Page:Letter to the Reverend Mr. Michael Potter, minister of the gospel at Kippen, as an answer of his letter to the Reverend Mr. Ebenezer Erskine.pdf/15

 Now, Reverend Sir, If you and the reſt of your brethren were duly conſidering this, and aying them to heart, you would ſee cauſes enough as well as thoſe aſſociate brethren, to ſet apart faſting and humiliation days for prayer and ſuplication to GOD, that GOD in his mercy may be pleaſed to ward off the ſtroaks of his threatened judgments and diſpel theſe clouds of darkneſs that are hovering over our heads at this day, and not be imployed ſo much in contriving all the plots poſſible you can to ſuppreſs theſe men from doing their neceſſary duty, which GOD in his holy providence is calling them forth to at this day, it is evidently ſeen by the ſmall ſucceſs that the goſpel hath at this day in this land, that GOD hath in a great meaſure with- drawn his holy ſpirit from both miniſters and people. Little is to be ſeen among the profeſſors at this day but deadneſs, formality and hypocriſy; a ſpirit of ſlumber hath ſeized our hearts: So that the Lord may be provoked in his juſt diſpleaſure to give his church up to the hands of her enemies for the trial of their faith, and to ſeparate the chaff from the principal wheat; for it evidently appears that the judicatories of this church are doing all that they can to bring this poor church again under ſupreme tryanny, if the civil government would aſſiſt them; for if there were as much of a perſecuting ſpirit in the civil government as appears to be in the eccleſiaſtick government, our ſtreets would have been running with blood ere now, which we hope that the Lord in his mercy ſhall prevent, and yet diſpel theſe clouds of darkneſs that are ſpreading over this land, and ſend glorious day of his power, that religion and ſincere