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went fo high in their perfecution, and drave fo hard, that it was thought fcarce poffible for any to out-do them in perfecuting; for they run themselves out of breath, and never drew bridle till they fell in the ditch, and we thought they had died there without fucceffion; but alas! the church finds this day, that in refpect of their fucceffors, they were meer novices, and had fcarce ferved their apprentiship in the Black Art: and this puts me to think, whether the people of God fhould not rather fubmit to be chaftifed even with the fcourge of fcorpions, than to wish that he would throw the rod in the fire, leaft if they were gone, and we not fit for a delivery (as indeed we are not) it fhould fall out with us, according to the ftory of the old wife of Syracufe, who was afraid of Dionyfius' death, left the devil should fucceed him: but if any fhould fay to me, What and he be already come. For if the Holy Ghost call these men fuch, who did but caft in prison, and did but caft fome in prison, may he not be faid to be already come down now, having great wrath; when depofition, imprisonment, banishment, yea any thing lefs then declared worthy to die, is thought a favour: if any should urge me with this, I fay, I confefs he would pose me into an abfolute filence; or force an acknowledgment from me: if the prelates themselves, who are of age, be in cafe to make a reply, let them anfwer it: for the truth is, they are fo hot upon their work, that if it be a herefy to think fo of them, they who plead the neceffity of their office, for preventing of fchifm and herefy, are like to turn the better part of the world heretics; but to my purpose, I fay, there is fome reafon to fear, that this be thought very fit fewel, to make a fire in Caiaphas's hall: however, though it should be fo, yet this is not the firft time, that fome of the worthy author's works, have got fuch entertainment: and truly there is fo much zeal to the interefts of Chrift, fo much love to God, and the falvation of men, burning in these lines; that, that fpirit, whofe element is fire, will endeavour to blow the bellows, and feek this as a facrifice at their hands, whofe once profeffed fincerity, and perfonal zeal for God and interefts, is now broken out, in fuch high acts of rebellion against him, and hatred against his fervants; whereby the proverb is become plain Scottish, or English, or both if ye will: omnis apoftata fecta fue ofer: but if the prelates would take a poor prefbyter's advice, they would even let it alone, left the fmoke of that fire, wherein they burn this, kindle a flame of juft indignation against them, in the hearts of all the lovers of God, as men who have a very perfect hatred against piety: but if they care not to be fo looked upon, I have no more to fay, be it fo: it is like nothing that I can fay, will hinder them, from putting this piece in his hands, to whom, as I hear, they have committed the revifing of learned and worthy Mr. Wood's teftimony, &c. and who it feems, is made choice of by them, as fecretary in chief, for revifing all fuch pieces, viz. Joannes Dunmureus, cum fratibus, & collegis fuis: and therefore I muft leave them to their own liberty, which I only do, becaufe I cannot help it: and I am afraid befides, left I fhould work too hard, in carrying water to cool them, I over-heat myself, and leave them at laft nothing cooler than I found them: but as for thee, Christian reader, it will be a fufficient imprimatur, to tell thee, that thefe are Mr. RUTHERFOORD'S LETTERS: wherein he gives thee an account, of many a good day, and joyful hour, he had in his Mafter's company; while his fellow-fervants did beat and thruft him out of the vineyard: and he invites thee to take a fhare of his feaft; and truly, I with that both of us would go try and tafte, fince neither of us are like to have very good entertainment any where else.

I have

I have but one word more to fay; for I know it is long fince thou expected I fhould have made an end, and it is only to crave the pardon that I have not done it fooner : when I wrote the first lines, I thought to have made the end and the beginning fo contiguous, that I should neither have put thee to this trouble, nor myself to the neceffity of an apology and in order to that, I did really forbear what (as I told thee) at first I intended, and am carried this length befides my defign; but if the length of what is here offend thee, thou art in cafe without doing me any wrong, to give thyself the fame fatisfaction, as if I had faid nothing, by paffing it, as fo much wafte paper, and turning over to the epiftles themselves: if thy foul be profited by thefe) as I hope it fhall) I have my defign; and all I seek of thee befides, is, that thou wouldeft wifh his foul's welfare, who was at this little pains, in order to thine, and who defires to be reckoned by thee, amongst the meaneft and moft unworthy of

The favourers of the duft of Zion,

And thy well-wisher.

Chriftian Reader,

IN

each of thefe Epiftles thou mayeft perceive, how the writers heart is enflamed with a holy fire; and how his foul afcends in the Smoke (as fnatched up to heaven and caught up above all that is below God :) O how much drops from his pen above the ordinary attainments and experience, even of fuch who seem to have out-run others! So that in refpect of us, this angel of the church Speaks as one flanding already in the Quire of angels, or as an angel come down from heaven among men, to give us fome account of what they are doing above. And thus leaving thee to perufe what is made public for thy edification; and to prefs this pomegranate and Squeeze this grape; and to fuck till thou find thy foul refreshed with its Spiced wine; and wishing thee an experimental knowlege of that furpaffing and inconceivable fweetness which is in the fruition of God, and to be enjoyed in a fellowship with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrift, and a full draught of thefe pure ftreams of folid joy and confolation, wherein the foul of this faint fwimed, and which run through thefe lines; without which, while he Speaks as coming forth out of the King's banqueting-boufe, to perfuade thee to go in thither, and feaft and bath thy foul in the fame pure delights, and permanent pleasures, whereon he fed, and which flow in upon the foul, and overflow it, while the faint finds himself, with his Beloved's left-hand under his head, and his right-hand embracing him, be will be to thee a barbarian. Í fhall only wish and beg, that thou wouldeft feriously feek of God, the fame thing for him, who feeks this for thee, and hath his defign in the pains taken in publishing thefe Letters, if thou be thereby provoked to seek till thou find this is that adequate recompence, which he feeks, earnestly intreats, and expects, who is

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Thy fouls well wisher,

and fervant in Chrift Jefus..

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Mr. RUTHERFOORD'S LETTERS.

EPIST. I.

To Mr. ROBERT CUNNINGHAME, Minifter of the Gospel at Holywood in Ireland.

Well-beloved and reverend brother,

Race, mercy and peace, be to you: upon acquaintance in Chrift, I thought good to take the opportunity of writing to you feeing it hath feemed good to our Lord of the harvest, to take the hooks out of our hands for a time, and fo lay upon us a more honourable fervice, even to fuffer for his name, it were good to comfort one another in writing. I have had a desire to fee you in the face, yet now being the prisoner of Chrift, it is taken away. I am greatly comforted to hear of your foldiers ftately spirit, for your princely and royal Captain Jesus Christ our Lord, and of the grace of God in the rest of our dear brethren with you. You have heard of my trouble, I fuppofe. It hath pleased our fweet Lord Jefus to let loofe the malice of these interdicted lords in his houfe, to deprive me of my ministry at Anwoth, and to confine me eightfcore miles from thence to Aberdeen: and alfo (which was not done to any before) to inhibite me to speak at all in Jefus his name, within this kingdom, under the pain of rebellion. The caufe that ripened their hatred was my book against the Arminians, whereof they accufed me those three days I appeared before them; but let our crowned King in Zion reign; by his grace the lofs is theirs, the advantage is Christ's and truth's. Albeit this honeft crofs gained fome ground on me by my heavinefs, and inward challenges of confcience for a time were sharp, yet now for the encouragement of you all, I dare fay it, and write it under my hand, Welcome, welcome, fweet, fweet cross of Christ. I verily think the chains of my Lord Jefus are all overlaid with pure gold, and that his cross is perfumed, and that it smelleth of Chrift; and that the victory shall be by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of his truth; and that Chrift lying on his back, in his weak fervants, and oppressed truth, fhall ride over his enemies bellies, and shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. It is time to laugh when he laugheth; and feeing he is now pleased to fit with wrongs for a time, it becometh us to be filent, until the Lord hath let the enemies enjoy their hungry, Jean, and fecklefs paradife: bleffed are they who are content

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to take strokes with weeping Chrift; faith will trust the Lord, and is not hafty, nor head-ftrong; neither is faith so timorous, as to flatter a tentation, or to bud and bribe the cross. It is little up or little down that the Lamb and his followers can get no law-furety, nor truce with croffes; it must be so, till we be up in our Father's houfe. My heart is woe indeed for my mother church, that hath played the harlot with many lovers; for her husband hath a mind to fell her for her horrible tranfgreffions, and heavy will the hand of the Lord be upon this backfliding'nation. The ways of our Zion mourn, her gold is become dim, her white Nazarites are black like a coal; how fhall not the children weep, when the husband and the mother cannot agree? Yet I believe Scotland's fkies fhall clear again, and that Christ shall build again the old waste places of Jacob, and that our dead and dry bones fhall become an army of living men; and that our Wellbeloved may yet feed among the lillies, until the day-break, and the iliadows flee away. My dear brother, let us help one another with our prayers. Our King fhall mow down his enemies, and fhall come from Bozra, with his garments all dyed in blood, and for our confolation fhall he appear, and call his wife Hephzibah, and his land Beula; for he will rejoice over us and marry us, and Scotland fhall fay, What have I to do any more with idols? Only let us be faithful to him that can ride through hell and death up. on a windleftrae, and his horse never stumble; and let him make of me a bridge over a water, fo that his high and holy name may be glorified in me: ftrokes with the fweet Mediator's hand are very fweet; he has always been fweet to my foul; but fince I fuffered for him, his breath hath a fweeter fmell than before. Oh that every hair of my head, and every member, and every bone in my body, were a man to witnefs a fair confeffion for him, I would think all too little for him. When I look over beyond the line, and beyond death, to the laughing fide of the world, I triumph, and ride upon the high places of Jacob, how beit otherwise I am a faint dead-hearted cowardly man, oft born down, and hungry in waiting for the marriage fupper of the Lamb: nevertheless I think it the Lord's wife love that feeds us with hunger, and makes us fat with wants and desertions: I know not, my dear brother, if our worthy brethren be gone to fea, or not; they are on my heart, and in my prayers: if they be yet with you, falute my dear friend John Stuart; my well beloved brethren in the Lord, Mr. Blair, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Livingfton, and Mr. M'Cleland, and 'acquaint them with my troubles, and intreat them to pray for the poor afflicted prifoner of Chrift: they are dear to my foul; I feek your prayers and theirs for my flock; their remembrance breaks my heart: I defire to love that people, and others my dear acquaintance in Christ with love in God, and as God loveth them:

I know that he who sent me to the Weft and South fends me alfo to the North: I will charge my foul to believe and to wait for bim, and will follow his providence, and not go before it, nor ftay behind it. Now, my dear brother, taking farewel in paper, I commend you all to the word of his grace, and to the work of his Spirit, to him who holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, that you may be kept spotlefs till the day of Jefus our Lord. I am, From Irvine, being on my journey Your brother in affliction

to Christ's palace in Aberdeen, August 4, 1636.

in our fweet Lord Jefus,

2. To his PARISHIONERS.

S. R.

DEarly-beloved, and longed for in the Lord, my crown and

My

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my joy in the day of Chrift: grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and our Lord Jefus Christ. I long exceedingly to know, if the oft-fpoken of match betwixt you and Chrift holdeth; and if you follow on to know the Lord. day thoughts and my night thoughts are of you; while ye fleep I am afraid of your fouls, that they be off the rock next to my Lord Jefus, and this fallen kirk, ye have the greatest (hare of my forrow, and alfo of my joy; ye are the matter of the tears, care, fear, and daily prayers of an oppreffed prifoner of Chrift. As I am in bonds for my high and lofty One, my royal and princely Mafter, my Lord Jefus; fo I am in bonds for you: for I fhould have fleeped in my warm neft,and kept the fat world in my arms, and the cords of my tabernacle should have been fastened more ftrongly, I might have fung an evangel of ease to my foul and you for a time, with my brethren, the fons of my mother, that were angry at me, and have thrust me out of the vineyard, if I should have been broken, and drawn on to mire you the Lord's flock, and to cause you eat pastures troden upon with mens feet, and to drink foul and muddy waters: but truly the Almighty was a terror to me, and his fear made me afraid. O my Lord, judge if my miniftry be not dear to me, but not fo dear by many degrees as Chrift Jefus my Lord, God knoweth the heavy and fad fabbaths I have had; fince I laid down at my Master's feet my two fhepherd's ftaves, I have been often faying, as it is written, Lam. ii. 52,53. 'My enemies chafed me fore like a bird, without caufe: they have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me:' for, next to Chrift, I had but one joy, the apple of the eye of my delights, to preach Chrift my Lord, and they have violently plucked that away from me, and it was to me like the poor man's one eye, and they have put out that eye, and quenched my light in the inheritance of the Lord; but my eye is toward the Lord. I know I fhall fee the falvation of God, and that my hope fhall not always

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