not be fold, Chrift cannot be weighed: where would angels, or all the world find a ballance to weigh him in? All lovers blush when ye stand befide Chrift; wo upon all love but the love of Chrift; hunger, hunger for evermore, be upon all heaven but Chrift; fhame, shame for evermore, be upon all glory. I cry death upon all lives but the life of Chrift. O what is it that holdeth us afunder! O that once we could have a fair meeting. Thus recommending Christ to you, and you to him for evermore, I reft, (Grace be with you)

Aberd 1637.

Yours in his fweet Lord Jefus, S. R.

48. To JANET KENNEDY.

Loving and dear fifter.

Grace, mercy and peace be unto you: I received your letter:

I know, the favour of Chrift in you (that the virgins love. to follow) cannot be blown away with winds, either from hell, or the evil-fmelled air of this polluted world: fit far a-back from the walls of this poft-houfe, even the pollutions of this defiling world. Keep your tafte, your love and hope in heaven; it is not good, your love and your Lord fhould be in two fundry countries. Up, up after your Lover, that ye and he may be together. A King from heaven hath fent for you; by faith he sheweth you the New Jerufalem, and taketh you alongst, in the spirit, through all the ease rooms, and dwelling-houfes in heaven, and faith, All these are thine, this palace is for thee and Chrift; and if ye only had been the chofen of God, Chrift would have built that one house for you and himfelf; now it is for you and many others alfo take with you in your journey what ye may carry with you, your confcience, faith, hope, patience, meeknefs, goodness, brotherly kindness; for fuch wares as these are of great price in the high and new country whither ye go: as for other things, that are but the world's vanity and trash, fince they are but the housefweepings, ye shall do beft not to carry them with you; ye found them here, leave them here, and let them keep the house. Your fun is well turned, and low; be nigh your lodging against night. We go one and one out of this great market till the town be empty, and the two lodgings, heaven and hell, be filled at length there will be nothing in the earth but toom-walls and burnt afhes, and therefore it is best to make away, Antichrift and his mafter are busy to plenish hell, and to feduce many: and stars, great church lights are falling from heaven, and many are mifled and feduced, and make up with their faith, and fell their birthrights, by their hungry hunting for I know not what. Fafien your grips faft upon Chrift. I verily efteem him the best aught that I have: he is my fecond in prifon; having him, though my

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cross were as heavy as ten mountains of iron, when he putteth his fweet shoulder under me and it, my crofs is but a feather. please myself in the choice of Chrift; he is my waile in heaven and earth: I rejoice that he is in heaven before me; God fend a joyful meeting and in the mean time, the travellers charges for the way, I mean, a burden of Chrift's love to fweeten the journey, and to encourage a breathlefs runner; for when I lofe breath, climbing up the mountain, he maketh new breath. Now the very God of peace establish you to the day of his appearance. Aberdeen, Sept. 9. Yours in his only Lord 1637.

49. To MARGARET REID.

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My very dear, and wrothy fifter,

Jefus, S. R.

GRace, mercy and peace be to you: ye are truly blessed of

the Lord, however a four world gloom upon you, if ye continue in the faith grounded and fettled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel. It is good, there is a heaven, and it is not a night-dream, or a fancy: it is a wonder that men deny not that there is a heaven, as they deny there is a way to it but of mens making. You have learned of Chrift that there is a heaven; contend for it, and contend for Chrift; bear well and fubmiffively the hard cross of this ftep mother world, that God will not have to be yours. I confefs it is hard, and I would I were able to ease you of your burden; but believe me, this world (which the Lord will not have to be yours) is but the dross, the refuse and scorn of God's creation, the portion of the Lord's poor hired fervants; the moveables, not the heritage; a hard bone caften to the dogs, holden out of the New Jerufalem, whereupon they rather break their teeth than fatisfy their appetite: it is your father's bleffing, and Chrift's birth right, that our Lord is keeping for you; and I perfuade you, your feed alfo fhall inherit the earth, (if that be good for them) for that is promised to them and God's bond is as good, and better, than if men would give every one of them a bond for a thousand thousands. Ere you was born, croffes in number, meafure and weight were written for you, and your Lord will lead you thorough them: make Christ fure, and the bieffings of the earth fhall be at Chrift's back. I fee many profeffors for the fashion followeth on; but they are profeffors of glafs: I would cause a little knock of perfecution ding them in twenty pieces, and fo the world fhould laugh at the fheards. Therefore make faft work, fee that Chrift lay the ground ftone of your profeffion; for wind and rain, and fpeats will not wafh away his bullding; his works have no fhorter date than to ftand for evermore. I fhould twenty times have perished in my afflic

tion, if I had not leaned my weak back, and laid my preffing burden both upon the stone, the foundation ftone, the corner stone laid in Zion: and I defire never to rife off this ftone. Now, the very God of peace confirm and establish you unto the day of the blessed appearance of Chrift Jefus. God be with you.

Aberd.

Yours in his dearest Lord Jefus, S. R.

50. To JAMES BAUTIE.

Loving brother,

Race, mercy and peace be unto you: I received your letter,

Gaad render you thanks for the fame: but I have not time

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to answer all the heads of it, as the bearer can inform you. Ye do well to take yourself at the right ftot, when ye wrong Chrift by doubting and misbelief; for this is to nick-name Christ, and term him a liar, which being spoken to our prince, would be hanging or heading; but Chrift hangeth not always for treafon: it is good that he may registrate a believer's bond a hundred times and more than seven times a day have law against us, and yet he spareth us as a man doth his fon that ferveth him: no tenderhearted mother, who may have law to kill her fucking child, would put in execution that law. 2dly, For your failings, even when ye have a fet tryst with Chrift, and when ye have a fair feen advantage, by keeping your appointment with him, and falvation cometh to the very paffing of the feals, I would fay two things; ift, Concluded and fealed falvation may go through and be ended, fuppofe ye write your name to the tail of the covenant with ink that can hardly be read: neither think I ever any man's falvation paffed the feals, but there was an odd trick or flip, in lefs or more, upon the fool's part, who is infested in heaven. In the. moft grave and ferious work of our falvation, I think Christ had never good cause to laugh at our filliness, and to put on us his merits that we might bear weight. 2. It is a fweet law of the new covenant, and a privilege of the new burgh, that citizens pay according to their means; for the new covenant faith not, fo much obedience by ounce weights, and no less, under the pain of damnation: Chrift taketh as poor men may give; where there is a mean portion he is content with the lefs, if there be fincerity: broken fums and little feckless obedience will be pardoned, and hold the foot with him: know ye not that our kindly Lord retaineth his good old heart yet? He breaketh not a bruifed reed, nor quencheth the fmoaking flax: but if the wind blow he holdeth his hand about it till it rife to a flame.. The law cometh on with three O yes's, with all the heart, with all the foul, and with all the whole ftrength: and when would poor folks, like you and me, furnish all these fums? It feareth me, (nay it is most certain)

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that if the payment were to come out of our purfe, when we fhould' put our hand in our bag we would bring out the wind or worfe but the covenant feeketh not heap-mete, nor stented obedience, as the condition of it, because forgiveness hath always place. Hence I draw this conclufion; to think matters betwixt Chrift and us go back for want of heaped measure, is a piece of old Adam's pride, who would either be at legal payment or nothing: we would ftill have God in our common, and buy his kindness with our merits; for beggarly pride is devil's honefty, and blusheth to be in Chrift's common, and fcarce giveth God à grammercy, and a lifted cap, (except it be the Pharifee's unlucky God I thank thee) or a bowed knee to Chrift: it will only give a good day for a good day again, and if he diffemble his kindnefs, as it were, in jeft, and feem to mifken it, it in earnest spurneth with the heels, and fauffeth in the wind, and careth not much for Chrift's kindness: if he will not be friends let him go, faith pride; beware of this thief, when Chrift offereth himself. 3. No marvel then of whifperings, whether you be in the covenant or not for pride maketh loofe work of the covenant of grace, and will not let Chrift be full bargain-maker. To speak to you particularly and fhortly; 1. All the truly regenerated cannot determinately tell you the measure of their dejections, because Chrift beginneth young with many, and ftealeth into their heart, ere they wit of themselves, and becometh homely with them, with little din or noife. I grant many are blinded, in rejoicing in a good cheap converfion, that never coft them a fick night; Christ's phyfic wrought in a dream upon them; but for that I would fay if other marks be found, that Chrift is indeed come in, never make plea with him, because he will not anfwer, Lord Jefus how cameft thou in? whether in at door or window? Make him welcome fince he is come. The wind bloweth where it lifteth; all the world's wit cannot perfectly render a reason, why the winds fhould be a month in the eaft, fix weeks poffibly in the weft, and the space only of an afternoon in the fouth or north. Ye will not find out all the nicks and steps of Christ's way with a foul do what ye can; for fometimes he will come in ftepping foftly, like one walking befide a fleepy perfon. and flip to the door, and let none know he was there. 2. Ye object, The truly regenerate should love God for himfelf; and ye fear that ye love him more for his benefits (as incitements and motives to love him) than for himfelf. I answer, To love God for himfelf as the laft end, and alfo for his benefits, as incitements and motives to love him, may ftand well together; as a fon loveth his mother, because she is his mother, howbeit fhe be poor; and he loveth her for an apple alfo. I hope ye will not fay, that benefits are the only reafon and bottom of your love; it feemeth there is a better foundation for

it: always, if a hole be in it, few it up fhortly. 3. Ye feel not fuch mourning in Chrift's abfence as ye would. I anfwer, That the regenerate mourn at all times, and all in a like measure for his abfence. I deny, there are different degrees of mourning, lefs or more, as they have less or more love to him, and lefs or more fenfe of his abfence: But, 1. Some they must have. 2. Sometimes they mifs not the Lord, and then they cannot mourn; howbeit, it is not long fo; at leaft, it is not always fo. 3. Ye challenge yourself, that fome truths find more credit with you than others. Ye do well, for God is true in the leaft, as well as in the greatest, and he must be so to you: ye must not call him true in the one page of the leaf, and falfe in the other; for our Lord in all his writings never contradicted himfelf yet; although the best of the regenerate have flipped here, always labour ye to hold your feet. 4. Comparing the effate of one truly regenerate (whofe heart is a temple of the Holy Ghoft) and yours (which is full of uncleannefs and corruption) ye ftand dumb and discouraged, and dare not fometimes call Chrift heartfomely your own. I anfwer, The best regenerate have their defilements, and (if I may fpeak fo) their draff poke, that will clog behind them all their days; and wash as they will, there will be filth in their bofom; but let not this put you from the well. 2. I anfwer, Albeit there be fome ounce weights of carnality, and fome fquint-look, or eye in our neck to an idol, yet love in its own measure may be found; for glory muft purify and perfect our love, it will never till then be abfolutely pure: yet if the idol reign, and have the yolk of the heart, and the keys of the house, and Christ only be made an underling to run errands, all is not right, therefore examine well. 3. There is a two fold discouragement; one of unbelief, to conclude, and make doubt of the conclufion, for a mote in our eye, and a by-look to an idol; this is ill. There is another discourage. ment of forrow for fin, when ye find a by look to an idol; this is good, and matter of thanksgiving; therefore examine here also. 5. The affurance of Jefus his love, ye fay, would be the most comfortable news that ever ye heard. Anfwer, That may ftop twenty holes, and loofe many objections: that love hath telling in it, I trow. Oh that ye knew and felt it, as I have done! I wish you a fhare of my feaft; fweet, fweet hath it been to me. If my Lord had not given me this love, I would have fallen thro' the causeway of Aberdeen ere now? but for you, hing on, your feast is not far off; ye fhall be filled ere ye go; there is as much in our Lord's pantry, as will fatisfy all his bairns, and as much wine in his cellar as will quench all their thirst: hunger on, for there is meat in hunger for Chrift: go never from him, but fash him (who yet is pleafed with the importunity of hungry fouls) with a difh-full of hungry defires, till he fill you; and if he delay

yet