THE DECLARATION OF THE REBELS Now in Arms in the WEST of SCOTLAND.  
AS it is not unknown to a great part of the World how happy the Church of Scotland was, whilst they enjoyed the Ordinances of Jesus Christ in purity and power; Of the which we have been deplorably deprived by the Re-establishment of Prelacy: So it is evident not only to impartial persons, but to professed Enemies, with what unparallelled patience and constancy the People of God have endured all the Cruelty, Injustice and Oppression that the Will and Malice of Prelates and Malignants could invent and exercise. And being most unwilling to act any thing which might import opposition to lawful Authority, or engage the Kingdoms in War, although we have all along been groaning under, the overturning the work of Reformation, corruptions of Doctrine, slighting of Worship, despising of Ordinances, the changing of the ancient Church-Discipline and Government, thrusting out of so many of our faithful Ministers from their Charges, Confining, straight Imprisoning, Exiling, yea and putting to death many of them, and intruding upon their Flocks a Company of insufficient and scandalous Persons, and Fining, Confining, Imprisoning, Torturing, Tormenting, Scourging and Stigmatising poor People, Plundering their Goods, Quartering upon them rude Soldiers, Selling their Persons to Foreign Plantations, Horning and Inter-communing many of both, whereby great numbers in every corner of the Land were forced to leave their Dwellings Wives, Children and Relations, and made to wander as Pilgrims, still in hazard of their Lives, none daring to reset, harbour of supply, (though starving) or so much as to speak to them, even upon Death bed, without making themselves obnoxious to the same punishments; a●d these things acted under colour of Law, in effect ●ending to banish, not only all sense of Religion, but also to extinguish Natural Affection, even amongst persons of the nearest Relation: And likewise groaning under the intolerable Yoke of oppression in our Civil Interests, our Bodies, Liberties and Estates; so that all manner of Outrages have been most arbitrarily exercised upon Us through a tract of several Years pas●; particularly in the Year 1678. by sending among us an Armed Host of Barbarous Savages contrary to all Law and Humanity; and by laying on us several Impositions and Taxes, as formerly, so of late by a Meeting of Prelimited and overawed Members in the Convention of Estates in July 1678. for keeping up of an Armed Force entrusted (as to a great part of it) into the hands of avowed Papists, or Favourers of them; by whom sundry Invasions have been made upon us, and most exorbitant Abuses, and incredible Insolences committed against us; And we being continually sought after while Meeting in Houses for Divine Worship, Ministers and People frequently apprehended, and most rigorously used; And so being necessitated to attend the Lords Ordinances in Fields, in the most Desert places; And there also often hunted out, and assaulted, to the effusion of out Blood, and killing of some, whereby we were inevitably constrained either to defend ourselves by Arms at these Meetings, or to be altogether deprived of the Gospel preached by the Faithful Ministers, and made absolute Slaves. At one of which Meetings upon the First day of June instant, being the Lordsday, Captain Graham of Claverhouse being Warranted by a late Proclamation to kill whomsoever he found in Arms at Field-Conventicles making Resistance, did furiously assault the People assembled; And further to provoke, did cruelly bind like Beasts, a Minister, with some others, whom he had that very same morning found in Houses: And several being killed on both sides; They knowing certainly, that by Law they behoved (if apprehended) to die: They did stand to their own Defence, and continue together; and thereafter many of our Friends and Countrymen being under the same Oppression expecting the same measure, did freely offer their assistance. We therefore thus inevitably, and of absolute necessity forced to take this last Remedy; (The Magistrates having shut the Door by a Law against Application, that whatever our Grievances be, either in things Civil or Sacred we have not the privilege of a Supplicant,) do judge ourselves bound to Declare; That these, with many other horrid Grievances in Church and State, (which we purpose to manifest more fully hereafter,) are the true Causes of this our lawful and innocent Self Defence. And we do most solemnly in the presence of Almighty God the searcher of all Hearts, Declare; That the true Reasons of our continuing in Arms candidly and sincerely are these; 

1. The Defending and Securing of the True Protestant Religion, and Presbyterian Government, founded upon the Word of God, and summarily comprehended in our Confessions of Faith, and Catechisms, and established by the Laws of this Land; To which, King, Nobles, and People are solemnly Sworn and engaged in our National and Solemn League and Covenant; and more particularly, the Defending and maintaining the Kingly Authority of our Lord Jesus Christ over his Church against all sinful Supremacy Derogatory thereto, and encroaching thereupon.  
2. The Preserving and Defending the King's Majesty, his Person and Authority in the Preservation and Defence of that true Religion, and Liberties of the Kingdom; That the World may bear Witness with our Consciences, of our Loyalty; And that we have no Thought nor Intention to diminish His just Power and Greatness.  
3. The obtaining of a Free and unlimited Parliament; And a Free General Assembly, in order to the Redressing our foresaid Grievances, for preventing the Eminent Danger of Popery, and Extirpating of Prelacy from amongst Us.    
This therefore being the Cause we appear for; and resolve in Gods great name to own, hereby homologating all the Testimonies of faithful sufferers for the Truth in Scotland these Eighteen years by gone: We humbly request the King's Majesty would restore all things as he found them, when God brought him home to His Crown and Kingdoms; and if that cannot be obtained, than we hearty and humbly invite, entreat, beseech and obtest in the Bowels of Jesus Christ, all who are under the same bonds with us, to occur in the Defence of this Common Cause and Interest: And that they will not stand still and see not only us oppressed, but this foresaid Cause ruined; Adversaries highly and proudly infult against God, and all good men, Friends of the Truth discouraged: Yea, the Protestant Cause in Britain and Ireland, and even yourselves within a little time made a prey of, or else forced when we are broken (which the good Lord prevent) dreadfully to wrong your Consciences, finally because we desire no man's hurt or blood. We request our Countrymen, now the standing Forces of this Kingdom, some of them being our Friends and Kinsmen, not to Fight against us, lest in so doing they be f●und Fight against the Lord, whose Cause and Quarrel we are sure he will own, and signally Countenance, seeing we Fight under his Banner who is the Lord of Hosts.