In the previous post, I mentioned that those in parliament loyal to the king were referred to as Cavaliers, and those opposed to the king, which were comprised of Puritans, were called Roundheads.  The king during this time was Charles I (1641-49).  He angered not only the Puritans in England but also the Presbyterians in Scotland when he attempted to force the populations of both countries to use the English worship book.  To the Puritans, this was equal to forcing them to become Roman Catholic.  This resulted in a civil war in England. (1)

The Roundheads in Parliament were losing the civil war, so they begged the Scots to assist them with military aid.   The Scots agreed on the condition they be allowed to participate in the assembly at Westminster.  Westminster Palace is where the houses of Parliament meet.  One of the representatives Scotland sent to the West Minster Assembly was a gentleman name Samuel Rutherford.  King Charles had employed a writer named John Maxwell to write a book endorsing the “Divine Right of Kings” theory, also explained in the previous post.  While at Westminster, Rutherford wrote a book refuting Maxwell’s book.  Rutherford’s book was titled REX LEX which translates into “The Law Is King.”  REX LEX reiterates the resistance theories of Calvin.  It also argues that the king is subject to the law of nature equally with the common people.   In other words,  the king is not above the law.  It also stated that if the king deprives his subjects of their God given rights, he can be deposed. (2)  REX LEX laid the groundwork for the “rule of law” which would become an important component of America’s government.  Americans would establish a country that believed the rule of law applied to everyone.

Together, the Puritans and the Scottish Presbyterians at the Westminster Assembly co-authored a document titled the Westminster Confession.  The Westminster Confession was a clarification of the principles of the Protestant Reformation.  It reaffirmed the theory of “liberty of conscience,” which enforces the right of every individual to  believe and practice their faith according to their own conscience.  This document refered to Martin Luther’s and John Calvin’s theories in much the same way as REX LEX.  The Westminster Confession would influence James Madison a hundred years later during his education at Princeton.  James Madison is considered the Father of our Constitution and the First Amendment. (3)

The Westminster Confession not only dealt with the political side of life but the spiritual as well.  The spiritual aspect of the Confession was divided up into the shorter catechism and the larger catechism.  The shorter catechism alone was over ten pages long.  Years later the entire catechism would become an important part of colonial education at the elementary level as well as the university level.   Its memorization was required for admission into Harvard, Princeton, and Yale.  The catechism included the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Apostle’s Creed.  The Founding Fathers,  graduates of these Universities, studied the Westminster Confession. (4)  Matters have certainly changed.  I think it can be safely said our present day government has “slightly” twisted the intent of our Founding Fathers when it comes to the role religion was to play in the affairs of government.  The founders weren’t interested in keeping religion from influencing government.   They simply wanted to prevent government from dictating what a person believes.  At the time, the major religions were all Christian.  The conflict was between the different Christian denominations.  They did not want a state endorsed denomination interfering in their religious beliefs and doctrine or their method of worship.

There are many others who influenced the thinking of our Founding Fathers, such as John Locke.  His father was good friends with Samuel Rutherford, and Rutherford played a great influence in Locke’s writings.  He wrote the “Two Treatises of Government”,  in which he declared that men are by nature free and equal.  He also authored the Carolina Constitution.  This constitution afforded religious freedom to all groups, Christian and nonchristian. (5)  His writings would also influence the founders.

In the next post we will examine the groups that decided to migrate to America and what caused them to come to such a radical decision.

Interesting tidbits:  Westminster is considered a city located in the center of London, along the Thames River.  West Minster Palace is where Parliament meets.  Also included in Westminster are Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, and Westminster Cathedral. Westminster Palace and Westminster Abbey are impressive gothic structures that take a person back to the medieval period. (6)  Westminster is definitely high on tourists’ list of places to see.

(1)  Amos and Gardner, NEVER BEFORE IN HISTORY, Haughton, p. 12, 1998.

(2  Ibid, pp. 22,23.

(3) Ibid, pp. 23,24.

(4) Ibid, pp., 24,25.

(5) Ibid, pp., 28,29.

(6) Wikepedia