test writings.

A short time after his death, and during the year 1649, his brother
Patrick published in one volume, entitled a "Treatise of Miscellany
Questions," a series of papers, twenty-two in number, on a variety of
important topics, which appeared to be in a condition fit for the press.
Though this is a posthumous production, and consequently without its
author's finishing corrections, it displays the same clearness, precision,
and logical power, which characterise his other works. We are inclined to
conjecture that these Essays, as we would now term them, were written at
different times during the course of several years, and while he was
studying the various topics to which they relate. Several of them are on
subjects which were debated in the Westminster Assembly; and it is very
probable that Gillespie wrote them while maturing his views on these
points preparatory for those discussions in which he so greatly
distinguished himself. This conjecture is strengthened by the curious and
interesting fact, that a paper, which will be found beginning at page 109
of the part now printed for the first time from the MS., is almost
identical, both in argument and language, though somewhat different in
arrangement, with chapter viii. pages 115 to 120, of Aaron's Rod. The
arrangement in the Aaron's Rod is more succinct than in the paper referred
to, but its principles, and very much of the language, are altogether the
same. May not this indicate Gillespie's mode of study and composition? May
he not have been in the habit of concentrating his mind on the leading
topics of the subjects which he was studying, writing out pretty fully and
carefully his thoughts on these topics, and afterwards connecting and
arranging them so as to form one complete work? If so, then we may
conclude that the Miscellany Questions contain such of these masses of
separate thinking as Gillespie found no opportunity of using in any other
manner, and, therefore, consented to their publication in their present
form.

In Wodrow's Analecta it is stated that Gillespie had a manuscript volume
of sermons prepared for the press, which were bought from the printer by
the Sectaries, and probably destroyed. It is also stated, that there were
six octavo volumes of notes written by Gillespie at the Westminster
Assembly then extant, containing an abstract of its deliberations. Of
these manuscript volumes there are two copies in the Wodrow MSS.,
Advocates' Library