This curious protest is still extant, and shows the
true spirit of the old Covenanters or Cameronians, as
they have since been called, better than any work remaining.
It is called in the title page, “An informatory
Vindication of a poor, wasted, misrepresented Remnant
of the suffering Anti–popish, Anti–prelatic, Anti–erastian,
Anti–sectarian, true Presbyterian Church of
Christ in Scotland.” It is dated at Leadhills in 1687, and
is the conjoint work of Mr James Renwick, and Mr
Alexander Shiels, author of The Hind let loose. The
following is an extract from it, p. 107:—
“And in like manner we do hereby disclaim all unwarrantable
practices committed by any few persons
reputed to be of us, whereby the Lord hath been offended,
his cause wronged, and we all made to endure
the scourge of tongues; for which things we have desired
to make conscience of mourning before the Lord,
both in public and private. As the unwarrantable manner
of killing that curate at the Corsephairn, though
he was a man of death both by the laws of God and
man, and the fact not materially murder; it being
gone about contrary to our declaration, common or
competent consent, (the conclusion and deed being
known only to three or four persons) in a rash and not
a Christian manner, and also other offences being committed
at the time; which miscarriages have proven a
mean to stop and retard lawful, laudable, and warrantable
proceeding, both as to matter and manner.”
These other offences committed at the time, unquestionably
refer to the slaughter of the Highland soldiers;
about which, there was great stir and numerous
conjectures in the country; although, owing to the revolution
that immediately followed, the perpetrators
were never taken, nor the cause tried in a court of justice,
nor indeed was the incident ever generally known.