March 30 - Confession of Faith

March 30 – Confession of Faith

“Oliver Cromwell lay buried and dead, Hee-haw buried and dead.”

If you didn’t grow up singing those lyrics to a nursery rhyme, you lived a quieter life than I did. But, then my mother also taught me the rhyme for Lizzie Borden at an early age as well.

James I and his son, Charles I did their best to bring Scotland and England together under the Anglican Church. It didn’t go so well. There was the small matter of the English Civil War that occurred. So, Charles called a Parliament – that didn’t go well either. He dissolved it, but called another later that year. He wanted them to come to agreement about the Church. He made a fatal error.

Two years later in 1642, the same Parliament was in session. Charles thought he might get away with arresting members of the House of Common, saying that they had committed treason. War began. England turned to Puritanism.

In 1643, Parliament called an assembly at Westminster Abbey. The Episcopal system of the Anglican Church was done and a system similar to the Presbyterian church was put into place. At this assembly, the church was to be rebuilt. They met for six years.

Oliver Cromwell, who had charge of the army brought the Puritans into power and had the king beheaded in 1649.

The Westminster Assembly created the Westminster Confession in 1646, and several other tracts throughout the years, all very Calvinistic in theology: inspiration of Scripture – the Bible was the sole authority. Scripture was inspired by God and kept pure in all ages. The doctrine of predestination was upheld as was the teaching that God related to his people through covenant.

The church would be ruled by elders – not priests and bishops. And there would be no teaching of transubstantiation in communion. The Sabbath was set aside solely for worship.

In 1658, Cromwell died. His son, Richard, tried to take over but didn’t have his father’s talent for leading. He retired and Charles II came back into power. He restored the Anglican Church. The Westminster Confession moved into Scotland and became the power behind the Church of Scotland.