to
the cause we own, so till they bring in their own principles and
practices, and ours also, and try them by the law and testimony, the
measuring line of the sanctuary, the Word of God, and the practice of
this Church, when the Lord keeped house with, and rejoiced over her as a
bridegroom over his bride, they can never prove us schismaticks or
separatists from the kirk of Scotland upon the account of our non-union
with the backslidden multitude, ministers and others.

Finally, that we may not be judged by any, as persons of an infallible
spirit, and our actions above the cognisance of the judicatories of
Christ's appointment: we appeal to the first free, faithful and rightly
constitute Assembly in this Church, to whose decision and sentence in
the things, lybelled against us we willingly refer ourselves, and crave
liberty to extend and enlarge this our Protestation, Declinature, and
Appeal as need requires.

JO. MACKMILLAN.
JO. MACKNEIL.

BALMAGHIE MANSE, _Sept. 24th, 1708_.

"THE CHIEFEST AMONG TEN THOUSAND."

AIRD & COGHILL PRINTERS, GLASGOW.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: This Exhortation was prepared by "Reverend Ministers of the
Gospel," who met at Edinburgh, February, 1638, and "sent to every one of
the Lords of Council severally," inviting them to subscribe the
Covenant.]

[Footnote 2: Aberdeen, Crail and St. Andrews were the only burghs in
Scotland that had no Commissioners at the renewing of the National
Covenant in Edinburgh. Henderson was appointed to proceed to St. Andrews
to secure its approval of the movement, and his mission resulted in
complete success. This sermon was preached there about the end of March,
1638.]

[Footnote 3: The author of this "Discourse and Exhortation" and of the
two Sermons that follow, was ordained minister of Pitsligo, and in 1664
was inducted to St. Nicholas' Church, Aberdeen. Part of the inscription
on his tombstone is, "A Boanerges and Barnabas: a Magnet and Adamant."
He was a member of the Assembly at Glasgow, 1638. This Exhortation was
at the renewing of the National Covenant at Inverness, 25th April,
1638.]

[Footnote 4: This sermon was delivered in 1638, immediately after the
Renovation of the National Covenant and Celebration of the Lord's
Supper.]

[Footnote 5: This sermon was preached at a "General Meeting" in
Greyfriars Church, Edinburgh, on 13th June, 1638, after the Renovation
of the Covenant. In Erskine's edition, Black-Fryar is a mi