expressed them, nor yet that they were not more in number than I have stated; but I believe that all who were present at the examination which I refer to, would join with me in saying, that the above list of questions forms an outline of the examination; and that all the questions put, were equally fair and scriptural. Questions respecting the different theological systems may have been asked of those who were farther advanced in their course of preparatory study, but of these I can say nothing, as I did not hear them.* I am sorry, Sir, that these remarks have extended to such a length. I could have wished that some one more competent had anticipated me in them; but, crude and defective as they are, I hope you will take the will for the deed, when I declare, that my motive for troubling you with them, was to say, that, so far as my experience extended, I believed, that an useful and salutary measure, and upright worthy men, had been sadly misrepresented by the enemies of the Synodical Overtures.

I remain, Sir,

Yours, &c.
JUVENIS.

*The writer was examined previous to entering the Theological Class. His course of examination was, therefore, less extended than that of candidates for license. But the two examinations differ merely in extent, and are perfectly the same in spirit.-Edit.

WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY OF DIVINES.

THE name of this celebrated Assembly is familiar to all our readers. Owing to the incomparable works it has produced, it is the object of grateful veneration to every Orthodox Presbyterian, whether in Britain or America. Its Confession of Faith, Catechisms, and Directory for worship, have been, perhaps, more generally appreciated, more extensively known, and more widely circulated, than any other human composures since the era of the Reformation. Every thing, therefore, connected with this venerable Assembly, or tending to throw light on its proceed. ings, cannot but be interesting to the Presbyterian public. Under this impression we insert the following graphic sketch, which is comparatively little known, of the outward aspect of this body of divines, the localities of their assembly-house, and their forms of procedure. It is from

the pen of an eye-witness. The writer was one of the commission, consisting of five Ministers and three Elders, who were deputed by the Church of Scotland to sit in the Assembly, for the purpose of promoting a uniformity in doctrine and government, between the two kingdoms, according to the terms of the Solemn League and Covenant. The Assembly commenced its sittings on the first of July, 1643; but the Scottish commissioners did not arrive in London till the month of November following. The writer thus proceeds, in a letter to a friend:

"On Monday morning, (the 20th November,) we sent to both Houses of Parliament for a warrant for our sitting in the Assembly. This was readily granted, and by Mr. Henderson, (one of the Commissioners,) presented to the Prolocutor, who sent out three of their number to convey us to the Assembly here. No mortal man may enter to see or hear, let be to sit, without an order in writing from both Houses of Parliament. When we were brought in, Dr. Twisse had a long harangue for our welcome, after so long and hazardous a voyage by sea and land, in so unseasonable a time of the year. When he had ended, we sat down in these places, which since we have kept.

The like of that Assembly I did never see, and as we hear say, the like was never in England, nor any where is shortly like to be. They did sit in Henry VII.'s chapel, in the place of the convocation; but since the weather grew cold, they did go to Jerusalem chamber, a fair room in the Abbey of Westminster, about the bounds of the College forehall, but wider at the one end nearest the door; and on both sides are stages of seats, as in the new Assembly-House at Edinburgh, but not so high; for there will be room but for five or six score. At the uppermost end, there is a chair set on a frame, a foot from the earth, for the Mr. Prolocutor, Dr. Twisse. Before it, on the ground, stand two chairs for the two Assessors, Dr. Burgess and Mr. Whyte. Before these two chairs, through the length of the room, stands a table, at which sit the two Scribes, Mr. Byefield and Mr. Roborough. The house is all well hung, and has a good fire, which is some dainties at London. In front of the table, upon the Prolocutor's right hand, there are three or four ranks of forms. On the lowest, we five do sit. Upon the other, at our backs, the Members of Parliament deputed to the Assembly. On the forms in front of us, on the Prolocutor's left hand, going from the upper end of the house to the chimney, and at the other end of the house, and backside of the table, till it come about to our seats, are four or five stages of forms, whereupon their divines sit as they please; albeit, commonly, they keep the same place. From the chimney to the door there are no seats, but a void for passage. The Lords of Parliament used to sit on chairs in that void about the fire.

We meet every day of the week except Saturday. We sit commonly from nine to two or three, afternoon. The Prolocutor, at the beginning and end, has a short prayer. The man, as the world knows, is very learned in the questions he has studied, and very good and beloved of all, and highly esteemed, but merely bookish; and, as it seems, not much, acquainted with conceived prayer, and among the unfittest of all the company for any action; so after the prayer, he sits mute. It was the eanny conveyance of those who guide most matters for their own interest

to plant such a man on purpose in the chair. The one Assessor, our good friend Dr. Burgess, a very active and sharp man, supplies, so far as is decent, the Prolocutor's place. The other, our good friend Mr. Whyte, has kept in of the gout since our coming. Ordinarily there will be present about three score of these divines. These are divided into three Committees, in one, whereof, every man is a member. No man is excluded who pleases to come to any of the three. Every Committee, as the Parliament gives order in writing to take any purpose into consideration, takes a portion, and, in their afternoon meeting, prepare matters for the Assembly, set down their minds in distinct propositions, and back these propositions with texts of Scripture.

After the prayer, (each morning in the Assembly,) Mr. Byefield, the Scribe, reads the proposition and Scriptures, whereupon the Assembly debate in a most grave and orderly way. No man is called up to speak, but who stands up of his own accord. He speaks so long as he will without interruption. If two or three stand up at once, then the divines confusedly call on his name whom they desire to hear first. On whom the loudest and maniest voices call, he speaks. No man speaks to any but the Prolocutor. They harangue long and very learnedly. They study the question well beforehand, and prepare their speeches; but, withal, the men are exceedingly prompt and well spoken. I do marvel at the very accurate and extemporal replies that many of them usually make. When, upon every proposition by itself, and on every text of Scripture that is brought to confirm it, every man who will has said his whole mind; and the replies, and duplies, and triplies are heard, then the most part call to the question. Byefield, the Scribe, rises from the table and comes to the Prolocutor's chair, who, from the Scribe's book, reads the proposition, and says, 'as many as are of opinion that the question is well stated in the proposition, let them say Aye;' when the Ayes are heard, he says, 'as many as think otherways, say No.' If the difference of Ayes and Noes be elear, as usually it is, then the question is ordered by the Scribes, and they go on to debate the first Scripture alleged for proof of the proposition. If the sound of aye and no be near equal, then says the prolocutor, 'as many as say Aye, stand up.' While they stand, the Scribe and others number them in their minds: when they are sat down, the Noes are bidden stand, and they likewise are numbered. This way is clear enough, and saves a great deal of time which we spend in reading our catalogue. When a question is once ordered, there is no more of that matter; but if a man will deviate, he is quickly taken up by Mr. Assessor, or many others confusedly crying, 'speak to order.' No man contradicts another expressly by name; but most discreetly speaks to the Prolocutor, and at most holds on the general phrase, The Reverend Brother who lately or last spoke, on this hand, or on that side, above or below.

I thought meet once for all to give you a taste of the outward form of their Assembly. They follow the way of their Parliament; much of it is good and worthy of our imitation." It is shortly after added:

"There is a little Committee, also, which meets in the Assembly-House almost every morning, for the trial of expectants: and when they have heard them preach, and posed them with questions, they give in to the Assembly a certificate of their qualifications; upon which, they are sent to supply vacant churches, but without ordination, till some government be erected in their desolate churches."

Some additional particulars will be given in a future Number.

276

SYNODICAL OVERTURES OF 1828.

WE have noticed, with unfeigned satisfaction, the good opinion universally expressed of these Overtures, by the friends of religion and of the Presbyterian Church. Not merely in this country, but in both England and Scotland, they are hailed as likely means of regenerating the Synod of Ulster. And fully according, as we do, in this sentiment, we shall devote a few pages of our present Number to a brief review of the grand principles recognized by them, accompanying it with an exhortation to all who are concerned in carrying them into effect, to act up to their spirit and design.

1. The first principle recognized by the Overtures is, that it is the duty of the church publicly to confess her sins. We were not a little surprized, when they were first proposed for adoption, to hear as the chief objection, that they contained charges against the Synod, calumnious and injurious. Because they confessed, that serious evils existed in the church, they were termed li-' bellous. This, on the contrary, we regarded as one of their best features. The confession of sin is one of the first symptoms of spiritual life. It has been the first sign of reformation in every revival of the church with which we are acquainted. How deep was the humiliation of Nehemiah before he was appointed to carry the people of Israel from their captivity, and rebuild the city and temple of Jerusalem. "I sat down," says he, "and wept and mourned certain days, and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven, and said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments; let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee; both I and my father's house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandest thy servant Moses." Nehemiah i. 4, 7. See, also, the confessions of Daniel, in Dan. ix. 3-10. It was after his deep humiliation and confession of sin, that

God sent his angel to give him "skill and understanding," and enabled him to deliver those prophecies that have been the guide and consolation of the church, from his time till the present.* In our time, the Synod of Ulster has come before God with similar confessions. She has acknow. ledged her sins as a church-particularly the sins of her ministry. In doing so, she has given the first sign of returning life. And, instead of terming her confessions li. bellous and injurious, we think she has not yet sufficiently humbled herself before her God; and would submit how far it might yet become her, at her next annual meeting, to appoint a day of humiliation and fasting throughout all her churches.

2. The second principle recognized by the Overtures is, that it is the duty of the church to adopt the most vigorous measures for preventing the continuance or recurrence of similar evils; and, particularly, to guard against the entrance of an incompetent and unworthy ministry. The confession of our sins, and the reformation of our conduct, are inseparably united. We call the man a hypocrite, who acknowledges his offences before God, but does not amend his ways. And what should we think of the Synod of Ulster, if it came before God, acknowledging many evils, and yet devised no means to correct them? Particularly, how should we regard it, if it confessed the sins of the ministry, and yet was at no pains to render its future ministry more worthy and efficient? It acknowledges the sin of having occasionally admitted an erroneous and unconverted ministry; and, if it would be consistent with itself, it must adopt means to prevent the introduction of such a ministry in future. The two great requisites, without which it has declared that no man need offer himself for a teacher under its sanction, are the belief of the truth as it is in Jesus, and the conversion of the soul to God. Instead of an erroneous ministry, it has resolved, that, by the blessing of God, its Ministers must be men holding the truth; and, instead of an unconverted ministry, it must consist of men renewed in the spirit of their minds. Can any thing be more simple, more just, or more scriptural? It is with the church as with individuals-it is not enough that it confess its sins, it must forsake them;

* In a future Number, we shall give a few examples of the confessions of the Church of Scotland, at different periods of her history. Bb