PRINTED BY JOHN & PETER WILSON. FOR J. DUNCAN & SON, J. & M. ROBERTSON, AND A. MAC M,DCC,XCII. TH PREFACE. HIS fecond part of the Affembly's Shorter Catechifm explained, through various impediments, was not publifhed, till about feven years after the first; which is the reafon, why there is an edition more of the firft, than of the fecond part. IN the Preface to the first part of this work, fubfcribed by the Reverend Mr. EBENEZER ERSKINE and ME, the ufefulness of found ftandards of public authority, together with the divine warrant for fuch compofures, is briefly fet forth; as likewife a fhort account of the method, which the Westminster Affembly moft judicially obferve, in this compendious, and almoft incomparable fyftem of divinity, THE SHORTER CATECHISM. BOTH these eminent lights, the Rev. Meff. EBENEZER and RALPH ERSKINE, who affifted in compofing and revifing the first part of this Catechifm, are fome years ago, removed to the upper fanctuary by death; the first foon after *, and * The Reverend Mr. EBENEZER ERSKINE, minister of the gospel, firft at Portmoak, and then at Stirling, died June 28, 1754, in the 74th year of his age; and fifty-first of his miniftry,--There were what amounted to four Octavo volumes of excellent fermons, published in his own life time, and a fifth after his death. the fecond, a little before the publishing of it: So that the charge of this /econd part was, by a renewed recommendation of my brethren, laid upon me. They, indeed, promifed to afford me materials, which fome of them did; and I made all the use of them I could. THIS performance, fuch as it is, was never judicially read and approved by any of our judicatories, (though feveral of my brethren had opportunity to perufe the most part of it, before the whole was caft off;) therefore, any imperfections or weakneffes that may be found therein, are not to be imputed to the body of minifters, with whom I am, in providence, connected but to myself only. As to mistakes in divinity, I dare not fay there are none; but, if there are, I may be confident to affirm, there were none defigned. In this edition, there are feveral quef The REVEREND Mr. RALPH ERSKINE, minifter of the gospel at Dunfermline, died Nov. 6th, 1752. in the 68th year of his age, and forty-fecond of his ministry in that place. He published several polemical treatises on various fubjects; but his practical works, both in profe and verse, were first collected into two large Folio volumes, and ele gantly printed: They are now reprinted in ten handsome volumes Octavo, with fundry additional fermons and dif courses, not in the folio volumes To which is perfixed, An account of the Author's life and writings; with an elegiac Poem on his death, not in the follo edition, tions added which were not in the former; particularly, on the ceremonial law, which was the typical gospel of the Jews; and others are altered and corrected, in "the plaineft way I could devife. THE words of the Shorter Catechism, from which the explicatory questions are formed, are inclofed within crotchets, [as is done in the first part,] to diftinguifh them from quotations out of the Confeffion and Larger Catechifm, whereof there are feverals, in both parts of this treatife And the fcripture proofs are now ranged in fuch an order, as the reader may fee at first view, the branch of the anfwer, each of them is defigned to confirm. IT has been acknowledged in all ages, that the catechetical way of inftructing, is the moft fpeedy and fuccefsful method of conveying the knowledge of divine things; becaufe thereby the truths of God are brought level to the weakest capacity, being feparately propofed, one after another, with plain and diftinct answers to each. If people then would be at the pains carefully to perufe, particularly on Sabbath evenings, the helps that have been offered for understanding their Catechifm, they fhould foon have the experience of attaining fome tolerable infight into the leading |