At that time he is described in James Melvill's Diary as "ane honest, upright-hearted young man, latlie enteret to the ministerie of Edinburgh."
On 10 September 1600 he was called before the Privy Council for questioning the genuineness of the Gowrie Conspiracy, but, professing to be satisfied with its reality, he was dismissed.
Along with Robert Pont he took protestation at the cross of Edinburgh, in name of the whole Kirk, against the verdict of the Assize finding the brethren who met in General Assembly at Aberdeen guilty of treason.
[4] The earliest notice of Balcanquhall is that he was entered as 'minister of St. Giles, Edinburgh,' on Whit Sunday 1574, with the descriptor that 'he was desyrit by other towns and large stipend promist,' but 'yet he consented to stay and accept what they pleased.'
At this time he is described in James Melville's 'Diary' (p. 41, Wodrow Society) as 'ane honest, upright hearted young man, latlie enterit to that menestrie of Edinbruche' [Edinburgh].
On the calling together of the estates of the realm in 1584, the king sent an imperative message to the magistrates of Edinburgh 'to seize and imprison any of the ministers who should venture to speak against the proceedings of the parliament.'
But Balcanquhall (along with James Lawson) preached fearlessly against the proposals; and along with Pont and others took his stand at the cross while the heralds proclaimed the acts passed by the subservient parliament, and publicly 'protested and took instruments' in the name of the 'kirk' of Scotland against them.
On 2 January 1586 he preached before the king 'in the great kirk of Edinburgh' [St. Giles] when the sovereign 'after sermon rebuikit Mr. Walter publiclie from his seat in the loaft [gallery] and said he [the king] would prove there should be bishops and spirituall magistrats endued with authoritie over the minestrie; and that he [Balcanquhall] did not his dutie to condemn that which he had done in parliament' (Melville, Diary, p. 491).
Balcanquhall and other ministers including Robert Bruce went into exile in England at Caldwell and it was said that their preaching and talking became wearisome to the Archbishop of York.
In conjunction with Robert Pont, he again took his stand at the cross, and publicly protested in name of the 'kirk' against the verdict of assize finding the brethren who met in General Assembly of Aberdeen guilty of treason.
[4] He ceased preaching on 16 July 1616 from a disease in his teeth, and died 14 August 1617,[6] in the sixty-eighth year of his age and forty-third of his ministry.