ught under night from
Blackness to Linlithgow before the criminal judges, to answer an
accusation of high treason at the instance of Sir Thomas Hamilton the
king's advocate, for declining, as he alleged, the king's lawful
authority, in refusing to admit the council judges competent in the
cause of the nature of church judicatories; and, after their accusation
and answer was read, by the verdict of a jury of very considerable
gentlemen, they were condemned as guilty of high treason, the punishment
deferred till the king's pleasure should be known; and thereafter their
punishment was made banishment, that the cruel sentence might somewhat
seem to soften their severe punishment, as the king had contrived it.

While he was in Blackness, he wrote his famous letter to Lilias Graham
countess of Wigton; in which he utters, in the strongest terms, his
consolation in suffering; his desire to be dissolved, that he might be
with the Lord; the judgments he foresaw coming upon Scotland, &c. He
also seems most positively to shew the true cause of their sufferings,
and state of the testimony in these words:

"Who am I, that he should first have called me, and then constituted me
a minister of the glad tidings of the gospel of salvation these years
already, and now last of all to be a sufferer for his cause and kingdom.
Now, let it be so, that I have fought my fight, and run my race, and now
from henceforth is laid up for me that crown of righteousness, which the
Lord that righteous God will give, and not to me only, but to all that
love his appearance, and choose to witness this, that Jesus Christ is
the king of saints, and that his church is a most free kingdom, yea as
free as any kingdom under heaven, not only to convocate, hold, and keep
her meetings, and conventions and assemblies; but also to judge of all
her affairs, in all her meetings and conventions amongst her members and
subjects. These two points, 1. That Christ is the head of his church. 2.
That she is free in her government, from all other jurisdiction except
Christ's: These two points, I say, are the special cause of our
imprisonment; being now convict as traitors for the maintaining thereof.
We have been ever waiting with joyfulness to give the last testimony of
our blood in confirmation thereof, if it should please our God to be so
favourable as to honour us with that dignity; yea, I do affirm, that
these two points above-written, and all other things which belong to