About this time, the united societies (having no actual minister since Mr. Renwick’s death, Mr. Shields being only preacher) sent over some commissioners from their general meeting to Embden, one of the United Provinces, to bring over Mr. Thomas Linning, a young man whom they had sent thither some years before in Mr. Renwick’s time, to the university there, and for ordination.  In consequence hereof, the said Mr. Linning came home, with testimonials of his ordination to the ministry by the classes at Embden; and in conjunction with Mr. Shields and Mr. William Boyd (another of their ministers, who had also come from Holland about this time), renewed the Covenants National and Solemn League, and dispensed the sacrament of the Lord’s supper near Lesmahago, in Clydesdale, and continued to preach to the people for about four months, until the first General Assembly (so called) met at Edinburgh 1689-90.  At which time, he, with his two brethren, in their own name, and the name of their people, presented a paper to that Assembly, bearing on what terms they and their people would join in communion with them; only craving that they might all join in humbling themselves before the Lord, and acknowledge and bewail their fathers’, their own, and the land’s many and heinous iniquities, and breaches of Covenant, before they proceeded to any other business, and so have their public sins and scandalous compliances washed 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.