This MS. terminates with Section IV.--_Ed._]

392 [Mr. George Gillespie, who was the son of Mr. John Gillespie,
Minister of Kirkaldy, was at this time one of the Ministers of
Edinburgh, but he had gone to Kirkaldy for the benefit of his
health. He was one of the Commissioners from the Church of Scotland,
to the Westminster Assembly. In his letters from London, Principal
Baillie, who was also one of the Scottish Commissioners, speaks of
his youthful colleague in terms of high admiration. "Of a truth," he
says, respecting him, in a letter dated March 26, 1644, "there is no
man whose parts in a public dispute I do so admire. He has studied
so accurately all the points ever yet came to our assembly, he has
gotten so ready, so assured, so solid a way of public debating,
that, however there be in the assembly divers very excellent men,
yet in my poor judgment, there is not one who speaks more rationally
and to the point, than that brave youth has done ever." ("Letters
and Journals," vol. l. p. 451. See also, pp. 407, 419, 431.)
Gillespie's "Treatise of Miscellany Questions," which was published
after his death, in 1649, contains a chapter entitled, "Another most
useful Case of Conscience discussed and resolved, concerning
associations and confederacies with idolaters, infidels, heretics,
or any other known enemies of truth and godliness" (pp. 169-193.)
This, it will be observed is, with very little variation, the title
of the Tractate of Binning. It is probable, that they who first
undertook the publication of Binning's MS. were led to adopt this
title from the similarity of the views, as well as the identity of
the subjects of the two authors. When the Commission of the church
met at Perth, in December, 1650, for the purpose of considering the
_query_ of the parliament as to the persons who ought, or ought not,
in present circumstances to be employed, in the defence of the
country,--it was not likely that the published opinions of Gillespie
upon such a subject would be overlooked. But says Baillie, when
giving an account of this meeting, "The question was alleged to be
altered from that which Mr. Gillespie writes of."--"Letters and
Journals," vol. ii. p. 365.--_Ed._]

393 [The name of "M. F. Carmichael" is attached to a warrant, whi