Before then however, the Presbyterian Dissenters took their lead from Scotland with correspondence and the exchange of delegates to meetings. In 1712, a major event was the renewal of the Covenants of 1638 and 1643 by the Rev. John MacMillan at which they were represented. Thus the Societies continued to meet for fellowship and worship, and while they had no pastor in the accepted sense elders and occcasional visitors helped to keep the ministry alive until they could be brought fully into the fold consequent to the First Reformed Presbytery that was set up in Scotland in 1743. From 1744 the Irish Covenanters at last had a link with an organised body of church government to guide them.

The American Declaration of Independence

It was 1752 before the supply of a permanent preacher would be met, meanwhile the Rev. John Cuthbertson was diverted from his appointment to America to preach in Ireland. Cuthbertson soon went to America landing in Pennsylvania in August 1751 then to spend the next 22 years visiting the Societies and preaching to the Presbyterians in Pennsylvania and New York.

So a new link was forged that would see the Ulster Scot Presbyterians making their own Declarations of Independence such as "The Hanover Resolves" in Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania on June 4, 1774 and "The Mecklenburg Declaration", at Charlottetown, North Carolina, on May 31, 1775. From these came the form that Thomas Jefferson used in preparing the National Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776.