ordered that a Latin letter be addressed by the Assembly to the reformed churches abroad; — the letter was signed on 19-29 January 1644, one copy being addressed to the pastors and elders of the church of Paris.
(Page 16). On the 13th March, Mr De la March reported, that the letter to Paris had been handed unopened to the Deputy-General of the Protestant Churches of France, and could not be opened because of the royal prohibition of correspondence with England relative to existent disputes. By order of Parliament, therefore, the letter was printed.
NOTE.
Mr Grosart, in his interesting memoir of Herbert Palmer, B.D., calls attention to the fact that that loveable and able divine drafted the Westminster Assembly’s Letter. As to Palmer, Samuel Clark says, that he was born at Wingham, about six miles from Canterbury, in 1601; “he learned the French tongue almost as soon as he could speak English; even so soon, as that he hath often affirmed he did not remember his learning of it. And he did afterwards attain so great exactness of speaking and preaching in that language, together with a perfect knowledge of the state of affairs of that kingdom (especially of the Protestant Churches amongst them) that he was often by strangers thought to be a native Frenchman, and did not doubt but to entertain discourse with any person of that nation for some hours together, who should not be able by his discourse to distinguish him from a native Frenchman, but judge him to be born and bred in France; so well was he furnished with an exact knowledge, both of the propriety and due pronunciation of that language, and of the persons, places, and affairs of that kingdom and the churches therein; a thing not often seen in one who had never been out of England.” Before his death in 1647 he testified the affections of his heart by praying aloud for himself and others; one of the petitions was, “Lord! do good to Scotland and the churches of France; bless New England and foreign plantations.”
Principal Baillie in one of his famous “Letters” (vol. ii. p. 111) writes, “The Parliament became the other day sensible of their too long neglect of writing to the churches abroad of their condition; so it was the matter of our great committee to draw up letters in the name of the Assembly for the Protestant Churches. The drawing of them was committed to Mr Palmer, who yet is upon them” (7th December 1643). The inscriptions were many, but it was one and the same letter that was transcribed and sent to the various churches. There was no continuous exchange of correspondence; so Baillie has occasion to say, when a correspondent desired that a favourable letter sent in return from the “Zeland” church should be answered by the [Westminster] Assembly; “as for returning an answer, they have no power to write one line to any soul but as the Parliament directs; neither may they importune the Parliament for warrants to keep foreign correspondence. With what art and diligence that general one to all the churches was gotten, I know. You know this is no proper Assembly, but a meeting called by the Parliament to advise them in what things they are asked.”
Baillie hoped that some of the Huguenot Divines would help them by private letters. He said in 1644 (Letters, vol. ii.,p. 180); “There is a golden occasion in hand, if improved, to get England conform in worship and government to the rest of the reformed. If nothing dare be written in public by any of the French, see if they will write their mind for our encouragement, to any private friend here or in Holland.” He was rather out of humour with the Parisian Divines:— However (he writes) the French Divines dare not keep public correspondence, and I hear that the chief of them are so much courtiers that they will not [say] the half they dare and might; policy and prudence so far keeps down their charity and zeal, &c., &c.” (Letters, vol. ii., p. 170). However, in the end of 1644 he was better pleased (see his vol. ii., p. 253) and writes, “It were good that our friends at Paris were made to understand our hearty and very kind resentment of their demonstration of zeal and affection towards the common cause of all the reformed churches now in our poor weak hands.”
