ospel have been imprisoned, deprived
of their benefices, sequestrate, forced to flee from their dwellings, and
bitterly threatned, for their faithful declareth the will of God against
the godless and wicked proceedings of men that it cannot be accounted an
imaginary fear of suffering in such, as are resolved to follow the like
freedom and faithfulness in discharge of their master's message, that it
savours not of ingenuitie to promise liberty of preaching the gospel, and
to limit the preachers thereof, that they must not speak against the sins
and enormities of civill powers, since their commission carryeth them to
speak the word of the Lord unto, and to reprove the sins of persons of all
ranks from the highest to the lowest, that to impose the name of railing
upon such faithfull freedom was the old practice of malignants against the
ministers of the gospell, who laid open to people the wickedness of their
ways, that they should not be ensnared thereby; that their consciences
bear them record, and all their hearers do know, that they meddle not with
civill affairs further than to hold forth the rule of the word, by which
the straightnes and crookednes of men's actions are made evident. But they
are sorry, that they have just cause to regrate, that men of meer civill
place and employment should usurp the calling and employment of the
ministry, to the scandall of the reformed kirks, and particularly in
Scotland, contrary to the government and discipline therein established,
to the maintenance whereof, you are bound by the solemn league and
covenant. Thus far they have thought fitt to vindicate their return to the
offer in Colonell Whalley's letter. The other part of yours, which
concerns the public as well as them, they conceive that all have been
answered sufficiently in the public papers of the state and kirk. Onely,
to that of the successe upon your solemn appeal, they say again, what was
said to it before, that they have not so learned Christ, as to hang the
equity of their cause upon events; but desire to have their hearts
established in the love of the truth in all the tribulations that befall
them."(13)

Other letters followed these previous to the surrender of the Castle. From
them, and the public papers of the time, we discover that the English army
justified their invasion of Scotland and their oppressive treatment of
their opponents, in Scotland and Ireland, by representing that their part
of the kingdom had bee