h fidelity to Christ, as a King, for his
professed subjects to pray for it. What a fearful trifling with God in
the duty of prayer, is it to pray that the Lord may bring down Popery
and Prelacy; and next breath to pray that the Lord may continue,
prosper, and preserve the Erastian head, and great bulwark of Prelacy?

4. Again, the Presbytery testify against the Associate party for their
treachery in covenant. This is a sin that is in scripture, and even by
the common voice of mankind, declared very heinous; but which, by what
is already discovered anent said party, appears too, too justly
chargeable upon them. It is notorious, and what themselves boast much
of, that they professedly maintain the moral and perpetual obligation of
the covenants, both the National Covenant of _Scotland_, and the Solemn
League and Covenant of _Scotland, England_, and _Ireland_, entered into
for reformation and defense of religion, and bringing the churches of
God in the three kingdoms to the nearest conjunction and uniformity in
religion, according to the word of God. They also do in the most public
manner profess, that they are the only true faithful witnesses for a
covenanted reformation. But the consistency of such a profession with
maintaining principles that are diametrically opposite to these
covenants, and the cause of truth, sworn to in them (as has been made
evident they do) is altogether unintelligible. Is it possible
strenuously to maintain the lawfulness of a prelatical government
abjured in the covenants, and yet at the same time sincerely and
honestly, according to the profession made by the church, _Psal._ xliv,
17, 18, to contend for the moral obligation of the covenants, and the
work of reformation sworn to in them? But further, the necessity of
lifting up a testimony against _Seceders_ for their treachery and
unfaithfulness in the matter of the covenants, will appear by
considering that they, after making a very solemn profession of renewing
the National Covenant of _Scotland_, and the Solemn League and Covenant
of the three lands, in place of practicing accordingly, have, in
reality, made a new and very different bond or covenant, both in form
and substance, which they have not only sworn themselves, but also
imposed upon many honest people: and this as a renewing, nay, as the
only right way of renewing said covenants according to the
circumstances, of the times. That this bond entered into by _Seceders_
(however good it