duration of my existence, "is as nothing before | One day he appears strong in health, and exulting

Thee," with whom a thousand years are but as one day, and one day as a thousand years, who art from everlasting to everlasting, without beginning of days or ending of years, without change and without decay, before whose all-comprehensive mind, time and space, magnitude and distance, past, present and future, are as nothing; how much more so must be the short, the troubled and uncertain existence of man! He comes forth in the helplessness of infancy, is preserved for a short time with tenderness and care, advances into the frivolity of childhood and the giddiness of youth, reaches the period of his manhood, and for some time can hardly allow himself to believe that the He is days of his childhood and youth are gone. thinking of putting away childish things, and forming plans, and pursuing schemes worthy of his riper years, when old age is silently and imperceptibly, but rapidly advancing upon him, and he declines into the vale of years, and sinks into the grave almost before he has had time to think how short his days have been.

of man.

But more fleeting still is frequently the course Often is the tender flower nipped in the bud before its blossoms have expanded. Often when it has begun to give the fair promise of future loveliness, is it speedily laid low, and the hand that cultivated it so tenderly, bereft of its promised reward. Often when in the full and rich blow of beauty, and apparent health and vigour, is it involving in its bloom that worm that consumes it, or the blast is preparing that will shed its honours in the dust, and lay its green head low. Often too is the tree that has struck deep its roots like Lebanon, and spread its numerous branches round it, and bids fair long to defy the tempest, torn from the earth, or rent in sunder by the lightning and the storm. Thus the Psalmist is led to this conclusion, "Verily every man at his best state is altogetner vanity.”—More exactly rendered “every man in his most settled state is altogether vapour.' This seems a favourite image with the sacred "For what is your writers. Thus, St James : life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a Similar to little time, and then vanisheth away." "O remember this are the expressions of Joh. that life is wind," a mere breath of air. As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, so they that go down to the grave shall come up no more. Nothing could be more descriptive of perfect vanity, worthlessness and instability. Nothing is more fleeting or more easily dissipated than a cloud or vapour. You behold it for a moment apparently immoveable, dense and substantial. You look again, and it is dispersed into a thousand fantastic shapes, which are hastening one after another to speedy dissolution. Or you behold it in bright effulgence, radiant in gold, azure and purple. With eager admiration you hasten to point it out to others, but ere you return, its hues are changed, it has shifted its place, and disappeared in airy nothing, or given birth to the storm and tempest. Just so is the best and most enduring state of man.

my

in life and vigour. In another, disease has attacked his constitution, subdued his spirit, and saddened his countenance. The hand of violence, or some one of the thousand contingencies of accident have shattered his frame, and he soon sinks to rise no One day you behold him arrayed more for ever. in power and splendour, exalted to honour and fame, luxuriating in wealth and grandeur, and while the sun of prosperity shines upon him, his heart is uplifted, he boasts of his greatness, and triumphs in its security. He flatters himself that his house shall continue for ever, and his dwellingplace to all generations; but ere another day the clouds of adversity begin to gather, unexpected revolutions occur, and he is precipitated from the heights of power and pride, to the depths of distress, disappointment and shame. One day you behold him far advanced in the road of learning and science, looking back with disdain on those he has outstripped in the course, and ready to receive the laurels of genius, when by some mysterious dispensation, the mental frame, so delicately adjusted, is deranged, and he sinks into the inactive gloom of melancholy and despair, or is torn by the wild and awful agitations of frantic and restless delirium. One day he may repose in the unrestrained confidence, be delighted with the ever affectionate welcome, and cheered with the peaceful content of home, of his family circle flourishing round him. In another, sickness has invaded his dwelling; some one of those dear to him as his own soul, is snatched away by the relentless hand of death, or, more affecting still, is betrayed into the path of the destroyer, and his little circle is saddened with grief and shame.

We conclude, only by saying, let us imitate the conduct of the Psalmist, and when distressed with the trials and sorrows of life, or grieved at the prosperity and insolence of the wicked, reflect how soon all these things must come to a close, and "look up to God, who bringeth light out of darkness, and hope in Him. Let God be acknowledged in all that befals us, and then shall our souls be refreshed with the thought, that even in the deepest affliction we are in the enjoyment of the light of the divine countenance, and have a gracious sense of our Father's love. We ought to remember that we have received less, inconceivably less than our sins have deserved; that they have been many, and highly aggravated; that they have made us liable to the everlasting punishment of God's righteous justice and eternal condemnation. Then may we acknowledge their magnitude, cast ourselves on the mercy of God in Christ, and, for his sake, solicit forgiveness of them, and pray for the Spirit of God to deliver us entirely from their power; earnestly desire to avoid every thing that would be discreditable to religion, or give the adversary any occasion to speak reproachfully; and thus we may the more easily and peacefully resign ourselves into the hand of God, and enjoy" that peace which passeth all understanding, which the world cannot give, and which it cannot take away.”

HISTORY OF THE SHORTER CATECHISM. | them a letter from the Presbyterians in and about LonBY THE REV. DUNCAN MACFARLAN,

Minister of Renfrew.

and of doctrine, may come from the one kirk to the other; which, beside all other reasons, make us to pray to God, and to desire you, and all that love the honour of Christ, and the peace of these kirks and kingdoms, heartily to endeavour, that there might be in both kirks, one Confession, one Directory for public wership, one Catechism, and one Form of Kirk Government." And agreeably to this, we find Henderson suggesting to the same Assembly, only twelve days before the writing of this letter, the propriety of draw

don, in which they complain of the spread of schismatical opinions, and earnestly crave the advice and assistance of the Assembly. In replying to this letter, Is the first number, I submitted a few thoughts on the the Assembly says, among other things, "We have arrangement observable in the Shorter Catechism; learned by long experience, ever since the time of the and it has since occurred, that it might be useful to Reformation, and specially after the two kingdoms have subjoin some account of the origin of this little manbeen in the great goodness of God to both-united ual. But preparatory to this, it may be proper to ob- under one head and monarch, but most of all, of late, serve, that the reformers generally gave great attention which is not unknown to you, what danger and contato this subject. Catechisms were, at a very early pe-gion in matters of kirk government, of divine worship, riod, drawn up and used by all, or nearly all the Reformed Churches of Europe. The earliest which we recollect to have seen mentioned, as used by the Scottish Reformers, had been drawn up by Calvin. But in 1590, we find the General Assembly adopting measures for securing a general and national Catechism." Anent the examination before the communion," say they," it is thought meet for the common profite of the whole people, that ane uniform order be keepit in examination, and that ane schort form of examination be set down, be their breither, Messrs John Craig, Roberting up such a Confession, Catechism, and Directory; Pont, Thomas Buchanan, and Andrew Melvine, to be presented to the next Assembly." In 1591, a form was laid before the Assembly by Mr Craig, but it was remitted, with instructions "to contract in some schorter bounds." The abridged form was accordingly laid before the Assembly of 1592, and approved. | The following directions were also added :-" There-ed highly of the measure, and urged Henderson to unfore, it is thought needful, that every pastor travel with his flock, that they may buy the samen buick, and read it in their families, quhereby they may be the better instructed; and that the samen be read and learnit in lector's (reading) schools, in place of the little Catechism (Calvin's)" This Catechism, or "Form of Examination," which is commonly called Craig's Catechism, consists of twelve heads or chapters, having the following titles:-" Of our miserable bondage through Adam Of our redemption by Christ—Of our participation with Christ-Of the Word-Of our liberty to serve God Of the Sacraments Of Baptism-Of the Supper Of Discipline Of the Magistrate Of the Table in special (meaning the Protestant mode of observing the Supper)-The end of our redemption." Under each of these are a number of questions and answers, amounting in all to ninety-six; and the latter are remarkably short and pertinent, and usually accompanied with at least one Scripture proof.*

When the Solemn League and Covenant was projected, contemplating, as it did, an ecclesiastical union between the three kingdoms, measures were also adopted for preparing a uniform Confession, Directory, and Catechism. And it is important to observe, that the plan afterwards executed by the Westminster Assembly, was first proposed in the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Towards the end of 1640, several Scottish commissioners, of whom Henderson was one, went to London to treat on matters then pending between the King and the Presbyterian party. Henderson returned in the July following, and found the General Assembly holding an adjourned meeting at Edinburgh, and anxiously waiting his arrival. He was immediately elected Moderator, and laid before It is scarcely, creditable to the friends of catechetical instruction, that this interesting and valuable Catechism should be allowed to become so scarce, that comparatively few have ever seen it,

thus leaving scarcely any reason to doubt, that the thing itself was projected by Henderson, and first laid before the General Assembly; but that the Assembly had itself been long favourable to such a measure, and was immediately incited to it by what had taken place in England. The Assembly accordingly approv

ance.

dertake the drawing up of the documents required. And to render this the more easy, they allowed him to refrain from preaching, and to avail himself of assistBut he declined the task, as being too arduous. The subject is repeatedly mentioned in the Assembly's correspondence, during the intervening period; but it does not appear that anything was done before the meeting of the Westminster Assembly in 1643. This Assembly met under the authority of the English Parliament, but chiefly at the instance of the Scottish Church. It was composed of a hundred and twenty-one divines, with thirty lay assessors, and five commissioners from the Church of Scotland, and continued its sittings for upwards of five years.

The matters laid before this Assembly were numer ous and important, and some of them are detailed with great minuteness. It unfortunately happens, however, that our information respecting the drawing up of the Catechisms is meagre and imperfect. The late Dr Belfrage of Falkirk appears to have been at great pains in collecting whatever was accessible on this point. We have made some farther inquiries, but have hither. to found scarcely anything, beyond what he seems to have examined and abridged. The result of his inquiries will be found in an Introduction, prefixed to his "Practical Exposition of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism." And the sum of what we have been able to gather either from his work or original authorities, may be stated in a few words. In 1647, while the Assembly was engaged discussing the different articles of the Confession, committees were appointed to reduce these into the form of two Catechisms; a larger, which was to serve as a text book for pulpit exposition, according to a usage of the churches on the continent, and a smaller, for the instruction of children. It appears, however, that before the Confession had

"But when he came to touch on the patience, the forgiving meekness of our Saviour; when he drew, to the life, his blessed eyes streaming in tears to heaven; his voice breathing to God a soft and gentle prayer of pardon on his enemies, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,'-the voice of the preacher, which had all along faltered, grew fainter and fainter, until, his utterance being entirely obstructed by the force of his feelings, he raised his handkerchief to his eyes, and burst into a loud and irrepressible flood of grief. The effect is inconceivable. The whole house resounded with the mingled groans, and sobs, and shrieks of the congregation. It was some time before the tumult had subsided, so far as to permit him to proceed. Indeed, judging by the usual, but fallacious standard of my own weakness, I began to be very uneasy for the situation of the preacher. For I could not conceive how he would be able to let his audience down from the height to which he had wound them, without impairing the solemnity and dignity of his subject, or perhaps shocking them by the abruptness of the fall. But-no: the descent was as beautiful and sublime as the elevation had been rapid and enthusiastic. The first sentence, with which he broke the awful silence, was a quotation from Rousseau: 'Socrates died like a philosopher; but Jesus Christ, like a God.' I despair of giving you any idea of the effect produced by this short sentence, unless you could perfectly conceive the whole manner of the man, as well as the peculiar crisis in the discourse. Never before did I completely understand what Demosthenes meant by laying such stress on delivery. You are to bring before

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you the venerable figure of the preacher; his blindness, [ earthly friends, we shall find more loving and lovely constantly recalling to your recollection old Homer, companions. We shall be admitted among the innuOssian, and Milton, and associating with his performance merable company of angels, and to the general assemthe melancholy grandeur of their geniuses; you are to bly and church of the first-born, that are written in imagine that you hear his slow, solemn, well-accented heaven. (Heb. xii. 22, 23.) Do we leave the ordienunciation, and his voice of affecting, trembling me- nances of religion, which we have attended with great lody; you are to remember the pitch of passion and delight? leave the Word of God, which has been enthusiasm, to which the congregation were raised; and sweeter to our souls than honey to our mouths ?-We then the few moments of portentous death-like silence shall enter into the Temple, not made with hands, and which reigned throughout the house: the preacher, re-join that happy choir who rest not day nor night, saymoving his white handkerchief from his aged face, ing: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which (even yet wet from the recent torrent of his tears,) and was, and is, and is to come." (Rev. iv. 8.) And if lowly stretching forth the palsied hand which holds it, our Bible is no more, we shall have all that is probegins the sentence, Socrates died like a philosopher' mised, we shall behold all that is described therein. -then pausing, raising his other hand, pressing them If we drop the map of our Heavenly Canaan, it will both, clasped together, with warmth and energy, to his be to take possession of its blissful territories. That breast, lifting his sightless balls' to heaven, and pour-"city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon to ing his whole soul into his tremulous voice but Jesus shine in it; for the glory of God does lighten it, and Christ-like a God!' If he had been in deed and in the Lamb is the Light thereof." (Rev. xvi. 23.) truth an angel of light, the effect could scarcely have Oh! my friend, blessed, for ever blessed be the grace been more divine. Whatever I had been able to con- of our God, and the merits of his Christ! we shall ceive of the sublimity of Massillon or the force of Bour- exchange the scanty stream for the boundless ocean; daloue, had fallen far short of the power which I felt and if we no longer pick the first ripe grapes, we shall from the delivery of this simple sentence. gather the full, the abounding, the never-ending vintage.-HERVEY.

"If this description give you the impression, that this incomparable minister had anything of shallow, theatrical trick in his manner, it does him great injustice. I have never seen, in any other orator, such a union of simplicity and majesty. He has not a gesture, an attitude, or an accent, to which he does not seem forced by the sentiment he is expressing. His mind is too serious, too earnest, too solicitous, and at the same time too dignified, to stoop to artifice. Although as far removed from ostentation as a man can be, yet it is clear, from the train, the style, and substance of his thoughts, that he is not only a very polite scholar, but a man of extensive and profound erudition. I was forcibly struck with a short yet beautiful character, which he drew of your learned and amiable countryman, Sir Robert Boyle: he spoke of him, as if his noble mind had, even before death, divested herself of all influence from his frail tabernacle of flesh;' and called him, in his peculiarly emphatic though certainly extravagant language, a pure intelligence: the link between man and angels.""

CHRISTIAN TREASURY.

Sickness and Death. And are you very weak? Is sickness in the chamber, and death at the door? Come then, and let us sit down, with death and eternity in view; and encourage one another from the word, the precious word of God. What is there frightful in death, which our ever blessed Redeemer has not taken away?-Do the pangs of dissolution alarm us? Should they be sharp, they cannot be very long; and our exalted Lord, with whom are the issues of death, knows what dying agonies mean. He has said, in the multitude of his tender mercies: "Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee; yea, I will upLold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (Isa. xli. 10,) This promise authorises us to say boldly, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff comfort me.' (Psalm xxiii. 4.) Are we afraid to enter into a strange, invisible world? It is the world into which our Divine Master is gone; where he has prepared everlasting mansions (John xiv. 2, Luke xvi. 22.) for his people, and has appointed his angels to conduct us thither. Having such a convoy, what should we dread; and going to our eternal home, where our all-bountiful Redeemer is, why should we be reluctant? Are we concerned, on account of what we leave? We leave the worse, to possess the better. If we leave our

The Condescension of Christ.-Oh! with what veneration, and gratitude, and wonder, should we look on the descent of Him into this lower world, who made all these things, and without whom was not any thing made that was made. What a grandeur does it throw over every step in the redemption of a fallen world, to think of its being done by Him who unrobed him of the glories of so wide a monarchy; and came to this humblest of its provinces, in the disguise of a servant; and took upon him the form of our degraded species; and let himself down to sorrows, and to sufferings, and to death, for us! In this love of an expiring Saviour to those for whom in agony he poured out his soul, there is a height, and a depth, and a length, and a breadth, more than I can comprehend; and let me never never from this moment neglect so great a salvation, or lose my hold of an atonement, made sure by Him who cried, that it was finished, and brought in an everlasting righteousness. It was not the visit of an empty parade that he made to us. It was for the accomplishment of some substantial purpose; and, if that purpose is announced, and stated to consist in his dying, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us unto God, let us never doubt of our acceptance in that way of communication with our Father in heaven, which he hath opened and made known to us. In taking to that way, let us follow his every direction with that humility which a sense of all this wonderful condescension is fitted to inspire. Let us forsake all that he bids us forsake. Let us do all that he bids us do. Let us give ourselves up to his guidance with the docility of children, overpowered by a kindness that we never merited, and a love that is unquelled by all the perverseness and all the ingratitude of our stubborn nature for what shall we render unto him for such mysterious benefits-to him who has thus been mindful of us—to him who thus has deigned to visit us ?-CHALMERS.

God acts as a Refiner.-Although in afflictions, especially in national or public calamities, God oftentimes seems to make no distinction betwixt the objects of his compassion and those of his fury, indiscriminately involving them in the same destiny; yet his prescience and intentions make a vast difference, where his inflictions do not seem to make any as when on the same test, and with the self-same fire, we urge as well the gold, as the blended lead or antimony; but with foreknowing and designing such a disparity in the events, as to consume the ignobler minerals, or blow them off into dross or fumes, and make the gold more pure and full of lustre,-The Hon. ROBERT BOYLE.