Westminster Standards

The Westminster Standards is a collective name for the documents drawn up by the Westminster Assembly (1643–1649). These include the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the Westminster Larger Catechism, the Directory of Public Worship, and the Form of Church Government,[1] and represent the doctrine and church polity of 17th century English and Scottish Presbyterianism. The Westminster Confession of Faith and Larger and Shorter Catechism have been adopted as doctrinal standards by a number of Reformed and Presbyterian Christian denominations, but not the Church of Scotland nor those derived directly from it.[2][3][4]

Title page of a 1658 edition of the Standards published in England. It includes the Scripture references "at large" meaning they are fully written out.

Following the approval of the Confession and catechisms by the Church of Scotland in 1648, printers in England and Scotland began publishing them with other religious documents in collections referred to as the Westminster Standards. In 1658 printers began including the full Scripture passages which are cited in the confessional documents. These collections became standardized in a 1728 edition, which follows a 1679 work published by Covenanters exiled in Holland and contains twenty-two documents including parliamentary acts related to the Assembly and devotional works. These collections were intended to serve as ecclesiastical manuals as well as comprehensive popular religious books. The 1728 form of the Standards continues to be printed by the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland.[5]

In the nineteenth century, several churches separated from the Church of Scotland on the basis of the established church's departure from a list of documents similar to those found in standard collections of the Westminster Standards. Dissenters asserted that the General Assembly had adopted these documents, but the only Westminster document legislated for the Church of Scotland after its reconstitution in 1690 was the Confession.[4]

References

Thomson 1993
Orthodox Presbyterian Church 2012
North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council 1996, Basis of the Council
Spear, Wayne R. (2013) [1976]. Covenanted uniformity in religion: the influence of the Scottish commissioners on the ecclesiology of the Westminster Assembly. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Reformation Heritage Books. pp. 196–198. ISBN 978-1-60178-244-1.
Coldwell, Chris (2005). "The Traditional Form of the Westminster Standards" (PDF). Confessional Presbyterian. 1.

Sources

North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (1996), Constitution & Bylaws of the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council, retrieved 28 November 2012
Orthodox Presbyterian Church (2012), Confession and Catechisms, retrieved 28 November 2012
Thomson, Derick (1993), "Westminster Standards", in Wright, David; Laehman, David; Meek, Donald (eds.), The Dictionary of Scottish Church History & Theology, InterVarsity Press, pp. 862–865, ISBN 978-0-8308-1407-7, retrieved 28 November 2012

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[1] Thomson 1993

[2] Orthodox Presbyterian Church 2012

[3] North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council 1996, Basis of the Council

[978-1-60178-244-1_p196-198-4] Spear, Wayne R. (2013) [1976]. Covenanted uniformity in religion: the influence of the Scottish commissioners on the ecclesiology of the Westminster Assembly. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Reformation Heritage Books. pp. 196–198. ISBN 978-1-60178-244-1.

[5] Coldwell, Chris (2005). "The Traditional Form of the Westminster Standards" (PDF). Confessional Presbyterian. 1.

The Westminster Assembly
Documents	Westminster Confession of Faith Westminster Larger Catechism Westminster Shorter Catechism Directory for Public Worship Form of Presbyterial Church Government
People	John Arrowsmith Simeon Ashe Robert Baillie Thomas Baylie Robert Blair Samuel Bolton John Bond William Bridge Ralph Brownrigg Anthony Burges Cornelius Burges Jeremiah Burroughs Adoniram Byfield Richard Byfield Edmund Calamy Archibald Campbell John Campbell Richard Capel Joseph Caryl Thomas Case Daniel Cawdry William Cecil Francis Cheynell John Clotworthy Thomas Coleman John Conant Edward Conway John Cook Edward Corbet Robert Crosse Robert Devereux Robert Douglas Calybute Downing John Dury John Earle John Elphinstone Daniel Featley Basil Feilding Nathaniel Fiennes William Fiennes Thomas Ford Thomas Gataker George Gillespie John Glynne Thomas Goodwin William Gouge William Greenhill William Grey John Hacket Matthew Hale Henry Hammond Robert Harley John Harris Robert Harris Arthur Haselrig Alexander Henderson Philip Herbert Charles Herle Thomas Hill Richard Holdsworth Edward Howard Joshua Hoyle Archibald Johnston John Ley John Lightfoot Richard Love William Lyford John Maitland Stephen Marshall John Maynard William Mew Edward Montagu George Morley Matthew Newcomen William Nicholson Philip Nye Herbert Palmer Algernon Percy Andrew Perne William Pierrepont John Pym Edward Reynolds Robert Reynolds Henry Rich Francis Rous Benjamin Rudyerd Samuel Rutherford Robert Sanderson Henry Scudder Lazarus Seaman Obadiah Sedgwick John Selden Josias Shute Sidrach Simpson William Spurstowe Edmund Staunton Peter Sterry Oliver St John (1580–1646) Oliver St John (1598–1673) William Strode William Strong Zouch Tate Henry Tozer Anthony Tuckney William Twisse Henry Vane the Elder Henry Vane the Younger Richard Vines George Walker Samuel Ward Thomas Westfield Philip Wharton Jeremiah Whitaker John White Bulstrode Whitelocke John Wilde Henry Wilkinson Walter Yonge Thomas Young
Westminster Abbey Jerusalem Chamber

Westminster Standards

See also

References

Sources