This is the book that John Owen credited with convincing him that Congregational church government is the biblical way. Written by the great theologian John Cotton in Massachusetts, who famously declined an invitation to participate in the Westminster Assembly saying, "why should I travel 3000 miles to agree with four men?", the manuscript was sent by ship and printed in London in 1644 by Thomas Goodwin and Philip Nye during the venerable assembly. Their lengthy forward is included in this edition, as is also a new introduction by Riley Fraas.