136 MINUTE BOOK OF THE WIRKSWORTH CLASSIS. 



On a fly leaf at the beginning of the book is the following 

 record: — 



"The Rev 1 Nathaniel Hubbersty* bought this class book of Wirksworth 

 Church at Mrs. Holland's sale, August 8 th , 1806, and gave it to Charles Hurt, 

 jun r . " 



This is followed by a long extract from Hume's History of 

 England, vol. vii. , p. 261, descriptive of the state of affairs under 

 the Commonwealth. 



On the outside of the cover, in bold black-letter characters, are 

 the words " ®21trftc<3b) Claff/' i.e., Wirksworth Classis. 



Before reproducing the contents of this note book, or making 

 any further analysis of its contents, it will be well to give a brief 

 description of the form of Presbyterian worship as then established 

 in England, for without some knowledge of that description, much 

 that is therein concisely and technically recorded might be un- 

 intelligible. 



On Sunday, July 1st, 1644, there met for the first time, in 

 Henry VII. 's chapel, Westminster Abbey, that body known as 

 " The Westminster Assembly of Divines." This assembly con- 

 sisted of about one hundred and twenty " divines," and thirty 

 laymen, capriciously called together from the different counties of 

 England by the majority of the two Houses of Parliament, in 

 order to form a council for the nation on such subjects pertaining 

 to ecclesiastical affairs as might be submitted to them by the 

 Parliament. The members of this body originally consisted of 

 three sections — Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and Independents. 

 The central section very largely preponderated in numbers, and 

 the Episcopalians were speedily excluded, by being called on to 

 take the solemn league and covenant. The Independents were 

 not only few in numbers, but their representatives were men of 

 little weight or influence, and when their antagonists coalesced 

 with the Scotch, the Westminster Assembly became, to all intents 

 and purposes, a purely Presbyterian organisation. 



* Mr. Hubbersty was at that time curate to the Rev. John Challoner, vicar 

 of Wirksworth. 



