Epift. 45. fields; either Chrift behoved to take me up, and to bring me home to his house and fire-fide, elfe I had died in the fields: and now I am homely with Chrift's love, fo that I think the house mine own, and the master of the house mine alfo. Chrift enquired not, when he began to love me, whether I was fair, or black, or fun burnt! love taketh what it may have. He loved me before this time, I know; but now I have the flower of his love his love is come to a fair bloom, like a young : rofe opened up of the green leaves, and it cafteth a strong and fragrant fmell. I want nothing but ways of expreffing Chrift's love: a full veffel would have a vent. O if I could fmoke out and caft out coals, to make a fire in many breafts of this land! O! it is a pity that there were not many imprisoned for Chrift, for no other purpose, but to write books and love fongs of the love of Chrift. This love would keep all created tongues of men and angels in exercise, and bufy night and day, to speak of it. Alas! I can speak nothing of it, but wonder at three things in his love; First, Freedom. O that lumps of fin fhould get fuch love for nothing! Secondly, The tweetness of his love. I give over either to speak or write of it; but thefe that feel it, may better bear witness what it is: but it is fo fweet, that, next to Chrift himfelf, nothing can match it. Nay, I think a foul could live eternally bleffed only on Chrift's love, and feed upon no other thing; yea, when Christ in love giveth a blow, it doth a foul good; and it is a kind of comfort and joy to it, to get a cuff with the lovely, fweet, and foft hand of Jefus. And, thirdly, What power and strength is in his love! I am perfuaded it can climb a steep hill, and hell upon its back; and fwim through water, and not drown; and fing in the fire, and find no pain; and triumph in loffes, prifons, forrows, exile, difgrace; and laugh and rejoice in death. Oh for a year's leafe of the sense of his love without a cloud, to try what Chrift is! Oh for the coming of the Bridegroom! Oh when will I fee the Bridegroom and the bride meet in the clouds, and kifs each other! Oh when will we get our day and our hearts-fill of that love! Oh if it were lawful to com. plain of the famine and want of the immediate vision of God! Q time, time, how dost thou torment the fouls of those that would be fwallowed up of Chrift's love, because thou movest so flowly! Oh if he would pity a poor prifoner, and blow love upon me, and give a prisoner a taste or draught of that sweetness, (which is glory as it were begun) to be a confirmation, that Chrift and I thall have our fill of other for ever: come hither, O love of Christ, that I may once kifs thee before I die: what would I not give to have time, that lieth betwixt Chrift and me, taken out of the way, that we might once meet? I cannot think but at the first fight I shall fee of that most lovely and fairest face, love shall

come

come out of his two eyes, and fill me with astonishment: I would but defire to stand at the outer fide of the gates of the New Jerufalem, and look through a hole of the door, and fee Chrift's face a borrowed vifion in this life would be my borrowed and begun heaven, while the long, long looked for day dawn. It is not for nothing that it is faid, Col. i 27 Chrift in you the hope of glory, I will be content of no pawn of heaven, but Christ himself, for Chrift, poffeffed by faith here, is young heaven and glory in the bud: if I had that pawn, I would bide horning and hell both, ere I gave it again. All we have here, is scarce the picture of glory: fhould not we young bairns, long and look for the expiring of our minority? It were good to be daily begging, propines and love gifts, and the bridegroom's favours; and, if we can do more, seek crumbs, and hungry dinners of Chrift's love, to keep the taste of heaven in our mouth, while fupper-time. I know it is a far afternoon, and nigh the marriage fupper of the Lamb; the table is covered already. O Well-beloved, run, run fast! O fair day, when wilt thou dawn! O fhadows, flee away! I think hope and love woven through other make our abfence from Chrift fpiritual torment; it is a pain to wait on, but hope that maketh not ashamed fwalloweth up that pain. It is not unkindness that keepeth Chrift and us fo long afunder. What can I say to Chrift's love? I think more than I can say: to confider, that when my Lord Jefus may take the air (if I may fo speak) and go abroad, yet he will be confined and keep the prifon with me; but in all this fweet communion with him, what am I to be thanked for? I am but a fufferer; whether I will or not, he will be kind to me, as if he had defied my guiltinefs to make him unkind; fo he beareth his love on me. Here I die with wondering, that juftice hindreth not love; for there are none in hell, nor out of hell, more worthy of Christ's love. Shame may confound and fear me, once to hold up my black mouth, to receive one of Chrift's undeferved kiffes: if my inner-fide were turned out, and all men faw my vilenefs, they would fay to me, It is a fhame for thee to stand still, whileChrift kifs thee and embrace thee: it would feem to become me rather to run away from his love, as afhamed at my own unworthinefs; nay, I may think fhame to take heaven, who have fo highly provoked my Lord Jefus: but feeing Chrift's love will fhame me, I am content to be ashamed. My defire is, that my Lord would give me broader and deeper thoughts, to feed myself with wondring at his love: I would I could weigh it, but I have no balance for it. When I have worn my tongue to the ftump, in praifing of Chrift, I have done nothing to him; I must let him alone, for my withered arms wil! not go about his high, wide, long and broad love. What remaineth then, but that my debt to the love of Chrift ly unpaid for all eternity?

Epift. 46, eternity? All that are in heaven are black shamed with his love as well as I; we must all be dyvours together; and the bleffings of that houfe-full, or heaven-full of dyvours, fhall reft for ever upon him. O if this land and nation would come and ftand befide his inconceivable and glorious perfections, and look in, and love, and wonder, and adore! Would to God I could bring in many lovers to Chrift's house! But this nation hath forfaken the fountain of living waters. Lord, caft not water on Scotland's coal, Wo, wo will be to this land, because of the day of the Lord's fierce anger, that is so fast coming. Grace be with you. Your affectionate brother in our Lord Jefus, S. R.

Aberdeen.

46. To JOHN KENNEDY, Baillie of Air. Worthy and dear brother,

GRace, mercy and peace be to you.. I long to fee you in this

northern world, in paper; I know it not forgetfulness that ye write not. I am every way in good cafe, both in foul and body; all honour and glory be to my Lord: I want nothing but a further revelation of the beauty of the unknown Son of God. Either I know not what Christianity is, or we have ftinted a measure of fo many ounce weights and no more, upon holiness; and there we are at a stay, drawing our breath all our life: a moderation to God's way, now, is much in request. I profess I have never taken pains to find out him whom my foul loveth; there is a gait yet of finding out Chrift, that I have never lighted upon. O if I could find it out! Alas, how foon are we pleased with our own shadow in a glass! It were good to be beginning in fad earneft to find out God, and to feek the right tread of Chrift. Time, custom, and a good opinion of ourselves, our good meaning, and our lazy defires, our fair fhows, and the world's gliftering luftres, and these broad passments and bufkings of religion, that bear bulk in the kirk, is that wherewith most fatisfy themselves: but a watered bed with tears, a dry throat with praying, eyes as a fountain of tears for the fins of the land, is rare to be found among us. Oh if we could know the power of godlinefs! This is one part of my cafe; and another is, that I, like a fool, once fummoned Christ for unkindness, and complained of his fickleness and unconftancy, because he would have no more of my service nor preaching, and had caften me out of the inheritance of the Lord: and I now confefs this was but a bought plea, and I was a fool; yet he hath born with me. I gave him a fair advantage against me, but love and mercy would not let him take it; and the truth is now he hath chided himself friends with me, and hath taken away the maik, and hath renewed his wonted favour in such a manner, that he hath paid me my hundred fold in this life, and one to the

hundred

hundred. This prison is my banqueting house; I am handled as foftly and delicately as a dauted child; I am nothing behind, I fee, with Chrift; he can in a month make up a year's loffes: and I write this to you that I may intreat, nay, adjure and charge you by the love of our Well beloved, to help me to praife, and to tell all your Chriftian acquaintance to help me; for I am as deeply drowned in his debt as any dyvour can be: and yet in this fair fun-blink, I have fomething to keep me from startling, on being exalted above measure; his word is as fire fhut up in my bowels, and I am weary with forbearing. The minifters in this town are faying, they shall have my prifon changed into lefs bounds, because they fee God with me; my mother hath born me a man of contention, one that striveth with the whole earth. The late wrongs and oppreffions done to my brother keep my fails low; yet I defy croffes to einbark me in fuch a plea against Chrift as I was troubled with of late. I hope to over-hope and over-believe my troubles: I have caufe now to truft Chrift's promife, more than his gloom. Remember my hearty affections to your wife. My foul is grieved for the fuccefs of our brethrens journey to New-England; but God hath fomewhat to reveal that we fee not. Grace be with you. Pray for the prifoner, Aberdeen, Jan. 1, Yours in his only Lord 1637. Jefus, S. R.

47. To MARGARET BALLANTINE. Miftrefs,

that I should have written to you, but it is yet good time, if I could help your foul to mend your pace, and to go more fwiftly to your heavenly country; for truly ye have need to make all hafte, because the inch of your day that remaineth will quickly lip away; for whether we fleep or wake our glafs runneth, the tide bideth no man. Beware of a beguile in the matter of your falvation: wo, wo for evermore to them that lose that prize; for what is behind, when the foul is once loft, but that finners warm their bits of clay-houses at a fire of their own kindling, for a day or two, which doth rather fuffocate with its fmoke than warm them; and at length they ly down in forrow, and are clothed with everlasting shame? I would feek no further meafure of faith to begin withal, than to believe really and ftedfaftly the doctrine of God's juftice, his all devouring wrath and everlasting burning, where finners are burnt, foul and body, in a river and great lake of fire and brimstone: then they would wifh no more goods, but the thoufandth part of a cold fountain well to cool their tongue; they would then buy death, with enduring of pain and torment

for

for as many years as God hath created drops of rain fince the creation; but there is no market of buying or felling life or death there: Oh! alas the greatest part of the world run to the place of that torment rejoicing and dancing, eating, drinking and fleeping. My counsel to you is, that ye ftart in time to be after Chrift; for if ye go quickly, Chrift is not far before you, ye fhall overtake him. O Lord God, what is so needful as this, Salvation, falvation? Fy upon this condemned and foolish world, that would give fo little for falvation! Oh, if there were a free market of falvation proclaimed, in that day, when the trumpet of God fhall awake the dead; how many buyers would be then? God fend me no more happiness but that falvation which the blind world (to their eternal wo) letteth flip through their fingers; therefore look if ye can give out your money (as Ifaiah speaketh, chap. lv. 2.) for bread, and lay Chrift and his blood in wadfet for heaven: it is a dry and hungry bairn's part of goods, that Efaus are hunting for here: I fee thousands following the chase, and in the pursuit of fuch things, while in the mean time they lose the bleffing: and when all is done, they have caught nothing to roast for fupper, but ly down hungry; and befides, they go to bed, when they die, without a candle; for God faith to them, 'This fhall ye have at my hand, ye shall ly down in forrow.' And truly this is as ill made a bed to ly upon as one could wifh; for he cannot fleep foundly, nor reft fweetly, who hath forrow for his pillow. Rouze, rouze up therefore your foul, and afk how Chrift and your foul met together: Lam fure they never got Christ, who were not once fick at the yolk of the heart for him: too, too many whole fouls think they have met with Chrift, who had never a wearied night for the want of him: but alas, what richer are men, that they dreamed the laft night they had much gold, and when they awoke in the morning they found it was but a dream? What are all the finners in the world, in that day when heaven and earth fhall go up in a flame of fire, but a number of beguilcd dreamers? Every one fhall fay of his hunting and his conquest Behold it was a dream: every man in that day will tell his dream. I beseech you in the Lord Jefus, beware, beware of unfound work, in the matter of your falvation: ye may not, ye cannot, ye do not want Chrift: then after this day conveen all your lovers before your foul, and give them their leave; and ftrike hands with Chrift, that thereafter there may be no happiness to you but Christ, no hunting for any thing but Chrift, no bed at night (when death cometh) but Christ, Christ, Christ; who had but Chrift? I know this much of Chrift, he is not ill to be found, nor lordly of his love; wo had been my part of it for evermore, if Chrift had made a dainty of himfelf to me: but, God be thanked, I gave nothing for Chrift; and now, I proteft before men and angels, Chrift can

not