Church of Scotland

Westminster Assembly

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The Westminster Assembly was one of the outstanding ecclesiastical gatherings in the long history of the Church. It was not limited in membership to the English, and its conclusions became the doctrinal basis of most dissenting bodies in England and America for two centuries. It was the crystallization of the Puritan movement in England since most of the Anglican clergy did not attend. The Assembly was regulated by Parliament, which took over the ecclesiastical functions of the king. The meetings were held in Westminster Abbey in the summer of 1643. The group proceeded to revise the Thirty-nine Articles, agreed unanimously on a Directory for Public Worship, and tackled the subject of church government. Five Congregationalists in the Assembly pressed their own opinions in favor of independence, but the majority made presbyterianism the form of government for the national Church. The Assembly completed its work by providing two catechisms. The Larger Catechism contained a full exposition of church doctrines and government while the Shorter Catechism omitted the subject of organization.

Impact: The most famous document from the Assembly was the Westminster Confession of Faith. It was strictly Calvinistic and as such not only met the needs of English Presbyterians, but it was adopted by the Church of Scotland to take the place of the Scottish creed of 1560. It became the basis of Congregationalist creeds, and it was the model for statements of doctrine by English and American Baptists.

O LOVE THAT WILT NOT LET ME GO

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O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

About the writer: George Matheson, a minister in the Church of Scotland, was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1842. He entered Glasgow University in 1857, spending five years in the arts and four years in the study of Divinity. He was licensed to preach in 1866. Matheson was entirely blind during the greater portion of his life. While in school he had to depend upon the sight of others. He died in 1906. Of the 25 books he wrote, one was a hymnal titled Sacred Songs, 1890.

Key Verse: But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. –Psalm 13:5

Duff, Alexander

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Alexander Duff (1806-1878) was the first missionary to India from the Church of Scotland. He established the University of Calcutta in 1830. Within ten years it had grown to nearly 1,000 students. Ill health forced him to return to Scotland in 1834 for six years, during which time he raised funds and promoted the work of other missionaries. During the next few years he suffered several setbacks due to divisions in the Church of Scotland and he eventually lost the right to minister from his school. He spent several years traveling the globe to campaign for missions, including the United States where he had a great impact and inspired many to become missionaries. He retired to Scotland in 1864 and spent the rest of his life teaching theology, serving as a moderator in the Free Church, and writing and speaking about the importance of missions. His tireless efforts to promote the work of missionary evangelists helped fund, build, and nurture numerous mission stations around the world.