mr Robert Baillie, and Mr George Gillespie—ministers; John Earl of Cassilis, John Lord Maitland, and Sir Archibald Johnston of Warristoun—elders; or any three of them whereof two should be ministers,” to proceed to the Westminster Assembly of Divines, to “propose, consult, treat, and conclude with that Assembly in all matters which may further the union of this island in one form of Kirk Government, one Confession of Faith, one Catechism, one Directory for the worship of God, according to the instructions they have received from the Assembly . . . and to do all things which may further the so much desired union and nearest conjunction of the two Churches of Scotland and England.”