merly in like cases; so that all access for
having their loss retrieved from that quarter, was blocked up.

What is thus briefly hinted above, may suffice to afford some cursory
view of the rise and progress of religion and reformation in these
lands, especially in _Scotland_; until, as a church and nation, our
kingdom became the Lord's, by the strictest and most intimate federal
alliance, and the name almost of every city, was, _the Lord is there_:
together with the general state and condition of the church and land,
from the fatal juncture of our woful decline, unto the end of the above
mentioned bloody period; the faithfulness of some, in this time of trial
and temptation: the defection and backsliding course of others; and the
great and avowed wickedness of the rest, extended unto an exhorbitant
hight of savage inhumanity, irreligion and impiety. Upon all which, the
presbytery, in duty to God, the present and succeeding generations find
themselves obliged to testify:

1, Their hearty approbation of the faithfulness of such ministers and
others, who opposed, and faithfully testified against the public
resolutions of church and state, framed in the year 1651, for receiving
into places of power and trust, malignant enemies to the work of
reformation, contrary to the word of God, _Exod._ xviii, 21; _Deut._ i,
13; _2 Chron._ xix, 2; and to all acts of assembly and parliament in the
reforming period; the assembly disclaiming the resolutions, as appears
from their act, _June 17th_, 1646, session 14th, entitled, _Act for
censuring the compilers with the public enemies of this church and
kingdom_: and their seasonable and necessary warning _June 27th_, 1640,
session 27th; where "they judge it a great and scandalous provocation,
and grievous defection from the public cause, to comply with, these
malignants, &c." As also, _Act 11th_, Triennial Parliament of, Charles
I, entitled, _Act for purging the army of disaffected persons to the
Covenant and work of Reformation_. And the faithful warnings, given by
general assemblies and parliament, even against the admission of Charles
II to the regal dignity, when so evidently discovering his disingenuity,
until once he should give more satisfying proof of hid sincerity; see
act of the commission at the _West Kirk, August_ 13th, 1650, where the
commission of the general assembly, considering, that there may be just
ground of stumbling, from the king's majesty's refusing to emit the
dec