ds; but who could venture to give it expression in human
language! All shrunk from the too sacred task in awe-struck reverential
fear. At length it was resolved, as an expression of the Committee's deep
humility, that the youngest member should first make the attempt. He
consented; but begged that the brethren would first unite with him in
prayer for divine enlightenment. Then in slow and solemn accents he thus
began his prayer:--"O God, Thou art a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and
unchangeable, in Thy being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and
truth."--When he ceased, the first sentence of his prayer was immediately
written down and adopted, as the most perfect answer that could be
conceived, as, indeed, in a very sacred sense, God's own answer,
descriptive of Himself.(4) Who, then, was the youngest member of the
Committee? When we compare the birth-dates of the respective members of
the Committee, we find that George Gillespie was the youngest by more than
a dozen years. We may, therefore, safely conclude, that George Gillespie
was the man who was thus guided to frame this marvellous answer.

Without further enlarging on these points, we may, without hazard, affirm,
that however eminent Gillespie was in the department of controversy, he
was scarcely, if at all, less so in that of systematic theology, while his
personal piety was of the most elevated and spiritual character. Rarely,
indeed, have such qualities met in any one man, as were united in him; but
when God requires such a man, he creates, endows and trains him, so as to
meet the necessity.

When the public labours of the Westminster Assembly drew near a close, the
Scottish commissioners returned to their native country. Henderson had
previously found the repose of the grave, Rutherford remained a short time
behind. Baillie and Gillespie appeared at the General Assembly which met
in August, 1647, and laid before that supreme ecclesiastical court the
result of their protracted labours. The Confession of Faith was ratified
by that Assembly. The same Assembly caused to be printed a series of
propositions, or "Theses against Erastianism," as Baillie terms them,
amounting to one hundred and eleven, drawn up by George Gillespie,
embodying eight of them in the act which authorised their publication. The
perusal of these propositions would enable any person of unprejudiced and
intelligent mind to master and refute the whole Erastian theory; and could
not fail,