shed away by repentance, and
calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus. That they would purge out from
among them, all ignorant, insufficient, heterodox, and notoriously
scandalous ministers, such as, by information, accusation, or otherways,
were guilty of the blood of the saints, &c. But these proposals were
reckoned unseasonable and impracticable, tending rather to kindle
contention, than compose division, and so were thrown over their bar.
The generality of these men were so plunged and puddled in the ditch of
defection and apostasy, that they could not think of the drudgery of
cleansing themselves in God's way, by a particular and public confession
of, and humiliation for their own and the land's public sins, but chose
rather to sit down filthy and polluted as they were, and presume, in the
midst of their abominations unrepented of, to approach God's holy
things, which, how provoking to heaven, let God in his word be judge,
_Isa._ lii, 11; _Hag._ ii, 13, 14; 2 _Chr._ xxx, 3; _Ezek._ xliv, 10.
Nay, it is but too, too evident, that for this cause, God then laid them
under that awful sentence, _Rev._ xxii, 11: "Him that is filthy, let him
be filthy still;" or that, _Isa._ xxii, 14. For as their hearts were
then hardened against God's call by his word and providence to that
important and most necessary duty; so, ever since, they, have been so
much the more so, and have gone on from evil to worse.

But to return to our purpose: the two brethren, Messrs. _Linning_ and
_Boyd_, upon the rejection of the above said paper of proposals,
intending to unite with them at any rate, gave in another, importing
their submission to the assembly; which paper, Mr. _Shields_ also,
through their influences, insinuations, and persuasions, was drawn in to
subscribe and adhere to; which he had never done, had he not fallen by
the means of these false brethren, and which, it is said, he sadly
repented afterward. Thus, the poor people were again left destitute of
ministers, and public gospel ordinances, until the Rev. Mr. _John,
McMillan_ acceded to them, from the public judicatories of the
revolution church, in the year 1706. And their kind friend, Mr.
_Linning_, to make amends for all his misdemeanors, and in return for
the charges the societies were at about his education, at home and
abroad, did them that good office, to write, and load them with
calumnies and slanders, to the universities in the _Netherlands_,
whither they had recourse for