CONGREGATIONALISM
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CONGREGATIONALISM
development of Congregationalism, a term preferred
by the American Puritans to Independency and grad-
ually adopted by their coreligionists in Great Britain.
Not only was a safe haven now opened to the fugitives
from persecution, but the example of orderly commu-
nities based entirely on congregational principles,
"without pope, prelate, presbytery, prince or parlia-
ment", was a complete refutation of the charge
advanced by Anglicans and Presbyterians that Inde-
pendency meant anarchy and chaos, civil and relig-
iovis. In the Massachusetts settlements, "the New
England way", as it was termed, developed, not in-
deed without strifes and dissensions, but without ex-
ternal molestation. They formed, from the Puritan
standpoint, the veritable kingdom of the saints; and
the slightest expression of dissent from the Gospel as
preached by the ministers was punished with scourg-
ing, exile, and even death. The importance of stamp-
ing out Nonconformity in the American colonies did
not escape the vigilance of Archbishop Laud ; he had
concerted measures with Charles I for imposing the
episcopacy upon them, when war broke out between
the king and the Parliament. During the Civil War
in England, though few in number compared with the
Presbyterians, they grew in importance through the
ability of their leaders, notably of Oliver Cromwell
who gained for them the ascendency in the army and
the Commonwealth. In the Westminster Assembly
convened by the Long Parliament in 1 643, Independ-
ency was ably represented by five ministers, Thomas
Goodwin, Philip Nye, Jeremiah Burroughs, William
Bridge and Sidrach Simpson, known as "The Five
Dissenting Brethren", and ten or eleven lajnnen.
They all took a prominent part in the debates of the
Assembly, pleading strongly for toleration at the
hands of the Presbyterian majority. They adopted
the doctrinal articles of the Westminster Confession
with slight modifications; but as there could be no
basis of agreement between them and the Presbyter-
ians regarding church government, a meeting of " eld-
ers and messengers " of " the Congregational churches "
was held at the Savoy in 1658 and drew up the famous
" Savoy Declaration ' ', which was also accepted in New
England and long remained as authoritative as such a
document could be in a denomination which, theoreti-
cally, rejected all authority. From this Declaration
we obtain a clear idea of the Congregationalist notion
of the Church.
The elect are called individually by the Lord, but "those thus called (through the ministry of the word by His Spirit) he commandeth to walk together in par- ticular Societies or Churches, for their mutual edifica- tion and the due performance of that Public Worship which He requireth of them in this world". Each of these particular churches is the Church in the full sense of the term and is not subject to any outside jur- isdiction. The officers of the church, pastors, teach- ers, elders, and deacons, are " chosen by the common suffrage of the church itself, and solemnly set apart by fasting and prayer, with imposition of hands of the eldership of that church, if there be any before consti- tuted therein"; the essence of the call consists in elec- tion by the Church. To preserve harmony, no person ought to be added to the Church without the consent of the Church itself. The Church has power to admon- ish and excommunicate disorderly members, but this power of censure " is to be exercised only towards par- ticular members of each church as such ". "In case of difficulties or differences, either in point of doctrine or administration, wherein either the churches in general are concerned, or anyone church, in their peace, union, and edification, or any member or members of any church are injured in or by any proceeding in censures not agreeable to truth atid order, it is according to the mind of Christ that many churches holding one com- munion together do by their messengers meet in a Synod or Council to consider and give their advice in
or about that matter in difference, to be reported to
all the churches concerned: Howbeit, these Synods so
assembled are not entrusted with any church power
properly so called, or with any jurisdiction over the
churches themselves, to exercise any censures, either
over any churches or persons, or to impose their de-
termination on the churches or officers." If any per-
son, for specified reasons, be dissatisfied with his
church, "he, consulting with the cliurch, or the officer
or officers thereof, may peaceably depart from the
communion of the church wherewith he hath so
walked, to join himself to some other church". Fi-
nally it is stated that " churches gathered and walking
according to the mind of Christ, judging other churches
(though less pure) to be true churches, may receive
unto occasional communion with them such members
of these churches as are credibly testified to be godly
and to live without offense".
Such are the main principles of Congregationalism regarding the constitution of the Church; in doctrine the Congregational teachers were, for the most part, strictly Calvinistic. Independent ascendency came to an abrupt close at the death of Cromwell and the restoration of Charles II. The Presbyterians, who had seated the Stuart on his throne, might hope for his favour; there was slight prospect that he would tol- erate the democratic tenets of Congregationalism. As a matter of fact Charles and his ser\'ile parliament persecuted both forms of dissent. A succession of severe edicts, the Corporation Act, 1661, the Act of Uniformitv, 1662, the Conventicle Act, 1663, renewed, 1670, the Five-Mile Act, 1665, and the Test Act, 1673, made existence almost impossible to Nonconformists of all shades of belief. Yet in spite of persecution, they held out until the eighteenth century brought toleration and finally freedom. It is characteristic of the Puritans that, notwithstanding the sufferings they had undergone they spurned the indulgence offered by James II, because it tolerated popery; in fact, they were more zealous than the lest of the nation in driv- ing James from the throne. The exclusion of Dissent- ers from the British universities created a serious problem for the Congregationalists as well as for the Catholics ; to the sacrifices which these and other de- nominations out of communion with the State Church made for the maintenance of academies and colleges conducted according to their respective principles, England, like .America, owes that great boon so essen- tial to the well-being of civilized nations, freedom of education. During the eighteenth century, while the clergy of the Established Church, educated and main- tained by the State, were notoriously incapable and apathetic, whatever there was of spiritual energy in the nation emanated from the denominational col- leges.
CoNGREGATiONAt, LTnions. — The Congregational churches were at their best while the pressure of per- secution served to cement them; this removed, the absence of organization left them an easy prey to the inroads of rationalism and infidelity. Before the end of the eighteenth century many of them lapsed into Unitarianism, alike in England and America. A new problem was thusforced upon them, viz. how to main- tain the unity of the denomination without con- sciously \'iolating their fundamental doctrine of the entire independence of each particular church. "A Congregational Union of England and Wales ' ', formed in 1833 and revised in 1871, issued a "Declaration of the Faith, Church Order, and Discipline of the Con- gregational or Independent Dissenters", and provided for annual meetings and a president who should hold office for a year. American Congregationalism has always been of a more organic character. While per- sisting in emphasizing the complete intlependence of particular churches, it has made ample provision, at the expense of consistency, for holding the denomina- tion together. No minister is admitted except upon
