Within a short time the delegates had reached their respective churches, in which they rehearsed the renewing of their Covenant with God.  The people were deeply moved, the Holy Spirit fell upon them.  The interest became intense; the fires arose into flames; a Covenanting passion swept the kingdom; the enthusiasm knew no bounds.  The Covenant was studied, accepted, and subscribed by ministers and magistrates, men and women, old and young, throughout the four quarters of the kingdom.  There was a voice heard throughout the land, as the “voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia; for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.”  The Lord Jesus Christ was glorified in His people, honored by His Church, and exalted supremely above the nation’s haughty monarch.

Yet the Covenant had its enemies; but they were apparently few and for a while very quiet.  These anti-Covenanters stood with the king in his effort to foist Prelacy upon the people.  These he repaid with political preferments.  Hitherto they had claimed to be in the majority and therefore assumed the right to rule over the Presbyterians.  But the year of Jubilee had come; the Covenant proclaimed “liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.”  This Covenant with God revealed to the people their dignity, privileges, rights, power, and freedom in Christ Jesus, king of kings and lord of lords.  In that light which fell like the glory of heaven upon Scotland, Episcopacy appeared in its real strength, or rather in its weakness; in comparison with Presbyterianism it was a mere faction.

King Charles ruled Scotland from his throne in London.  The Covenanters were his most loyal subjects, devoted to him on every principle of truth and righteousness; yet by no means would they permit him to assume the rights of Jesus Christ without their earnest protest.  They hastened to report the Covenant to the king at London; their adversaries sent delegates with equal haste.  Both sides tried to win the king.  As might have been expected, the Covenanters failed.  He was exceedingly wroth.  He branded the Covenant as treason and the Covenanters as traitors.  “I will die,” said he, “before I grant their impertinent demands; they must be crushed; put them down with fire and sword.”

The king appointed the Marquis of Hamilton to represent his majesty in Scotland and to subdue the Covenanters.  Hamilton accepted the commission and entered upon his stupendous task.  He was authorized to deceive and betray, to arrest and execute, to feign friendship and wage war—­to use discretionary power; the manner would not be questioned if the Covenanters were subdued.