The Assembly’s preface (1647)

To the honourable house of COMMONS assembled in Parliament.

THe Assembly at their first sitting received an Order from both the honourable Houses of Parliament, bearing date July 5. 1643, requiring them to take into their consideration the ten first Articles of the 39 Articles of the Church of England, to free and vindicate the Doctrine of them from all aspersions and false interpretations. In obedience whereunto, they forthwith took the said ten first Articles into consideration. Afterward they received another Order for the nine next following; and accordingly took the same into consideration. But being limited by both the said Orders onely to the clearing and vindicating of them; though we found our selves necessitated for that end to make some, yet we made fewer alterations in them and additions to them, then otherwise we should have thought fit to have done, if the whole matter had been left to us without such limitation, conceiving many things yet remaining to be defective, and other expressions also fit to be changed. And herein we proceeded onely to the finishing of fifteen Articles, because it pleased both Houses by an Order bearing date Octob. 12. 1643, to require us to lay aside the remainder, and enter upon the work of Church-Government: And afterward by another Order to employ us in framing a Confession of Faith for the three Kingdoms, according to the Solemn League and Covenant: In which Confession, we have not left out any thing that was in the former Articles material, necessary to be retained. Which having finished, and presented to both Houses, we should have forborn the tendering of these fifteen Articles (both as a Piece several ways imperfect, and the whole as relating onely to the Church of England) but that we were commanded otherwise by an order of the honourable House of Commons bearing date Dec. 7. 1646. According whereunto, we present them as followeth.