as a congregation distinct from his, waiting to obtain a minister of their own, and expecting that the Presbytery before long would be able to afford them one. That, however, had become doubtful, both from the small supply of preachers at the Presbytery's command, and their desire to strengthen the position of Mr Nairn, who had now become one of themselves. In July 1741 the people in secession in and about Kirkcaldy petitioned the Presbytery to form a pastoral relation between them and the Rev. Mr Nairn, and unite the two congregations in a public and formal manner. The consideration of this petition was delayed, and not resumed till the beginning of July 1742, when its prayer was complied with. The Rev. Mr Thomson of Burntisland, who had seceded from the Established Church about the same time with Mr Nairn, was appointed by the Presbytery to preach at Abbotshall on Monday the 19th of July, and "after sermon to read both papers of coalescence — the one from the parish of Abbotshall and the other from the parish of Kirkcaldy, and an adherence thereto be required of the people, and their silence taken for consent; and that the Rev. Mr Nairn make intimation of the said meeting from the pulpit next Lord's Day." These appointments were fully carried out, and the Seceders in Kirkcaldy and Abbotshall thus became one congregation. Mr Nairn had been minister of the United Congregations only about a year, when a proposal was made by the Associate Presbytery (which met in Edinburgh October 1742) to renew the Covenants, and a draft of the agreement was then ordered to be drawn up. When that draft was read to the Presbytery, Mr Nairn offered to dissent from the following clauses which it contained: — "We desire to be humbled for the dangerous extreme that some have gone into, of impugning the present civil authority over these nations, and subjection thereunto in lawful commands, on account of the want of those qualifications which magistrates ought to have according to the word of God and our covenants And that some few carry their zeal against the defections and evils of the times to the dangerous extreme of espousing principles in favour of propagating religion by oftensive arms, quite contrary to that disposition which ought to be in all the professed followers of Christ, who came not to destroy men's lives