reminded of the sacred cause which they loved more than their lives. A
chaplain of highest character was assigned to each regiment. Every
morning and evening the men were summoned by the beat of drum for the
worship of their God. Such were the Covenanters as they waited in the
presence of their foes for a sanguinary struggle. How often they sang
the 3rd Psalm, the 27th, and the 72nd, we know not. The Psalms were the
lion's marrow upon which these lion-hearted heroes fed.

The Covenanters did not want to give battle; they were merely on the
defensive. They loved peace and longed for it. They shuddered at the
horror of civil war and would avoid it if at all within their power.
They sent an embassy asking for a conference. The king, knowing the
spirit and power of the men with whom he had to deal, consented. During
the negotiations for peace, the king hesitated to grant the Covenanters
their demand. They would have nothing less than a free General Assembly
and a Parliament. The king would not consent. Gen. Leslie replied by
announcing his intention to advance his army within gunshot of the
king's camp. This persuaded the king to come to terms, and a treaty of
peace was ratified, by which the Covenanters received, on paper, all
they asked. The Covenanters returned to their homes rejoicing in their
Covenant Lord, who had given them the victory without the cost of blood,
and in their homes profound gratitude arose to God in their morning and
evening service of worship.

The people continued steadfast in their Covenant, enjoying the rights
and privileges of the children of God for a time. The Lord showered His
blessings upon them. Their increase in power and numbers was marvelous.
The king again became alarmed. He resolved on war once more, and within
a year was at the head of another army, determined to reduce the
Covenanters and bring them into subjection to his arbitrary will.