Epift. 190. took a ftomach against my Lord, because he had caften me over the dike of the vineyard. as a dry tree, and would have no more of my fervice; my dumb fabbaths broke my heart, and I would not be comforted: but now he, whom my foul loveth, is come again, and it pleaseth him to feast me with the kiffes of his love: a King dineth with me, and his fpikenard cafteth a sweet smell, The Lord my witness is above, that I write my heart to you. I never knew, by my nine years preaching, fo much of Chrift's love, as he hath taught me in Aberdeen, by fix months imprisonment. I charge you in Chrift's name, help, me to praife, and fhew that people and country the loving kindnefs of the Lord to my foul, that fo my fufferings may fome way preach to them, when I am filent. He hath made me know now, better than before, what it is to be crucified to the world: I would not now give a drink of cold water for all the world's kindnefs; I owe no fervice to it: I am not the flesh's debtor; my Lord Jefus hath dawted his prifoner, and hath thoughts of love concerning me. I would not exchange my fighs, with the laughing of adverfaries. Sir, I write this to inform you, that ye may know, it is the truth of Chrift I now fuffer for, and he hath fealed my fuffering with the comforts of his Spirit on my foul; and know he putteth not his feal upon blank paper. Now, Sir, I have no comfort earthly, but to know, that I have espoused, and fhall prefent a bride to Chrift in that congregation. The Lord hath given you much, and therefore he will require much of you again number your talents, and fee what ye have to render back again; ye cannot be enough perfuaded of the fhortness of your time. I charge you to write to me, and in the fear of God be plain with me, whether or no ye have made your falvation fure: I am confident, and hope the beft; but I know, your reckonings with your Judge are many and deep. Sir, be not beguiled, neglect not your one thing, (Phil. iii. 13.) your one necessary thing, (Luke x. 42.) the good part that shall not be taken from you. Look beyond time; things here are but moon-fhine: they have but childrens wits, who are delighted with fhadows, and deluded with feathers flying in the air. Defire your children, in the morning of their life, to begin and feek the Lord, and to remember their Creator in the days of their youth, Ecclef. xii. 1.) to cleanse their way, by taking beed thereto according to God's word, (Pfal. cxix. 9.). Youth is a glaffy age, Satan finds a fwept chamber (for the most part) in youthhood, and a garnished lodging for himself and his train. Let the Lord have the flower of their age; the best facrifice is due to him: inftruct them in this, that they have a foul, and that this life is nothing in comparison of eternity: they will have much need of God's conduct in this world, to guide them by thofe rocks, upon which moft men fplit; but far more need, when it cometh to the hour of death, and their compearance before Chrift. O that there were and were fuch an heart in them, to fear the name of the great dreadful God, who hath laid up great things for those that love and fear him!' I pray that God may be their portion. Shew others of my parishioners, that I write to them my best wishes, and the bleffings of their lawful paftor; fay to them from me, That I beseech them by the bowels of Chrift, to keep in mind the doctrine of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which I taught them; that fo they may lay hold on eternal life, ftriving together for the faith of the gospel, and making fure falvation to themfelves. Walk in love, and do righteousness; seek peace, love one another, wait for the coming of our Master and Judge: receive no doctrine contrary to that which I delivered to you; if ye fall away, and forget it, and that catechifm which I taught you, and fo forfake your own mercy, the Lord be Judge betwixt you and me, I take heaven and earth to witnefs, that fuch fhall eternally perifh; but if they ferve the Lord, great will their reward be, when they and I shall stand before our Judge. Set forward up the mountain, to meet with God; climb up, for your Saviour calleth on you. It may be God will call you to your reft, when I am far from you: but ye have my love, and the defires of my heart, for your foul's welfare. He that is holy, keep you from falling, and establish you, till his own glorious appearance. Aberd. 1637. Your affectionate and lawful paftor, S. R. 191. To CARDONESS younger. Much honoured Sir, Long to hear, whether or not your foul be hand-fafted with Christ: lose your time no longer, flee the follies of youth: gird up the loins of your mind and make you ready for meeting the Lord, I have often fummoned you, and now I fummon you again, to compear before your Judge, to make a reckoning of your life; while ye have time, look upon your papers, and confider your ways that there were such an heart in you, as to think, what an ill confcience will be to you, when ye are upon the border of eternity, and your one foot out of time! O then, ten thousand thousand floods of tears cannot extinguish these flames, or purchase to you one hour's release from that pain! O how fweet a day have ye had! But this is a fair day that runneth fast away; fee how ye have spent it, and confider the neceffity of falvation; and tell me (in the fear of God) if ye have made it fure: I am perfuaded, ye have a confcience that will be fpeaking somewhat to you: why will ye die and deftroy yourself? I charge you in Christ's name, to rouze up your confcience, and begin to indent and contract with Christ, in time falvation is in your offer: this is the accepted time, this is the day of falvation: play the merchant, for ye cannot expect another market-day when this is done; therefore let me again beseech you, to confider, in this your day, the things that belong to your peace, before they be hid from your eyes. Dear brother, fulfil my joy, and begin to feek the Lord, while he may be found? forfake the follies of deceiving and vain youth; lay hold upon eternal life. Whoring, night-drinking, and mif-fpending the fabbath, and neglecting of prayer in your house, and refusing of an offered falvation, will burn up your foul with the terrors of the Almighty, when your awakened conscience shall flee in your face. Be kind and loving to your wife; make confcience of cherishing her, and not being rigidly auftere. Sir, I have not a tongue to exprefs the glory that is laid up for you, in your Father's house, if ye reform your doings, and frame your heart to return to the Lord. Ye know, this world is but a fhadow, a fhort-living creature, under the law of time; within lefs than fifty years, when ye look back to it, ye shall laugh at the evanishing vanities thereof, as feathers flying in the air, and as the houses of fand within the seamark, which the children of men are building. Give up with courting of this vain world: feek not the bastard's moveables, but the fon's heritage in heaven. Take trial of Christ, look unto him, and his love shall so change you, that, ye shall be taken with him, and never choose to go from him. I have experience of his sweetness, in this house of my pilgrimage here: my witness, who is above, knoweth, I would not exchange my fighs and tears, with the laughing of the fourteen prelates: there is nothing will make you a Chriftian indeed, but a tafte of the sweetness of Chrift; come and fee, will speak beft to your foul. I would fain hope good of you be not difcouraged at broken and fpilt refolutions; but to it, and to it again: woo about Chrift, till ye get your foul efpoufed as a chafte virgin to him; ufe the means of profiting with your confcience, pray in your family, and read the word; remember how our Lord's day was fpent, when I was among you: it will be a great challenge to you before God, if ye forget, the good that was done within the walls of your houfe on the Lord's day, and if ye turn afide after the fafhions of this world, and if ye go not in time to the kirk, to wait on the public worship of God, and if ye tarry not at it, till all the exercises of religion be ended. Give God fome of your time both morning and evening, and afternoon; and in fo doing, rejoice the heart of a poor oppreffed prifoner. Rue upon your own foul, and from your heart fear the Lord. Now he that brought again from the dead the great Shepherd of his fheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, eftablish your heart with his grace, and prefent you before his prefence with joy. Aberd. 1637. Your affectionate and loving paftor, S. R. 192. To 192. To CARLETOUN. Much honoured Sir, Will not impute your not writing to me, to forgetfulness : however, I have one above who forgetteth me not; nay, he groweth in his kindness: it hath pleased his holy Majefty, to take me from the pulpit, and teach me many things, in my exile and prison, that were myfteries to me before: as, 1. I fee his bottomlefs and boundless love and kindness, and my jealoufies and ravings, which, at my first entry into this furnace, were fo foolish and bold, as to fay to Chrift who is truth itself, in his face, Thou lieft. I had well nigh loft my grips: I wondered if it was Christ or not; for the mist and smoke of my perturbed heart made me mistake my Mafter Jefus my faith was dim, and hope frozen and cold; and my love, which caufed jealoufies, had some warmness, and heat, and smoke, but no flame at all; yet I was looking for fome good of Chrift's old claim to me. I thought, I had forfeited all my rights; but the tempter was too much upon my counfels, and was ftill blowing the coal: alas I knew not well before, how good skill my Interceffor and Advocate, Christ, hath of pleading, and pardoning me fuch follies. Now he is returned to my foul with healing under his wings; and I am nothing behind with Christ now, for he hath over paid me, by his prefence, the pain I was put to by on-waiting, and any little lofs I fustained by my witneffing against the wrongs done to him. I trow, it was a pain to my Lord to hide himself any longer; in a manner, he was challenging his own unkindness, and repented him of his glooms: and now, what want I on earth, that Chrift can give to a poor prifoner! O how fweet and lovely is he now! Alas that I can get none to help me, to lift up my Lord Jefus upon his throne, above all the earth! 2. I am now brought to fome measure of fubmiffion, and I refolve to wait till I fee what my Lord Jefus will do with me: I dare not now nick-name or speak one word against the all seeing and overwatching providence of my Lord. I fee, providence runneth not on broken wheels; but I, like a fool, carved a providence for mine own ease, to die in my neft, and to fleep ftill, till my gray hairs; and to ly on the funny fide of the mountain, in my miniftry at Anwoth but now, I have nothing to say against a borrowed fire-fide, and another man's house, nor Kedar's tents, where I live, being removed far from my acquaintance, my lovers and my friends: I fee, God hath the world on his wheels, and cafteth it as a potter doth a veffel on the wheel. I dare not fay, that there is any inordinate or irregular motion in providence; the Lord hath done it: I will not go to law with Chrift, for I would gain nothing of that. 3. I have learned fome greater mortification, and not to mourn mourn after, or feek to fuck the world's dry breasts: nay, my Lord hath filled me with fuch dainties, that I am like to a full banqueter, who is not for common cheer. What have I to do to fall down upon my knees, and worship mankind's great idol, the world? I have a better God than any clay-god; nay, at present, as I am now disposed, I care not much to give this world a discharge of my life-rent of it, for bread and water: I know, it is not my home, nor my Father's house; it is but his footstool, the outer-clofe of his house his out-fields, and muir-ground: let baftards take it; I hope never to think myself in its common, for honour or riches: nay now, I fay to laughter, thou art madness. 4. I find it most true, that the greatest temptation out of hell, is, to live without temptations; if my waters fhould ftand, they would rot: faith is the better of the free air, and of the sharp winter storm in its face; grace withereth without adverfity: the devil is but God's mafterfencer, to teach us to handle our weapons. 5: I never knew how weak I was, till now, when he hideth himself, and when I have him to feek feven times a day. I am a dry and withered branch, and a piece of a dead carcafe, dry bones, and not able to step over aftraw the thoughts of my old fins are as the fummons of death to me; and of late my brother's cafe hath ftricken me to the heart; when my wounds are clofing, a little riffle caufeth them to bleed afresh: fo thin skinned is my foul, that I think, it is like a tender man's skin, that may touch nothing: ye fee, how short I would shoot of the prize, if his grace were not fufficient for me. Wo is me for the day of Scotland, wo, wo is me for my harlot-mother; for the decree is gone forth: women of this land shall call the childless and miscarrying wombs bleffed. The anger of the Lord is gone forth, and fhall not return, till he perform the purpose of his heart against Scotland: yet he shall make Scotland a new sharp inftrument having teeth, to thresh the mountains, and fan the hills as chaff. The prifoner's bleffing be upon you. Aberd. March 14. 1637. Mistress, Yours in his fweet Lord 193. To the Lady BUSBIE. Know, ye are thinking fometimes what Chrift is doing in Zion, and that the haters of Zion may get the bottom of our cup, and the burning coals of our furnace, that we have been tried in, thofe many years by-gone. O that this nation would be awakened, to cry mightily unto God, for the setting up of a new tabernacle to Chrift in Scotland. O if this kingdom knew how worthy Chrift were of his room! His worth was ever above man's estimation of him. And for myself, I am pained at the heart, that I can not |