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who thou will, of the free falvation; Chrift's fweet balm for thy wounds, O poor humble believer; Chrift's kiffes for thy watery cheeks; Chrift's blood of atonement for thy guilty foul; Chrift's heaven for thy poor foul, though once banished out of paradise; and my Mafter shall make good my word e'er long. O that people were wife! O that people were wife! O that people would fpier out Chrift, and never reft while they find him! O how fhall my foul mourn in fecret, if my nine years pained head, and fore breaft, and pained back, and grieved heart, and private and public prayers to God, and shall all be for nothing among that people! Did my Lord Jefus fend me but to fummon you before your Judge, and to leave your fummons at your houses? Was I fent as a wit nefs only to gather your dittays. O my God forbid ! Often did I tell you of a fan of God's word to come among you, for the contempt of it; I told you often of wrath, wrath from the Lord, to come upon Scotland; and yet I bide by my Master's word; it is quickly coming, defolation for Scotland, because of the quarrel of a broken covenant. Now, worthy Sirs, my dear people, my joy, and my crown in the Lord, let him be your fear; feek the Lord, and his face, fave your fouls. Doves flee to Chrift's windows; pray for me, and praife for me. The bleffing of my God, the prayers and bleffing of a poor prifoner, and your lawful pastor, be

upon you.

Aberdeen. June 16. 1637.

Your lawful and loving paftor, S. R.

15. To the right Honourable and Christian Lady, my Lady BOYD Madam.

GRace, mercy and peace be to you, from God our Father,

Ladyfhip for your letter that hath refreshed my foul. I think my felf many ways obliged to your Ladyfhip for your love to my afflicted brother, now embarked with me in that faine caufe. His Lord hath been pleased to put him on truth's fide; I hope your Ladyship will befriend him with your counsel and countenance in that country where he is a stranger; and your Ladyfhip needeth not fear but your kindness to his own fhall be put up in Chrift's accounts. Now, Madam, for your Ladyship's cafe I rejoice exceedingly, that the Father of lights hath made you see that there is a nick in Chriftianity, which ye contend to be at; and that is, to quit the right eye, and the right hand, and to keep the Son of God: I hope your defire is to make him your garland, and your eye looketh up the mount, which certainly is nothing but the new creature. Fear not, Chrift will not caft water upon your smoaking coal; and then, who elfe dare do it if he fay nay? Be forry at

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Epift. 15. corruption, and not fecure; that companion lay with you in your mother's womb, and was as early friends with you as the breath of life: and Chrift will not have it otherwife; for he delighteth to take up fallen bairns, and to mend broken brows; binding up of wounds is his office; Ifa. 61. 1ft. I am glad Chrift will get employment of his calling in you: many a whole foul is in hea ven, which was ficker than ye are: he is content ye lay broken arms and legs on his knee, that he may fpelk them. 2dly. Hiding of his face is wife love; his love is not fond, doating, and reafonless, to give your head no other pillow while ye be in at heaven's gates, but to ly betwixt his breasts, and lean upon his bofom: nay, his bairns must often have the frofty cold fide of the hill, and fet down both their bare feet among thorns: his love hath eyes, and in the mean time is looking on. Our pride muft have winter weather to rot it. But I know Chrift and ye fhall not be heard; ye will whisper it over betwixt yourselves, and agree again; for the anchor-tow abideth faft within the vail; the end of it is in Christ's ten fingers: who dare pull if he hold? 'I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, faying, Fear not, I will help thee,' Ifa. 41. 13. Fear not, Jacob. The fea fick pas fenger fhall come to land; Chrift will be the first that will meet you on the fhore. I hope your Ladyship will keep the king's highway; go on in the ftrength of the Lord in hafte, as if ye had not leisure to speak to the inn-keepers by the way: he is over beyond time in the other fide of the water, who thinketh long for you. For my unfaithful felf, Madam, I must say a word. At my first coming hither, the devil made many a black lie of my Lord Jefus, and faid, the court was changed, and he was angry, and would give an evil servant his leave at mid-term; but he gave me grace not to take my leave; I refolved to hide fummons, and fit, how beit it was fuggefted and faid, What should be done with a withered tree, but over the dike with it? But now, now, (I dare not, I do not keep it up) who is feasted as his poor exiled prifo ner? I think fhame of the board-head and the firft mefs, and the royal King's dining hall, and that my black hand should come on fuch a ruler's table: but I cannot mend it, Christ must have his will; only he paineth my foul fo fometimes with his love, that I have been nigh to pafs modefty, and to cry out; he hath left a fmoaking burning coal in my heart, and gone to the door himself and left me and it together, yet it is not defertion; I know not what it is, but I was never fo fick for him as now. I durft not challenge my Lord, if I got no more for heaven, it is a dawting crofs. I know he hath other things to do than to play with me, and trundle an apple with me, and that this feaft will end. O for inftruments in God's name, that this is he! and that I may make use of it, when it may be, a near friend within me will fay,

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and when it will be faid by a challenging devil, Where is my God? Since I know it will not laft, I defire but to keep broken meat: but let no man after me flander Chrift for his crofs. The great Lord of the covenant, who brought from the dead the great thepherd of his sheep, by. the blood of the eternal covenant, establish you, and keep you and yours to his appearance.

Aberdeen, March 7, 1637.

Yours in his fweet Lord

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Jefus, S. R.

16 To Mr. ALEXANDER HENDERSON.

My reverend and dear brother,

Received your letters: they are apples of gold to me, for with my sweet feafts (and they are above the deferving of fuch a finner, high and out of measure) I have fadness to ballast me, and weight me a little It is but his boundless wisdom who hath taken the tutoring of his witlefs child; and he knoweth to be drunken with comforts is not fafest for our stomachs. However it be, the dim, and noise, and glooms of Christ's crofs are weightier than itself. I proteft to you, (my witness is in heaven) I could with many pound weights added to my crofs, to know that by my fufferings, Chrift were fet forward in his kingly office in this land. Oh! what is my skin to his glory; or my loffes, or my fad heart, to the apple of the eye of our Lord, and his beloved fpoufe, his precious truth, his royal privileges, the glory of manifefted juftice in giving of his foes a dash, the teftimony of his faithful fervants, who do glorify him, when he rideth upon poor Weak worms, and triumpheth in them? I defire you to pray, that I may come out of this furnace with honefty; and that I may leave Chrift's truth no worse than I found it; and that this most honourable cause may neither be stained, nor weakened. As for your cafe, my reverend and dearest brother, ye are the talking of the north and fouth; and looked to fo, as if ye were all chryftal glafs; your motes and duft should foon be proclaimed, and trumpets blown at your flips: but I know ye have laid help upon one that is mighty. Intruft not your comforts to men's airy and frothy ap plaufe, neither lay your down-caftings on the tongues of falt mockers and reproachers of godlinefs: as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet ftill known. God hath called you to Chrift's fide, and the wind is now in Chrift's face in this land; and seeing ye are with him, ye cannot expect the lee fide, or the funny-fide of the brae: but I know ye have refolved to take Christ upon any terms whatsoever: I hope ye do not rue, though your caufe be hated, and that prejudices are taken up against it. The thields of the world think our master cumbersome wares, and that he maketh too great din, and that his cords and yokes make blain's

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Epift. 17. and deep scores in their neck; therefore they kick, they fay, This man shall not reign over us. Let us pray one for another: he who hath made you a chofen arrow in his quiver, hide you in the hollow of his hand. I am

Aberdeen, March 9, 1637.

Yours in his fweet Lord

Jefus, S. R

17. To the Right Honourable my Lord LOWDON. My very noble and honourable Lord,

Grace, mercy and peace be to you. I make bold to write to your Lordship, that you may know the honourable cause ye are graced to profefs in Christ's own truth. Ye are many ways bleffed of God, who hath taken upon you to come out to the streets with Chrift on your forehead, when fo many are ashamed of him, and hide him, as it were, under their cloak, as if he were a stolen Chrift. If this faithlefs generation (and especially the nobles of this kingdom) thought not Chrift dear wares, and religion expensive, hazardous and dangerous, they would not flip from his caufe as they do, and stand looking on with their hands folded behind their back, when lowns are running away with the fpoil of Zion on their back, and the boards of the Son of God's tabernacle. Law and juftice are to be had to any, especially for money and moyen; but Chrift can get no law, good, cheap, nor dear. It were the glory and honour of you, who are the nobles of this land, to plead for your wronged Bridegroom, and his oppreffed Spouse, as far as zeal and ftanding law will go with you. Your ordinary logic from the event (that it will do no good) to the caufe (and therefore filence is beft, till the Lord put to his own hand) is not (with reverence to your Lordship's learning) worth a straw: events are God's; let us do and not plead against God's office; let him fit at his own helm, who moderateth all events; it is not a good course to complain, that we cannot get a providence of gold, when our lazinefs, cold zeal, temporizing, and faithlefs fearfulness fpilleth God's providence. Your Lordship will pardon me; I am not of that mind, that tumults or arms is the way to put Chrift on his throne; or that Chrift will be ferved, and truth vindicated only with the arm of flesh and blood nay, Christ doth his turn with lefs din than with garments rolled in blood. But I would the zeal of God were in the nobles to do their part for Chrift: and I must be pardoned to write to your Lordship this, I do not, I dare not but speak to others what God hath done to the foul of his poor, afflicted, exiled prifoner: his comfort is more than I ever knew before; he hath fealed the honourable cause I now fuffer for, and I fhall not believe that Chrift will put to hisAmcn, and ring upon an imagination: he hath made

all

a his promifes good to me, and hath filled up all the blanks with his own hand; I would not exchange my bonds with the plaistered joy of this whole world: it hath pleafed him to make a finner, the like of me, an ordinary banqueter in his houfe of wine, with that royal, princely one, Chrift Jefus. O what weighing! O what telling is in his love! How fweet muft he be, when that black and burdenfome tree, his own crofs, is fo perfumed with joy and gladness! O for help to lift him up by praises on his royal throne! I feek no more but that his name may be spread abroad in me, that meikle good may be spoken of Christ on my behalf: this being done, my loffes, place, ftipend, credit, eafe, and liberty, fhall all be made up to my full contentment and joy of heart. I will be confident your Lordship will go on in the ftrength of the Lord, and keep Chrift and avoueh him, that he may read your name publickly before men and angels. I will intreat your Lordship to exhort and encourage that nobleman your chief to do the fame; but I am wo, many of you find a new wisdom, which deferveth not fuch a name; it were better that men should see that their wisdom be holy, and their holinefs wife. I must be bold to defire your Lord/hip to add to your former favours to me (for the which your Lordship hath a prifoner's bleffing and prayers) this, that ye would be pleased to befriend my brother, now fuffering for the fame caufe; for he is to dwell nigh your Lordship's bounds; your Lordship's word and countenance may help him. Thus recommending your Lordship to the faving grace, and tender mercy of Chrift Jefus our Lord, I reft

Aberdeen, March 9.

1637.

Your Lordship's obliged fervant
in Chrift. S. R.

18. To Mr. WILLIAM DALGLISH, Minifter of the gospel. Reverend and dear Brother,

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Race, mercy and peace be to you. I am well; my Lord Jefus is kinder to me than ever he was; it pleaseth him to dine and fup with his afflicted prifoner; a King feafteth me, and his fpikenard cafteth a fweet smell. Put Chrift's love to the trial, and put upon it burdens, and then it will appear love indeed: we employ not his love, and therefore we know it not. I verily count more of the fufferings of my Lord, than of this world's luftered and over-gilded glory. I dare not fay but my Lord Jefus hath fully recompenfed my fadnefs with his joys; my loffes with his own prefence. I find it a sweet and rich thing to exchange my forrows with Chrift's joys, my afflictions with that fweet peace I have with himself. Brother, this is his own truth I now fuffer for; he hath fealed my fufferings with his own comforts, and I know he will not put his feal upon blank paper: his feals are not dumb, nor delufive

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