I find Chrift the most fteadable friend and companion in the world to me now: the need and usefulness of Chrift is feen beft in trials. Oh if he be not well worthy of his room! Lodge him in house and heart, and stir up your husband to feek the Lord: I wonder he hath never written to me; I do not forget him. I taught you the whole counfel of God, and delivered it to you; it will be enquired for at your hands; have it in readiness against the time that the Lord ask for it: make you to meet the Lord, and reft and fleep in the love of that faireft among the fons of men: defire Chrift's beauty; give out all your love to him, and let none fall by learn in prayer to speak to him: help your mother's foul, and defire her, from me, to feek the Lord and his falvation: it is not foon found; many miss it. Grace be with you. Aberd. 1637. : My Lord, Your loving paftor, S. R. 67. To my Lord CRAIGHALL. Cannot expound your Lordship's contrary tides, and these tentations wherewith ye are affaulted, to be any other thing but Christ trying you, and faying unto you, And will ye alfo leave me? I am fure Chrift hath a great advantage against you if ye play foul play to him, in that the holy Spirit hath done his part, in eviden cing to your confcience, that this is the way of Chrift wherein ye fhall have peace; and the other, as fure as God liveth, the Antichrift's way therefore, as ye fear God fear your light, and stand in awe of a convincing confcience; it is far better for your Lordship to keep your confcience, and to hazard, in fuch an honourable caufe, your place, than wilfully, and against your light, to come under guiltinefs. Kings cannot heal broken confciences; and when death and judgment fhall comprise your foul, your counfellors and others cannot become caution to juftice for you. Ere it be long, our Lord will put a final determination to acts of parliament, and mens laws, and will clear you before men and angels of mens unjuft fentences. Ye received honour, and place, and authority, and riches, and reputation, from your Lord, to fet forward and advance the liberties and freedom of Chrift's kingdom. Men, whofe confciences are made of stoutnefs, think little of fuch matters, which, notwithstanding, incroach directly upon Christ's prerogative royal. So would men think it a light matter for Uzzah to put out his hand to hold the Lord's falling ark; but it cost him his life. And who doubteth but a carnal friend will advise you to shut your window, and pray beneath your breath: Ye make too great a din with your prayers: fo would head-of-wit speak if ye were in Daniel's place: but mens overgilded reafons will not help you when your confcience is like to rive with a a double Epift. 68. a double charge. Alas, alas! when will this world learn to fubmit their wildom to the wisdom of God? I am fure, your Lordfhip hath found the truth; go not then to fearch it over again, for it is ordinary for men to make doubts, when they have a mind to defert the truth. Kings are not their own men, their ways are in God's hand. I rejoice and am glad, that ye refolve to walk with Chrift, howbeit his court be this. Grace be with Lordship. Aberd. Sept. 7, Your Lordship's in his fweet Mafter 1637. and Lord Jefus, S. R. 68. To WILLIAM RIGG of Atherny. Worthy and much honoured Sir, Grace, new not that my Lord Jefus had the keys of the Race, mercy and peace be to you. How fad a prifoner would prifon-himself, and that his death and blood hath bought a bleffing to our croffes, as well as to ourfelves? I am fure, troubles have no prevailing right over us, if they be but our Lord's ferjeants, to keep us in ward while we are in this fide of heaven: I am perfuaded alfo, that they shall not go over the bound road, nor enter into heaven with us; for they find no welcome there, where there is no more death, neither forrow, nor crying, neither any more pain:' and therefore we shall leave them behind us. Oh if I could get as good a gait of fin, even this woful and wretched body of fin, as I get of Christ's crofs! Nay, indeed, I think the crofs beareth both me and itself rather than Iit, in comparison of the tyranny of the lawless flesh and wicked neighbour, that dwelbeth befide Chrift's new creature. But, Oh, this is that which preffeth me down and paineth me; Jefus Chrift in his faints fitteth neighbour with an ill fecond, corruption, deadness, coldness, pride, luft, worldliness, felf-love, fecurity, falfhood, and a world of more the like, which I find in me, that are daily doing violence to the new man. O but we have cause to carry low fails, and to cleave fast to free-grace, free, free-grace! bleffed be our Lord that ever that way was found out: if my one foot were in heaven, and my foul half in, if free-will and corruption were abfolute Lords of me, I should never win wholly in. O but the fweet, and living way, that Chrift hath ftruck up to our home, be a fafe way! I find now prefence and accefs a 'greater dainty than before; but yet the Bridegroom looketh through the lattefs, and through the hole of the door. O if he and I were on fair dry land together, on the other fide of the Water. Grace be with you, Aberd. Sept. 30, 1637 Yours in his fweet Lord 69. To the Lady KILCONQUHAIR. Miftrefs, GRace, mercy and peace be to you. I received your letter. I am heartily content, ye love and own this oppreffed and wronged caufe of Christ; and that now, when fo many are mifcarried, ye are in any measure taken with the love of Jefus. Weary not, but come in, and fee if there be not more in Chrift than the tongue of men and angels can exprefs: if ye feek a gait to hea ven, the way is in him, or, he is it: what ye want is treasured up in Jefus, and he faith, all his are yours, even his kingdom, he is content to divide it betwixt him and you; yea, his throne and his glory, Luke xxi. 30. John xvii. 24. Rev. iii. 21. and therefore take pains to climb up that befieged houfe to Chrift: for devils, men, and armies of temptations are lying about the house, to hold out all that are out, and it is taken with violence: it is not a fmooth and eafy way, neither will your weather be fair and pleafant; but whofoever fees the invifible God and the fair city, make no reckoning of loffes or croffes. In ye muft be, coft you what it will; ftand not for a price, and for all that ye have, to win the caftle; the rights to it are won to you, and it is difponed to you, in your Lord Jefus's teftament; and fee what a fair legacy your dying friend Chrift hath left you: and there wanteth nothing but poffeffion. Then get up in the ftrength of the Lord; get over the water to poffefs that good land: it is better than a land of olives and wine-trees; for the tree of life, that beareth twelve manner of fruits every month, is there before you; and a pure river of life, clear as chryftal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, is there. Your time is fhort, therefore lofe no time: gracious and faithful is he who hath called you to his kingdom. and glory. The city is yours by free conqueft and by promise, and therefore let no uncouth lord-idol put you from your own. The devil hath cheated the fimple heir of his paradife, and by enticing us to tafte of the forbidden fruit, hath, as it were, brought us out of our kindly heritage; but our Lord, Chrift Jefus, hath done more than bought the devil by, for he hath redeemed the wadfet, and made the poor heir free to the inheritance. If we knew the glory of our elder brother in heaven, we would long to be there to fee him, and to get our fill of heaven: we children think the earth a fair garden, but it is but God's out-field, and wild, cold, barren ground; all things are fading that are here: it is our happiness to make fure Chrift to ourselves. Thus remembering my love to your husband, and wishing to him what I write to you, I commit you to God's tender mercy, Yours in his fweet Lord 70. To the Lady CRAIGHALL. Honourable and Chriftian Lady, Grace, mercy and peace be to you. I cannot but write to your Ladyship of, the sweet and glorious terms I am in with the most joyful King that ever was, under this well-thriving and profperous cross: it is my Lord's falvation wrought by his own right hand, that the water doth not fuffocate the breath of hope and joyful courage in the Lord Jefus; for his own person is still in the camp with his poor foldier. I fee the crofs is tied with Christ's hand to the end of an honeft profeffion: we are but fools to endeavour to loose Christ's knot. When I confider the comforts of God, I durft not consent to fell or wadfet my short liferent of the cross of the Lord Jesus. I know that Christ bought with his own blood a right to sanctified and bleffed croffes, in as far as they blow me over the water to my long defired home: and it were not good that Christ should be the buyer and I the feller. I know time and death fhall take fufferings fairly off my hand: I hope we shall have an honest parting at night, when this piece cold and frofty afternoon tide of my evil and rough day shall be over : well is my foul of either fweet or four, that Christ hath any part or portion in: if he be at the one end of it, it fhall be well with me. I fhall die ere I libel faults against Christ's crofs; it shall have my teftimonial under my hand, as an honest and saving mean of Chrift for mortification and faith's growth. I have a ftronger. affurance, fince I came over Forth, of the excellency of Jefus than I had before. I am rather about him than in him, while I am abfent from him in this house of clay; but I would be in heaven for no other caufe but to effay and try what boundless joy it must be to be over-head and ears in myWell-beloved Chrift's love. O that fair one hath my heart for evermore! but alas, it is over-little for him! O if it were better and more worthy for his fake? O if I might meet with him face to face on this fide of eternity, and might have leave to plead with him, that I am fo hungered, and famished here, with the niggardly portion of his love that he giveth me! O that I might be carver and steward myself, at mine own will, of Chrift's love! (if I may lawfully with this) then would I enlarge my veffel (alas! a narrow and ebb foul) and take in a sea of his love. My hunger, for it is hungry and lean, in believing that ever I fhall be fatisfied with that love; fo fain would I have what I know I cannot hold. O Lord Jefus, delightest thou, delighteft thou, to pine and torment poor fouls with the want of thy incomparable love? O if I durft call thy difpenfation cruel! I know thou thyfelf art mercy, without either brim or bottom; I know thou art a God bank-full of mercy and love, but oh alas! little of it cometh my way: I die to look afar off to that love, because because I can get but little of it: but hope faith, This providence shall ere look more favourably upon poor bodies, and me alfo. Grace be with your Ladyfhip's fpirit. Aberd. Sept. 10. 1637. Your Ladyfbip's in his sweet 71. To Mr. JAMES HAMILTON. Reverend and dear brother, Eace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jefus. I am laid low, when I remember what I am, and that my out-fide cafteth such a luftre, when I find fo little within. It is a wonder that Chrift's glory is not defiled, running through fuch an unclean and impure channel; but I fee Christ will be Chrift, in the dreg and refufe of men: his art, his fhining wisdom, his beauty fpeaketh loudeft in blacknefs, weakness, deadness, yea, in nothing. I fee nothing, no money, no worth, no good, no life, no deferving, is the ground that omnipotency delighteth to draw glory out of. O how sweet is the inner fide of the walls of Christ's house, and a room befide himself! my distance from him maketh me fad. O that we were in others arms! O that the middle things betwixt us were removed! I find it a difficult matter to keep all ftots with Chrift: when he laugheth I scarce believe it, I would fo fain have it true. But I am like a low man looking up to a high mountain, whom wearinefs and fainting overcometh. I would climb up, but I find that I do not advance In my journey as I would wish: yet I trust he shall take me home against night. I marvel not that Antichrift in his flaves is fo bufy; but our crowned King feeth and beholdeth, and will arife for Zion's fafety. I am exceedingly diftracted with letters, and company that vifit me; what I can do, or time will permit, I shall not omit. Excufe my brevity, for I am ftraitned. Remember the Lord's prifoner: I defire to be mindful of you. Grace, grace be with you. Aberdeen, Sept. 7. 1637. Yours in his fweet Lord Jefus, S. R. 72. To Mr. GEORGE DUNBAR. Reverend and dearly beloved in our Lord, Becaufe your words have strengthened many, I was filent, expecting fome lines from you in my bonds; and this is the caufe why I wrote not to you, but now I am forced to break off and fpeak. I never believed till now, that there was fo much to be found in Chrift, in this fide of death and of heaven. O the ravishments of heavenly GRace, mercy and peace be to you. joy |