5. To the Noble and Chriftian Lady, the VISCOUNTESS of KENMURE. My very honourable and dear Ladyfbip, Race, mercy and peace be to you. I cannot forget your G Ladyship, and that fweet child, I defire to hear what the Lord is doing to you and him: to write to me were charity; I cannot but write to my friends, that Christ hath trysted me in Aberdeen; and my adverfaries have fent me here to be feafted with love-banquets, with my royal, high, high, and princely King Je fus. Madam, why fhould I fmother Chrift's honefty? I dare not conceal his goodness to my foul; he looked fram'd and uncouthlike upon me, when I came firft here; but I believe himself better than his looks: I fhall not again quarrel Chrift for a gloom, now he hath taken the mafk off his face, and faith, Kifs thy fill; and what can I have more, while I get great heaven in my little arms? O how sweet are the fufferings of Chrift for Chrift! God forgive them that raise an ill report upon the fweet Crofs of Chrift; it is but our weak and dim eyes that look but to the black fide, that makes us mistake: thofe who can take that crabbed tree handfomely upon their back, and faften it on cannily, fhall find it fuch a burden as wings unto a bird, or fails to a ship. Madam, rue not of your having chofen the better part: upon. my falvation, this is Chrift's truth I now fuffer for; if I found but cold comfort in my fufferings, I would not beguile others, I would have told you plainly; but the truth is, Chrift's crown, his fcepter, and the freedom of his kingdom, is that which is now called in queftion: because we will not allow that Chrift pays tribute, and be a vaffal to the fhields of the earth, therefore the fons of our mother are angry at us. But it becometh not Chrift to hold any man's stir rup: it were a fweet and honourable death, to die for the honour of that royal and princely King Jefus: this love is a mystery to the world: I would not have believed that there was fo much in Chrift as there is: Cone and fee, maketh Chrift to be known in his excellency and glory. I wish all this nation knew how sweet his breath is; it is little to fee Christ in a book, as men do the world in a card: they talk of Chrift by the book, and the tongue, and no more; but to come nigh Christ, and hauffe him, and em. brace him, is another thing. Madam, I write to your honour, for your encouragement is that honourable profeffion Chrift hath honoured you with: ye have gotten the funny fide of the brae, and the best of Chrift's good things; he hath not given you the baftard's portion; and howbeit ye get ftrokes and four looks from your Lord, yet believe his love more than your own feeling, for this world can take nothing from you that is truly yours, and death 17 death can do you no wrong: your rock doth not ebb and flow, but your fea that which Christ hath faid he will bide by it; he will be your tutor; you fhall not get your charters of heaven to play you with: it is good that ye have loft your credit with Christ, and that Lord Freewill fhall not be your tutor: Chrift will lippen the taking of you to heaven, neither to yourself, nor any deputy, but only to himself; bleffed be your tutor: when your head shall appear, your Bridegroom and Lord, your day fhall then dawn, and it fhall never have an afternoon, nor an evening shadow. Let your child be Christ's, let him stay befide you, as the Lord's pledge, that you fhall willingly render again, if God will. Madam, I find folks here kind to me, but in the night, and under their breath; my master's caufe may not come to the crown of the causeway; others are kind according to their fashion: many think me a ftrange man, and my caufe not good; but I care not much for man's thoughts or approbation; I think no shame of the crofs. The preachers of this town pretend great love, but the P. have added to the reft this gentle cruelty (for fo they think of it) to discharge me of the pulpits of this town. The people murmur, and cry out against it; and to speak truly (howbeit Chrift is moft indulgent to me otherwife, yet) my fi lence on the Lord's day keeps me from being exalted above meafure, and from ftartling in the heat of my Lord's love. Some people affect me; for the which caufe, I hear the preachers here purpose to have my confinement changed to another place; fo cold is northern love: but Chrift and I will bear it. I have wreftled long with this fad filence: I faid, What aileth Christ at my fervice? and my foul hath been at a pleading with Christ, and at yea and nay; but I will yield to him, providing my fuffering may preach more than my tongue did; for I gave not Chrift an inch, but for twice as good again: in a word, I am a fool, and he is God. I will hold my peace hereafter. Let me hear from your Ladyfhip, and your dear child: pray for a prisoner of Christ, who is mindful of your Ladyship. Remember my obliged obedience to my good Lady Marr. Grace, grace be with you. ́ 1 write, and pray bleffings to your fweet child. Aberdeen, Nov. 22, 1636. Yours in all dutiful obedience in 6. To the Right Honourable and Chriftian Lady, my Lady VIS-. Madam, COUNTESS of KENMURE. G me Race, mercy and peace be to you. I received your Lady and prayers of a prifoner of Chrift come upon you. Since my C... Coming coming hither, Galloway fent me not a line, except what my brother Earlftoun and his fon did write; I cannot get my papers transported: but, Madam, I want not kindness of one who hath the gate of it, Chrift (if he had never done more for me fince L was born) hath engaged my heart, and gained my bleffing, in this houfe of my pilgrimage. It pleafeth my Well-beloved to dine with a poor prifoner, and the King's spikenard cafteth a fragrant fmell: nothing grieveth me but that I eat my feasts alone, and that I cannot edify his faints: O that this nation knew what is betwixt him and me; none would fkar at the cross of Chrift! My filence eats me up; but he hath told me he thanketh me no less, than if I were preaching daily; he fees how gladly I would be at it; and therefore my wages are going to the fore up in heaven, as if I were ftill preaching Chrift. Captains pay duly bedfast foldiers, howbeit they do not march, nor carry armour; Though Ifrael be not gathered, yet fhall I be glorious in the eyes of my Lord, and my Lord fhall be my ftrength,' Ifa. xlix. 5. my garland. The banished minifter, (the term of Aberdeen) afhameth me not: I have feen the white fide of Chrift's crofs; how lovely hath he been to his oppreffed fervant? Pfal. cxlvi 7, 8, 9. The Lord executeth judgment for the oppreffed; he giveth food to the hungry: the Lord loofeth the pfifoner; the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord preferveth the ftranger.' If it were come to exchanging of croffes I would not exchange my cross with any: I am well pleafed with Christ, and he with me; I hope none fhall hear us. It is true, for all this I get my meat with many ftrokes, and am feven times a day up and down, and am often anxious and caft down for the cafe of my oppreffed brother; yet I hope the Lord will be furety for his fervant. But now, upon fome weak, very weak, experience, I am come to love a rumbling and raging devil beft; fceing we must have a devil to hold the faints waking, I wish a cumbersome devil, rather than a fecure and fleeping one. At my first coming hither, I took the dorts at Chrift, and took up a ftomach against him; I said he had caft me over the dyke of the vineyard like a dry tree; but it was his mercy, I fee, that the fire did not burn the dry tree: and now, as if my Lord Jefus had done that fault and not I (who belied my Lord) he hath made the first mends, and he fpake not one word against me; but he hath come again, and quickned my foul with his prefence: nay, now I think the very annuity and cafualties-of the crofs of Chrift Jefus my Lord, and these comforts that accompany it, better than the world's fet rent. O how many rich off fallings are in my King's houfe! I am perfuaded, and dare pawn my falvation on it, that it is Chrift's truth I now fuffer for; I know his comforts are no dreams; he would not put his feal on blank paper, nor deceive his afflicted ones that truft in him. Your Ladyfhip Lady hip wrote to me, that ye are an ill fcholar: Madam, ye must goin at heaven's gates, and your book in your hand, still learning? you have had your large fhare of troubles, and a double portion; but it faith your Father counteth you not a bastard; full-begot ten bairns are nurtured, Heb. xii. I long to hear of the child, I write the bleffings of Chrift's prifoner and the mercies of God to him: let him be Chrift's and yours betwixt you, but let Christ be whole play-maker; let him be the lender, and ye the borrower, not an owner. Madam, it is not long fince I did write to your Ladyship that Christ is keeping mercy for you; and I bide by it ftill, and now I write it under my hand: love him dearly; win in to see him; there is in him, that which you never faw; he is ay nigh, he is a tree of life, green and bloffoming, both fummer and winter: there is a nick in Christianity, to the which whosoever cometh, they fee and feel more than others can do. I invite you of new to come to him: Come and fee, will speak better things of him, than I can do: come nearer will fay much: God thought never this world a portion worthy of you: he would not even you to a gift of dirt and clay: nay, he will not give you Efau's portion; but referves the inheritance of Jacob for you: are ye not well married now? have you not a good Husband now? My heart cannot express what fad nights I have for the virgin daughter of my people: wo is me, for our time is coming. Ezek. vii. 10. Behold the day, behold it is come, the morning hath gone forth, the rod hath bloffomed, pride hath budded, violence is rifen up in a rod of wickedness, the fun is gone down upon our prophets.' A dry wind upon Scotland, but neither to fan nor cleanfe: but out of all question, when the Lord hath cut down his forest, the after-growth of Lebanon shall flourish, They shall plant vines in our mountains, and a cloud fhall yet fill the temple. Now the Bleffing of our dearest Lord Jefus, and the bleffing of him that is feparate from his brethren, come upon you. Aberdeen. Yours at Aberdeen, the prisoner of Chrift, S. R. t 7. To the Honourable and truly Noble Lady, The VISCOUNTESS of KENMURE. Madam, GRace, mercy and peace be to your Ladyfhip. I long to hear from you. I am here waiting if a good wind, longlooked for, fhall at length blow in Chrift's fails in this land: but I wonder if Jefus be not content to fuffer more yet in his members and caufe, and beauty of his houfe, rather than he should not be avenged upon this land. I hear many worthy men (who fee more in the Lord's dealing, than I can take up with my dim C2 · fight It fight), are of a contrary mind, and do believe the Lord is coming. home again, to his house in Scotland: I hope he is on his journey that way; yet I look not but that he fhall feed this land with their own blood, before he establish his throne amongst us. I know your honour is not looking after things hereaway; ye have no great caufe to think, that your ftock and principal is under the roof of thefe vifible heavens; and I hope ye would think yourself a beguiled and cozened foul, if it were fo. I would be forry to counsel your Ladyship to make a covenant with time, and this life; but rather defire you to hold in fair generals, and far off from this ill-founded haven, that is on this fide of the water. fpeaketh fomewhat, when our Lord bloweth the bloom off our daft hopes in this life, and loppeth the branches of our worldly joys well nigh the root, on purpose that they should not thrive. Lord, fpill my fool's heaven in this life, that I may be faved for ever. A forfeiture of the faints part of the yolk and marrow of fhort laughing happiness worldly, is not fuch a real evil as our blinded eyes do conceive. I am thinking long now for fome deliverance, more than before; but I know I am in an error: it is poffible I am not come to that measure of trial, that the Lord is feeking in his work if my friends in Galloway would effectually do for my deliverance, I would exceedingly rejoice; but I know not but the Lord hath a way, whereof he will be the only reaper of praifes. Let me know with the bearer, how the child is. The Lord be his tutor, and your only comforter. There is nothing here where I am, but profanity and atheifm. Grace, grace be with your Ladyfhip. Aberdeen, Feb. 13. 1637. Your Ladyfhip's at all obliged obedience in Chrift, S. R. 8. To the Noble and Chriftian Lady, the VISCOUNTESS Madam, of KENMURE. G Race, mercy and peace be to you. I would not omit the occafion to write to your Ladyfhip with the bearer. I am glad the child is well; God's favour, even in the eyes of men, be feen pon him. I hope your Ladyfhip is thinking upon these fad and woful days wherein we now live; when our Lord, in his righteous judgment, is fending the kirk the gate she is going, to Rome's brothel houfe, to feek a lover of her own, feeing the hath given up with Chrift her husband. O what fweet comfort, what rich falvation is laid up for thofe, who had rather wash and roll their garments in their own blood, than break out from Christ by apostasy! Keep yourfelf in the love of Chrift, and ftand far aback from the pollutions of the world: fide not with these times, and |