Gen. xiii. 8; Psal. cxxxiii. throughout; Zech. viii. 19; I Cor. i. 10; Eph. iv. 3; Phil. i. 27, ii. 2; Heb. xxi. 14; Jer. ix. 3; Ezek. xxii. 25; Hag. i. 2; Phil. ii. 21; II Tim. iv. 10; Rev. iii. 15.

But, alas! it is long since our fathers had reason to complain and confess, “That many in their day through persuasion or terror, suffered themselves to be divided and withdrawn to make defection to the contrary part.  Many had turned off to a detestable indifferency and neutrality in this cause, which so much concerneth the glory of God, and the good of these kingdoms.  Nay, many had made it their study to walk so, as they might comply with all times, and all the revolutions thereof.  That it was not their care to countenance, encourage, entrust, and employ, such only as from their hearts did affect and mind God’s work; but the hearts of such, many times had been discouraged, and their hands weakened, their sufferings neglected, and themselves slighted, and many who had been once open enemies, and always secret underminers, countenanced and employed.  Nay, even those who had been looked upon as incendiaries, and upon whom the Lord had set marks of desperate malignancy, falsehood and deceit, were brought in as fit to manage public affairs.”

All which sins and breaches of covenant have now increased to a great height of heinousness; for, in our day, these incendiaries, desperate and engrained malignants have only been employed in, and admitted to the management of the affairs of the kingdom, and none but they accounted habile by law; and such divisions from the Covenanted-conjunction, and defections to the contrary part have been, and are enacted and established by law; yea, all the unhappy divisions that have been from the public resolutions, and downward, have been the woful consequents and effects of defections to the contrary part.  At the first erection of Prelacy, many, both ministers and professors, partly by terror, partly by persuasions, did withdraw from this covenanted conjunction, and make defection unto Prelacy, with which they combined, conforming with, and submitting to the ministry of the conforming curates; and afterward, by the terror of the fear of men, and the persuasions of their counsel and example, many of the land were seduced into a combination with malignants, in taking oaths and bonds contrary to the covenant, thereby dividing themselves from the recusants, and making defection to the party imposing them, and opposing the covenants.  By combination of those that preferred peace to truth, and ease to duty—­by the terror of threatened continuance of persecution, and the persuasion of a promised relaxation and immunity from troubles; many ministers have been divided from the testimony of the Church of Scotland, against the enroaching supremacy and absolute power, and one from another, and have made defection to that part and party that were advancing these encroachments and usurpations on the prerogatives