The Larger and the Shorter Catechisms prepared, 1647, by the Westminster Assembly, a synod of Calvinistic divines, London, 1645-1652, which vainly tried to unite the churches of Great Britain on a Calvinistic basis. Both were approved by Parliament and by the Scottish Kirk, 1648. The Shorter, for public use, is extensively used by Protestants. The Larger, for ministers, is little used. Both contain an exposition of the Ten Commandments and of the Lord's Prayer. The Apostles' Creed is appended, also a statement of Calvinistic doctrine.