God--disowning the king's authority--preaching in the fields--and
teaching the people to refuse to pay cess, and to carry arms in
self-defence. It is related of Renwick, when he became a prisoner, that,
though he had grace given willingly to offer his life to confirm his
testimony, he yet dreaded torture. Having in prayer freely surrendered
his life to God, he obtained in answer the assurance that enemies would
not have the power to inflict on him torture. This he afterwards told
his mother in prison, shortly before his execution, when she was
expressing concern about seeing his head and hands on the ports of the
city. He said he was persuaded that the persecutors would "not be
permitted to torture his body, nor touch one hair of his head farther."

He was so open and candid hi his answers that the members of the
Justiciary were to some extent favourably impressed, and this had
doubtless some influence in preventing him from being tortured. He
enjoyed so much of Divine presence from his entrance into prison, till
his execution, that to his mother he said, "he could hardly pray, being
so much taken up with praise, and ravished with the joy of the Lord."
When before the Justiciary, on the 14th February, he confessed to all in
the indictment, save the first article, charging him with having "cast
off all fear of God." He said, "It is because I feared to offend God,
and to violate His law, that I am here to-day, standing to be
condemned." When asked about disowning the king's authority, he answered
like a true Protestant and a heroic patriot--"I own all authority that
hath its prescriptives and limitations from the word of God; but I
cannot own this usurper as lawful king--seeing both by the word of God,
such a one is incapable to bear rule, and likewise by the ancient laws
of the kingdom, which admit none to the crown of Scotland until he swear
to defend the Protestant religion, which a man of his profession cannot
do."