Robert Bruce returned from Inverness in 1613 to his own house, and though his son had obtained a license for him, he could find nothing but grief and aggravation, especially from the ministers of the Presbyteries of Stirling and Linlithgow, and all for curbing the vices some of them were subject to. At last, he obtained liberty of the Council to transport his family to another house he had at Monkland, and he was able to preach for some time in the parish church but, so many people attended that the archbishop of Glasgow forced him to retire back again to Kinnaird. So this good man was tossed about, and obliged to go from place to place. Supporters of the king and bishops constantly complained about him, making life as difficult as possible for him. It was around this time (1615) that a new minister by the name of Alexander Henderson, later to lead the second Reformation, heard that Bruce was preaching nearby, so he went to hear him preach. It was through this sermon that Henderson was truly converted and he would refer to Bruce as his spiritual father.