and affections to thofe things which belong to their neighbours.

Moreover, we bewail and testify against all the forefaid fins, evils and defections of the land, as being highly aggravated in the fight of God, being committed against clear light, the Spirit's ftrivings, manifold warnings, alluring mercies, folemn covenants, and wonderful deliverances; against great pains taken by God upon the land to reclaim and reform them, fuch as reproofs, challenges, exhortations, expoftulations, invitations, promifes, threatnings and leffer judgments. And, thefe our fins and defections have been long continued in, until very many are become fecure, fenfelefs and hardened in them, nay, even bold and impudent, fo far as to avow and justify them, to despise admonitions, and mock at reproofs. Likewife they are turned very univerfal: all ranks and degrees of perfons are involved in the guilt of them, rich and poor, great and fmall, nobility, gentry, magiftrates, minifters, commons, &c. Alas! our nobility and perfons of diftinction, who once appeared with zeal for God's truths, and for advancing reformation, are fadly degenerated, and generally corrupted, either with erroneous principles, or vicious practices. Our commons, many of them are deftroy. ed with ignorance, profanity, or earthly-mindedness. Our profeffors of religion, alas! carnality and formality prevail among them, and lively piety is like to dwindle away. Oh how defperate doth our cafe appear when under fuch terrible aggravations of guilt! How ripe do we feem to be for defolating strokes, and fweeping judgments! What caufe have we to look out for them every day, and to fear and tremble before a holy, juft, and provoked God! acording to these awful texts of Scripture, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 15. 16. Ifa. xxii, 12. &c. Jer. vi. 15. viii. 12. xi. 10. II. xxii. 7, 8, 9. Amos viii. 2, 3. &c. Micah iii. 11, 12. Hof. xiii. 5, 6, 7. which is very applicable to our cafe.

But is there no hope in Ifrael concering this thing? "Is there not balm in Gilead ?" "Is there nota Phyfician there?" Is there not virtue in Chrift's blood for the moft defperate cafes that churches can be in? Oh if

minifters

minifters and people were applying to him by faith, there would be hope. Should we not then plead with our mother to confider her defections from God, and to be deeply humbled and mourn for them, and to turn from them to the Lord by true repentance and refor mation, and to pray and plead his promifes of mercy through Jefus Chrift, fuch as that in Jer. iii. 22. " Return, ye backfliding children, and I will heal your backflidings?" We have very lately had a furprising evi. dence of the Lord's willingness to return and heal us; what a wonderful ftep has he made towards it, by pour ing out his Spirit upon feveral congregations of the land! O what encouragement doth this give the whole land to apply to him for mercy, and to fet abour reformation! particularly to our General Assemblies and all inferior judicatories, to go out and meet a merciful returning God, who has no delight in our ruin, and that in the way of faith, humiliation and prayer; effaying fincerely to do all in their power to remove the grounds of the Lord's controverfy, redrefs grievances, amend what is wrong, and take every ftumbling block out of the way of ferious well-meaning people, which is improven as an occafion of our lamentable divifions. For thefe ends, let us humbly plead with our Mother.

I. In as much as the church is and ought to be the pillar and ground of the truth, aud her judicatories are bound to affert, maintain and defend every one of God's truths when attacked by adverfaries, to tranfmit them in their purity to pofterity, and to give their testimony and approbation to them, for upholding them against thofe teachers who would overturn them; and seeing all the members of the judicatories in this church have fubfcribed our Confeflion of Faith, and profefs to adhere to the truths therein, we humbly plead that they may fhew more concern for the support of these truths than has been done of late years. It is to be regretted, that not only the Epifcopal clergy, but several ministers of this church, have taught and vented errors, and recommended erroneous books; and fome of them have been arraigned before the General Affembly, as Profef for Simfon, Profeffor Campbell and Dr Wifhart; and

though

.though we are far from thinking that this church hath adopted or homologated any of their errors, yet many well-wishers of the church are of opinion they were not fufficiently animadverted upon, but too easily difmiffed, which may give encouragements to others to spread erAnd therefore we beg leave to plead, that the General Affembly would in the most proper manner teftify their abhorrence of these errors whereof the forefaid perfons were accused, and thefe Popish errors which the Episcopal clergy are introducing, and other errors which are propagated through the island; and give warnning to all the minifters and members of this church to guard against them, and study to prevent the infection of them: aud particularly thefe errors which strike against the doctrine of the glorious Trinity, and the onenefs of the Godhead; or against the fupreme Deity of our bleffed Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift; or against the doctrines of free grace, in our juftification and falvation; and of the glory of God being the chief spring and motive of virtue and religion. And also, that the Affembly would declare, that it is not fufficient to affoilzie any man proceffed for error, that he profess his adherence to our Confeffion of Faith, or explain his words into a fenfe confiftent with it; but that he exprefsly renounce those errors which are charged upon him from his words, according to the plain and obvious fenfe of them.

II. We would also plead, that though the precious doctrines of the fupremacy and headship of our Lord Jefus Chrift over his church, and the church's intrinfic power derived from him, are well affected in our Confeffion of Faith, Larger Catechifm, Form of Churchgovernment approven by Affembly 1645, Form of Procefs 1707, and other public deeds of this church, agreeably to the holy Scriptures; yet, in regard fome things have been done both of old and of late which appear not fo agreeable to these excellent principles, that the Affembly would declare their detestation of every thing, whether in fentiment or practice, that is inconfiftent with Chrift's Head (hip, and the church's intrinfic pow. er, afferted in our Confeflion of Faith, particularly chap.

"The Lord Jefus

XXX. "Sect. 1, 2. in these words; Chrift, as King and Head of his church, hath therein appointed a government in the hand of church officers, diftinct from the civil magiftrate. To thefe officers the keys of the kingdom of heaven are committed," &c.

III. We must likewife plead with our Mother, to cleave closely to our reformation principles, and carry always towards the grievance of patronage as a finful ufurpation upon the church of God, as the church hath frequently declared both of old and of late. And although we know there have been laudable endeavours. used by this church to be freed from this ufurpation, fuch as the commiffion's address in the year 1712, ap proved by the next Affembly; the memorial of Affembly 1715; the commiffion's fending minifters to London in 1717 to seek relief from it; and alfo the commiffion 1734, and again the Affembly 1735, fending commiffioners with addreffes for repealing the patronage-act and when all these endeavours proved unfuc cessful, the Affembly 1736 did, by their folemn and deliberate resolution, printed to the world, give it as their judgment that it was still mot just and fit, upon the firft favourable occafion, to apply for redress of this grievance; and did record their weighty grounds and reafons for it and also the said Affembly 1736, act 14. did affert our principles against intrufions, and homolo gate our standards and former good acts of Affembly relative thereto : Yet we cannot but lament, that, notwithstanding all these deeds, there are many minifters and preachers who ftill encourage and ftrengthen the ufurpation of patronage, and chufe fettlements by prefentations rather than by gospel calls, for which the law ftili leaves an open door. And the judicatories connivé at this their unaccountable practice, and even obtrude severals of them upon reluctant congregations, capable and willing to make a right choice for themfelves; which has occafioned a difmal scattering of the flock of Chrift, and miferable animofities, diforders, and distractions in many places of the land, to the great hindrance of the gospel. For remedying whereof, it is humbly propofed, 1. That the General Affembly would

declare,

declare, that Prefbyteries having free access to moderate in calls to vacant parishes, and congregations having freedom to chuse their ministers, is a part of the difcipline and government of this church, which by the Formula 1711 all minifters and preachers are bound to fupport and maintain, and to do nothing directly or indirectly to the prejudice thereof, as it is there worded. 2. That the Affembly would difcharge all minifters and preachers to take measures to obtrude themfelves or others upon congregations against their will, by presentations or any other way; and to declare if any, by his accepting of or adhering to a prefentation, fhall stand in the way of a Prefbytery's free moderation, or a parish's free election, he fhall be looked upon as a deferter of the principles of this church, and treated as guilty of contraveening his folemn engagements by the faid Formula and otherwife. 3. That the Affembly would inforce the 14th act of Affembly 1736 against intrufions, and take care in all fettlements, and in all acts which may be framed concerning them, to maintain our principles, and the juft rights of Chriftian congregations; and expressly discharge all inferior judicatories to plant any parish contrary to the mind of the eldership and Chriftian people, with certification; feeing there is no ground to expect that the great ends of a gofpel-miniftry can be obtained in fuch forced fettlements. 4. That the Affembly would enjoin all judicatories and minifters to have a due regard to all the members of Chrift's flock, and to all ferious praying Chriftians, and not to defpife thofe of them who are poor and mean in the world, but to esteem and put honour upon them, and seek an interest in their prayers, and have a regard to their inclinations in planting parishes and in all decifions about fettlements and cafes wherein the glory of God and good of fouls are highly concerned, to guard againft the fear of man, which brings a fnare. And to beware of all fuch lax managements, or untender fteps, as may drive good men from judicatories or the communion of the church

the Affembly take care that all concerned in calling of minifters have freedom to act, without any compulfion

or