,transcriber's note3 ,text enclosed by underscores is in italics 7italics74 ,small capital text has been replaced with all capitals4 ,text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face 7bold74 ,the carat character 77 indicates that the following letter is superscripted 7example3 yor74 ,variations in spelling1 punctuation and hyphenation have been retained except in obvious cases of typographical error4 ,page #hj3 and cause you to come up out of your graves--,the transcriber has inserted the missing word to4 ,page #hg3 the world1 to conquer's men's souls--,replaced conquer's with conquer4 ,page #bic3 ,missing footnote anchor #bdb has been inserted by the transcriber4 ,for the e,book version the bookcover was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,letters ,,of ,,samuel ,,rutherford ,illustration3 ,,rutherford',s ,,walk4 ,illustration3 title page ,,letters ,,of ,,samuel ,,rutherford ,with a ,sketch of his ,life ,,and ,biographical ,notices of ,his ,correspondents ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,andrew ,a4 ,,bonar1 ,d4,d4 ,,author ,,of ,,memoir ,,and ,,remains ,,of ,,robert ,,murray ,m',,cheyne ,,third ,,edition ,,london ,,the ,,religious ,,tract ,,society #ef ,,paternoster ,,row ,,and #fe ,,st4 ,,paul',s ,,churchyard ,,preface4 ,most justly does the old ,preface to the earlier ,editions begin by telling the ,reader that ,these ,letters have no need of any man's epistle commendatory1 the great ,master having given them one1 written by ,his own hand on the hearts of all who favour the things of ,god4 ,every one who knows these ,letters at all1 is aware of their most peculiar characteristic1 namely1 the discovery they present of the marvellous intercourse carried on between the writer's soul and his ,god4 ,this ,edition will be found to be the most complete that has hitherto appeared4 ,it is the same as that of #ahfc1 in two vols41 with two slight alterations1 viz4 the footnotes are for the most part removed to the ,glossary1 and a few of the notices are condensed1 but nothing omitted of any importance4 ,on the other hand1 one or two slight additions have been made4 ,attending carefully to the chronological arrangement1 the ,editor has sought1 by biographical1 topographical1 and historical notices1 to put the ,reader in possession of all that was needed to enable him to enter into the circumstances in which each ,letter was written1 so far as that could be done4 ,the appended ,glossary of ,scottish words and expressions 7many of them in reality old ,english71 the ,index of ,places and ,persons1 the ,index of ,special ,subjects1 and the prefixed ,contents of ,each ,letter1 will1 it is confidently believed1 be found both interesting and useful4 ,the ,sketch of ,rutherford's ,life may be thought too brief2 but the limits within which such a ,sketch must necessarily be confined1 when occupying the place of a mere ,introduction1 rendered brevity inevitable4 ,every ,letter hitherto published is to be found in this ,edition4 ,the ten additional ,letters of the ,edition #ahdh1 along with two more1 added since that time1 are all inserted in their chronological place4 ,the publishers have taken great pains with the typography4 ,,contents4 ,,page ,sketch of ,samuel ,rutherford1 #a #a4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,children to be ,dedicated to ,god1 #cc #b4 ,to a ,christian ,gentlewoman1 on the death of a ,daughter4--,christ's ,sympathy with1 and ,property in us--,reasons for ,resignation1 #cd #c4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure1 on occasion of illness and spiritual depression4--,acquiescence in ,god's ,purpose--,faith in exercise--,encouragement in view of ,sickness and ,death--,public ,affairs1 #cf #d4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure1 on death of her infant ,daughter4-- ,tribulation the ,portion of ,god's ,people1 and intended to wean them from the ,world1 #dj #e4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure1 when removing from ,anwoth4--,changes-- ,loss of ,friends--,this ,world no abiding ,place1 #db #f4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught1 telling of his ,wife's illness4--,inward ,conflict1 arising from ,outward ,trial1 #dd #g4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,the ,earnest of the ,spirit--,communion with ,christ--,faith in the ,promises1 #df #h4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,his ,wife's ,illness--,wrestlings with ,god1 #di #i4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,recommending a ,friend to her ,care--,prayers asked1 #ej #aj4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,submission1 ,perseverance1 and ,zeal recommended1 #ej #aa4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,god's ,inexplicable ,dealings with ,his ,people well ordered--,want of ,ordinances--,conformity to ,christ--,troubles of the ,church--,mr4 ,rutherford's ,wife's ,death1 #eb #ab4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,god ,mixeth the ,cup--,the ,reward of the ,wicked--,faithfulness--,forbearance--,t rials1 #ed #ac4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught1 when exposed to reproach for her principles4--,jesus a ,pattern of ,patience under ,suffering1 #eg #ad4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught1 in prospect of the ,lord's ,supper4-- ,abundance in ,jesus--,the ,restoration of the ,jews-- ,enemies of ,god1 #eh #ae4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,the threatened ,introduction of the ,service-,book--,troubles of the ,church--,private ,wrongs1 #fj #af4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,proposal to ,remove him from ,anwoth-- ,babylon's ,destruction1 and ,christ's ,coming--,the ,young invited1 #fb #ag4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,the ,prospects of the ,church-- ,arminianism--,call to ,prayer--,no ,help but in ,christ1 #fd #ah4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught1 in prospect of the ,lord's ,supper4-- ,prayer ,solicited--,the ,church's ,prospects1 #ff #ai4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,encouragement to ,abound in ,faith from the ,prospect of ,glory--,christ's ,unchangeableness1 #fg #bj4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,assurance of ,christ's ,love under ,trials--,fulness of ,christ--,hope of ,glory1 #fi #ba4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,self-denial--,hope of ,christ's ,coming-- ,loving ,god for ,himself1 #gb #bb4 ,to ,john ,kennedy4--,deliverance from ,shipwreck--,recovery from threatened ,death--,use of ,trials--,remembrance of ,friends1 #gd #bc4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,exhorting to remember her ,espousal to ,christ--,tribulation a ,preparation for the ,kingdom-- ,glory in the ,end1 #gg #bd4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,christ and ,his ,garden--,provision of ,ordinances in the ,church--,our ,children1 #hj #be4 ,to a ,gentleman at ,kirkcudbright1 excusing himself from visiting1 #hc #bf4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught1 after her dangerous illness4--,use of ,sickness--,reproaches--,christ our ,eternal ,feast-- ,fasting1 #hc #bg4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,love to ,christ and ,submission to ,his ,cross--,believers kept--,the ,heavenly ,paradise1 #he #bh4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure1 after the death of a child4--,the ,state of the ,church1 ,cause for ,god's ,displeasure--,his ,care of ,his ,church--,the ,jews--,afflicted ,saints1 #hg #bi4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,christ with ,his ,people in the ,furnace of ,affliction--,prayer1 #hi #cj4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,rank and ,prosperity hinder ,progress-- ,watchfulness--,case of ,relatives1 #ij #ca4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,a ,union for ,prayer ,recommended1 #ib #cb4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,state and ,prospects of the ,church--,satan1 #id #cc4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,in ,prospect of ,going to the ,lord's ,table1 #ie #cd4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,prospects of the ,church--,christ's ,care for the ,children of ,believers1 #if #ce4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure1 on the death of a child4--,god ,measures our ,days--,bereavements ,ripen us for the ,harvest1 #ig #cf4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,choice of a ,commissioner for ,parliament1 #ii #cg4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,on the ,death of ,lord ,kenmure--,design of1 and duties under1 ,affliction1 #ajj #ch4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,christ's ,care of ,his ,church1 and ,his ,judgments on her ,enemies1 #ajb #ci4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,preparation for ,death and ,eternity1 #ajc #dj4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,when ,mr4 ,rutherford had the ,prospect of being ,removed from ,anwoth1 #aje #da4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,the ,church's ,trials--,comfort under ,temptations--,deliverance--,a ,message to the ,young1 #ajf #db4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,the ,world passeth away--,special ,portions of the ,word for the ,afflicted--,call to ,kirkcudbright1 #ajh #dc4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,when ,mr4 ,rutherford was in difficulty as to accepting a ,call to ,kirkcudbright1 and ,cramond1 #aaa #dd4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,troubles threatening the ,church1 #aac #de4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,in the ,prospect of the ,lord's ,supper1 and of ,trials to the ,church1 #aac #df4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,tossings of ,spirit--,her ,children and ,husband1 #aad #dg4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,submission to ,god's ,arrangements1 #aaf #dh4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,troubles from ,false ,brethren-- ,occurrences--,christ's ,coming--,intercession1 #aag #di4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,spoiling of ,goods--,call to ,kirkcudbright--,the ,lord ,reigneth1 #aai #ej4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,christ coming as ,captain of ,salvation--,his ,church's ,conflict and ,covenant--,the ,jews--,last ,days' ,apostasy1 #aba #ea4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,public ,temptations--,the ,security of every ,saint--,occurrences in the ,country-side1 #abc #eb4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,in the ,prospect of her ,husband being compelled to receive the ,commands of the ,prelates--,saints are yet to ,judge1 #abe #ec4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,encouragement under ,trial by prospect of ,brighter ,days1 #abf #ed4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,public ,wrongs--,words of ,comfort1 #abf #ee4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,when he had been threatened with ,persecution for ,preaching the ,gospel1 #abh #ef4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,reasons for ,resignation--,security of ,saints--,the ,end of ,time1 #abi #eg4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,in the ,prospect of ,removal to ,aberdeen1 #aca #eh4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,on occasion of ,efforts to introduce ,episcopacy1 #aca #ei4 ,to ,earlston1 ,elder4--,no ,suffering for ,christ unrewarded-- ,loss of ,children--,christ in ,providence1 #acb #fj4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,when he was under ,trial by the ,high ,commission1 #ace #fa4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure1 on the evening of his banishment to ,aberdeen4--,his only ,regrets--,the ,cross unspeakably ,sweet--,retrospect of his ,ministry1 #acf #fb4 ,to ,lady ,culross1 on the occasion of his banishment to ,aberdeen4--,challenges of ,conscience--,the ,cross no ,burden1 #ach #fc4 ,to ,mr4 ,robert ,cunningham1 at ,holywood1 in ,ireland4-- ,consolation to a ,brother in ,tribulation--,his own ,deprivation of ,ministry--,christ worth ,suffering for1 #adj #fd4 ,to ,alexander ,gordon of ,earlston4--,his ,feelings upon ,leaving ,anwoth1 #adc #fe4 ,to ,robert ,gordon of ,knockbreck1 on his way to ,aberdeen4--,how ,upheld on the ,way1 #add #ff4 ,to ,robert ,gordon of ,knockbreck1 after arriving at ,aberdeen4--,challenges of ,conscience--,ease in ,zion1 #add #fg4 ,to ,william ,fullerton1 ,provost of ,kirkcudbright4-- ,encouragement to ,suffer for ,christ1 #ade #fh4 ,to ,john ,fleming1 ,bailie of ,leith4--,the ,sweetness and ,faithfulness of ,christ's ,love1 #adg #fi4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,his ,enjoyment of ,christ in ,aberdeen-- ,a ,sight of ,christ exceeds all ,reports--,some ashamed of ,him and ,his1 #adh #gj4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,exercise under ,restraint from ,preaching--,the ,devil--,christ's ,loving-kindness-- ,progress1 #aej #ga4 ,to ,mr4 ,hugh ,m',kail1 ,minister of ,irvine4--,christ to be ,trusted amid ,trial1 #aeb #gb4 ,to ,william ,gordon of ,roberton4--,how ,trials are ,misimproved--,the ,infinite ,value of ,christ--,despised ,warnings1 #aec #gc4 ,to ,earlston1 the ,elder4--,satisfaction with ,christ's ,ways--,private and ,public ,causes of ,sorrow1 #aef #gd4 ,to ,lady ,culross4--,suspicions of ,god's ,ways--,god's ,ways always ,right--,grace ,grows under ,trial1 #aeg #ge4 ,to ,john ,kennedy1 ,bailie of ,ayr4--,longing after ,discoveries of ,christ--,his ,long-suffering--,trying ,circumstances1 #aeh #gf4 ,to ,robert ,gordon of ,knockbreck4--,benefit of ,affliction1 #afa #gg4 ,to ,lady ,boyd4--,aberdeen--,experience of himself ,sad-- ,taking ,pains to win ,grace1 #afc #gh4 ,to ,lord ,boyd4--,encouragement to ,exertion for ,christ's ,cause1 #afd #gi4 ,to ,margaret ,ballantine4--,value of the ,soul1 and ,urgency of ,salvation1 #aff #hj4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,his ,comfort under ,tribulations1 and the ,prison a ,palace1 #afh #ha4 ,to ,mr4 ,john ,meine 7jun474--,experience--,patient ,waiting--,sanctification1 #afi #hb4 ,to ,john ,gordon of ,cardoness1 ,elder4--,win ,christ at all ,hazards--,christ's ,beauty--,a ,word to ,children1 #agj #hc4 ,to the ,earl of ,lothian4--,advice as to ,public ,conduct--,everything to be endured for ,christ1 #agd #hd4 ,to ,jean ,brown4--,the ,joys of this ,life embittered by ,sin--,heaven an ,object of ,desire--,trial a ,blessed ,thing1 #agg #he4 ,to ,john ,kennedy1 ,bailie of ,ayr4--,the ,reasonableness of ,believing under all ,affliction--,obligations to ,free ,grace1 #agi #hf4 ,to ,lord ,craighall4--,episcopalian ,ceremonies--,how to ,abide in the ,truth--,desire for ,liberty to preach ,christ1 #aha #hg4 ,to ,elizabeth ,kennedy4--,danger of ,formality--,christ wholly to be ,loved--,other ,objects of ,love1 #ahc #hh4 ,to ,janet ,kennedy4--,christ to be kept at every sacrifice--,his incomparable ,loveliness1 #ahe #hi4 ,to the ,rev4 ,robert ,blair4--,god's ,arrangements sometimes ,mysterious1 #ahg #ij4 ,to the ,rev4 ,john ,livingstone4--,resignation--,enjoyment- - ,state of the ,church1 #aij #ia4 ,to ,mr4 ,ephraim ,melvin4--,kneeling at the ,lord's ,supper a species of ,idolatry1 #aib #ib4 ,to ,mr4 ,robert ,gordon of ,knockbreck4--,visits of ,christ--,the ,things which ,affliction ,teaches1 #aie #ic4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,god's ,dealings with ,scotland--,the ,eye to be directed ,heavenward1 #aig #id4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,the ,times--,christ's ,sweetness in ,trouble--,longing after ,him1 #aih #ie4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,christ's ,cross ,sweet--,his ,coming to be ,desired--,jealous of any ,rival1 #bjj #if4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,christ all ,worthy--,anwoth1 #bja #ig4 ,to ,alexander ,gordon of ,earlston4--,christ ,endeared by ,bitter ,experiences--,searchings of ,heart--,fears for the ,church1 #bjb #ih4 ,to ,mr4 ,alexander ,colville of ,blair4--,increasing ,experience of ,christ's ,love--,god with ,his ,saints1 #bjd #ii4 ,to ,earlston1 ,younger4--,christ's ,ways ,misunderstood--,his increasing ,kindness--,spiritual ,delicacy--,hard to be ,dead to the ,world1 #bje #ajj4 ,to ,lady ,cardoness4--,the ,one ,thing ,needful--,conscientious ,acting in the ,world--,advice under ,dejecting ,trials1 #bjh #aja4 ,to ,jonet ,macculloch4--,christ's ,sufficiency--,stedfastness in the ,truth1 #baj #ajb4 ,to ,alexander ,gordon of ,knockgray4--,grounds of ,praise-- ,affliction tends to misrepresent ,christ--,idols1 #baa #ajc4 ,to ,lady ,cardoness1 ,elder4--,christ and ,his ,cause ,recommended--,heavenly-mindedness--,cau tion against ,compliances--,anxiety about his ,parish1 #bac #ajd4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,painstaking in the ,knowledge of ,christ--,unusual enjoyment of ,his ,love--,not ,easy to be a ,christian--,friends must not mislead1 #bae #aje4 ,to a ,gentlewoman1 upon the death of her ,husband4-- ,resignation under ,bereavement--,his own ,enjoyment of ,christ's ,love1 #bag #ajf4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,weak ,assurance--,grace different from ,learning--,self-accusations1 #bah #ajg4 ,to ,lady ,boyd4--,consciousness of ,defects no argument of ,christ being unknown--,his ,experience in ,exile1 #bbj #ajh4 ,to ,lady ,kaskiberry4--,gratitude for ,kindness--,christ's ,presence felt1 #bbb #aji4 ,to ,lady ,earlston4--,following ,christ not ,easy--,children not to be over-loved--,joy in the ,lord1 #bbc #aaj4 ,to ,mr4 ,david ,dickson4--,god's ,dealings--,the ,bitter ,sweetened--,notes on ,scripture1 #bbd #aaa4 ,to ,jean ,brown4--,christ's ,untold ,preciousness--,a ,word to her ,boy1 #bbf #aab4 ,to ,mr4 ,john ,fergushill4--,the ,rod upon ,god's ,children-- ,pain from a sense of ,christ's ,love--,his ,presence a ,support under ,trials--,contentedness with ,him alone1 #bbg #aac4 ,to ,mr4 ,robert ,douglas4--,greatness of ,christ's ,love revealed to those who suffer for ,him1 #bbi #aad4 ,to ,william ,rigg of ,athernie4--,sustaining ,power of ,christ's ,love--,satan's ,opposition--,yearnings for ,christ ,himself--,fears for the ,church1 #bcj #aae4 ,to ,mr4 ,alexander ,henderson4--,sadness because of ,christ's ,headship not set forth--,his ,cause attended with ,crosses--,the ,believer seen of all1 #bcb #aaf4 ,to ,lord ,loudon4--,blessedness of ,acting for ,christ--,his ,love to ,his ,prisoner1 #bcd #aag4 ,to ,mr4 ,william ,dalgleish1 ,minister of ,kirkdale and ,kirkmabreck4--,christ's ,kindness--,dependence on ,providence--,controversies1 #bcg #aah4 ,to ,mr4 ,hugh ,m',kail1 ,minister at ,irvine4--,christ's ,bountiful ,dealings--,joy in ,christ through the ,cross1 #bci #aai4 ,to ,mr4 ,david ,dickson4--,joyful ,experience--,cup ,overflowing in ,exile1 #bdj #abj4 ,to ,mr4 ,matthew ,mowat1 ,minister at ,kilmarnock4-- ,plenitude of ,christ's ,love--,need to use ,grace aright--,christ the ,ransomer--,desire to proclaim ,his ,gospel--,shortcomings and ,sufferings1 #bdb #aba4 ,to ,william ,halliday4--,diligence in securing ,salvation1 #bde #abb4 ,to a ,gentlewoman after the death of her ,husband4--,vanity of ,earthly ,possessions--,christ a sufficient ,portion--,design of ,affliction1 #bde #abc4 ,to ,john ,gordon of ,cardoness1 ,younger4--,reasons for being earnest about the ,soul1 and for ,resignation1 #bdg #abd4 ,to ,john ,gordon of ,cardoness1 ,elder4--,call to ,earnestness about ,salvation--,intrusion of ,ministers1 #bdh #abe4 ,to ,lady ,forret4--,sickness a ,kindness--,christ's ,glooms better than the ,world's ,joys1 #bdi #abf4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,adherence to ,duty amidst ,opposition--,power of ,christ's ,love1 #bej #abg4 ,to ,john ,carsen4--,nothing worth the ,finding but ,christ1 #bea #abh4 ,to the ,earl of ,cassillis4--,honour of testifying for ,christ1 #beb #abi4 ,to ,mr4 ,robert ,gordon1 ,bailie of ,ayr4--,christ above ,all1 #bec #acj4 ,to ,john ,kennedy1 ,bailie of ,ayr4--,christ's ,love--,the ,three ,wonders--,desires for ,his ,second ,coming1 #bed #aca4 ,to ,jean ,brown4--,his ,wisdom in our ,trials--,rejoicing in ,tribulation1 #beg #acb4 ,to ,jean ,macmillan4--,strive to enter ,in1 #bei #acc4 ,to ,lady ,busbie4--,complete ,surrender to ,christ--,no ,idols--,trials discover ,sins--,a ,free ,salvation--,the ,marriage ,supper1 #bfj #acd4 ,to ,john ,ewart1 ,bailie of ,kirkcudbright4--,the ,cross no ,burden--,need of ,sure ,foundation1 #bfb #ace4 ,to ,william ,fullerton1 ,provost of ,kirkcudbright4--,fear not them who kill the ,body--,unexpected ,favour1 #bfc #acf4 ,to ,robert ,glendinning1 ,minister of ,kirkcudbright4-- ,prepare to meet thy ,god--,christ his ,joy1 #bfd #acg4 ,to ,william ,glendinning4--,perseverance against ,opposition1 #bfe #ach4 ,to ,mr4 ,hugh ,henderson1 ,minister of the ,gospel4--,trials selected by ,god--,patience--,looking for the ,judge1 #bff #aci4 ,to ,lord ,balmerinoch4--,his happy ,obligations to ,christ--,emptiness of the ,world1 #bfg #adj4 ,to ,lady ,mar1 ,younger4--,no ,exchange for ,christ1 #bfi #ada4 ,to ,james ,macadam4--,the ,kingdom taken by ,force1 #bgj #adb4 ,to ,william ,livingstone4--,counsel to a ,youth1 #bga #adc4 ,to ,william ,gordon of ,whitepark4--,nothing lost by ,trials--,longing for ,christ ,himself1 because of ,his ,love1 #bgb #add4 ,to ,mr4 ,george ,gillespie1 ,minister of ,kirkcaldy4-- ,suspicions of ,christ's ,love ,removed--,three ,desires1 #bgc #ade4 ,to ,jean ,gordon4--,god the ,satisfying ,portion--,adherence to ,christ1 #bge #adf4 ,to ,mr4 ,james ,bruce1 ,minister of the ,gospel4--,misjudging of ,christ's ,ways1 #bgf #adg4 ,to ,john ,gordon1 at ,rusco4--,pressing into ,heaven--,to be a ,christian no ,easy ,attainment--,sins to be ,avoided1 #bgg #adh4 ,to ,lady ,hallhill4--,christ's ,crosses better than ,egypt's ,treasures1 #bgh #adi4 ,to ,john ,osburn1 ,provost of ,ayr4--,adherence to ,christ--,his ,approbation worth all ,worlds1 #bhj #aej4 ,to ,john ,henderson1 in ,rusco4--,continuing in ,christ-- ,preparedness for ,death1 #bha #aea4 ,to ,john ,meine1 ,senior4--,enjoyment of ,god's ,love--,need of ,help--,burdens1 #bha #aeb4 ,to ,mr4 ,thomas ,garven4--,a ,prisoner's ,joys--,love of ,christ--,the ,good ,part--,heaven in ,sight1 #bhc #aec4 ,to ,bethaia ,aird4--,unbelief under ,trials--,christ's ,sympathy1 #bhd #aed4 ,to ,alexander ,gordon of ,knockgray4--,prospective ,trials1 #bhf #aee4 ,to ,grizzel ,fullerton1 daughter of ,marion ,m',naught4--,the ,one ,thing ,needful--,christ's ,love1 #bhf #aef4 ,to ,patrick ,carsen4--,early ,devotedness to ,christ1 #bhg #aeg4 ,to the ,laird of ,carleton4--,increasing ,sense of ,christ's ,love--,resignation--,deadness to ,earth-- ,temptations--,infirmities1 #bhh #aeh4 ,to ,lady ,busbie4--,christ all ,worthy--,best at our ,lowest--,sinfulness of the ,land--,prayers1 #bij #aei4 ,to ,john ,fleming1 ,bailie of ,leith4--,directions for ,christian ,conduct1 #bib #afj4 ,to ,alexander ,gordon of ,earlston4--,hungering after ,christ ,himself rather than ,his ,love1 #bie #afa4 ,to ,john ,stuart1 ,provost of ,ayr4--,commercial ,misfortunes--,service-,book--,blessedne ss of ,trials1 #bih #afb4 ,to ,john ,stuart1 ,provost of ,ayr4--,the ,burden of a ,silenced ,minister--,spiritual ,shortcomings1 #cjb #afc4 ,to ,john ,stuart1 ,provost of ,ayr4--,view of ,trials past--,hard ,thoughts of ,christ--,crosses--,hope1 #cjd #afd4 ,to ,ninian ,mure1 one of the family of ,cassincarrie4--,a ,youth ,admonished1 #cjg #afe4 ,to ,mr4 ,thomas ,garven4--,personal ,insufficiency--,grace from ,christ alone--,longings after ,him1 #cjh #aff4 ,to ,cardoness1 the ,elder4--,a ,good ,conscience--,christ kind to ,sufferers--,responsibility--,youth1 #caj #afg4 ,to ,lady ,boyd4--,lessons learned in the ,school of ,adversity1 #cab #afh4 ,to ,mr4 ,david ,dickson4--,christ's ,infinite ,fulness1 #cae #afi4 ,to the ,laird of ,carleton4--,god's ,working ,incomprehensible--,longing after any ,drop of ,christ's ,fulness1 #cag #agj4 ,to ,robert ,gordon of ,knockbreck4--,longing for ,christ's ,glory--,felt guiltiness--,longing for ,christ's ,love--,sanctification1 #cai #aga4 ,to the ,laird of ,moncrieff4--,concert in ,prayer-- ,stedfastness to ,christ--,grief misrepresents ,christ's ,glory1 #cba #agb4 ,to ,john ,clark4--,marks of ,difference betwixt ,christians and ,reprobates1 #cbc #agc4 ,to ,cardoness1 the ,younger4--,warning and ,advice as to ,things of ,salvation1 #cbd #agd4 ,to ,lord ,craighall4--,idolatry ,condemned1 #cbf #age4 ,to ,john ,laurie4--,christ's ,love--,a ,right ,estimate of ,him--,his ,grace1 #ccj #agf4 ,to the ,laird of ,carleton4--,a ,christian's ,confession of ,unworthiness--,desire for ,christ's ,honour--,present ,circumstances1 #cca #agg4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,christ ,suffering in ,his ,church-- ,his ,coming--,outpourings of ,love from ,him1 #cce #agh4 ,to ,lady ,culross4--,christ's ,management of ,trials--,what ,faith can do--,christ not ,experience--,prayers1 #ccg #agi4 ,to ,mr4 ,john ,nevay4--,christ's ,love ,sharpened in ,suffering--,kneeling at the ,communion--,posture at ,ordinances1 #cdj #ahj4 ,to ,john ,gordon of ,cardoness1 the ,elder4--,longings for those under his former ,ministry--,delight in ,christ and ,his ,appearing--,pleading with his ,flock1 #cdd #aha4 ,to ,earlston1 the ,younger4--,dangers of ,youth--,christ the best ,physician--,four ,remedies against ,doubting--,breathing after ,christ's ,honour1 #cdh #ahb4 ,to ,alexander ,gordon of ,knockgray4--,joy in ,god--,trials work out ,glory to ,christ1 #cec #ahc4 ,to ,mr4 ,j---- ,r----4--,christ the ,purifier of ,his ,church--,submission to ,his ,ways1 #cee #ahd4 ,to ,mr4 ,william ,dalgleish1 ,minister of the ,gospel4--,the ,fragrance of the ,ministry--,a ,review of his ,past and ,present ,situation1 and of his ,prospects1 #ceh #ahe4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,longing to be ,restored to his ,charge1 #cfa #ahf4 ,to ,robert ,stuart4--,christ chooses ,his own in the ,furnace--,need of a ,deep ,work--,the ,god-,man1 a ,world's ,wonder1 #cfc #ahg4 ,to ,lady ,gaitgirth4--,christ ,unchangeable1 though not always ,enjoyed--,his ,love never yet fully poured out--,himself ,his ,people's ,cautioner1 #cff #ahh4 ,to ,mr4 ,john ,fergushill of ,ochiltree4--,desponding ,views of his own ,state--,ministerial ,diligence-- ,christ's ,worth--,self-seeking1 #cfh #ahi4 ,to ,john ,stuart1 ,provost of ,ayr4--,hope for ,scotland-- ,self-submission--,christ ,himself sought for by ,faith--,stability of ,salvation--,his ,ways1 #cga #aij4 ,to the ,laird of ,carsluth4--,necessity of making sure of ,salvation--,vanity of the ,world--,nothing worth having but ,christ--,flight of ,time1 #cgc #aia4 ,to the ,laird of ,cassincarrie4--,earnestness about ,salvation--,christ ,himself sought1 #cgf #aib4 ,to ,lady ,cardoness4--,grace--,the ,name of ,christ to be ,exalted--,everything but ,god fails us1 #cgh #aic4 ,to ,sibylla ,macadam4--,christ's ,beauty and ,excellence1 #chj #aid4 ,to ,mr4 ,hugh ,henderson1 ,minister of ,dalry4--,the ,ways of ,providence--,believing ,patience1 #cha #aie4 ,to ,lady ,largirie4--,christ the ,exclusive ,object of ,love--,preparation for ,death1 #chc #aif4 ,to ,earlston1 the ,younger4--,sufferings--,hope of ,final ,deliverance--,the ,believer in ,safe ,keeping--,the ,recompense ,marred by ,temptations1 #chd #aig4 ,to ,mr4 ,william ,dalgleish1 ,minister of the ,gospel4-- ,thoughts as to ,god's ,arrangements--,winning ,souls to be ,supremely ,desired--,longings for ,christ1 #chf #aih4 ,to the ,laird of ,cally4--,spiritual ,sloth--,danger of ,compromise--,self1 the ,root of all ,sin-- ,self-renunciation1 #chh #aii4 ,to ,john ,gordon of ,cardoness1 the ,younger4--,dangers of ,youth--,early ,decision1 #cij #bjj4 ,to ,robert ,gordon1 ,bailie of ,ayr4--,the ,misery of mere ,worldly ,hope--,earnestness about ,salvation1 #cic #bja4 ,to ,alexander ,gordon of ,earlston4--,christ's ,kingdom to be ,exalted over all2 and more ,pains to be taken to ,win farther into ,him1 #cie #bjb4 ,to the ,laird of ,cally4--,youth a ,precious ,season-- ,christ's ,beauty1 #cig #bjc4 ,to ,william ,gordon1 at ,kenmure4--,testimony to ,christ's ,worth--,marks of ,grace in ,conviction of ,sin and ,spiritual ,conflict1 #cii #bjd4 ,to ,margaret ,fullerton4--,christ1 not ,creatures1 worthy of all ,love--,love not to be measured by ,feeling1 #dja #bje4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,difficulties in the way to the ,kingdom--,christ's ,love1 #djb #bjf4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,the ,use of ,sufferings--,fears under them--,desire that ,christ be ,glorified1 #djd #bjg4 ,to ,john ,henderson of ,rusco4--,practical ,hints1 #djg #bjh4 ,to ,alexander ,colville of ,blair4--,regrets for not being able to ,preach--,longings for ,christ1 #djh #bji4 ,to ,mr4 ,john ,nevay4--,christ's ,surpassing ,excellency--,his ,cause in ,scotland1 #dji #baj4 ,to ,lady ,boyd4--,his ,soul ,fainting for ,christ's ,matchless ,beauty--,prayer for a ,revival1 #daj #baa4 ,to a ,christian ,gentlewoman4--,god's ,skill to bless by ,affliction--,unkindness of ,men--,near the ,day of ,meeting the ,lord1 #dab #bab4 ,to ,william ,glendinning4--,search into ,christ's ,loveliness--,what he would ,suffer to see it--,his ,coming to ,deliver1 #dad #bac4 ,to ,robert ,lennox of ,disdove4--,men's ,folly in ,undervaluing ,christ--,it is ,he that satisfieth-- ,admiration of ,him1 #daf #bad4 ,to ,mr4 ,james ,hamilton1 ,minister of the ,gospel4-- ,suffering for ,christ's ,headship--,how ,christ visited him in ,preaching1 #dah #bae4 ,to ,mistress ,stuart4--,personal ,unworthiness--,longing after ,holiness--,winnowing ,time1 #dba #baf4 ,to ,mr4 ,hugh ,m',kail1 ,minister of ,irvine4--,advantages of our ,wants and ,distempers--,christ ,unspeakable1 #dbc #bag4 ,to ,alexander ,gordon of ,garloch4--,free ,grace finding its ,materials in us1 #dbe #bah4 ,to ,john ,bell1 ,elder4--,danger of ,trusting to a ,name to ,live--,conversion no ,superficial ,work-- ,exhortation to ,make ,sure1 #dbg #bai4 ,to ,mr4 ,john ,row1 ,minister of the ,gospel4--,christ's ,crosses better than the ,world's ,joys--,christ ,extolled1 #dbi #bbj4 ,to ,lord ,craighall4--,duty of being disentangled from ,christ-dishonouring ,compliances1 #dcj #bba4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,her ,prayers for ,scotland not ,forgotten1 #dcj #bbb4 ,to ,lady ,culross4--,christ's ,way of ,showing ,himself the ,best--,what ,fits for ,him--,yearning after ,him insatiably--,domestic ,matters1 #dca #bbc4 ,to ,alexander ,gordon of ,knockgray4--,state of the ,church--,believers purified by ,affliction--,folly of seeking ,joy in a ,doomed ,world1 #dcd #bbd4 ,to ,fulwood1 the ,younger4--,vanity of the ,world in the light of ,death and ,christ--,the ,present ,truth-- ,christ's ,coming1 #dcf #bbe4 ,to his ,parishioners4--,protestation of ,care for their ,souls1 and for the ,glory of ,god--,delight in his ministry1 and in his ,lord--,efforts for their ,souls--,warnings against ,errors of the ,day--,awful words to the ,backslider--,intense ,admiration of ,christ--,a ,loud ,call to ,all1 #dch #bbf4 ,to ,lady ,kilconquhar4--,the ,interests of the ,soul and ,urgent--,folly of the ,world--,christ altogether ,lovely--,his ,pen fails to set forth ,christ's ,unspeakable ,beauty1 #dde #bbg4 ,to ,lord ,craighall4--,standing for ,christ--,danger from ,fear1 or ,promises of ,men--,christ's ,requitals-- ,sin against the ,holy ,ghost1 #ddi #bbh4 ,to ,mr4 ,james ,fleming1 ,minister of the ,gospel4-- ,glory ,gained to ,christ--,spiritual ,deadness--,help to ,praise ,him--,the ,ministry1 #dea #bbi4 ,to ,mr4 ,hugh ,m',kail1 ,minister of ,irvine4--,the ,law--,this ,world under ,christ's ,control for the ,believer1 #ded #bcj4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,believer ,safe though ,tried--,delight in ,christ's ,truth1 #dee #bca4 ,to ,lord ,lindsay of ,byres4--,the ,church's ,desolations--,the ,end of the ,world1 and ,christ's ,coming--,his ,attractiveness1 #deg #bcb4 ,to ,lord ,boyd4--,seeking ,christ in ,youth--,its ,temptations--,christ's ,excellence--,the ,church's ,cause concerns the ,nobles1 #deg #bcc4 ,to ,fulk ,ellis4--,friends in ,ireland--,difficulties in ,providence--,unfaithfulness to ,light--,constant ,need of ,christ1 #dfc #bcd4 ,to ,james ,lindsay4--,desertions1 their ,use--,prayers of ,reprobates1 and how the ,gospel affects their ,responsibility1 #dff #bce4 ,to ,lord ,craighall4--,fear ,god1 not ,man--,sign of ,backsliding1 #dgj #bcf4 ,to ,mr4 ,james ,hamilton1 ,minister of the ,gospel4-- ,christ's ,glory not affected by ,his ,people's ,weakness1 #dga #bcg4 ,to the ,laird of ,gaitgirth4--,truth worth ,suffering for--,light ,sown1 but the ,evil of this ,world till ,christ comes1 #dga #bch4 ,to ,lady ,gaitgirth4--,christ and ,example in ,bearing ,crosses--,the extent to which ,children should be ,loved--,why ,saints ,die1 #dgc #bci4 ,to ,mr4 ,matthew ,mowat1 ,minister of ,kilmarnock4--,what am ,i8--,longing to ,act for ,christ--,unbelief--,love in the ,hiding of ,christ's ,face--,christ's ,reproach1 #dgd #bdj4 ,to ,mr4 ,john ,meine1 ,jun4--,christ the ,same--,youthful ,sins--,no ,dispensing with ,crosses1 #dgf #bda4 ,to ,john ,fleming1 ,baillie of ,leith4--,riches of ,christ ,fail ,not--,salvation--,vanity of ,created ,comforts-- ,longing for more of ,christ1 #dgg #bdb4 ,to ,lady ,rowallan4--,jesus the ,best ,choice1 and to be made sure of--,the ,cross and ,jesus inseparable-- ,sorrows only ,temporary1 #dgh #bdc4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,his own ,prospects--,hopes-- ,salutations1 #dhj #bdd4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,proceedings of ,parliament--,private ,matters--,her ,daughter's ,marriage1 #dha #bde4 ,to ,lady ,boyd4--,imperfections--,yearnings after ,christ-- ,christ's ,supremacy not inconsistent with ,civil ,authority1 #dhc #bdf4 ,to ,mr4 ,thomas ,garven4--,heaven's ,happiness--,joy in the ,cross1 #dhe #bdg4 ,to ,janet ,kennedy4--,the ,heavenly ,mansions--,earth a ,shadow1 #dhf #bdh4 ,to ,margaret ,reid4--,benefits of the ,cross1 if we are ,christ's1 #dhg #bdi4 ,to ,james ,bautie4--,spiritual ,difficulties ,solved1 #dhi #bej4 ,to ,lady ,largirie4--,part with all for ,christ--,no ,unmixed ,joy here1 #did #bea4 ,to ,lady ,dungueich4--,jesus or the ,world--,scotland's ,trials and ,hopes1 #die #beb4 ,to ,janet ,macculloch4--,cares to be cast on ,christ-- ,christ a ,steady ,friend1 #dif #bec4 ,to ,mr4 ,george ,gillespie4--,christ the ,true ,gain1 #dig #bed4 ,to ,mr4 ,robert ,blair4--,personal ,unworthiness--,god's ,grace--,prayer for ,others1 #dih #bee4 ,to ,lady ,carleton4--,submission to ,god's ,will--,wonders in the ,love of ,christ--,no debt to the ,world1 #ejj #bef4 ,to ,william ,rigge of ,athernie4--,the ,law--,grace--,chalking out ,providences for ourselves--,prescribing to ,his ,love1 #eja #beg4 ,to ,lady ,graighall4--,the ,comforts of ,christ's ,cross-- ,desires for ,christ1 #ejc #beh4 ,to ,lord ,loudon4--,the ,wisdom of adhering to ,christ's ,cause1 #ejd #bei4 ,to ,david ,dickson4--,danger of ,worldly ,ease--,personal ,occurrences1 #ejg #bfj4 ,to ,alexander ,gordon of ,earlston4--,all ,crosses ,well ,ordered--,providences1 #ejh #bfa4 ,to ,lady ,kilconquhair4--,the ,kingdom to be taken by ,violence1 #eaj #bfb4 ,to ,robert ,lennox of ,disdove4--,increasing ,experience of ,christ's ,love--,salvation to be made sure1 #eab #bfc4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,hope in ,trial--,prayer and ,watchfulness1 #eac #bfd4 ,to ,thomas ,corbet4--,godly ,counsels--,following ,christ1 #ead #bfe4 ,to ,mr4 ,george ,dunbar1 ,minister of the ,gospel4--,christ's ,love in ,affliction--,the ,saint's ,support and ,final ,victory1 #eae #bff4 ,to ,john ,fleming1 ,bailie of ,leith4--,comfort ,abounding under ,trials1 #eag #bfg4 ,to ,william ,glendinning1 ,bailie of ,kirkcudbright4--,the ,past and the ,future--,present ,happiness1 #eag #bfh4 ,to the ,earl of ,cassillus4--,anxiety for the ,prosperity of ,zion--,encouragement for the ,nobles to ,support it--,the ,vanity of this ,world1 and the ,folly and ,misery of forsaking ,christ--,the ,one ,way to ,heaven1 #eai #bfi4 ,to his ,parishioners at ,anwoth4--,exhortationn to abide in the ,truth1 in prospect of ,christ's ,coming-- ,scriptural ,mode of ,observing ,ordinanaces such as the ,sabbath1 ,family ,prayer1 and the ,lord's ,supper-- ,judgments ,anticipated1 #eba #bgj4 ,to ,lady ,busbie4--,his ,experience of ,christ's ,love--,state of the ,land and ,church--,christ not duly ,esteemed-- ,desire after ,him1 and for a ,revival1 #ebd #bga4 ,to ,earlston1 ,younger4--,prosperity under the ,cross--,need of ,security1 and being founded on ,christ1 #ebf #bgb4 ,to ,john ,gordon4--,christ all ,worthy--,this ,world a ,clay ,prison--,desire for a ,revival of ,christ's ,cause1 #ebg #bgc4 ,to ,william ,rigge of ,athernie4--,comfort in ,trials from the ,knowledge of ,christ's ,power and ,work-- ,corruption--,free ,grace1 #ebi #bgd4 ,to ,james ,murray4--,the ,christian ,life a ,mystery to the ,world--,chrsit's ,kindness1 #ecj #bge4 ,to ,mr4 ,john ,fergushill4--,spiritual ,longings under ,christ's ,cross--,how to bear it--,christ ,precious1 and to be had without ,money--,the ,church1 #eca #bgf4 ,to ,william ,glendinning4--,sweetness of ,trial--,swiftness of ,time--,prevalence of ,sin1 #ecd #bgg4 ,to ,lady ,boyd4--,sense of ,unworthiness--,obligation to ,grace--,christ's ,absence--,state of the ,land1 #ecf #bgh4 ,to ,the ,earl of ,cassillis4--,ambition--,christ's ,royal ,prerogative--,prelacy1 #ech #bgi4 ,to ,marion ,m',naught4--,a ,spring-tide of ,christ's ,love1 #edj #bhj4 ,to ,john ,gordon of ,rusco4--,heaven hard to be won-- ,many come short in ,attaining--,idol ,sins to be renounced--,likeness to ,christ1 #eda #bha4 ,to ,lord ,loudoun4--,true ,honour in maintaining ,christ's ,cause--,prelacy--,light of ,eternity1 #edc #bhb4 ,to ,lady ,robertland4--,afflictions purify--,the ,world's ,vanity--,christ's wise love1 #ede #bhc4 ,to ,thomas ,macculloch of ,nether ,ardwell4--,earnest ,call to ,diligence--,circumspect ,walking1 #edh #bhd4 ,to the ,professors of ,christ and ,his ,truth in ,ireland4-- ,the ,way to ,heaven ofttimes through ,persecution-- ,christ's ,worth--,making sure our ,profession-- ,self-denial--,no ,compromise--,tests of ,sincerity--,his own ,desire for ,christ's ,glory1 #edi #bhe4 ,to ,robert ,gordon of ,knockbreck4--,not the ,cross1 but ,christ the ,object of ,attraction--,too little expected from ,him--,spiritual ,deadness1 #eee #bhf4 ,to the ,parishioners of ,kilmalcolm4--,spiritual ,sloth-- ,advice to ,beginniers--,a ,dead ,ministry--,languor-- ,obedience--,want of ,christ's ,felt ,presence--,assurance ,important--,prayer ,meetings1 #eei #bhg4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,on the ,death of her ,child--,christ ,shares ,his ,people's ,sorrows1 #efe #bhh4 ,to the ,persecuted ,church in ,ireland4--,christ's ,legacy of ,trouble--,god's ,dealings with ,scotland in giving ,prosperity--,christ takes ,half of all ,sufferings-- ,steadfastness for ,his ,crown--,his ,love should lead to ,holiness1 #efh #bhi4 ,to ,dr4 ,alexander ,leighton4--,public ,blessings alleviate ,private ,sufferings--,trials ,light when viewed in the ,light of ,heaven--,christ worthy of ,suffering for1 #ege #bij4 ,to a ,person unknown4--,anent ,private ,worship1 #egh #bia4 ,to ,henry ,stuart1 and ,family1 ,prisoners of ,christ at ,dublin4--,faith's preparation for ,trial--,the ,world's ,rage against ,christ--,the ,immensity of ,his ,glorious ,beauty--,folly of ,persecution--,victory ,sure1 #egi #bib4 ,to ,mrs4 ,pont1 ,prisoner at ,dublin4--,support under ,trials--,the ,master's ,reward1 #ehe #bic4 ,to ,mr4 ,james ,wilson4--,advices to a ,doubting ,soul-- ,mistakes about his ,interest in ,god's ,love-- ,temptation--,perplexity about ,prayer--,want of ,feeling1 #ehh #bid4 ,to ,lady ,boyd4--,sins of the ,land--,dwelling in ,christ-- ,faith awake sees all well1 #eia #bie4 ,to ,john ,fenwick4--,christ the ,fountain--,freeness of ,god's ,love--,faith to be exercised under ,frowns-- ,grace for ,trials--,hope of ,christ yet to be exalted on the ,earth1 #eic #bif4 ,to ,peter ,stirling4--,believers' ,graces all from ,christ-- ,aspiration after more ,love to ,him--,his ,reign ,desired1 #eii #big4 ,to ,lady ,fingast4--,faith's ,misgivings--,spiritual ,darkness not ,grace--,chrit's ,love ,inimitable1 #fjj #bih4 ,to ,mr4 ,david ,dickson1 on the ,death of his ,son4--,god's ,sovereignty1 and ,discipline by ,affliction1 #fjb #bii4 ,to ,lady ,boyd1 on the ,loss of several ,friends4--,trust even though slain--,second ,causes not to be regarded--,god's thoughts of ,peace therein--,all in ,mercy1 #fjc #cjj4 ,to ,agnes ,macmath1 on the ,death of a ,child4--,reason for ,resignation1 #fjg #cja4 ,to ,mr4 ,matthew ,mowat1 ,minister of ,kilmarnock4-- ,worthiness of ,god's ,love as manifested in ,christ-- ,heaven with ,christ1 #fjh #cjb4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure1 on her ,husband's ,death4--,god's ,method in ,affliction--,future ,glory1 #fji #cjc4 ,to ,lady ,boyd4--,sin of the ,land--,read ,prayers--,brownism1 #faa #cjd4 ,to ,james ,murray's ,wife4--,heaven a ,reality-- ,steadfastness to be grounded on ,christ1 #fab #cje4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,sins of the ,times--,practical ,atheism1 #fac #cjf4 ,to ,mr4 ,thomas ,wylie1 ,minister of ,borgue4--,sufficiency of ,divine ,grace--,call to ,england to assist at ,westminster ,assembly--,felt ,unworthiness1 #fad #cjg4 ,to a ,young ,man in ,anwoth4--,necessity of ,godliness in its ,power1 #fae #cjh4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,westminster ,assembly--,religious ,sects1 #faf #cji4 ,to ,lady ,boyd4--,proceedings of ,westminster ,assembly1 #fah #caj4 ,to ,mistress ,taylor1 on her ,son's ,death4--,suggestions for ,comfort under ,sorrow1 #fbj #caa4 ,to ,barbara ,hamilton4--,on ,death of her ,son-in-,law-- ,god's ,purposes1 #fbc #cab4 ,to ,mistress ,hume1 on her ,husband's ,death4--,god's ,voice in the ,rod1 #fbe #cac4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,christ's ,designs in ,sickness and ,sorrow1 #fbf #cad4 ,to ,barbara ,hamilton1 on her ,son-in-,law slain in ,battle4--,god does all ,things ,well1 and with ,design1 #fbg #cae4 ,to a ,christian ,friend1 on the ,death of his ,wife4--,god the ,first ,cause--,the ,end of ,affliction1 #fbi #caf4 ,to a ,christian ,brother1 on the ,death of his ,daughter4--,consolation in her having gone before-- ,christ the ,best ,husband1 #fcj #cag4 ,to a ,christian ,gentlewoman4--,views of ,death and ,heaven--,aspirations1 #fcb #cah4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,christ never in our ,debt--,riches of ,christ--,excellence of the ,heavenly ,state1 #fce #cai4 ,to ,mr4 ,james ,guthrie4--,prospects for ,scotland--,his own ,darkness--,christ's ,ability1 #fcf #cbj4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,trials cannot ,injure ,saints-- ,blessedness in ,seeing ,christ1 #fch #cba4 ,to ,lady ,ardross1 in ,fife1 on her ,mother's ,death4-- ,happiness of ,heaven1 and ,blessedness of ,dying in the ,lord1 #fci #cbb4 ,to ,m4 ,o4--,gloomy ,prospects for the ,backsliding ,church--,the ,misunderstandings of ,believers cause of great grief--,the ,day of ,christ1 #fdj #cbc4 ,to ,earlston the ,elder4--,christ's ,way of ,afflicting the ,best--,obligation to ,free ,grace--,enduring the ,cross1 #fdb #cbd4 ,to ,mr4 ,george ,gillespie4--,prospect of ,death--,christ the true support in ,death1 #fdd #cbe4 ,to ,sir ,james ,stewart1 ,lord ,provost of ,edinburgh4-- ,declining ,chair in ,edinburgh1 #fde #cbf4 ,to ,mistress ,gillespie1 ,widow of ,george ,gillespie4--,on the ,death of a ,child--,god ,afflicts in order to save us from the ,world1 #fdf #cbg4 ,to the ,earl of ,balcarras4--,regarding some ,misunderstanding1 #fdh #cbh4 ,to ,colonel ,gilbert ,ker4--,singleness of ,aim--,judgment in regard to ,adversaries1 #fdi #cbi4 ,to ,colonel ,gilbert ,ker4--,courage in ,days of ,rebuke-- ,god's ,arrangements all ,wise1 #fea #ccj4 ,to ,william ,guthrie4--,depression under ,dark ,trials-- ,dangers of ,compliance1 #feb #cca4 ,to ,colonel ,gilbert ,ker4--,courage in the ,lord's ,cause--,duty in regard to ,providence to be observed--,safety in this1 #fed #ccb4 ,to ,colonel ,gilbert ,ker4--,christ's ,cause deserves ,service and ,suffering from us1 #fef #ccc4 ,to ,colonel ,gilbert ,ker1 when taken ,prisoner4-- ,comforting ,thoughts to the ,afflicted--,darkness of the ,times--,fellowship in ,christ's ,sufferings-- ,satisfaction with ,his ,providences1 #feh #ccd4 ,to ,colonel ,gilbert ,ker4--,comfort under the ,cloud hanging over ,scotland--,dissuasion from ,leaving ,scotland1 #ffb #cce4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,difference between what is ,man's and ,christ's1 and between ,christ ,himself and ,his ,blessings1 #ffc #ccf4 ,to ,lady ,ralston1 ,ursula ,mure4--,duty of ,preferring to ,live rather than ,die--,want of ,union in the judgments of the ,godly1 #ffe #ccg4 ,to a ,minister of ,glasgow4--,encouraging ,words to a ,suffering ,brother--,why men shrink from ,christ's ,testimony1 #ffh #cch4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,a ,word to ,cheer in ,times of ,darkness1 #fga #cci4 ,to ,grizzel ,fullerton4--,exhortation to ,follow ,christ fully when others are cold1 #fgb #cdj4 ,to ,mr4 ,thomas ,wylie4--,regarding a ,letter of ,explanation1 #fgc #cda4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,present ,need helped by past ,experience1 #fgd #cdb4 ,to ,colonel ,gilbert ,ker4--,deadness--,hopes of ,refreshment--,distance from ,god--,nearness ,delighted in1 #fge #cdc4 ,to ,colonel ,gilbert ,ker4--,the ,state of the ,land1 #fgh #cdd4 ,to ,mr4 ,john ,scot1 at ,oxnam4--,excuse for ,absence from ,duty1 #fgi #cde4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,thoughts for a ,time of ,sickness about the ,life to ,come1 #fhj #cdf4 ,to ,simeon ,ashe4--,views of the ,presbyterians as to ,allegiance to the ,protector1 #fha #cdg4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,unkindness of the ,creature--,god's ,sovereignty in permitting ,his ,children to be ,injured by ,men1 #fhb #cdh4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,god's ,dealings with the ,land1 #fhc #cdi4 ,to ,mr4 ,john ,scot1 at ,oxnam4--,protesters' ,toleration1 #fhc #cej4 ,to ,mr4 ,john ,scot1 at ,oxnam4--,gloomy ,times--,means of promoting ,godliness1 #fhd #cea4 ,to ,mr4 ,james ,durham1 ,minister of ,glasgow1 some few days before his ,death4--,man's ,ways not ,god's ,ways1 #fhe #ceb4 ,to ,mr4 ,john ,scot1 at ,oxnam4--,adherence to the ,testimony against ,toleration1 #fhf #cec4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,trials--,deadness of the ,spirit-- ,danger of ,false ,security1 #fhf #ced4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure4--,prevailing ,declension1 ,decay1 and ,indifference to ,god's ,dealings--,things ,future1 #fhh #cee4 ,to the ,presbytery of ,kirkcudbright4--,union-- ,humiliation--,choice of a ,professor1 #fhi #cef4 ,to ,mr4 ,john ,murray1 ,minister at ,methven4--,a ,synod ,proposal for ,union--,brethren under ,censure1 #fia #ceg4 ,to ,mr4 ,guthrie1 ,mr4 ,trail1 and the rest of their ,brethren imprisoned in the ,castle of ,edinburgh4-- ,on ,suffering for ,christ--,god's ,presence ever with ,his ,people--,firmness and ,constancy1 #fib #ceh4 ,to ,several ,brethren4--,reasons for ,petitioning his ,majesty after his return1 and for owning such as were censured while about so necessary a ,duty1 #fid #cei4 ,to a ,brother ,minister4--,judgment of a ,draught of a ,petition1 to have been presented to the ,committee of ,estates1 #fif #cfj4 ,to ,lady ,kenmure1 on the ,imprisonment of her ,brother1 the ,marquis of ,argyle4--,god's ,judgments--,calls to ,flee to ,him--,the ,results of timid ,compliance1 #fih #cfa4 ,to ,mistress ,craig1 upon the ,death of her hopeful ,son4--,nine ,reasons for ,resignation1 #fii #cfb4 ,to ,mr4 ,james ,guthrie1 ,minister of the ,gospel at ,stirling4--,stedfast though ,persecuted--,blessedness of ,martyrdom1 #gja #cfc4 ,to ,mr4 ,robert ,campbell4--,stedfastness to ,protest against ,prelacy and ,popery1 #gjc #cfd4 ,to ,believers at ,aberdeen4--,sinful ,conformity and ,schismatic ,designs reproved1 #gja #cfe4 ,to ,mr4 ,john ,murray1 ,minister at ,methven4--,proposal of a ,season of ,prayer1 #gjh 99 99 99 99 99 ,index of the ,chief ,places and ,individuals referred to in the ,letters1 #gaa ,index of ,special ,subjects1 #gae ,glossary1 #gah 99 99 99 99 99 ,,appendix4 ,editions of ,rutherford's ,letters1 #gcf ,sample of the old ,orthography1 #gdj ,last ,words2 ,poem by ,mrs4 ,cousin1 #gda ,,sketch ,,of ,,samuel ,,rutherford4 ,wherever the palm-tree is1 there is water1 says the ,eastern proverb2 and so1 wherever the godly flourish1 there1 we are sure1 must the ,word of ,god be found4 ,in the history of the ,reformation we read of ,brother ,martin1 a poor monk at ,basle1 whose hope of salvation rested solely on the ,lord ,jesus1 long before ,luther sounded the silver trumpet that summoned sin-convinced souls to the ,one ,sacrifice4 ,having written out his confession of faith1 his statement of reliance on the righteousness of ,christ alone1 the monk placed the parchment in a wooden box1 and shut up the wooden box in a hole of the wall of his cell4 ,it was not till last century that this box1 with its interesting contents1 was discovered3 it was brought to light only when the old wall of the monastery was taken down4 ,the palm-tree speaks of the existence of water at its root2 the pure ,word of ,god taught this man his simple faith4 ,and herein we learn how it was that ,basle so early became a peculiar centre of light in that region2 the prayer and the faith of that hidden one1 and others like-minded1 and the ,word on which they fed1 may explain it all4 ,there is a fact not unlike the above in the history of the district where ,samuel ,rutherford laboured so lovingly4 ,the people of that shire tell that there was found1 some generations ago1 in the wall of the old castle of ,earlston1 in the ,stewartry of ,kirkcudbright1 a copy of ,wickliffe's ,bible4 ,it was deposited in that receptacle in order to be hid from the view of enemies2 but from time to time it was the lamp of light to a few souls1 who1 perhaps in the silence of night1 found opportunity to draw it out of its ark1 and peruse its pages4 ,it seems that the ,lollards of ,kyle 7the adjoining district7 had brought it to ,earlston4 ,we know that there were friends and members of the family of ,earlston who embraced the ,gospel even in those days4 ,in the sixteenth century1 some of the ancestors of ,viscount ,kenmure are found holding the doctrines of ,wickliffe1 which had been handed down to them4 ,may we not believe that the ,gordons of ,earlston1 in after days1 were not a little indebted to the faith and prayers of these ancient witnesses who hid the sacred treasure in the castle wall8 ,as in the case of the monk of ,basle1 their faith and patience were acknowledged in after days by the blessing sent down on that quarter1 when the ,lord1 in remembrance of ,his hidden ones1 both raised up the ,gordons of ,earlston1 with many others of a like spirit1 and also sent thither ,his servant ,samuel ,rutherford1 to sound forth the ,word of ,life1 and make the lamp of truth blaze1 like a torch1 over all that region4 ,samuel ,rutherford was born about the year #afjj4 ,his father is understood to have been a respectable farmer4 ,he had two brothers1 ,james and ,george4 ,but the place of his birth was not near the scene of his after labours4 ,it is almost certain that ,nisbet1 a village of ,roxburghshire close to the ,teviot1 in the parish of ,crailing1 was his birthplace2 the name ,rutherford frequently occurs in the churchyard4 ,not long ago1 there were some old people in that parish who remembered the gable-end of the house in which it was said that he was born1 and which1 from respect to his memory1 was permitted to stand as long as it could keep together4 ,and there was there a village well where1 when very young1 ,samuel nearly lost his life4#a ,he had been amusing himself with some companions1 when he fell in1 and was left there till they ran and procured assistance2 but on returning to the spot they found him seated on a knoll1 cold and dripping1 yet uninjured4 ,he told them that ,a bonnie white man came and drew him out of the well6 ,whether or not he really fancied that an angel had delivered him1 we cannot tell2 but it is plain that1 at all events1 his boyish thoughts were already wandering in the region of the sky4 #a ,this village well is about three feet deep4 ,it is now closed up and worked by a pump4 ,he owed little to his native place4 ,there was not so much of ,christ known in that parish then as there is now2 for in after days he writes1 ,my soul's desire is1 that the place to which ,i owe my first birth--in which1 ,i fear1 ,christ was scarcely named1 as touching any reality of the power of godliness--may blossom as the rose 7,letter cccxxxiv474 ,we have no account of his revisiting these scenes of his early life1 though he thus wrote to his friend1 ,mr4 ,scott1 minister of the adjoining parish of ,oxnam4 ,like ,donald ,cargill1 born in ,perthshire yet never known to preach there even once1 ,rutherford had his labours in other parts of the land1 distant from his native place4 ,in this arrangement we see the ,master's sovereignty4 ,the sphere is evidently one of ,god's choosing for the man1 instead of being the result of the man's gratifying his natural predilections4 ,it accords1 too1 with the example of the ,master1 who never returned to ,bethlehem1 where ,he was born1 to do any of ,his works4 ,jedburgh is a town three or four miles distant from ,nisbet1 and thither ,samuel went for his education2 either walking to it1 and returning home at evening1--as a school-boy would scarcely grudge to do1--or residing in the town for a season4 ,the school at that time met in a part of the ancient ,abbey1 called1 from this circumstance1 the ,latiners' ,alley4 ,in the year #afag we find him farther from home1--removed to ,edinburgh1 which1 forty years before1 had become the seat of a ,college1 though not as yet a ,university4 ,there he obtained1 in #afba1 the degree of ,master of ,arts4 ,a single specimen 7not elegant1 however7 of his ,latin verse remains in the lines he prefixed to an edition of ,row's ,hebrew ,grammar1 published at ,glasgow1 #afdd-- ,verba ,sion gentis1 submersa tenebris ,cimmeriis1 mendax ,kimchius ore crepat4 ,qu vos ,rabbini sinuosa nigmata vultis1 ,nunc facilem linguam dicite quso sacram4 ,falleris1 ,hippocrates2 male parc stamina vit ,curta vocas1 artem vociferare 2 ,sit cita mors1 rapido sit et hora fugacior ,euro1 ,bellerophontis vita volato rotis3 ,roui ,hebracis sit mors male grata ,camoenis4 ,haec relege1 ast artem dixeris esse brevem4 ,soon after1 he was appointed ,regent1 or ,professor1 of ,humanity1 though there were three other competitors2 for his talents had attracted the notice of many4 ,but1 on occasion of a rumour that charged him with some irregularity--whether with or without foundation1 it is now difficult to ascertain--he demitted his office in #afbe1 and led a private life1 attending prelections on theology1 and devoting himself to that study4 ,that there could not have been anything very serious in the rumour1 may be inferred from the fact that no church court took any notice of the matter1 though these were days when the reins of discipline were not held with a slack hand4 ,but it is not unlikely that this may have been the time of which he says in a letter1 ,i knew a man who wondered to see any in this life laugh or sport4#b ,it may have been then that he was led by the ,spirit to know the things that are freely given us of ,god4#c ,we have no proof that he was converted at an earlier period1 but rather the opposite4 ,he writes1 ,like a fool as ,i was1 ,i suffered my sun to be high in the heaven1 and near afternoon1 before ever ,i took the gate by the end4#d ,and again1 ,i had stood sure1 if in my youth ,i had borrowed ,christ for my bottom4#e ,the clouds returned after the rain2 family trials1 and other similar dealings of ,providence1 combined to form his character as a man of ,god and as a pastor4 #b ,letter ccxxiv4 #c #a ,cor4 ii4 #ab4 #d ,letter clxxvii4 #e ,letter ccxli4 ,in #afbg he was settled at ,anwoth1#f a parish situated in the ,stewartry of ,kirkcudbright1 on the river ,fleet1 near the ,solway4 ,the church stood in a wide hollow1 or valley1 at the foot of the ,boreland ,hill4 ,embosomed in wood1 with neither the smoke nor the noise of a village near1 it must always have been a romantic spot--the very ideal of a country church1 set down to cherish rural godliness4 ,though at this period ,episcopacy had been obtruded upon ,scotland1 and many faithful ministers were suffering on account of their resistance to its ceremonies and services1 yet he appears to have been allowed to enter on his charge without any compliance being demanded1 and without giving any engagement to the bishop4 ,he began his ministry with the text1 ,john ix4 #ci4 ,the same ,lord that would not let ,paul and ,timothy preach in ,asia1#g nor in ,bithynia1 and yet sent to the one region the beloved ,john1#h and to the other the scarcely less beloved ,peter1#i in this instance prevented ,john ,livingstone going to ,anwoth1 which the patron had designed1 and sent ,rutherford instead4 ,this was the more remarkable1 because ,livingstone was sent to ,ancrum1 the parish that borders on ,nisbet1 while he who was by birth related to that place was despatched to another spot4 ,this is the ,lord's doing4 ,ministers must not choose according to the flesh4 #f ,see notice of the topography at ,letter cxcviii4 ,it is a mile and a half from the modern ,gatehouse of ,fleet1 a clean1 ,english-looking village4 #g ,acts xvi4 #f1 #g4 #h ,rev4 i4 #aa4 #i #a ,pet4 i4 #a4 ,during the first years of his labours here1 the sore illness of his wife was a bitter grief to him4 ,her distress was very severe4 ,he writes of it3 ,she is sore tormented night and day4--,my life is bitter unto me4--,she sleeps none1 and cries as a woman travailing in birth2 my life was never so wearisome4#aj ,she continued in this state for no less than a year and a month1 ere she died4 ,besides all this1 his two children had been taken from him4 ,such was the discipline by which he was trained for the duties of a pastor1 and by which a shepherd's heart of true sympathy was imparted to him4 #aj ,letter xviii4 ,the parish of ,anwoth had no large village near the church4 ,the people were scattered over a hilly district1 and were quite a rural flock4 ,but their shepherd knew that the ,chief ,shepherd counted them worth caring for2 he was not one who thought that his learning and talents would be ill spent if laid out in seeking to save souls1 obscure and unknown4 ,see him setting out to visit6 ,he has just laid aside one of his learned folios1 to go forth among his flock4 ,see him passing along yonder field1 and climbing that hill on his way to some cottage1 his quick eyes occasionally glancing on the objects around1 but his face upward for the most part1 as if he were gazing into heaven4 ,he has time to visit1 for he rises at three in the morning1 and at that early hour meets his ,god in prayer and meditation1 and has space for study besides4 ,he takes occasional days for catechising4 ,he never fails to be found at the sick-beds of his people4 ,men said of him1 ,he is always praying1 always preaching1 always visiting the sick1 always catechising1 always writing and studying4 ,he was known to fall asleep at night talking of ,christ1 and even to speak of ,him during his sleep4 ,indeed1 himself speaks of his dreams being of ,christ4#aa #aa ,letter cclxxxvi4 ,his preaching could not but arrest attention4 ,though his elocution was not good1 and his voice rather shrill1 he was1 nevertheless1 one of the most moving and affectionate preachers in his time1 or perhaps in any age of the church4#ab ,in the pulpit 7says one of his friends71 he had a strange utterance--a kind of skreigh1 that ,i never heard the like4 ,many times ,i thought he would have flown out of the pulpit when he came to speak of ,jesus ,christ4 ,an ,english merchant said of him1 even in days when controversy had sorely vexed him and distracted his spirit1 ,i came to ,irvine1 and heard a well-favoured1 proper old man 7,david ,dickson71 with a long beard1 and that man showed me all my heart4 ,then ,i went to ,st4 ,andrews1 where ,i heard a sweet1 majestic-looking man 7,r4 ,blair71 and he showed me the majesty of ,god4 ,after him ,i heard a little1 fair man 7,rutherford71 and he showed me the loveliness of ,christ4#ac #ab ,wodrow's ,church ,hist4 i4 #bje4 #ac ,m',crie's ,sketches4 ,anwoth was dear to him rather as the sphere appointed him by his ,master1 than because of the fruit he saw of his labours4 ,two years after being settled there1 he writes1 ,i see exceedingly small fruit of my ministry4 ,i would be glad of one soul1 to be a crown of joy and rejoicing in the day of ,christ4 ,his people were like hot iron1 which cooleth when out of the fire4 ,in a sermon on ,song ii4 #h1 he complains of it being spiritually winter in ,anwoth4 ,the very repairing of ,god's house1 in our own parish church1 is a proof4 ,ye need not go any farther4 ,the timber of the house of ,god rots1 and we cannot move a whole parish to spend twenty or thirty pounds ,scots upon the house of ,god1 to keep it dry4 ,still he laboured in hope1 and laboured often almost beyond his strength4 ,once he says1 ,i have a grieved heart daily in my calling4 ,he speaks of his pained breast1 at another time1 on the evening of the ,lord's day1 when his work was done4#ad ,but he had seasons of refreshing to his own soul at least2 especially when the ,lord's ,supper was dispensed4 ,of these seasons he frequently speaks4 ,he asks his friend1 ,marion ,m',naught1 to help with her prayers on such an occasion1 that being one of the days wherein ,christ was wont to make merry with ,his friends4#ae ,it was then that with special earnestness he besought the ,father to distribute the great ,loaf1 ,christ1 to the children of ,his family4 #ad ,letter clxxxv4 #ae ,letter xiv4 ,another church was filled1 but not altogether by parishioners4#af ,many came from great distances2 among others1 several that were converted1 seventeen years before1 under ,john ,welsh1 at ,ayr4 ,these all helped him by their prayers1 as did also a goodly number of godly people in the parish itself1 who were the fruit of the ministry of his predecessor4 ,yet over the unsaved he yearned most tenderly4 ,at one time we hear him say1 ,i would lay my dearest joys in the gap between you and eternal destruction4#ag ,at another1 ,my witness is in heaven1 your heaven1 would be two heavens to me1 and your salvation two salvations4 ,he could appeal to his people1 ,my day-thoughts and my night-thoughts are of you2 and he could appeal to ,god1 ,o my ,lord1 judge if my ministry be not dear to me2 but not so dear by many degrees as ,christ my ,lord4#ah #af ,the oak pulpit out of which he preached was preserved till a few years ago4 ,the old church 7#fj feet by #ah7 is in the shape of a barn1 and could hold only #bej sitters4 ,it is now entirely a ruin4 ,the years #afca and #afcc were carved on some of the seats--perhaps the seats of the ,gordons1 or other heritors4 ,we may add1 while speaking of this old edifice1 where the swallows building their nest1 seemed to the exiled pastor blessed birds1 that the rusty key of that kirk-door is now deposited in the ,new ,college1 ,edinburgh1 sent to the museum there as a precious relic several years ago by a friend1 through ,dr4 ,welsh4 ,the church is now roofless1 its walls overgrown with ivy1 in which the sparrows build their nests at will4 ,the tomb of ,lady ,cardoness1 an antique pile at the side of the wall1 was removed in #ahgh1 though the slabs are preserved4 #ag ,letter ccxvii4 #ah ,letter ccxvii4 ,all classes of people of ,anwoth were objects of his care4 ,he maintained a friendly intercourse with people of high rank1 and very many of his ,letters are addressed to such persons4 ,he seems to have been remarkably blessed to the gentry in the neighbourhood--more far than to the common people4 ,there was at that time some friend of ,christ to be found in almost every gentleman's seat many miles around ,anwoth4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,church ,,of ,,anwoth4 ,but the herd boys were not beneath his special attention4 ,he writes of them when at ,aberdeen1 and exclaims1 ,o if ,i might but speak to thee1 or your herd boys1 of my worthy ,master4#ai ,he had a heart for the young of all classes1 so that he would say of two children of one of his friends1 ,i pray for them by name2#bj and could thus take time to notice one1 ,your daughter desires a ,bible and a gown4 ,i hope she shall use the ,bible well1 which1 if she do1 the gown is the better bestowed4 ,he lamented over the few that cry ,hosanna in their youth4 ,christ is an unknown ,christ to young ones2 and therefore they seek ,him not1 because they know ,him not4 #ai ,letter clxiii4 #bj ,letter xiv4 ,he dealt with individual parishioners so closely and so personally as to be able to appeal to them regarding his faithfulness in this matter4 ,he addresses one of them1 ,jean ,m',millan3 ,i did what ,i could to put you within grips of ,christ2 ,i told you ,christ's testament and latter-will plainly4#ba ,he so carried them on his heart 7like the priest with the twelve tribes on his breastplate71 that he could declare to ,gordon of ,cardoness1 ,thoughts of your soul depart not from me in my sleep4#bb ,my soul was taken up when others were sleeping1 how to have ,christ betrothed with a bride in that part of the land1 viz4 ,anwoth4#bc ,he so prayed over them and for them1 that he fears not to say1 ,there ,i wrestled with the angel and prevailed4 ,woods1 trees1 meadows1 and hills1 are my witnesses that ,i drew on a fair match betwixt ,christ and ,anwoth4#bd ,it is related that1 on first coming to the parish1 there was a piece of ground on ,mossrobin farm1 in the hollow of a hill1 where on ,sabbath afternoon the people used to play at foot-ball4 ,on one occasion he repaired to that spot1 and pointed out their sin1 solemnly calling on the objects round to be witnesses against them1 especially three large stones#be close at hand on the slope of the hill1 two of which still remain1 and are called ,rutherford's ,witnesses4 ,the third was wantonly dislodged some years ago2 and it is said that the other two were removed to the other side of the stone dyke1 where they are now1 for the sake of security4 ,this is the spot which is especially taken notice of by ,dr4 ,chalmers1 in recording a visit to ,anwoth and its neighbourhood 7,life1 vol4 iii4 #acj73-- ,wednesday1 ,august #bc1 #ahbf4--,started at five o'clock2 ordered the gig forward on the public road to meet us after a scramble of about two miles among the hills1 in the line of ',rutherford's ,memorials4' ,went first to his church2 the identical fabric he preached in1 and which is still preached in4#bf ,the floor is a causeway4 ,there are dates of #afbhbg and #afcc on some old carved seats4 ,the pulpit is the same1 and ,i sat in it4 ,it is smaller than ,kilmany1 and very rude and simple4 ,the church bell is said to have been given him by ,lady ,kenmure1 one of his correspondents in his ,letters4 ,it is singularly small for a church1 having been the ,kenmure house bell4 ,we then passed to the new church that is building2 but ,i am happy to say the old fabric and ,rutherford's pulpit are to be spared4 ,it is a cruel circumstance that they pulled down 7and that only three weeks ago7 his dwelling-house1 his old manse2 which has not been used as a manse for a long time1 but was recently occupied4 ,it should have been spared4 ,some of the masons who were ordered to pull it down refused it1 as they would an act of sacrilege1 and have been dismissed from their employment4 ,we went and mourned over the rubbish of the foundation4 ,then ascended a bank1 still known by the name of ,rutherford's ,walk4#bh ,then went further among the hills1 to ,rutherford's ,witnesses1--so many stones which he called to witness against some of his parishioners who were amusing themselves at the place with some game on the ,sunday1 and whom he meant to reprove4 ,the whole scene of our morning's walk was wild1 and primitive1 and interesting4 #ba ,letter cxxxii4 #bb ,letter clxxx4 #bc ,letter clxxxvi4 #bd ,letter cclxxvii4 #be ,josh4 xxiv4 #bg4 #bf ,it has not been preached in since the year #ahbg4 #bg ,a mistake for #afca4 #bh ,it was a walk among trees1 close to the manse4 ,once1 while in ,anwoth1 his labours were interrupted 7,letter xii47 by a tertian fever which laid him aside for thirteen weeks4 ,even when well recovered he could for a long time only preach on the ,sabbath3 visiting and catechising were at a stand4 ,this was just before his wife's death in #afcj1 and he writes in the midst of it1 ,welcome1 welcome1 cross of ,christ1 if ,christ be with it4 ,an afflicted life looks very like the way that leads to the kingdom4 ,and some years thereafter1 when his mother 7who came from ,nisbet and resided with him six years after his first wife's death7 was in a dangerous illness1 he touchingly informs one of his correspondents1 to whom he writes from ,anwoth1 ,my mother is weak1 and ,i think shall leave me alone2 but ,i am not alone1 because ,christ's ,father is with me4#bi #bi ,letter xlix4 ,and what was his recreation8 ,the manse of ,anwoth had many visits of kind friends1 who1 in ,rutherford's fellowship1 felt that saying verified1 ,they that dwell under ,his shadow shall return2 they shall revive as the corn4#cj ,the righteous compassed him about1 because the ,lord had dealt bountifully with him4 ,his ,letters would be enough of themselves to show that his friendship and counsel were sought by the godly on all sides4 ,one of his visitors was his own brother1 ,george1 at ,kirkcudbright4 ,this good man was a teacher in that town1 who often repaired to ,anwoth to take sweet counsel with ,samuel2 and then1 together1 they talked of and prayed for their only other brother ,james1 an officer in the ,dutch service1 who had sympathy with their views1 and1 in after days1 conveyed to ,samuel the invitation to become ,professor at ,utrecht4 ,visits of those friends who resided near were not unfrequent--such as the ,gordons1 ,viscount ,kenmure and his lady1 and ,marion ,m',naught4 ,but at times ,anwoth manse was lighted up by the glad visit of unexpected guests4 ,there is a tradition that ,archbishop ,usher1 passing through ,galloway1 turned aside on a ,saturday to enjoy the congenial society of ,rutherford4 ,he came1 however1 in disguise2 and being welcomed as a guest1 took his place with the rest of the family when they were catechised1 as was usual1 that evening4 ,the stranger was asked1 ,how many commandments are there8 ,his reply was ,eleven4#ca ,the pastor corrected him2 but the stranger maintained his position1 quoting our ,lord's words1 ,a ,,new ,,commandment ,i give unto you1 that ye love one another4 ,they retired to rest1 all interested in the stranger4 ,sabbath morning dawned4 ,rutherford arose and repaired1 as was his custom1 for meditation to a walk that bordered on a thicket1#cb but was startled by hearing the voice of prayer--prayer too from the heart1 and in behalf of the souls of the people that day to assemble4 ,it was no other than the holy ,archbishop ,usher2 and soon they came to an explanation1 for ,rutherford had begun to suspect he had entertained angels unawares4 ,with great mutual love they conversed together2 and at the request of ,rutherford1 the ,archbishop went up to the pulpit1 conducted the usual service of the ,presbyterian pastor1 and preached on the ,new ,commandment4 #cj ,hos4 xiv4 #g4 #ca ,in the parish church of ,chiseldon1 ,north ,wilts1 there are to be seen ,eleven ,commandments inscribed on a slab 7which is affixed to the chancel arch72 the additional one consisting of our ,saviour's precept--,a new commandment ,i give unto you1 that ye love one another 7,john xiii4 #cd74 ,the church is quite an ancient one1 dating back to #afda4 #cb ,the place is still pointed out by tradition1 as ,rutherford's ,walk4 ,it was close to the old manse1 which was pulled down many years ago4 ,it stood about a quarter of a mile from the church1 and bore the name1 ,bushy ,bield1 or ,bush o' ,bield1 i4e41 the bush of shelter4 ,some make it ,bush o' ,biel1 and say it is a corruption of ,bosco-bello1 fair-wood1 ,boscobel4 ,illustration3 ,,bush ,o' ,,beild--,,rutherford',s ,,house4 ,scarcely less interesting is the record of another unlooked-for meeting4 ,rutherford had one day left home to go to the neighbouring town of ,kirkcudbright1 the next day being a day of humiliation in that place4 ,having no doubt spent some time with his like-minded brother1 he turned his steps to the house of another friend1 ,provost ,fullerton1 whose wife was ,marion ,m',naught4 ,while sitting with them in friendly converse a knock at the door was heard1 and then a step on the threshold4 ,it was worthy ,mr4 ,blair1 who1 on his way from ,london to ,portpatrick1 had sought out some of his godly friends1 that with them he might be refreshed ere he returned to ,ireland4 ,he told them1 when seated1 that he had a desire to visit both ,mr4 ,rutherford at ,anwoth1 and ,marion ,m',naught at ,kircudbright2 but not knowing how to accomplish both1 had prayed for direction at the parting of the road1 and laid the bridle on the horse's neck4 ,the horse took the way to ,kirkcudbright1 and there he found both the friends he so longed to see4 ,it was a joyful and refreshing meeting on all sides4 ,wodrow tells#cc another incident that1 in part1 bears some resemblance to this4 ,rutherford had been reasoning at ,stirling with the ,marquis of ,argyle1 and had set out homeward4 ,but his horse was very troublesome1 and he was feeling in his mind that he should have been more urgent and plain6 ,he returned1 and dealt freely this time4 ,and now his horse went on pleasantly all the way4 #cc ,analecta1 vol4 ii4 p4 #afa4 ,in #afcd he attended the remarkable deathbed of ,lord ,kenmure1 a narrative of which he published fifteen years after1 in ,the ,last and ,heavenly ,speeches and ,glorious ,departure of ,john ,viscount ,kenmure4 ,the inroads of ,episcopacy were at this time threatening to disquiet ,anwoth4 ,his own domestic afflictions were still affecting him2 for he writes that same year1 in referring to his wife's death many years before1 which wound is not yet fully healed and cured4 ,about that time1 too1 there was a proposal 7never carried into effect7 to call him to ,cramond near ,edinburgh1#cd and another to get him settled at ,kirkcudbright4 #cd ,letter xliii4 ,his friend and neighbour ,mr4 ,dalgleish1 minister of ,kirkdale and ,kirkmabreck1 was translated to ,cramond in #afci4 ,meanwhile he persevered in study as well as in labours1 and with no common success4 ,he had a metaphysical turn1 as well as great readiness in using the accumulated learning of other days4 ,it might be instructive to inquire why it is that wherever godliness is healthy and progressive1 we almost invariably find learning in the ,church of ,christ attendant on it3 while on the other hand1 neglect of study is attended sooner or later by decay of vital godliness4 ,not that all are learned in such times2 but there is always an element of the kind in the circle of those whom the ,lord is using4 ,the energy called forth by the knowledge of ,god in the soul leads on to the study of whatever is likely to be useful in the defence or propagation of the truth2 whereas1 on the other hand1 when decay is at work and lifelessness prevailing1 sloth and ease creep in1 and theological learning is slighted as uninteresting and dry4 ,with ,samuel ,rutherford and his contemporaries we find learning side by side with vital1 and singularly deep1 godliness4 ,gillespie1 ,henderson1 ,blair1 ,dickson1 and others1 are well-known examples4 ,nor less distinguished was ,rutherford1 who was led by circumstances in #afcf to publish his elaborate defence of grace against the ,arminians1 in ,latin4 ,its title is1 ,exercitationes de ,gratia4 ,so highly was it esteemed at ,amsterdam1 where it was published1 that a second edition was printed that very year2 and repeated invitations were addressed soon after to the author to come to ,holland1 and occupy one or other of their ,divinity chairs4 ,soon after1 the contest for ,christ's kingly office became increasingly earnest and keen4 ,to ,rutherford it appeared no small matter4 ,i could wish many pounds added to my cross to know that by my suffering ,christ was set forward in ,his kingly office in this land4#ce ,july #bg1 #afcf1 was a day that put his principles to the test4 ,he was called before the ,high ,commission ,court1 because of nonconformity to the acts of ,episcopacy1 and because of ,his work against the ,arminians4 ,the ,court was presided over by ,sydserff1 ,bishop of ,galloway1 and was held at ,wigton1 about ten miles from ,anwoth1 accross the ,bay4 ,he appeared in person there1 and defended himself4 ,the issue could not be doubtful1 though ,lord ,lorn made every exertion in his behalf4 ,he was deprived of his ministerial office1 which he had exercised at ,anwoth for a period of nine years1#cf and banished to ,aberdeen4 ,the next day 7writing at evening on the subject71 he tells of his sentence1 and calls it1 ,the honour that ,i have prayed for these sixteen years4 ,he made up his mind to leave ,anwoth at once1 observing1 with a submissiveness which we might wonder at in #ce ,letter cxv4 ,see also ,letter liv4 #cf ,letter cclxix4 the author of ,lex ,rex1 ,i propose to obey the king1 who has power over my body4 ,his only alarm was lest this separation from his flock might be a chastisement on him from the ,lord1 because ,i have not been so faithful in the end as ,i was in the two first years of my ministry1 when sleep departed from mine eyes through care for ,christ's lambs4#cg #cg ,letter cix4 ,on leaving ,anwoth he directed his steps by ,irvine1 spending a night there with his beloved friend ,david ,dickson4 ,what a night that must have been6 ,to hear these two in solemn converse6 ,the one could not perhaps handle the harp so well as the other2 for ,david ,dickson could express his soul's weary longings and its consoling hopes in such strains as that which has made his name familiar in ,scotland1 ,o mother dear ,jerusalem2 but ,rutherford1 nevertheless1 had so much of poetry and sublime enthusiasm in his soul1 that any poet could sympathise with him to the full4 ,many of his letters from ,christ's palace in ,aberdeen are really strains of true poetry4 ,what else is such an effusion as this1 when1 rising on eagles' wings1 he exclaims1 ,a land that has more than four summers in the year6 ,what a singing life is there6 ,there is not a dumb bird in all that large field1 but all sing and breathe out heaven1 joy1 glory1 dominion1 to the ,high ,prince of that new-found land4 ,and verily the land is sweeter that ,he is the glory of that land4#ch ,o how sweet to be wholly ,christ's1 and wholly in ,christ2 to dwell in ,immanuel's high and blessed land1 and live in that sweetest air1 where no wind bloweth but the breathings of the ,holy ,ghost1 no sea nor floods flow but the pure water of life that floweth from under the throne and from the ,lamb1 no planting1 but the tree of life that yieldeth twelve manner of fruits every month6 ,what do we here but sin and suffer8 ,o when shall the night be gone1 the shadows flee away1 and the morning of the long1 long day1 without cloud or night1 dawn8 ,the ,spirit and the bride say1 ',come6' ,o when shall the ,lamb's wife be ready1 and the ,bridegroom say1 ',come8'#ci ,whoever compares such breathings with ,david ,dickson's hymn will see how congenial were their feelings and their hopes1 and even their mode of expressing what they felt and hoped1 though the one used prose and the other tried more memorable verse4 #ch ,letter cccxxiii4 #ci ,letter cccxxxiv4 ,we follow ,rutherford to ,aberdeen1 the capital of the ,north1 whither he was accompanied by a deputation of his affectionate parishioners from ,anwoth1 in whose company he would forget the length and tediousness of the way4 ,he arrived here in ,september #afcf4 ,this town was at that time the stronghold of ,episcopacy and ,arminianism1 and in it the state of religion was very low4 ,it consisted of ,papists1 and men of ,gallio's naughty faith4#dj ,the clergy and doctors took the opportunity of ,rutherford's arrival to commence a series of attacks on the special doctrines of grace which he held4 ,but in disputation he foiled them2 and when many began to feel drawn to him in consequence of his earnest dealings and private exhortations1 there was a proposal made to remove him from the town4 ,so cold1 writes he1 is northern love6 ,but 7added he7 ,christ and ,i will bear it2#da deeply feeling his union to ,him who said to ,saul1 ,why persecutest thou ,me8 ,often1 on the streets1#db he was pointed as the banished minister2 and hearing of this1 he remarked1 ,i am not ashamed of my garland4 ,he had visitors from ,orkney1 and from ,caithness1 to the great annoyance of his persecutors4#dc ,some blamed him for not being prudent enough1 as we have seen men ready to do in similar cases in our own day2 but he replies1 ,it is ordinary that that should be part of the cross of those who suffer for ,him4 ,still he enjoyed1 in his solitude1 occasional intercourse with some of the godly ones1 among whom were ,lady ,pitsligo1 ,lady ,burnet of ,largs1 ,andrew ,cant1 and ,james ,martin4 ,his deepest affliction was separation from his flock at ,anwoth4 ,nothing can exceed his tender sorrow over this flock4#dd #dj ,letter lxvi4 ,dr4 ,james ,sibbald1 said to have been a man of great learning1 was minister in one of the churches of ,new ,aberdeen4 ,rutherford attended his preaching1 and finding that he taught ,arminianism1 testified against him4 #da ,letter cxvii4 #db ,the impression of some readers might be that he was in prison4 ,but he never was so4 ,he was in exile2 but the whole town was his prison4 ,he was1 in this respect1 like ,shimei confined to ,jerusalem 7,letters lxviii41 lxix41 etc474 ,his house was in the ,upper ,kirkgate4 #dc ,letter clxi4 #dd ,letter clxxxi4 ,illustration3 ,,market ,,cross1 ,,aberdeen ,it was a saying of his own1 ,gold may be gold1 and bear the ,king's stamp upon it1 when it is trampled upon by men4 ,and this was true of himself4 ,but he came out of his trial not only unscorched1 but1 as his many letters from ,aberdeen show1 greatly advanced in every grace4 ,the ,latin lines prefixed to the early editions of these ,letters scarcely exaggerate when they sing-- ,quod ,chebar et ,patmos divinis vatibus olim2 ,huic fuerant sancto claustra ,abreda viro4 ,but we err if we suppose that it was only while there that he experienced that almost ecstatic enjoyment of his ,lord4 ,he carried it away with him2 for is not this the same strain as pervades his ,letters1 when1 preaching in #afdd1 before the ,house of ,commons in ,london1 he exclaims1 ,o for eternity's leisure1 to look on ,him1 to feast upon a sight of ,his face6 ,o for the long summer day of endless ages to stand beside ,him and enjoy ,him6 ,o time1 ,o sin1 be removed out of the way6 ,o day6 ,o fairest of days1 dawn6 ,he was1 during part of two years1 closely confined to that town1 though not in prison2 but in #afch public events had taken another turn4 ,the ,lord had stirred up the spirit of the people of ,scotland1 and the covenant was again triumphant in the land4 ,rutherford hastened back to ,anwoth4 ,during his absence1 ,for six quarters of a year1 say his parishioners1 no sound of the ,word of ,god was heard in our kirk4 ,the swallows had made their nests there undisturbed for two summers4 ,his ,letters do not refer to the proceedings of the ,glasgow ,assembly of #afch4 ,it is well known1 however1 that he was no mere indifferent spectator to what then took place1 but was present1 and was member of several committees which at that time sat on the affairs of the church4 ,presbytery being fully restored by that ,assembly1 it was thought right that one so gifted should be removed to a more important sphere4 ,he was sent by the church to several districts to promote the cause of ,reformation and the ,covenant2 and at length1 in spite of his reluctance1 arising chiefly from love to his flock--his rural flock at ,anwoth--he was constrained to yield to the united opinion of his brethren1 and be removed to the ,professor's ,chair in ,st4 ,andrews in #afci1 and become ,principal of the ,new ,college4 ,he bargained to be allowed to preach regularly every ,sabbath in his new sphere2 for he could not endure silence when he might speak a word for his ,lord4 ,he seems to have preached also1 as occasion offered1 in the parishes around1 especially at ,scoonie1 in which the village of ,leven stands4#de #de ,in #afej1 ,mr4 ,samuel ,rutherford1 minister of ,st4 ,andrews1 did preach the preparation sermon in ,cant4 v4 #b4 ,mr4 ,samuel had a lecture on ,monday following on the #bjth chapter of ,matthew's ,gospel4 #afea1 ,july #ac4--,the comm4 was given at ,scoonie4 ,mr4 ,alex4 ,moncrieff1 m4 there1 did preach the ,preparation ,sermon1 and on ,monday morning ,mr4 ,sa4 ,rutherford did preach2 his text at both occasions was ,luke vii4 #cf till #ci ver4 ,at this time was present1 besides ,mr4 ,sa4 ,rutherford1 ,mr4 ,ja4 ,guthrie1 and ,mr4 ,david ,bennet1 ,mr4 ,ephraim ,melvin1 and ,mr4 ,william ,oliphant1 m4 in ,dumfermlin4 ,thither did resort many strangers1 so that the throng was great4 ,mr4 ,ephraim and ,mr4 ,d4 ,bennet both did sit within the pulpit while the minister had his sermon4 ,so again1 ,in #afeb1 ,june #ac4--,mr4 ,s4 ,r4 of ,st4 ,andrews1 did preach on the ,sabbath afternoon2 his lecture ,luke xiv42 his sermon ,luke vii4 #cf1 #ch1 to end4 ,mr4 ,s4 did exhort on ,monday following1 on his foresaid text1 ,luke vii4 #dj1 #dd4 ,once more1 #afec1 ,aug4 #aa4--;,a fast keepit at ,scoonie kirk1 ,mr4 ,s4 ,r4 in the morning1 lecture1 ,jonah ii42 his text1 ,rev4 iii4 #a1 at end4 ,afternoon preached on same2 his lecture ,psalms cxxx41 cxxxi4 #afed1 ,jan4 #d4--;,being ,saturday1 there was a ,preparation ,sermon for a ,thanksgiving preached at ,scoonie in ,fyfe1 for the continuance of the ,gospel in the land and for the spreading of it in some places of the ,highlands in ,scotland1 where in some families two and in some families one1 began to call on ,god by prayer4 ,mr4 ,samuel ,rutherford1 m4 in ,st4 ,andrews1 preached on ,saturday2 his text1 ,isa4 xlix4 #i1 #aj1 #aa1 #ab4 ,on the ,sabbath1 ,mr4 ,alex ,moncrieff1 m41 then preached2 his lecture1 #a ,thess4 ch4 i42 his text1 ,coloss4 i4 #bg4 ,in the afternoon of the ,sabbath1 ,mr4 ,samuel preached again upon his forementioned text4 ,on ,monday morning1 ,mr4 ,samuel had a lecture on ,psal4 lxxxviii4 ,he did read the whole ,psalm4 ,observe1 that on ,saturday ,mr4 ,samuel had this expression in his prayer after sermon1 desiring that the ,lord would rebuke ,presbyteries and others that had taken the keys and the power in their hands1 and keeped out1 and would suffer none to enter 7meaning in the ministry7 but such as said as they said4--,lamont's ,diary4 ,his hands were necessarily filled with work in his new sphere2 yet still he relaxed nothing of his diligence in study4 ,nor did he lack anything of former blessing4 ,it was here the ,english merchant heard him preach so affectingly on the loveliness of ,christ2 while such was his success as a ,professor that the ,university became a ,lebanon out of which were taken cedars for building the house of ,god throughout the land4 ,in the year #afdj1 he married his second wife1 ,jean ,m',math1 a woman1 says one1 of such worth1 that ,i never knew any among men exceed him1 nor any among women exceed her4 ,he who heard either of them pray or speak1 might have learnt to bemoan his own ignorance4 ,oh how many times ,i have been convinced1 by observing them1 of the evil of unseriousness unto ,god1 and unsavouriness in discourse4 ,they had seven children2 but only one survived the father1 a little daughter1 ,agnes1 who does not seem to have been a comfort to her godly mother4#df #df ,in the ,statistical ,account of ,scotland it is stated that in #afdb he was presented to the church of ,mid-,calder4 ,but he must have declined it at once2 for in #afdc ,mr4 ,hugh ,kennedy is found the ordained and settled pastor of that parish4 ,in ,july #afdc1 the ,westminster ,assembly began their sittings2 and to it he was sent up as one of the ,commissioners from the ,church of ,scotland4 ,a sketch of a ,shorter ,catechism exists in ,,ms41 in the library of the ,edinburgh ,university1 in ,rutherford's handwriting1 very much resembling the ,catechism as it now stands1 from which it has been inferred that he had the principal hand in drawing it up for the ,assembly4 ,he continued four years attending the sittings of this famous synod1 and was of much use in their deliberations4 ,so prominent a part did he take1 that the great ,milton has singled him out for attack in his lines1 ,on the new forcers of conscience1 under the ,long ,parliament4 ,milton knew him only as an opponent of his sectarian and independent principles1 and so could scorn measures proposed by ,mere ,a4 ,s4#dg and ,rutherford4 ,but had he known the soul of the man1 would not even ,milton have found a sublimity of thought and feeling in his adversary1 that at times approached his own lofty poesy8 ,how interesting1 in any point of view1 to find the devoted pastor of ,anwoth1 on the streets of ,london1 crossing the path of ,england's greatest poet4 #dg ,a4 ,s4 stands for ,adam ,stewart1 who wrote a pamphlet1 ,zerubbabel to ,sanballat4 ,during his residence in ,london he was tried with many afflictions4 ,several of his family died2 and his own health began to give way1 so that he and his brother minister1 ,mr4 ,g4 ,gillespie1 visited ,epsom to drink the waters4 ,yet such was the amazing spirit of the man1 under a sense of duty1 that amid the trials and bustle of that time he wrote1 ,the ,due ,right of ,presbyteries1 ,lex ,rex1 i4e4 ,the ,law1 ,the ,king1 and ,trial and ,triumph of ,faith4 ,nor was he soured by controversy4 ,in the preface to one of his controversial works1 he discovers his large-hearted charity and manly impartiality in regard to what he saw in these parts4 ,he writes3 ,i judge that in ,england the ,lord hath many names1 and a fair company1 that shall stand at the side of ,christ when ,he shall render up the kingdom to the ,father2 and that in that renowned nation there be men of all ranks1 wise1 valorous1 generous1 noble1 heroic1 faithful1 religious1 gracious1 learned4#dh #dh ,preface to ,survey of the ,spiritual ,antichrist4 ,returning home to ,st4 ,andrews1 he resumed his labours both in the college and in the pulpit with all his former zeal4 ,in #afdd1 it appears from the old minutes of ,lanark ,presbytery1 a vacancy having occurred1 ,rutherford was unanimously called to ,lanark4 ,he was inclined to go1 but the ,presbytery of ,st4 ,andrews refused to loose him4 ,he had often preached at ,lanark4 ,he declined two invitations to the professorship in ,holland2 one from ,harderwyck in #afdh1 the other from ,utrecht in #afea2 though the former offered the chair both of ,divinity and of ,hebrew4 ,he joined the ,protestors in determinedly opposing the proceedings of the ,commission of ,assembly1 who had censured such as protested against the admission to power of persons in the class of malignants4 ,his friend ,david ,dickson keenly opposed him1 and ,mr4 ,blair also1 though less violently4#di ,it was this controversy that made ,john ,livingstone say1 in a letter to ,blair1 ,your and ,mr4 ,d4 ,dickson's accession to these resolutions is the saddest thing ,i have seen in my time4 ,my wife and ,i have had more bitterness in this respect1 these several months1 than ever we had since we knew what bitterness meant4 ,rutherford wrote too violently on this matter4#ej ,some say he was naturally hot and fiery2 but at this time all parties were greatly excited4 ,still he did not lose his brotherly love--the same brotherly love that led him so fervently to embrace ,archbishop ,usher as a fellow-believer4 ,we may get a lesson for our times from his remarks on occasion of these bitter controversies4 ,it is hard when saints rejoice in the sufferings of saints1 and redeemed ones hurt1 and go nigh to hate1 redeemed ones4 ,for contempt of the communion of saints1 we have need of new-born crosses1 scarce ever heard of before4--,our star-light hideth us from ourselves1 and hideth us from one another1 and ,christ from us all4 ,and then he subjoins 7and is he not borne out by the words of the ,lord in ,john xvii4 #bb873 ,a doubt it is if we shall have fully one heart till we shall enjoy one heaven4 ,the state of things lay heavy on his mind3 ,i am broken and wasted by the wrath that is upon this land4 #di ,when the ,lord's ,supper was to be dispensed1 ,blair in vain used every argument to induce ,rutherford to take part with himself and ,mr4 ,wood in serving tables2 and1 being forced to do it alone1 began thus3 ,we must have water in our wine while here4 ,o to be above1 where there will be no mistakes6--,wodrow's ,anal4 #ej ,brodie's ,diary 7,may #bg1 #afec7 says that ,s4 ,r4 in a conference in ,warriston's ,chambers retorted1 that he had heard much of peace with men1 but would like better to hear of a peace with ,god1 and with sin1 that ,his wrath may be turned away1 without which a patched peace would be little effectual 7p4 #dc74 ,in ,june a longer conference 7pp4 #dh1 #di1 #ej74 ,it was in #afea that he published his work ,de ,divin ,providenti1 a work in which he assailed ,jesuits1 ,socinians1 and ,arminians4 ,richard ,baxter 7tinged as he was with the ,arminian theology71 in referring to this treatise1 remarked 7says ,wodrow71 that ,his ,letters were the best piece1 and this work the worst1 he had ever read4 ,of course1 this was the language of controversy1 for the book is one of great ability4 ,it was this work1 indeed1 that drew forth several invitations from foreign ,universities4 ,the ten years that followed were times of much distraction1 being the times of ,cromwell and the ,commonwealth1 as well as of the ,protesters and ,resolutioners4 ,in #afea the ,scottish nation resolved to crown ,charles ,,ii41 as lawful king1 at ,scone2 and when the young king was at ,st4 ,andrews1 in prospect of that event1 he visited the colleges4 ,it fell to ,rutherford to deliver1 on that occasion1 an oration in ,latin before ,his ,majesty1 on a subject which he could handle well1 both as a patriot and a ,christian1 ,the ,duty of ,kings4 ,milton sings-- ,god doth not need ,either man's work1 or ,his own gifts2 ,his state ,is kingly2 thousands at ,his bidding speed1 ,and post o'er land and ocean without rest3 ,they also serve who only stand and wait4 ,it is mentioned in ,lamont's ,diary1 #bgth ,sept4 #afec1 that at the ,provincial ,synod of ,fyfe1 which met at ,st4 ,andrews1 ,mr4 ,samuel ,rutherford presented a paper to the ,moderator1 relating to the sins of the ministry1 which was not accepted4 ,upon the refusal of it1 some words passed between ,rutherford and ,mr4 ,robert ,blair1 the ,moderator1 anent the public business4 ,at the close of that meeting1 two ,english officers entered2 upon which they were asked1 ,if they had come to sit and voice with them8 ,they said1 ,no2 only to see that they ruled nothing in prejudice to the ,commonwealth4 ,the days were evil1 and ,rutherford was longing now for such quiet service4 ,he sometimes refers to this desire2 he wishes for a harbour in his latter days2 only 7adds he71 failing is serving--and he did delight in serving his ,lord to the last4#ea ,his friend ,m',ward1 in an advertisement prefixed to the earlier editions of the ,letters1 bitterly laments the loss of a ,commentary on ,isaiah1 on which this true ,zechariah1 who had understanding in the visions of ,god1#eb employed his leisure time during the closing years of his life4#ec ,his heart travailed more1 says he1 in birth of this piece than ever ,i knew him of any2 neither was there ever anything he put his hand to that would have so powerfully persuaded this panter after the enjoyment of his ,master's company1 to have had his heaven and the immediate fruition of ,god suspended for a season1 as the eager desire he had to finish this work before he finished his course4 ,but all these papers were carried off1 and never recovered4 ,so true is it1 that of the seed we sow1 we know not whether shall prosper1 either this or that 7,eccles4 xi4 #f74 #ea ,in #afee1 we find in ,diary of ,brodie of ,brodie1 p4 #ada3--,quhil ,mr4 ,rutherford1 ,mr4 ,blair1 ,mr4 ,wood1 and many others1 are labouring in places1 and as we hear come small speed2 ,oh1 is it not a marvel that we should be discouraged6 #eb #b ,chron4 xxvi4 #e4 #ec ,he planned a ,commentary on ,hosea in #afeg1 but the design was not executed4 ,reference is made to this in ,letter cx4 ,when ,charles ,,ii4 was fully restored1 and had begun to adopt arbitrary measures1 ,rutherford's work1 ,lex ,rex1 was taken notice of by the ,government2 for1 reasonable as are its principles in defence of the liberty of subjects1 its spirit of freedom was intolerable to rulers1 who were1 step by step1 advancing to acts of cruelty and death4 ,indeed1 it was so hateful to them1 that they burnt it1 in #affa1 first at ,edinburgh1 by the hands of the hangman2 and then1 some days after1 by the hands of the infamous ,sharpe1 under the windows of its author's ,college in ,st4 ,andrews4 ,he was next deposed from all his offices2 and1 last of all1 was summoned to answer at next ,parliament a charge of high treason4 ,but the citation came too late4 ,he was already on his deathbed1 and on hearing of it1 calmly remarked1 that he had got another summons before a superior ,judge and judicatory1 and sent the message1 ,i behove to answer my first summons2 and1 ere your day arrive1 ,i will be where few kings and great folks come4 ,we have no account of the nature of his last sickness1 except that it was a lingering disease4 ,he had a daughter who died a few weeks before himself4 ,all that is told us of his deathbed is characteristic of the man4 ,at one time he spoke much of the white stone and the new name4 ,when he was on the threshold of glory1 ready to receive the immortal crown1 he said1 ,now my tabernacle is weak1 and ,i would think it a more glorious way of going home to lay down my life for the cause1 at the ,cross of ,edinburgh or ,st4 ,andrews2 but ,i submit to my ,master's will4 ,some days before his death1 after a fainting fit1 he said1 ,now ,i feel1 ,i believe1 ,i enjoy1 ,i rejoice4 ,and turning to ,mr4 ,blair1 ,i feed on manna3 ,i have angels' food4 ,my eyes shall see my ,redeemer4 ,i know that ,he shall stand on earth at the latter day1 and ,i shall be caught up in the clouds to meet ,him in the air4#ed ,when asked1 ,what think ye now of ,christ8 he replied1 ,i shall live and adore ,him4 ,glory1 glory to my ,creator and ,redeemer for ever4 ,glory shineth in ,immanuel's land4 ,the same afternoon he said1 ,i shall sleep in ,christ2 and when ,i awake1 ,i shall be satisfied with ,his likeness4 ,o for arms to embrace ,him6 ,then he cried aloud1 ,o for a well-tuned harp6 ,this last expression he used more than once1 as if already stretching out his hand to get his golden harp1 and join the redeemed in their new song4 ,he also said on another occasion1 ,i hear ,him saying to me1 ',come up hither4' ,his little daughter ,agnes 7the only survivor of six children71 eleven years of age1 stood by his bedside2 he looked on her1 and said1 ,i have left her upon the ,lord4 ,well might the man say so1 who could so fully testify of his portion in the ,lord1 as a goodly heritage4 ,to four of his brethren1 who came to see him1 he said1 ,my ,lord and ,master is chief of ten thousands of thousands4 ,none is comparable to ,him1 in heaven or in earth4 ,dear brethren1 do all for ,him4 ,pray for ,christ4 ,preach for ,christ4 ,do all for ,christ2 beware of men-pleasing4 ,the ,chief ,shepherd will shortly appear4 ,he often called ,christ ,his ,kingly ,king4 ,while he spoke even rapturously1 ,i shall shine6 ,i shall see ,him as ,he is6 ,i shall see ,him reign1 and all ,his fair company with ,him1 and ,i shall have my large share--he at the same time would protest1 ,i renounce all that ever ,he made me will or do as defiled or imperfect as coming from myself4 ,i betake myself to ,christ for sanctification as well as justification4 ,repeating #a ,cor4 i4 #cj1 he said1 ,i close with it6 ,let ,him be so4 ,he is my all and all4 ,if ,he should slay me ten thousand times ,i will trust4 ,he spoke as if he knew the hour of his departure2 not perhaps as ,paul 7#b ,tim4 iv4 #f7 or ,peter 7#b ,peter i4 #ad71 yet still in a manner that seems to indicate that the ,lord draws very near ,his servants in that hour1 and gives glimpses of what ,he is doing4 ,on the last day of his life1 in the afternoon1 he said1 ,this night will close the door1 and fasten my anchor within the veil1 and ,i shall go away in a sleep by five o'clock in the morning4 ,and so it was4 ,he entered ,immanuel's land at that very hour1 and is now 7as himself would have said7 sleeping in the bosom of the ,almighty1 till the ,lord come4 #ed ,lamont's ,diary1 p4 #acc4 ,we may add his latest words4 ,there is nothing now between me and the ,resurrection but ',this day thou shalt be with ,me in paradise4' ,he interrupted one speaking in praise of his painfulness in the ministry1 ,i disclaim all4 ,the port ,i would be in at is redemption and forgiveness of sin through ,his blood4 ,two of his biographers record that his last words were1 ,glory1 glory dwelleth in ,immanuel's land6 as if he had caught a glimpse of its mountain-tops4 ,it was at ,st4 ,andrews he died1 on #cjth ,march #affa1 and there he was buried4 ,lamont's ,diary1 p4 #acc1 says3 ,he was interred on the #cjth of ,march1 in the ordinary burial place4 ,had he lived a few weeks his might have been the cruel death endured by his friend ,james ,guthrie1 whom he had encouraged1 by his letters1 in stedfastness to the end4 ,the sentence which the ,parliament passed1 when told that he was dying1 did him no dishonour4 ,when they had voted that he should not die in the ,college1 ,lord ,burleigh rose and said1 ,ye cannot vote him out of heaven4 ,his death was lamented throughout the land2 and to this day few names are so well known and honoured4 ,so great was the reverence which some of the godly had for this man of ,god1 that they requested to be buried where his body was laid4 ,this was ,thomas ,halyburton's dying request4#ee ,an old man in the parish of ,crailing 7in which ,nisbet1 his birthplace1 is situated7 remembers the veneration entertained for him by the great-grandfather of the present ,marquis of ,lothian4 ,this good ,marquis used to lift his hat1 as often as he passed the spot where stood the cottage in which ,samuel ,rutherford was born4 ,he was twice married4 ,his widow survived him fourteen years4 #ee ,see 7ch4 vi47 of ,memoir of ,halyburton1 who1 on his deathbed1 quoted ,rutherford's words1 ,glory1 glory dwelleth in ,immanuel's land4 ,illustration3 ,,ruins ,,of ,,st4 ,,andrews ,,cathedral4 ,if ever there was any portrait of him1 it is not now known4 ,the portraits sometimes given of him are all imaginary4 ,we are most familiar with the likeness of his soul4 ,there is one expressive line in the epitaph on his tombstone1 in the churchyard at the boundary wall opposite the door of ,st ,regulus' ,tower-- ,what tongue1 what pen1 or skill of men1 ,can famous ,rutherford commend6 ,his learning justly raised his fame1 ,true godliness adorn'd his name4 ,he did converse with things above1 ,acquainted with ,immanuel's love4 ,a monument to his memory was erected in #ahdb1 by subscription1 on the ,boreland ,hill1 in the parish of ,anwoth4 ,it is sixty feet in height1 and thus1 seen all around1 it seems to remind the inhabitants of that region how ,god once visited ,his people there4 99 99 99 99 99 ,his letters have long been famous among the godly4 ,the present edition of them has several things to recommend it4 #a4 ,the ,letters are chronologically arranged4 #b4 ,they have biographical notices prefixed to a large number of them4 ,most of these are from the pen of the ,rev4 ,james ,anderson4 ,the present editor has added1 here and there1 topographical notes that seemed to have some interest1 most of them gleaned on the spot4 ,the explanatory notes in the edition by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,thomson1 #ahcf1 have often been consulted with much advantage4 #c4 ,there are contents prefixed to each ,letter1 describing generally what are the main subjects of each4 #d4 ,there are some new letters inserted in this collection2 and there is a facsimile of an unpublished letter directed to the ,provost of ,edinburgh1 at the time when there was an attempt made to call ,rutherford to that city4 ,the letter1 which is preserved in the ,records of the ,edinburgh ,town ,council1 entreats them to drop the matter4 ,it is written in a very small hand1 as was usual with him1 and the seal on it has the armorial bearing of the ,rutherford family4 ,illustration3 ,,rutherford',s ,,monument ,,on ,,boreland ,,hill4 ,if it be asked how it came about that these letters should have been at first printed in an order entirely unchronological1 the explanation is simple3 ,the first edition appeared in #affd1 and in it there were only two hundred and eighty-four of his letters gathered and published2 but many being edified thereby1 an edition soon appeared with sixty-eight more letters appended4 ,all these seem to have been printed very much in the order in which they came to hand1 and the additional sixty-eight1 more especially1 disturbed all arrangement4 ,the collector was ,mr4 ,m',ward1#ef who1 as a student1 being much beloved by ,rutherford1 went to the ,westminster ,assembly with him as his amanuensis or secretary4 ,he was afterwards successor to ,andrew ,gray in ,glasgow1 and finally minister in ,rotterdam4 ,he gave them to the public with an enthusiastic recommendation1 under the title1 ,joshua ,redivivus2#eg published for the use of all the people of ,god1 but more particularly for those who are now1 or afterwards may be1 put to suffering for ,christ and ,his cause2 by a well-wisher to the work and people of ,god4 ,john xvi4 #b2 #b ,thessal4 i4 #f4 ,the edition was in duodecimo1 and was printed at ,rotterdam4 ,not only were the ,letters first published in ,holland1 but also1 in #afgd1 there appeared a ,dutch translation of them at ,flushing4 #ef ,in ,lamont's ,diary1 ,april #afej1 we read of ,mr4 ,robert ,makeward1 sometime servant 7i4e4 secretary7 to ,mr4 ,samuel ,rutherford1 minister of ,st4 ,andrews4 #eg ,why ,joshua8 ,did he think of the faithful witnessing in ,joshua xxiv48 ,or is the reference to ,joshua as one of the spies8 ,see ,letter cxviii4 ,it will be noticed1 in reading the ,letters as they stand chronologically1 that at times the pen of the ready writer ran on with amazing rapidity4 ,he has written many in one day when his heart was overflowing4 ,it was easy to write when the ,lord was pouring on him the unction that teacheth all things4 ,he would have written still more1 but he had heard that people looked up to him and overpraised his ,letters4 ,during his confinement at ,aberdeen1 he wrote about two hundred and twenty of these letters4 ,there are a few distasteful expressions in these epistolary effusions1 the sparks of a fancy that sought to appropriate everything to spiritual purposes2 but as to extravagance in the thoughts conveyed1 there is none4 ,an old ,memoir of ,richard ,cameron1 the martyr1 mentions at the close that it had become a fashion among profane preachers and expectants to say of these ,letters1 ,they are fit only for old wives4 ,dr4 ,love1 on the other hand1 protests1 ,the haughty contempt of that book which is in the heart of many will be ground for condemnation when the ,lord cometh to make inquisition after such things 7,letter xiv474 ,the extravagance in sentiment alleged against them by some is just that of ,paul1 when he spoke of knowing the height and depth1 length and breadth1 of the love of ,christ2 or that of ,solomon1 when the ,holy ,ghost inspired him to write ,the ,song of ,songs4 ,rather would we say of these ,letters1 what ,livingstone in a letter says of ,john ,welsh's dying words1 ,o for a sweet fill of this fanatic humour6 ,in modern days1 ,richard ,cecil has said of ,rutherford1 ,he is one of my classics2 he is a real original2 and1 in older times1 ,richard ,baxter1 some of whose theological leanings might have prejudiced him1 if anything could1 said of his ,letters1 ,hold off the ,bible1 such a book the world never saw4 ,they were long ago translated into ,dutch1 and of late years they have been translated into ,german4 ,both in these1 and in his other writings1 we see sufficient proof that had he cultivated literature as a pursuit1 he might have stood high in the admiration of men4#eh #eh ,even in his controversial works1 sparks of the same poetic fire fly out when opportunity occurs4 ,in his ,treatise ,de ,divina ,providenti1 the following paragraph occurs1 extolling the glory of ,godhead wisdom4 ,comparentur cum illa increata sapientia ,dei ,patris umbratiles scintillul creat gloriol quotquot nominis celebritate inclaruerunt4 ,delirat ,plato4 ,mentitur ,aristoteles4 ,cicero balbutit1 hsitat1 nescit ,latine loqui4 ,demosthenes mutus et elinguis obstupescit2 virtutis viam ignorat ,seneca2 nihil canit ,homerus2 male canit ,virgilius6 ,accedant ad ,christum qui virtutis gloria fulgent6 ,aristides virtutem mentitur4 ,fabius cespitat1 a via justiti deviat4 ,socrates ne hoc quidem scit1 se nihil scire4 ,cato levis et futilis est2 ,solon est mundi et voluptatum servus et mancipium1 non legislator4 ,pythagoras nec sophos1 nec philosophus est4 ,bias nec mundi nec inanis glori contemptor4 ,alexander ,macedo ignavus est1 c4 ,another work bears this title3 ,exercitationes ,apologetic pro ,divin ,grati1 studio et industria ,samuelis ,rhtorfortis1 ,anwetensis1 in ,gallovidi1 ,scoti provinci ,pastoris4 ,the preface1 or dedication1 to ,gordon of ,kenmure1 is very characteristic1 ending thus3 ,non enim ignoras in hac valle miseriarum minime sistendum1 neque tentorium figendum2 ad ternitatem ipsam 7quod vere magnum nomen est ineffabile7 te vocari2 crescere iter1 decrescere diem1 omnia alia aliena1 tempus tantum nostrum esse1 si modo nostrum est4 ,in this preface he calls himself ,pastor ,anwetensis1 the old spelling of ,anwoth being ,anweth4 ,his correspondents were chiefly persons residing either in ,galloway1 where ,anwoth was1 or in ,ayrshire2 for these two counties at that time were rich in godly men of some standing4 ,his pen suggests often1 by a few strokes1 very much that is profound and impressive4 ,there is something not easily forgotten in the words used to express the ,church's indestructibleness when he says1 ,the bush has been burning these five thousand years1 and no man yet saw the ashes of that fire 7,letter cccxvii474 ,how much truth is conveyed in that saying1 ,losses for ,christ are but goods given out in bank in ,christ's hand4 ,there is an ingenious use of ,scripture that often delights the reader2 as when he speaks of ,the corn on the house-tops that never got the husbandman's prayer1 or of ,him that counteth the basons and knives of ,his house 7,ezra i4 #i1 #aj71 and bringeth them back safe to ,his second temple 7,letter cccxxxiii474 ,it is a curious fact that only in ,letter cccxxv41 does he speak of the ,holy ,spirit1 though elsewhere 7see ,life of ,grace7 very full are his statements of the ,spirit's work4 ,the truth is1 a man full of the ,holy ,ghost is full of ,christ and testifies to ,him4 ,these letters will ever be precious to-- #a4 ,all who are sensible of their own1 and the ,church's decay and corruptions4--,the wound and the cure are therein so fully opened out3 self is exposed1 specially spiritual self4 ,he will tell you1 ,there is as much need to watch over grace1 as to watch over sin4 ,he will show you ,god in ,christ1 to fill up the place usurped by self4 ,the subtleties of sin1 idols1 snares1 temptations1 self-deceptions1 are dragged into view from time to time4 ,and what is better still1 the cords of ,christ are twined round the roots of these bitter plants1 that they may be plucked up4 ,nor is it otherwise in regard to corruption in public1 and in the ,church4 ,we do not mean merely the open corruption of error1 but also the secret grey hairs of decay4 ,hear him cry1 ,there is universal deadness on all that fear ,god4 ,o where are the sometime quickening breathings and influences from heaven that have refreshed ,his hidden ones6 ,and then he laments1 in the name of the saints1 ,we are half satisfied with our witheredness2 nor have we as much of his strain who doth eight times breathe out that suit 7,psalm cxix471 ,quicken me6 ,we live far from the well1 and complain but dryly of our dryness4 #b4 ,all who delight in the ,surety's imputed righteousness4--,if thoroughly aware of the body of sin in ourselves we cannot but feel that we need a person in our stead--the person of the ,god-man in the room of our guilty person4 ,to us a ,son is given2 not salvation only1 but a ,saviour4 ,he gave ,himself for us4 ,these letters are ever leading us to the ,surety and ,his righteousness4 ,the eye never gets time to rest long on anything apart from ,him and ,his righteousness4 ,we are shown the deluge-waters undried up1 in order to lead us into the ark again3 ,i had fainted1 had not want and penury chased me to the storehouse of all4 #c4 ,all who rejoice in the ,gospel of free grace4--,lord ,kenmure having said to him1 ,sin causeth me to be jealous of ,his love to such a man as ,i have been1 he replied1 ,be jealous of yourself1 my ,lord1 but not of ,jesus ,christ4 ,in his ,trial and ,triumph of ,faith he remarks1 ,as holy walking is a duty coming from us1 it is no ground of true peace4 ,believers often seek in themselves what they should seek in ,christ4 ,it is to the like effect he says in one of his letters1 ,your heart is not the compass that ,christ saileth by1--turning away his friend from looking inward1 to look upon the heart of ,jesus4 ,and this is his meaning1 when he thus lays the whole burden of salvation on the ,lord1 and leaves nothing for us but acceptance1 ,take ease to thyself1 and let ,him bear all4#ei ,then1 pointing us to the risen ,saviour as our pledge of complete redemption1 ,faith may dance1 because ,christ singeth2#fj ,faith apprehendeth pardon1 but never payeth a penny for it4#fa ,on his death-bed he said to his friends1 ,i disclaim all that ever ,god made me will or do1 and ,i look upon it as defiled and imperfect4 ,and so in his ,letters he will admit of no addition1 or intermixture of other things1 ,the ,gospel is like a small hair that hath no breadth1 and will not cleave in two4#fb ,he exhorts to ,assurance as being the way to be humbled very low before ,god3 ,complaining is but a humble backbiting and traducing of ,christ's new work in the soul4 ,make meikle of assurance1 for it keepeth your anchor fixed4#fc ,he warns us1 in his ,trial and ,triumph of ,faith1 not to be too desirous of keen awakenings to chase us to ,christ4 ,let ,christ tutor me as he thinketh good4 ,he has seven eyes3 ,i have but one1 and that too dim4 ,in a similar strain he writes3--,the law shall never be my doomster1 by ,christ's grace2 ,i shall find a sure enough doom in the ,gospel to humble and cast me down4 ,there cannot be a more humble soul than a believer4 ,it is no pride in a drowning man to catch hold of a rock4#fd ,how much truth there is here6 ,naaman never was humble in any degree1 until he felt himself completely healed of his scaly leprosy2 but truly he was humbled and humble then4 ,and what one word is there that suggests so many humbling thoughts as that word grace8 #ei ,letter clxxxii4 #fj ,letter clxxxiii4 #fa ,letter clxxxii4 #fb ,letter cclxxix4 #fc ,letter cclxxxviii4 #fd ,letter ccxxx4 #d4 ,all who seek to grow in holiness4--,the ,holy ,ghost delights to show us the glorious ,godhead1 in the face of ,jesus4 ,and this is a very frequent theme in these ,letters4 ,take ,christ for sanctification1 as well as justification1 is often his theme4 ,and in him we see a man who seems to have fought for holiness as unceasingly and as eagerly as other men seek for pardon and peace4 ,in him ,holiness to the ,lord seems written on every affection of the heart1 and on every fresh-springing thought4 ,fellowship with the living ,god is a distinguishing feature in the holiness given by the ,holy ,ghost2 we get access by one ,spirit to the ,father through ,him4#fe ,rutherford could sometimes say1 ,i have been so near ,him that ,i have said1 ',i take instruments that this is the ,lord4'#ff ,and he could from experience declare1 ,i dare avouch1 the saints know not the length and largeness of the sweet ,earnest1 and of the sweet green sheaves before the harvest1 that might be had on this side of the water1 if we should take more pains4#fg ,i am every way in your case1 as hard-hearted and dead as any man1 but yet ,i speak to ,christ through my sleep4#fh ,all this is from the pen of a man who was a metaphysician1 a controversialist1 a leader in the church1 and learned in ancient and scholastic lore4 ,why are there not such gracious1 as well as great men now8 #fe ,ephes4 ii4 #ah4 #ff ,letter xcix4 #fg ,letter ccii4 #fh ,letter cclxxxvi4 #e4 ,all afflicted persons4--,here he had the very tongue of the learned1 to speak a word in season to him that was weary4 ,and with what tender sympathy does he speak1 leading the mourner so gently to the heart of ,jesus6 ,he knew the heart of a stranger1 for he had been a stranger4 ,let no man after me slander ,christ for ,his cross4#fi ,yes1 says he1 ,his most loved are often ,his most tried3 ,the lintel-stone and pillars of ,his ,new ,jerusalem suffer more knocks of ,god's hammer and tools than the common side-wall stones4#gj ,even as to reproach and calumny1 he declares1 ,i love ,christ's worst reproaches4 #fi ,letter cvii4 #gj ,letter cii4 ,it was to ,hugh ,m',kail1 uncle of the youthful martyr1 that he penned the words1 ,some have written me that ,i am possibly too joyful of the cross2 but my joy overleapeth the cross--it is bounded and terminated on ,christ4#ga ,and there it was he found a well of comfort never dry4 #ga ,letter ccvi4 #f4 ,all who love the ,person of ,christ4--,we have too often been satisfied with speculative truth and abstract doctrine4 ,on the one hand1 the orthodox have too often rested in the statements of our ,catechisms and ,confessions2 and1 on the other1 the ,election-doubters 7as ,bunyan would have called them7 have pressed their favourite dogma1 that ,christ died for all men1 as if mere assent to a proposition could save the soul4 ,rutherford places the truth before us in a more accurate1 and also more savoury way1 full of life and warmth4 ,the ,person of ,him who gave ,himself for ,his church is held up in all its attractiveness4 ,with him1 it is ever the ,person as much as the work done2 or rather1 never the one apart from the other4 ,like ,paul1 he would fain know ,him1 as well as the power of ,his resurrection4#gb #gb ,phil4 iii4 #aj4 ,once1 when ,lord ,kenmure asked him1 ,what will ,christ be like when ,he cometh8 his reply was1 ,all lovely4 ,and this is everywhere the favourite theme with him4 ,at times he tells of ,his love4 ,his love surroundeth and surchargeth me4#gc ,if ,his love was not in heaven1 ,i should be unwilling to go thither4#gd ,often he checks his pen to tell of ,christ ,himself1 ,welcome1 welcome1 sweet1 sweet cross of ,christ2--then correcting his language1 ,welcome1 fair1 lovely1 royal ,king1 with ,thine own cross4#ge ,o if ,i could doat as much upon ,himself as ,i do upon ,his love4#gf ,i fear ,i make more of ,his love than of ,himself4#gg ,how startling yet how true1 is this remark1 ,i see that in communion with ,christ we may make more gods than one1#gh--meaning that we may be tempted to make the enjoyment itself our god4 ,it was his habitual aim to pass through privileges1 joys1 even fellowship1 to ,god ,himself3 ,i have casten this work upon ,christ1 to get me ,himself4#gi ,i would be farther in upon ,christ than at ,his joys2 in1 where love and mercy lodgeth2 beside ,his heart4#hj ,he who sitteth on the throne is ,his lone a sufficient heaven4#ha ,sure ,i am ,he is the far best half of heaven4#hb #gc ,letter civ4 #gd ,letter civ4 #ge ,letter lxi4 #gf ,letter clx4 #gg ,letter clxxix4 #gh ,letter clxviii4 #gi ,letter clxxxvii4 #hj ,letter cclxxxvi4 #ha ,letter ccclii4 #hb ,letter cclxxix4 ,in a word1 such was his soul's view of the living ,person1 that he writes1 ,holiness is not ,christ1 nor the blossoms and flowers of the tree of life1 nor the tree itself4#hc ,he had found out the true fountain-head1 and would direct all ,zion's travellers thither4 ,and let a man try this2 let the ,holy ,spirit lead a man to this ,person2--and surely his experience will be1 ,none ever came up dry from ,david's well4 #hc ,letter cccxxxvi4 #g4 ,all who love that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great ,god our ,saviour4--,the more we love the ,person of ,christ1 the more ought we to love ,his appearing2 and the more we cherish both feelings1 the holier shall we become4 ,rutherford abounds in aspirations for that day2 he is one who looks for and hastens unto the coming of the day of ,god6 ,while in exile at ,aberdeen in #afcg1 he writes1 ,o when will we meet6 ,o how long is it to the dawning of the marriage day6 ,o sweet ,jesus1 take wide steps6 ,o my ,lord1 come over mountains at one stride6 ,o my ,beloved1 flee as a roe or young hart upon the fountains of separation4 ,now and then he utters the expression of an intense desire for the restoration of ,israel to their ,lord1 and the fulness of the ,gentiles2 but far oftener his desires go forth to his ,lord ,himself4 ,o fairest among the sons of men1 why stayest ,thou so long away8 ,o heavens1 move fast6 ,o time1 run1 run1 and hasten the marriage day6 ,to ,lady ,kenmure his words are1 ,the ,lord hath told you what you should be doing till ,he come4 ',wait and hasten1' saith ,peter1 'for the coming of the ,lord4' ,sigh and long for the dawning of that morning1 and the breaking of that day1 of the coming of the ,son of ,man1 when the shadows shall flee away4 ,wait with the wearied night-watch for the breaking of the eastern sky4 ,those saints who feel most keenly the world's enmity1 and the ,church's imperfection1 are those who will most fervently love their ,lord's appearing4 ,it was thus with ,daniel on the banks of ,ulai1 and with ,john in ,patmos2 and ,samuel ,rutherford's most intense aspirations for that day are breathed out in ,aberdeen4 ,his description of himself on one occasion is1 ,a man often borne down and hungry1 and waiting for the marriage supper of the ,lamb4#hd ,he is now gone to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense2 and there he no doubt still wonders at the unopened1 unsearchable treasures of ,christ4 ,but ,o for his insatiable desires ,christward6 ,o for ten such men in ,scotland to stand in the gap6--men who all day long find nothing but ,christ to rest in1 whose very sleep is a pursuing after ,christ in dreams1 and who intensely desire to awake with ,his likeness4 #hd ,letter lxiii4 ,,list ,,of ,,his ,,works4 #a4 ,exercitationes ,apologetic pro ,divina ,gratia4 ,amstelodami1 #abmo1 #afcf4 ,franeker1 #afea4 #b4 ,a ,peaceable and ,temperate ,plea for ,paul's ,presbytery in ,scotland4 ,london1 #dto1 #afdb4 #c4 ,a ,sermon before the ,house of ,commons1 on ,daniel vi4 #bf4 ,london1 #dto1 #afdd4 #d4 ,a ,sermon before the ,house of ,lords1 on ,luke vii4 #bb2 ,mark iv4 #ch2 ,matt4 viii4 #bf4 ,london1 #dto1 #afde4 #e4 ,lex ,rex3 ,the ,law and the ,prince4 ,london1 #dto1 #afdd4 ,in ,fullarton's ,scottish ,nation1 #ahfb1 mention is made of another work which is in reality the same as this2 on ,civil ,polity4 ,london1 #dto1 #afeg4 ,it is not1 however1 a separate work1 but merely one of the editions of the well-known ,lex ,rex--the edition of #afeg1 which has the following title3--,lex ,rex2 a ,treatise of ,civil ,polity2 being a ,resolution of ,forty-three ,questions concerning ,prerogative1 ,right1 and ,privilege1 in reference to the ,supreme ,prince and ,people4 ,the change in the title was a device of the printer1 in order to elude the ,government1 who sought to suppress the book4 #f4 ,the ,due ,right of ,presbyteries4 ,london1 #dto1 #afdd4 #g4 ,the ,trial and ,triumph of ,faith4 ,london1 #dto1 #afde4 #h4 ,the ,divine ,right of ,church ,government and ,excommunication4 ,london1 #dto1 #afdf4 ,appended to this is ,a ,dispute touching ,scandal and ,christian ,liberty4 #i4 ,christ ,dying and ,drawing ,sinners to ,himself4 ,london1 #dto1 #afdg4 #aj4 ,a ,survey of the ,spiritual ,antichrist4 ,london1 #afdh4 ,to which is appended1 ,a ,modest ,survey of the ,secrets of ,antinomianism4 #aa4 ,a ,free ,disputation against ,pretended ,liberty of ,conscience4 ,london1 #dto1 #afdi4 #ab4 ,the ,last and ,heavenly ,speeches of ,john ,gordon1 ,viscount ,kenmure4 ,edinburgh1 #dto1 #afdi4 #ac4 ,disputatio ,scholastica de ,divina ,providentia4 ,edinburgh1 #dto1 #afea4 #ad4 ,the ,covenant of ,life ,opened4 ,edinburgh1 #dto1 #afee4 #ae4 ,a ,survey of ,mr4 ,hooker's ,church ,discipline2 or1 ,a ,survey of the ,survey of that ,summe of ,discipline penned by ,mr4 ,thomas ,hooker4 ,london1 #dto1 #afeh4 #af4 ,influences of the ,life of ,grace4 ,the last work published in his lifetime4 ,london1 #dto1 #afei4 ,the original title page adds3--,a ,practical ,treatise concerning the way1 manner1 and means of having and improving spiritual dispositions and quickening influences from ,christ1 the ,resurrection and the ,life4 ,,posthumous4 #ag4 ,joshua ,redivivus2 or1 ,mr4 ,rutherford's ,letters4 ,first ,edition1 #abmo1 #affd4 ,no printer's name and no place mentioned4 #ah4 ,examen ,arminianismi4 ,ultrajecti 7,utrecht71 #abmo1 #affh4 #ai4 ,a ,testimony left by ,mr4 ,s4 ,rutherford to the ,work of ,reformation in ,great ,britain and ,ireland before his death4 ,date uncertain4 #bj4 ,twelve ,communion ,sermons4 ,glasgow1 #ahgf4 ,this collection includes ,christ's ,napkin2 and ,song ii4 #ad-ag1 ,christ and the ,dove's ,heavenly ,salutation4 ,these have internal evidence in their favour1 viz4 the language and general strain of thought4 ,add to these ,the ,lamb's ,marriage1 ,rev4 xix4 #g2 and another on ,song ii4 #a-h appended to a second edition1 #ahgg1 with the title1 ,fourteen ,communion ,sermons1 #ahgg4 #ba4 ,the ,cruel ,watchmen4 ,the ,door of ,salvation ,opened4 ,edinburgh1 #agce4 ,song v4 #g1 #h1 #i1 #aj4 ,these two are doubtful2 at all events1 very imperfect1 as usually printed4 ,the old edition of ,the ,cruel ,watchmen is good4 #bb4 ,there is a ,treatise on ,prayer2 ,the ,power and ,prevalency of ,truth and ,prayer evidenced1 in a ,practical ,discourse upon ,matt4 ix4 #bg-ca4 ,printed in the year #agac4 ,it is a small duodecimo of #aaa pp41 and has this note appended3 ,the rest of this ,discourse cannot be found1 it being above fifty years since the author died4 ,an old ,catalogue of the most ,vendible ,books1 in #afeh1 gives as one of his works1 ,a ,rationale on the ,book of ,common ,prayer1 #hvo4 ,but this is a mistake2 ,antony ,sparrow wrote the book entitled1 ,the ,rationale1 or ,practical ,exposition of the ,book of ,common ,prayer4 ,the ,diaries of ,brodie of ,brodie 7,spalding ,club--,preface p4 xix471 refer to ,shorthand ,notes of two ,sermons by ,s4 ,rutherford4 ,brodie used to correspond with him1 for we find1 ,august #f1 #afee3 ,mr4 ,rutherford exhorted me in his letter that my right hand might not know what my left hand did2 and he says that he knows not but that the ,lord may divorce the mother1 but be a sanctuary to the little ones4 ,we find further that ,s4 ,r4 wrote urging ,brodie to present ,mr4 ,thomas ,ross to ,ila4 #bc4 ,quaint ,sermons 7eighteen in number71 by ,s4 ,r41 never before published1 with a prefatory note by ,rev4 ,and4 ,a4 ,bonar4 ,hodder and ,stoughton1 ,london1 #ahhe4 ,,letters4 ,i4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught1 on the return home of her daughter4 ,in the early editions the date stands #afbd1 by a mistake for #afbg2 for ,rutherford was not settled in ,anwoth in #afbd4 ,for a full notice of ,marion ,m',naught1 see what is prefixed to ,letter ,,vi4 7,,children ,,to ,,be ,,dedicated ,,to ,,god47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,and ,,dear ,,sister1--,my love in ,christ remembered4 ,i have sent to you your daughter ,grizel with ,robert ,gordon1 who came to fetch her4 ,i am in good hopes that the seed of ,god is in her1 as in one born of ,god2 and ,god's seed will come to ,god's harvest4 ,i have her promise she shall be ,christ's4 ,for ,i have told her she may promise much in ,his worthy name2 for ,he becomes caution to ,his ,father for all such as resolve and promise to serve ,him4 ,i will remember her to ,god4 ,i trust you will acquaint her with good company1 and be diligent to know with whom she loveth to haunt4 ,remember ,zion1 and our necessities4 ,i bless your daughter from our ,lord1 and pray the ,lord to give you joy and comfort of her4 ,remember my love to your husband1 to ,william and ,samuel your sons4 ,the ,lord ,jesus ,christ be with your spirit4 ,yours at all power in the ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,june #f1 #afbg4 ,,ii4--,to a ,christian ,gentlewoman on the death of her daughter4 7,,christ',s ,,sympathy ,,with1 ,,and ,,property ,,in ,,us--,,reasons ,,for ,,resignation47 ,,mistress1--,my love in ,christ remembered to you4 ,i was indeed sorrowful at my departure from you1 especially since ye were in such heaviness after your daughter's death4 ,yet ,i do persuade myself1 ye know that the weightiest end of the cross of ,christ that is laid upon you lieth upon your strong ,saviour2 for ,isaiah saith1 ,in all your afflictions ,he is afflicted 7,isa lxiii4 #i74 ,o blessed ,second who suffereth with you6 and glad may your soul be even to walk in the fiery furnace with one like unto the ,son of ,man1 who is also the ,son of ,god4 ,courage6 up your heart6 ,when ye do tire1 ,he will bear both you and your burden 7,ps4 lv4 #bb74 ,yet a little while and ye shall see the salvation of ,god4 ,remember of what age your daughter was1 and that just so long was your lease of her4 ,if she was eighteen1 nineteen1 or twenty years old1 ,i know not2 but sure ,i am1 seeing her term was come1 and your lease run out1 ye can no more justly quarrel your great ,superior for taking ,his own at ,his just term day1 than a poor farmer can complain that his master taketh a portion of his own land to himself when his lease is expired4 ,good mistress1 if ye would not be content that ,christ would hold from you the heavenly inheritance which is made yours by ,his death1 shall not that same ,christ think hardly of you if ye refuse to give ,him your daughter willingly1 who is a part of ,his inheritance and conquest8 ,i pray the ,lord to give you all your own1 and to grace you with patience to give ,god ,his also4 ,he is an ill debtor who payeth that which he hath borrowed with a grudge4 ,indeed1 that long loan of such a good daughter1 an heir of grace1 a member of ,christ 7as ,i believe71 deserveth more thanks at your ,creditor's hands1 than that ye should gloom and murmur when ,he craveth but ,his own4 ,i believe you would judge them to be but thankless neighbours who would pay you a sum of money after this manner4 ,but what8 ,do you think her lost1 when she is but sleeping in the bosom of the ,almighty8 ,think her not absent who is in such a friend's house4 ,is she lost to you who is found to ,christ8 ,if she were with a dear friend1 although you should never see her again1 your care for her would be but small4 ,oh1 now1 is she not with a dear ,friend8 and gone higher1 upon a certain hope that ye shall1 in the ,resurrection1 see her again1 when 7be ye sure7 she shall neither be hectic nor consumed in body8 ,you would be sorry either to be1 or to be esteemed1 an atheist2 and yet1 not ,i1 but the ,apostle1 thinketh those to be hopeless atheists who mourn excessively for the dead 7,thess4 iv4 #ac74 ,but this is not a challenge on my part4 ,i do speak this only fearing your weakness2 for your daughter was a part of yourself2 and1 therefore1 nature in you1 being as it were cut and halved1 will indeed be grieved4 ,but ye have to rejoice1 that when a part of you is on earth1 a great part of you is glorified in heaven4 ,follow her1 but envy her not2 for indeed it is self-love in us that maketh us mourn for them that die in the ,lord4 ,why8 ,because for them we cannot mourn1 since they are never happy till they be dead2 therefore we mourn for our own private respect4 ,take heed1 then1 that in showing your affection in mourning for your daughter1 ye be not1 out of self-affection1 mourning for yourself4 ,consider what the ,lord is doing in it4 ,your daughter is plucked out of the fire1 and she resteth from her labours2 and your ,lord1 in that1 is trying you1 and casting you in the fire4 ,go through all fires to your rest2 and now remember that the eye of ,god is upon the bush burning and not consumed2 and ,he is gladly content that such a weak woman as you should send ,satan away1 frustrate of his design4 ,now honour ,god1 and shame the strong roaring lion1 when ye seem weakest4 ,should such an one as ye faint in the day of adversity8 ,call to mind the days of old4 ,the ,lord yet liveth4 ,trust in ,him1 although ,he should slay you4 ,faith is exceeding charitable1 and believeth no evil of ,god4#he ,now is the ,lord laying1 in the one scale of the balance1 your making conscience of submission to ,his gracious will1 and in the other1 your affection and love to your daughter4 ,which of the two will ye then choose to satisfy8 ,be wise1 then2 and as ,i trust ye love ,christ better than a sinful woman1 pass by your daughter1 and kiss the ,lord's rod4 ,men do lop the branches off their trees round about1 to the end they may grow up high and tall4 ,the ,lord hath this way lopped your branch in taking from you many children1 to the end you should grow upward1 like one of the ,lord's cedars1 setting your heart above1 where ,christ is1 at the right hand of the ,father4 ,what is next1 but that your ,lord cut down the stock after ,he hath cut the branches8 ,prepare yourself2 you are nearer your daughter this day than you were yesterday4 ,while ye prodigally spend time in mourning for her1 ye are speedily posting after her4 ,run your race with patience4 ,let ,god have ,his own2 and ask of ,him1 instead of your daughter which ,he hath taken from you1 the daughter of faith1 which is patience2 and in patience possess your soul4 ,lift up your head3 ye do not know how near your redemption doth draw1 ,thus recommending you to the ,lord1 who is able to establish you1 ,i rest1 your loving and affectionate friend in the ,lord ,jesus1 ,,anwoth1 ,april #bc1 #afbh4 ,s4 ,r4 #he ,so in his sermon before the ,house of ,lords1 #afde3 ,faith thinketh no evil of ,christ4 ,also ,letters ,,xx4 and ,,xcii43 ,love believeth no evil4 ,illustration3 ,,kenmure ,,house4 ,,iii4--,to the ,,viscountess ,,of ,,kenmure1 on occasion of illness and spiritual depression4 ,,lady ,,jane ,,campbell1 ,viscountess of ,kenmure1 was the third daughter of ,archibald ,campbell1 seventh ,earl of ,argyle1 and sister to the ,marquis of ,argyle who was beheaded in #affa4 ,she was a woman distinguished1 in her day1 for the depth of her piety1 and her warm attachment to the ,presbyterian interest in ,scotland4 ,nor was she less distinguished for generosity and munificence1 than for piety4 ,her bounty was in a particular manner extended to those whom suffering for conscience' sake had reduced to poverty or exile4 ,in the year #afbh she was married to ,sir ,john ,gordon of ,lochinvar1 afterwards ,viscount ,kenmure and ,lord ,gordon of ,lochinvar1 which is not far from ,carsphairn4 ,this union did not last many years4 ,in #afcd she became a widow1 his ,lordship having died at ,kenmure ,castle1 on the #abth of ,september that year1 in the #ceth year of his age4 ,but her sorrow on this occasion was alleviated by the ,christian resignation and faith which he was enabled to exercise under his last illness4 ,to this noble man she had two daughters1 who died in infancy1 one about the beginning of the year #afbi1 and the other in #afcd1 as may be gathered from allusions to these bereavements1 contained in two consolatory letters written to her by ,rutherford in these years4 ,she had also1 by the same marriage1 a son1 ,john1 second ,viscount of ,kenmure1 who1 however1 died under age and unmarried1 in ,august #afdi4 ,this event forms the subject of a letter written to her by ,rutherford the #ast of ,october that year4 ,she married a second husband1 on the #bast of ,september #afdj1 the ,hon4 ,sir ,henry ,montgomery of ,giffen1 second son of ,alexander1 fifth ,earl of ,eglinton2 but this marriage was without issue4 ,sir ,henry's religious views were congenial to her own2 and he is described as an active and faithful friend of the ,lord's kirk4 ,she was soon left a widow a second time1 in which state she lived till a very venerable age1 having survived the ,restoration a number of years1 as appears from the fact that ,livingstone1 at the time of his death 7which took place at ,rotterdam in #afgb71 speaks of her as the oldest acquaintance he then had alive in ,scotland4 ,she was a regular correspondent of ,rutherford1 the last of whose letters to her is dated ,july the #bdth1 #affa1 after the execution of her brother above mentioned4 ,nor after ,mr4 ,rutherford's death was she unmindful of his widow4 ,madam1 says ,mr4 ,m',ward1 in a letter to her1 ,mrs4 ,rutherford gives me often an account of the singular testimony which she met with of your ,ladyship's affection to her and her daughter4 ,kenmure ,castle is well seen from the road that leads along the banks of the ,ken4 ,the loch1 the river1 the old baronial house1 combine to attract notice4 ,it is built on an insulated knoll1 well wooded all around4 ,it is four miles from ,dalry1 and the approach is through an avenue of lime-trees4 ,the old garden has a hedge of very lofty beech trees1 and a curious dial with a ,latin inscription1 dated #afbc4 ,joannes ,bonar fecit--the name of the person who 7it is said7 brought it from the ,continent4 7,,acquiescence ,,in ,,god',s ,,purpose--,,faith ,,in ,,exercise--,,encouragement ,,in ,,view ,,of ,,sickness ,,and ,,death--,,public ,,affairs47 ,,madam1--,all dutiful obedience in the ,lord remembered4 ,i have heard of your ,ladyship's infirmity and sickness with grief2 yet ,i trust ye have learned to say1 ,it is the ,lord1 let ,him do whatsoever seemeth good in ,his eyes4 ,it is now many years since the apostate angels made a question1 whether their will or the will of their ,creator should be done2 and since that time1 froward mankind hath always in that same suit of law compeared to plead with them against ,god1 in daily repining against ,his will4 ,but the ,lord being both party and judge1 hath obtained a decreet1 and saith1 ,my counsel shall stand1 and ,i will do all my pleasure 7,isa4 xlvi4 #aj74 ,it is then best for us1 in the obedience of faith1 and in an holy submission1 to give that to ,god which the law of ,his almighty and just power will have of us4 ,therefore1 ,madam1 your ,lord willeth you1 in all states of life1 to say1 ,thy will be done in earth1 as it is in heaven3 and herein shall ye have comfort1 that ,he1 who seeth perfectly through all your evils1 and knoweth the frame and constitution of your nature1 and what is most healthful for your soul1 holdeth every cup of affliction to your head1 with ,his own gracious hand4 ,never believe that your tender-hearted ,saviour1 who knoweth the strength of your stomach1 will mix that cup with one drachm-weight of poison4 ,drink then with the patience of the saints1 and the ,god of patience bless your physic4 ,i have heard your ,ladyship complain of deadness1 and want of the bestirring power of the life of ,god4 ,but courage6 ,he who walked in the garden1 and made a noise that made ,adam hear ,his voice1 will also at some times walk in your soul1 and make you hear a more sweet word4 ,yet1 ye will not always hear the noise and the din of ,his feet1 when ,he walketh4 ,ye are1 at such a time1 like ,jacob mourning at the supposed death of ,joseph1 when ,joseph was living4 ,the new creature1 the image of the second ,adam1 is living in you2 and yet ye are mourning at the supposed death of the life of ,christ in you4 ,ephraim is bemoaning and mourning 7,jer4 xxxi4 #ah71 when he thinketh ,god is far off and heareth not2 and yet ,god is like the bridegroom 7,song ii4 #i71 standing only behind a thin wall and laying to ,his ear2 for ,he saith ,himself1 ,i have surely heard ,ephraim bemoaning himself4 ,i have good confidence1 ,madam1 that ,christ ,jesus1 whom your soul through forests and mountains is seeking1 is within you4 ,and yet ,i speak not this to lay a pillow under your head1 or to dissuade you from a holy fear of the loss of your ,christ1 or of provoking and stirring up the ,beloved before ,he please1 by sin4 ,i know1 in spiritual confidence1 the devil will come in1 as in all other good works1 and cry ,half mine2 and so endeavour to bring you under a fearful sleep1 till ,he whom your soul loveth be departed from the door1 and have left off knocking4 ,and1 therefore1 here the ,spirit of ,god must hold your soul's feet in the golden mid-line1 betwixt confident resting in the arms of ,christ1 and presumptuous and drowsy sleeping in the bed of fleshly security4 ,therefore1 worthy lady1 so count little of yourself1 because of your own wretchedness and sinful drowsiness1 that ye count not also little of ,god1 in the course of ,his unchangeable mercy4 ,for there be many ,christians most like unto young sailors1 who think the shore and the whole land doth move1 when the ship and they themselves are moved2 just so1 not a few do imagine that ,god moveth and saileth#hf and changeth places1 because their giddy souls are under sail1 and subject to alteration1 to ebbing and flowing4 ,but the foundation of the ,lord abideth sure4 ,god knoweth that ye are ,his own4 ,wrestle1 fight1 go forward1 watch1 fear1 believe1 pray2 and then ye have all the infallible symptoms of one of the elect of ,christ within you4 #hf ,so it is in the earlier editions2 not faileth4 ,ye have now1 ,madam1 a sickness before you2 and also after that a death4 ,gather then now food for the journey4 ,god give you eyes to see through sickness and death1 and to see something beyond death4 ,i doubt not but that1 if hell were betwixt you and ,christ1 as a river which ye behoved to cross ere you could come at ,him1 but ye would willingly put in your foot1 and make through to be at ,him1 upon hope that ,he would come in ,himself1 in the deepest of the river1 and lend you ,his hand4 ,now1 ,i believe your hell is dried up1 and ye have only these two shallow brooks1 sickness and death1 to pass through2 and ye have also a promise that ,christ shall do more than meet you1 even that ,he shall come ,himself1 and go with you foot for foot1 yea and bear you in ,his arms4 ,o then6 ,o then6 for the joy that is set before you2 for the love of the ,man 7who is also ,god over all1 blessed for ever71 that is standing upon the shore to welcome you1 run your race with patience4 ,the ,lord go with you4 ,your ,lord will not have you1 nor any of ,his servants1 to exchange for the worse4 ,death in itself includeth both the death of the soul and the death of the body2 but to ,god's children the bounds and the limits of death are abridged and drawn into a more narrow compass4 ,so that when ye die1 a piece of death shall only seize upon you1 or the least part of you shall die1 and that is the dissolution of the body2 for in ,christ ye are delivered from the second death2 and1 therefore1 as one born of ,god1 commit not sin 7although ye cannot live and not sin71 and that serpent shall but eat your earthly part4 ,as for your soul1 it is above the law of death4 ,but it is fearful and dangerous to be a debtor and servant to sin2 for the count of sin ye will not be able to make good before ,god1 except ,christ both count and pay for you4 ,i trust also1 ,madam1 that ye will be careful to present to the ,lord the present estate of this decaying kirk4 ,for what shall be concluded in ,parliament anent#hg her1 the ,lord knoweth4 ,sure ,i am1 the decree of a most fearful parliament in heaven is at the very point of coming forth1 because of the sins of the land4 ,for we have cast away the law of the ,lord1 and despised the words of the ,holy ,one of ,israel 7,isa4 v4 #bd74 ,judgment is turned away backward1 and justice standeth afar off2 truth is fallen in the streets1 and equity cannot enter 7,isa4 lix4 #ad74 ,lo6 the prophet1 as if he had seen us and our kirk1 resembleth ,justice to be handled as an enemy holden out at the ports of our city so is she banished61 and ,truth to a person sickly and diseased1 fallen down in a deadly swooning fit in the streets1 before he can come to an house4 ,the priests have caused many to stumble at the law1 and have corrupted the covenant of ,levi 7,mal4 ii4 #c74 ,but what will they do in the end8 ,therefore give the ,lord no rest for ,zion4 ,stir up your husband1 your brother1#hh and all with whom ye are in favour and credit1 to stand upon the ,lord's side against ,baal4 ,i have good hope that your husband loveth the peace and prosperity of ,zion4 ,the peace of ,god be upon him1 for his intended courses anent the establishment of a powerful ministry in this land4 ,thus1 not willing to weary your ,ladyship further1 ,i commend you now1 and always1 to the grace and mercy of that ,god who is able to keep you1 that ye fall not4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,your ,ladyship's servant at all dutiful obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,july #bg1 #afbh4 #hg ,in reference to her1--alluding to the known design of ,charles ,i4 to enforce conformity to ,episcopacy4 #hh ,the ,marquis of ,argyle4 ,,iv4--,to the ,elect and ,noble ,lady1 my ,,lady ,,kenmure1 on occasion of the death of her infant daughter4 7,,tribulation ,,the ,,portion ,,of ,,god',s ,,people1 ,,and ,,intended ,,to ,,wean ,,them ,,from ,,the ,,world47 ,,madam1--,saluting your ,ladyship with grace and mercy from ,god our ,father1 and from our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1--,i was sorry1 at my departure1 leaving your ,ladyship in grief1 and would still be grieved at it1 if ,i were not assured that ye have ,one with you in the furnace1 whose visage is like unto the ,son of ,god4 ,i am glad that ye have been acquainted from your youth with the wrestlings of ,god1 and that ye get scarce liberty to swallow down your spittle1 being casten from furnace to furnace1 knowing if ye were not dear to ,god1 and if your health did not require so much of ,him1 ,he would not spend so much physic upon you4 ,all the brethren and sisters of ,christ must be conform to ,his image and copy in suffering 7,rom4 viii4 #bi74 ,and some do more vively resemble the copy than others4 ,think1 ,madam1 that it is a part of your glory to be enrolled among those whom one of the elders pointed out to ,john1 ,these are they which came out of great tribulation1 and have washed their robes1 and made them white in the blood of the ,lamb4 ,behold your ,forerunner going out of the world all in a lake of blood1 and it is not ill to die as ,he did4 ,fulfil with joy the remnant of the grounds and remainders of the afflictions of ,christ in your body 7,col4 i4 #bd74 ,ye have lost a child3 nay she is not lost to you who is found to ,christ4 ,she is not sent away1 but only sent before1 like unto a star1 which going out of our sight doth not die and evanish1 but shineth in another hemisphere4 ,ye see her not1 yet she doth shine in another country4 ,if her glass was but a short hour1 what she wanteth of time that she hath gotten of eternity2 and ye have to rejoice that ye have now some plenishing up in heaven4 ,build your nest upon no tree here2 for ye see ,god hath sold the forest to death2 and every tree whereupon we would rest is ready to be cut down1 to the end we may fly#hi and mount up1 and build upon the ,rock1 and dwell in the holes of the ,rock4 ,what ye love besides ,jesus1 your husband1 is an adulterous lover4 ,now it is ,god's special blessing to ,judah1 that ,he will not let her find her paths in following her strange lovers4 ,therefore1 behold ,i will hedge up her way with thorns1 and make a wall that she shall not find her paths4 ,and she shall follow after her lovers1 but she shall not overtake them 7,hos4 ii4 #f1 #g74 ,o thrice happy ,judah1 when ,god buildeth a double stone wall betwixt her and the fire of hell6 ,the world1 and the things of the world1 ,madam1 is the lover ye naturally affect beside your own husband ,christ4 ,the hedge of thorns and the wall which ,god buildeth in your way1 to hinder you from this lover1 is the thorny hedge of daily grief1 loss of children1 weakness of body1 iniquity of the time1 uncertainty of estate1 lack of worldly comfort1 fear of ,god's anger for old unrepented-of sins4 ,what lose ye1 if ,god twist and plait the hedge daily thicker8 ,god be blessed1 the ,lord will not let you find your paths4 ,return to your first husband4 ,do not weary1 neither think that death walketh towards you with a slow pace4 ,ye must be riper ere ye be shaken4 ,your days are no longer than ,job's1 that were swifter than a post1 and passed away as the ships of desire1 and as the eagle that hasteth for the prey 7ix4 #be1 #bf1 margin74 ,there is less sand in your glass now than there was yesternight4 ,this span-length of ever-posting time will soon be ended4 ,but the greater is the mercy of ,god1 the more years ye get to advise1 upon what terms1 and upon what conditions1 ye cast your soul in the huge gulf of never-ending eternity4 ,the ,lord hath told you what ye should be doing till ,he come4 ,wait and hasten1 saith ,peter1 for the ,coming of our ,lord4 ,all is night that is here1 in respect of ignorance and daily ensuing troubles1 one always making way to another1 as the ninth wave of the sea to the tenth2 therefore sigh and long for the dawning of that morning1 and the breaking of that day of the ,coming of the ,son of ,man1 when the shadows shall flee away4 ,persuade yourself the ,king is coming2 read ,his letter sent before ,him1 ,behold1 ,i come quickly 7,rev4 iii4 #aa74 ,wait with the wearied night-watch for the breaking of the eastern sky1 and think that ye have not a morrow4 ,as the wise father said1 who1 being invited against to-morrow to dine with his friend1 answered1 ,those many days ,i have had no morrow at all4 ,i am loth to weary you4 ,show yourself a ,christian1 by suffering without murmuring1 for which sin fourteen thousand and seven hundred were slain 7,numb4 xvi4 #di74 ,in patience possess your soul4 ,they lose nothing who gain ,christ4 ,thus remembering my brother's and my wife's humble service to your ,ladyship1 ,i commend you to the mercy and grace of our ,lord ,jesus1 assuring you that your day is coming1 and that ,god's mercy is abiding you4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours in the ,lord ,jesus at all dutiful obedience1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,jan4 #ae1 #afbi4 #hi ,in the earlier editions it is given fly throughout2 not flee4 ,v4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure1 upon her removal with her husband from the parish of ,anwoth4 7,,changes ,,and ,,loss ,,of ,,friends--,,this ,,world ,,no ,,abiding ,,place47 ,,madam1--,saluting you in ,jesus ,christ1--to my grief ,i must bid you 7it may be1 for ever7 farewell1 in paper1 having small assurance ever to see your face again till the last general assembly1 where the whole church universal shall meet2 yet promising1 by ,his grace1 to present your ,ladyship and your burdens to ,him who is able to save you1 and give you an inheritance with the saints1 after a more special manner than ever ,i have done before4#ij #ij ,lord ,kenmure and his lady resided at ,rusco1 in the parish of ,anwoth1 during the first two years of ,rutherford's ministry there2 but they were now about to leave it4 ,see ,letter ,,cxlvii4 ,ye are going to a country where the ,sun of righteousness1 in the ,gospel1 shineth not so clearly as in this kingdom2 but if ye would know where ,he whom your soul loveth doth rest1 and where ,he feedeth at the noontide of the day1 wherever ye be1 get you forth by the footsteps of the flock1 and feed yourself beside the shepherds' tents 7,song i4 #g1 #h71 that is1 ask for some of the watchmen of the ,lord's city1 who will tell you truly1 and will not lie1 where ye shall find ,him whom your soul loveth4 ,i trust ye are so betrothed in marriage to the true ,christ1 that ye will not give your love to any false ,christ4 ,ye know not how soon your marriage-day will come2 nay1 is not eternity hard upon you8 ,it were time1 then1 that ye had your wedding garment in readiness4 ,be not sleeping at your ,lord's ,coming4 ,i pray ,god you may be upon your feet standing when ,he knocketh4 ,be not discouraged to go from this country to another part of the ,lord's earth3 ,the earth is ,his1 and the fulness thereof4 ,this is the ,lord's lower house2 while we are lodged here1 we have no assurance to lie ever in one chamber1 but must be content to remove from one corner of our ,lord's nether house to another1 resting in hope that1 when we come up to the ,lord's upper city1 ,jerusalem that is above1 we shall remove no more1 because then we shall be at home4 ,and go wheresoever ye will1 if your ,lord go with you1 ye are at home2 and your lodging is ever taken before night1 so long as ,he who is ,israel's dwelling-house is your home 7,psa4 xc4 #a74 ,believe me1 ,madam1 my mind is that ye are well lodged1 and that in your house there are fair ease-rooms and pleasant lights1 if ye can in faith lean down your head upon the breast of ,jesus ,christ3 and till this be1 ye shall never get a sound sleep4 ,jesus1 ,jesus1 be your shadow and your covering4 ,it is a sweet soul-sleep to lie in the arms of ,christ2 for ,his breath is very sweet4 ,pray for poor friendless ,zion4 ,alas6 no man will speak for her now1 although at home in her own country she hath good friends1 her husband ,christ1 and ,his ,father her ,father-in-law4 ,beseech your husband to be a friend to ,zion1 and pray for her4 ,i have received many and divers dashes and heavy strokes since the ,lord called me to the ministry2 but indeed ,i esteem your departure from us amongst the weightiest4 ,but ,i perceive ,god will have us to be deprived of whatsoever we idolize1 that ,he may have ,his own room4 ,i see exceeding small fruit of my ministry1 and would be glad to know of one soul to be my crown and rejoicing in the day of ,christ4 ,though ,i spend my strength in vain1 yet my labour is with my ,god 7,isa4 xlix4 #d74 ,i wish and pray that the ,lord would harden my face against all1 and make me to learn to go with my face against a storm4 ,again ,i commend you1 body and spirit1 to ,him who hath loved us1 and washed us from our sin in ,his own blood4 ,grace1 grace1 grace for ever be with you4 ,pray1 pray continually4 ,your ,ladyship's at all dutiful obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,sept4 #ad1 #afbi4 ,illustration3 ,,kirkcudbright4 ,,vi4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught1 on occasion of the illness of his wife4 ,,marion ,m',,naught was daughter to the ,laird of ,kilquhanatie1 in ,kirkpatrick ,durham 7see ,letter ,,xxv471 the representative of an ancient family1 now extinct1 and connected also with the house of ,kenmure1 through her mother1 ,margaret ,gordon1 sister to ,lord ,kenmure4 ,she became the wife of ,william ,fullerton1 ,provost of ,kirkcudbright1 and was a woman extensively known and held in honour by the most eminent ,christians and ministers of her day1 on account of her rare godliness and public spirit4 ,we find in ,the ,last and ,heavenly ,speeches of ,viscount ,kenmure1 that by the special desire of that nobleman 7who was her relative71 she was in continual attendance on him as he lay on his deathbed4 ,her name is sometimes spelt ,m',knaight1 or ,m',knaichte1 the modern ,macknight4 ,she had three children--one daughter1 ,grizzel1 and two sons1 ,samuel and ,william1--who are often affectionately remembered in ,rutherford's letters to her4 ,the following epitaph was inscribed on her tomb1 in the churchyard of ,kirkcudbright3-- ,marion ,m',naught1 sister to ,john ,m',naught of ,kilquhanatie1 an ancient and honourable baron1 and spouse to ,william ,fullerton1 ,provost of ,kirkcudbright1 died ,april #afdc1 age #eh4 ,sexum animis1 pietate genus1 genorosa1 locumque ,virtute exsuperans1 conditur hoc tumulo4 ,the tombstone was lost sight of1 but in #ahfc was discovered again in removing the earth for a grave close by4 ,it was only in #ahfj that her house 7in which the meeting between ,blair and ,rutherford took place7 was pulled down4 ,it stood at the foot of the ,high ,street1 which was then the principal street of the town4 ,a relative of this lady's husband1 ,fullerton of ,carlton 7see ,letter ,,clvii471 wrote on her the following acrostic3-- ,m ,more happy than imagind can be1 ,a ,and blessed1 are such as with heart sincere ,r ,resolve to cleave to ,christ1 to live and die ,i ,in ,him1 with ,him1 and for ,him to appear4 ,o ,o what transcendent glory grows from grace6 ,n ,none but--no1 not--the soul refind shall ,m' ,make to appear2 that life1 that light1 that peace1 ,k ,known only to the pure possessors all4 ,n ,now1 ,,thou1 by grace1 art into glory gone1 ,a ,and gained the garland of eternal bliss1 ,i ,in seeing ,him who1 on that glorious throne1 ,c ,created1 uncreated1 glory is4 ,h ,heaven's quire did sing at thy conversion sweet1 ,t ,time posts thy final comforts to complete4 7,append4 to ,minute-,book of ,committee of ,covenanters47 7,,inward ,,conflict ,,arising ,,from ,,outward ,,trial47 ,,loving ,,and ,,dear ,,sister1--,if ever you would pleasure me1 entreat the ,lord for me1 now when ,i am so comfortless1 and so full of heaviness1 that ,i am not able to stand under the burthen any longer4 ,the ,almighty hath doubled ,his stripes upon me1 for my wife is so sore tormented night and day1 that ,i have wondered why the ,lord tarrieth so long4 ,my life is bitter unto me1 and ,i fear the ,lord be my contrair party4 ,it is 7as ,i now know by experience7 hard to keep sight of ,god in a storm1 especially when ,he hides ,himself1 for the trial of ,his children4 ,if ,he would be pleased to remove ,his hand1 ,i have a purpose to seek ,him more than ,i have done4 ,happy are they that can win away with their soul4 ,i am afraid of ,his judgments4 ,i bless my ,god that there is a death1 and a heaven4 ,i would weary to begin again to be a ,christian1 so bitter is it to drink of the cup that ,christ drank of1 if ,i knew not that there is no poison in it4 ,god give us not of it till we vomit again1 for we have sick souls when ,god's physic works not4 ,pray that ,god would not lead my wife into temptation4 ,woe is my heart1 that ,i have done so little against the kingdom of ,satan in my calling2 for he would fain attempt to make me blaspheme ,god in ,his face4 ,i believe1 ,i believe1 in the strength of ,him who hath put me in ,his work1 he shall fail in that which he seeks4 ,i have comfort in this1 that my ,captain1 ,christ1 hath said1 ,i must fight and overcome the world1 and with a weak1 spoiled1 weaponless devil1 the prince of this world cometh1 and hath nothing in me 7,john xvi4 #cc1 and xiv4 #cj74 ,desire ,mr4 ,robert#ia to remember me1 if he love me4 ,grace1 grace be with you1 and all yours4 #ia ,mr4 ,robert ,glendinning1 then minister of ,kirkcudbright4 ,his grave may be seen there4 ,remember ,zion4 ,there is a letter procured from the ,king by ,mr4 ,john ,maxwell to urge conformity1 to give the communion at ,christmas in ,edinburgh4#ib ,hold fast that which you have1 that no man take the crown from you4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,nov4 #ag1 #afbi4 #ib ,mr4 ,j4 ,maxwell here mentioned was at this time a minister in ,edinburgh1 and afterwards became ,bishop of ,ross1--a man of talent1 but devoid of principle1 whose aim was to secure the favour of the notorious ,laud1 by forwarding his designs for forcing ,episcopacy upon the ,scottish people4 ,the letter above referred to was from the ,king1 urging the adoption of the ,english service4 ,,vii4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,the ,,earnest ,,of ,,the ,,spirit--,,communion ,,with ,,christ--,,faith ,,in ,,the ,,promises47 ,,madam1--,i have longed exceedingly to hear of your life and health1 and growth in the grace of ,god4 ,i lacked the opportunity of a bearer1 in respect ,i did not understand of the hasty departure of the last1 by whom ,i might have saluted your ,ladyship1 and therefore ,i could not write before this time4 ,i entreat you1 ,madam1 let me have two lines from you concerning your present condition4 ,i know ye are in grief and heaviness2 and if it were not so1 ye might be afraid1 because then your way should not be so like the way that 7our ,lord saith7 leadeth to the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,sure ,i am1 if ye knew what were before you1 or if ye saw but some glances of it1 ye would with gladness swim through the present floods of sorrow1 spreading forth your arms out of desire to be at land4 ,if ,god have given you the ,earnest of the ,spirit1 as part of payment of ,god's principal sum1 ye have to rejoice2 for our ,lord will not lose ,his earnest1 neither will ,he go back or repent ,him of the bargain4 ,if ye find at some time a longing to see ,god1 joy in the assurance of that sight1 howbeit that feast be but like the ,passover1 that cometh about only once a year4 ,peace of conscience1 liberty of prayer1 the doors of ,god's treasure cast up to the soul1 and a clear sight of ,himself looking out1 and saying1 with a smiling countenance1 ,welcome to ,me1 afflicted soul2 this is the earnest that ,he giveth sometimes1 and which maketh glad the heart1 and is an evidence that the bargain will hold4 ,but to the end ye may get this earnest1 it were good to come oft into terms of speech with ,god1 both in prayer and hearing of the word4 ,for this is the house of wine1 where ye meet with your ,well-,beloved4 ,here it is where ,he kisseth you with the kisses of ,his mouth1 and where ye feel the smell of ,his garments2 and they have indeed a most fragrant and glorious smell4 ,ye must1 ,i say1 wait upon ,him1 and be often communing with ,him1 whose lips are as lilies1 dropping sweet-smelling myrrh1 and by the moving thereof ,he will assuage your grief2 for the ,christ that saveth you is a speaking ,christ2 the church knoweth ,him by ,his voice 7,song ii4 #h71 and can discern ,his tongue amongst a thousand4 ,i say this to the end ye should not love those dumb masks of antichristian ceremonies1 that the church#ic where ye are for a time hath cast over the ,christ whom your soul loveth4 ,this is to set before you a dumb ,christ4 ,but when our ,lord cometh1 ,he speaketh to the heart in the simplicity of the ,gospel4 #ic ,episcopal4 ,i have neither tongue nor pen to express to you the happiness of such as are in ,christ4 ,when ye have sold all that ye have1 and bought the field wherein this pearl is1 ye will think it no bad market2 for if ye be in ,him1 all ,his is yours1 and ye are in ,him2 therefore1 because ,he liveth1 ye shall live also 7,john xiv4 #ai74 ,and what is that else1 but as if the ,son had said1 ,i will not have heaven except ,my redeemed ones be with ,me3 they and ,i cannot live asunder4 ,abide in ,me1 and ,i in you4 ,o sweet communion1 when ,christ and we are through-other1#id and are no longer two6 ,father1 ,i will that those whom ,thou hast given ,me be with ,me where ,i am1 to behold ,my glory that ,thou hast given ,me 7,john xvii4 #bd74 ,amen1 dear ,jesus1 let it be according to that word4 ,i wonder that ever your heart should be cast down1 if ye believe this truth4 ,i and they are not worthy of ,jesus ,christ1 who will not suffer forty years' trouble for ,him1 since they have such glorious promises4 ,but we fools believe those promises as the man that read ,plato's writings concerning the immortality of the soul3 so long as the book was in his hand he believed all was true1 and that the soul could not die2 but so soon as he laid by the book1 he began to imagine that the soul is but a smoke or airy vapour1 that perisheth with the expiring of the breath4 ,so we at starts do assent to the sweet and precious promises2 but1 laying aside ,god's book1 we begin to call all in question4 ,it is faith indeed to believe without a pledge1 and to hold the heart constant at this work2 and when we doubt1 to run to the ,law and to the ,testimony1 and stay there4 ,madam1 hold you here3 here is your ,father's testament1--read it2 in it ,he hath left to you remission of sins and life everlasting4 ,if all that ye have here be crosses and troubles1 down-castings1 frequent desertions1 and departure of the ,lord1 who is suiting you in marriage1 courage6 ,he who is wooer and suitor should not be an household man with you till ye and ,he come up to ,his ,father's house together4 ,he purposeth to do you good at your latter end 7,deut4 viii4 #af71 and to give you rest from the days of adversity 7,ps4 xciv4 #ac74 ,it is good to bear the yoke of ,god in your youth 7,lam4 iii4 #bg74 ,turn in to your stronghold as a prisoner of hope 7,zech4 ix4 #ab74 ,for the vision is for an appointed time2 but at the end it shall speak1 and not lie3 though it tarry1 wait for it1 because it will surely come1 it will not tarry 7,hab4 ii4 #c74 ,hear ,himself saying1 ,come1 ,my people 7rejoice1 ,he calleth on you671 enter thou into thy chambers1 and shut thy doors about thee2 hide thyself1 as it were for a little moment1 till the indignation be past 7,isa4 xxvi4 #bj74 ,believe1 then1 believe and be saved2 think not hard if ye get not your will1 nor your delights in this life2 ,god will have you to rejoice in nothing but ,himself4 ,god forbid that ye should rejoice in anything but in the cross of ,christ 7,gal4 vi4 #ad74 #id ,mixed up with each other4 ,our church1 ,madam1 is decaying1--she is like ,ephraim's cake 7,hos4 vii4 #i72 and grey hairs are here and there upon her1 and she knoweth it not4 ,she is old and grey-haired1 near the grave1 and no man taketh it to heart4 ,her wine is sour and is corrupted4 ,now if ,phinehas's wife did live she might travail in birth and die1 to see the ark of ,god taken1 and the glory depart from our ,israel4 ,the power and life of religion is away4 ,woe be to us6 for the day goeth away1 for the shadows of the evening are stretched out 7,jer4 vi4 #d74 ,madam1 ,zion is the ship wherein ye are carried to ,canaan2 if she suffer shipwreck1 ye will be cast overboard upon death and life1 to swim to land upon broken boards4 ,it were time for us1 by prayer1 to put upon our master-pilot1 ,jesus1 and to cry1 ,master1 save us2 we perish4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,we would think it a blessing to our kirk to see you here2 but our sins withhold good things from us4 ,the great ,messenger of the ,covenant preserve you in body and spirit4 ,yours in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,feb4 #a1 #afcj4 ,,viii4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught1 on occasion of his wife's illness4 7,,wrestlings ,,with ,,god47 ,,mistress1--,my love in ,jesus ,christ remembered4 ,i am in good health2 honour to my ,lord2 but my wife's disease increaseth daily1 to her great torment and pain night and day4 ,she has not been in ,god's house since our communion1 neither out of her bed4 ,i have hired a man to ,edinburgh to ,doctor ,jeally and to ,john ,hamilton4#ie ,i can hardly believe her disease is ordinary1 for her life is bitter to her2 she sleeps none1 but cries as a woman travailing in birth4 ,what will be the event1 ,he that hath the keys of the grave knoweth4 ,i have been many times1 since ,i saw you1 that ,i have besought the ,lord to loose her out of body1 and to take her to her rest4 ,i believe the ,lord's tide of afflictions will ebb again2 but at present ,i am exercised with the wrestlings of ,god1 being afraid of nothing more than this1 that ,god has let loose the tempter upon my house4 ,god rebuke him and his instruments4 ,because ,satan is not cast out but by fasting and prayer1 ,i entreat you remember our estate to our ,lord1 and entreat all good ,christians whom ye know1 but especially your pastor1#if to do the same4 ,it becomes us still to knock1 and to lie at the ,lord's door1 until we die knocking4 ,if ,he will not open1 it is more than ,he has said in ,his word4 ,but ,he is faithful4 ,i look not to win away to my home without wounds and blood4 ,welcome1 welcome cross of ,christ1 if ,christ be with it4 ,i have not a calm spirit in the work of my calling here1 being daily chastised2 yet ,god hath not put out my candle1 as ,he does to the wicked4 ,grace1 grace be with you and all yours4 ,yours in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 #ie ,probably a relative of his wife1 whose name was ,eupham ,hamilton4 ,he was an apothecary in ,edinburgh1 and is mentioned among the godly in ,livingstone's ,characteristics4 #if ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,robert ,glendinning1 then minister of ,kirkcudbright4 ,,ix4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught1 recommending a friend to her love4 7,,prayers ,,asked47 ,,mistress1--,my love in ,christ remembered4 ,at the desire of this bearer1 whom ,i love1 ,i thought to request you if ye can help his wife with your advice1 for she is in a most dangerous and deadly-like condition4 ,for ,i have thought she was changed in her carriage and life1 this sometime bypast1 and had hope that ,god would have brought her home2 and now1 by appearance1 she will depart this life1 and leave a number of children behind her4 ,if ye can be entreated to help her1 it is a work of mercy4 ,my own wife is still in exceeding great torment night and day4 ,pray for us1 for my life was never so wearisome to me4 ,god hath filled me with gall and wormwood2 but ,i believe 7which holds up my head above the water71 ,it is good for a man1 saith the ,spirit of ,god1 that he bear the yoke in his youth 7,lam4 iii4 #bg74 ,i do remember you4 ,i pray you be humble and believe2 and ,i entreat you in ,jesus ,christ1 pray for ,john ,stuart and his wife1 and desire your husband to do the same4 ,remember me heartily to ,jean ,brown4 ,desire her to pray for me and my wife3 ,i do remember her4 ,forget not ,zion4 ,grace1 grace upon them1 and peace1 that pray for ,zion4 ,she is the ship we sail in to ,canaan4 ,if she be broken on a rock1 we will be cast overboard1 to swim to land betwixt death and life4 ,the grace of ,jesus be with your husband and children4 ,yours in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 ,x4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,submission1 ,,perseverance ,,and ,,zeal ,,recommended47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,and ,,dear ,,sister ,,in ,,christ1--,i could not get an answer written to your letter till now1 in respect of my wife's disease2 and she is yet mightily pained4 ,i hope that all shall end in ,god's mercy4 ,i know that an afflicted life looks very like the way that leads to the kingdom2 for the ,apostle hath drawn the line and the ,king's market-way1 through much tribulation1 to the kingdom 7,acts xiv4 #bb2 #a ,thess4 iii4 #d74 ,the ,lord grant us the whole armour of ,god4 ,ye write to me concerning your people's disposition1 how that their hearts are inclined toward the man ye know1 and whom ye desire most earnestly yourself4 ,he would most gladly have the ,lord's call for transplantation2 for he knows that all ,god's plants1 set by ,his own hand1 thrive well2 and if the work be of ,god1 ,he can make a stepping-stone of the devil himself for setting forward the work4 ,for yourself1 ,i would advise you to ask of ,god a submissive heart4 ,your reward shall be with the ,lord1 although the people be not gathered 7as the prophet speaks72 and suppose the word#ig do not prosper1 ,god shall account you a repairer of the breaches4 ,and take ,christ caution1 ye shall not lose your reward4 ,hold your grip fast4 ,if ye knew the mind of the glorified in heaven1 they think heaven come to their hand at an easy market1 when they have got it for threescore or fourscore years wrestling with ,god4 ,when ye are come thither1 ye shall think1 ,all ,i did1 in respect of my rich reward1 now enjoyed of free grace1 was too little4 ,now then1 for the love of the ,prince of your salvation1 who is standing at the end of your way1 holding up in ,his hand the prize and the garland to the race-runners1 ,forward1 forward2 faint not4 ,take as many to heaven with you as ye are able to draw4 ,the more ye draw with you1 ye shall be the welcomer yourself4 ,be no niggard or sparing churl of the grace of ,god2 and employ all your endeavours for establishing an honest ministry in your town1 now when ye have so few to speak a good word for you4 ,i have many a grieved heart daily in my calling4 ,i would be undone1 if ,i had not access to the ,king's chamber of presence1 to show ,him all the business4 ,the devil rages1 and is mad to see the water drawn from his own mill2 but would to ,god we could be the ,lord's instruments to build the ,son of ,god's house4 #ig ,work8 ,pray for me4 ,if the ,lord furnish not new timber from ,lebanon to build the house1 the work will cease4 ,i look to ,him1 who hath begun well with me4 ,i have ,his handwrite1 ,he will not change4 ,your daughter is well1 and longs for a ,bible4 ,the ,lord establish you in peace4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours at all power in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 ,,xi4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,god',s ,,inexplicable ,,dealings ,,with ,,his ,,people ,,well ,,ordered--,,want ,,of ,,ordinances--,,conformity ,,to ,,christ--,,troubles ,,of ,,the ,,church--,,death ,,of ,,mr4 ,,rutherford',s ,,wife47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be multiplied upon you4 ,i received your ,ladyship's letter1 in the which ,i perceive your case in this world smelleth of a fellowship and communion with the ,son of ,god in ,his sufferings4 ,ye cannot1 ye must not1 have a more pleasant or more easy condition here1 than ,he had1 who through afflictions was made perfect 7,heb4 ii4 #aj74 ,we may indeed think1 ,cannot ,god bring us to heaven with ease and prosperity8 ,who doubteth but ,he can8 ,but ,his infinite wisdom thinketh and decreeth the contrary2 and we cannot see a reason of it1 yet ,he hath a most just reason4 ,we never with our eyes saw our own soul2 yet we have a soul4 ,we see many rivers1 but we know not their first spring and original fountain2 yet they have a beginning4 ,madam1 when ye are come to the other side of the water1 and have set down your foot on the shore of glorious eternity1 and look back again to the waters and to your wearisome journey1 and shall see1 in that clear glass of endless glory1 nearer to the bottom of ,god's wisdom1 ye shall then be forced to say1 ,if ,god had done otherwise with me than ,he hath done1 ,i had never come to the enjoying of this crown of glory4 ,it is your part now to believe1 and suffer1 and hope1 and wait on2 for ,i protest1 in the presence of that all-discerning eye1 who knoweth what ,i write and what ,i think1 that ,i would not want the sweet experience of the consolations of ,god for all the bitterness of affliction4 ,nay1 whether ,god come to ,his children with a rod or a crown1 if ,he come ,himself with it1 it is well4 ,welcome1 welcome1 ,jesus1 what way soever ,thou come1 if we can get a sight of ,thee6 ,and sure ,i am1 it is better to be sick1 providing ,christ come to the bedside and draw by the curtains1 and say1 ,courage1 ,i am ,thy salvation1 than to enjoy health1 being lusty and strong1 and never to be visited of ,god4 ,worthy and dear lady1 in the strength of ,christ1 fight and overcome4 ,ye are now yourself alone1 but ye may have1 for the seeking1 three always in your company1 the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,spirit4 ,i trust they are near you4 ,ye are now deprived of the comfort of a lively ministry2 so was ,israel in their captivity2 yet hear ,god's promise to them3 ,therefore say1 ,thus saith the ,lord ,god1 although ,i have cast them far off among the heathen1 and although ,i have scattered them among the countries1 yet will ,i be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come 7,ezek4 xi4 #af74 ,behold a sanctuary6 for a sanctuary1 ,god ,himself in the place and room of the temple of ,jerusalem6 ,i trust in ,god1 that carrying this temple about with you1 ye shall see ,jehovah's beauty in ,his house4 ,we are in great fears of a great and fearful trial to come upon the kirk of ,god2 for these1 who would build their houses and nests upon the ashes of mourning ,jerusalem1 have drawn our ,king upon hard and dangerous conclusions against such as are termed ,puritans1 for the rooting of them out4 ,our prelates 7the ,lord take the keys of ,his house from these bastard porters67 assure us that1 for such as will not conform1 there is nothing but imprisonment and deprivation4#ih ,the spouse of ,jesus will ever be in the fire2 but ,i trust in my ,god she shall not consume1 because of the good-will of ,him who dwelleth in the ,bush2 for ,he dwelleth in it with good-will4 ,all sorts of crying sins without controlment abound in our land4 ,the glory of the ,lord is departing from ,israel1 and the ,lord is looking back over ,his shoulder1 to see if any one will say1 ,lord1 tarry1 and no man requesteth ,him to stay4 ,corrupt and false doctrine is openly preached by the idol-shepherds of the land4 ,for myself1 ,i have daily griefs1 through the disobedience unto1 and contempt of1 the word of ,god4 ,i was summoned before the ,high ,commission by a profligate person in this parish1 convicted of incest4 ,in the business1 ,mr4 ,alexander ,colvill#ii 7for respect to your ,ladyship7 was my great friend1 and wrote a most kind letter to me4 ,the ,lord give him mercy in that day4 ,upon the day of my compearance1 the sea and winds refused to give passage to the ,bishop of ,st4 ,andrews4#ajj ,i entreat your ,ladyship1 thank ,mr4 ,alexander ,colvill with two lines of a letter4 #ih ,the prelates1 when the ,courts of ,high ,commission were erected in #afaj1 were invested with the powers of imprisoning and depriving ,nonconformists4 #ii ,one of the judges4 #ajj ,archbishop ,spottiswoode4 ,my wife now1 after long disease and torment1 for the space of a year and a month1 is departed this life4 ,the ,lord hath done it2 blessed be ,his name4 ,i have been diseased of a fever tertian for the space of thirteen weeks1 and am yet in the sickness1 so that ,i preach but once on the ,sabbath with great difficulty4 ,i am not able either to visit or examine the congregation4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,your ,ladyship's at all obedience1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,june #bf1 #afcj4 ,,xii4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,god ,,mixeth ,,the ,,cup--,,the ,,wicked ,,have ,,their ,,reward--,,faithfulness--,,forbearance- -,,trials47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,and ,,dear ,,sister1--,my love in the ,lord ,jesus remembered4 ,i understand that you are still under the ,lord's visitation1 in your former business with your enemies1 which is ,god's dealing4 ,for1 till ,he take ,his children out of the furnace that knoweth how long they should be tried1 there is no deliverance2 but after ,god's highest and fullest tide1 that the sea of trouble is gone over the souls of ,his children1 then comes the gracious long-hoped-for ebbing and drying up of the waters4 ,dear sister1 do not faint2 the wicked may hold the bitter cup to your head1 but ,god mixeth it1 and there is no poison in it4 ,they strike1 but ,god moves the rod2 ,shimei curseth1 but it is because the ,lord bids ,him4 ,i tell you1 and ,i have it from ,him before whom ,i stand for ,god's people1 that there is a decreet given out1 in the great court of the highest heavens1 that your present troubles shall be dispersed as the morning cloud1 and ,god shall bring forth your righteousness1 as the light of the noontide of the day4 ,let me intreat you1 in ,christ's name1 to keep a good conscience in your proceedings in that matter1 and beware of yourself3 yourself is a more dangerous enemy than ,i1 or any without you4 ,innocence and an upright cause is a good advocate before ,god1 and shall plead for you1 and win your cause4 ,and count much of your ,master's approbation and ,his smiling4 ,he is now as the king that is gone to a far country4 ,god seems to be from home 7if ,i may say so71 yet ,he sees the ill servants1 who say1 ,our ,master deferreth ,his coming1 and so strike their fellow-servants4 ,but patience1 my beloved2 ,christ the ,king is coming home2 the evening is at hand1 and ,he will ask an account of ,his servants4 ,make a fair1 clear count to ,him4 ,so carry yourself as at night you may say1 ,master1 ,i have wronged none2 behold1 you have your own with advantage4 ,o6 your soul then will esteem much of one of ,god's kisses and embracements1 in the testimony of a good conscience4 ,the wicked1 howbeit they be casting many evil thoughts1 bitter words1 and sinful deeds behind their back1 yet they are1 in so doing1 clerks to their own process1 and doing nothing all their life but gathering dittayes against themselves2 for ,god is angry at the wicked every day4 ,and ,i hope your present process shall be sighted one day by ,him1 who knoweth your just cause2 and the bloody tongues1 crafty foxes1 double-ingrained hypocrites1 shall appear as they are before ,his majesty1 when ,he shall take the mask off their faces4 ,and ,o1 thrice happy shall your soul be then1 when ,god finds you covered with nothing but the white robe of the saint's innocence1 and the righteousness of ,jesus ,christ4 ,you have been of late in the ,king's wine-cellar1 where you were welcomed by the ,lord of the inn1 upon condition that you walk in love4 ,put on love1 and brotherly kindness1 and long-suffering2 wait as long upon the favour and turned hearts of your enemies as your ,christ waited upon you1 and as dear ,jesus stood at your soul's door1 with dewy and rainy locks1 the long cold night4 ,be angry1 but sin not4 ,i persuade myself1 that holy unction within you1 which teacheth you all things1 is also saying1 ,overcome evil with good4 ,if that had not spoken in your soul1 at the tears of your aged pastor1 you would not have agreed1 and forgiven his foolish son1 who wronged you2 but my ,master bade me tell you1 ,god's blessing shall be upon you for it2 and from ,him ,i say1 ,grace1 grace1 grace1 and everlasting peace be upon you4 ,it is my prayer for you1 that your carriage may grace and adorn the ,gospel of that ,lord who hath graced you4 ,i heard your husband also was sick2 but ,i beseech you in the bowels of ,jesus1 welcome every rod of ,god1 for ,i find not in the whole book of ,god a greater note of the child of ,god1 than to fall down and kiss the feet of an angry ,god4 ,and when ,he seems to put you away from ,him1 and loose your hands that grip ,him1 to look up in faith1 and say1 ,i shall not1 ,i will not1 be put away from ,thee4 ,howbeit ,thy ,majesty draw to free ,thyself of me1 yet1 ,lord1 give me leave to hold1 and cleave unto ,thyself4 ,i will pray1 that your husband may return in peace4 ,your decreet comes from heaven2 look up thither1 for many 7says ,solomon7 seek the face of the ruler1 but every man's ,judgment cometh from the ,lord4 ,and be glad that it is so1 for ,christ is the clerk of your process1 and will see that all go right2 and ,i persuade myself ,he is saying1 ,yonder servants of mine are wronged2 for ,my blood1 ,father1 give them justice4 ,think you not1 dear sister1 but our ,high ,priest1 our ,jesus1 the ,master of requests1 presents our bills of complaint to the great ,lord ,justice8 ,yea ,i believe it1 since ,he is our ,advocate1 and ,daniel calls ,him the ,spokesman1 whose hand presents all to the ,father4 ,for other business1 ,i say nothing1 till the ,lord give me to see your face4 ,i am credibly informed1 that multitudes of ,england1 and especially worthy preachers1 and silenced preachers of ,london1 are gone to ,new ,england2 and ,i know one learned holy preacher1 who hath written against the ,arminians1 who is gone thither4#aja ,our ,blessed ,lord ,jesus1 who cannot get leave to sleep with ,his spouse in this land1 is going to seek an inn where ,he will be better entertained4 ,and what marvel8 ,wearied ,jesus1 after ,he had travelled from ,geneva1 by the ministry of worthy ,mr4 ,knox1 and was laid in ,his bed1 and reformation begun1 and the curtains drawn1 had not gotten ,his dear eyes well together1 when irreverent bishops came in1 and with the din and noise of ceremonies1 holy days1 and other ,romish corruptions1 they awake our ,beloved4 ,others came to ,his bedside1 and drew the curtains1 and put hands on ,his servants1 banished1 deprived1 and confined them2 and for the pulpit they got a stool and a cold fire in the ,blackness2#ajb and the nobility drew the covering off ,him1 and have made ,him a poor naked ,christ1 spoiling ,his servants of the tithes and kirk rents4 ,and now there is such a noise of crying sins in the land1 as the want of the knowledge of ,god1 of mercy1 and truth2 such swearing1 whoring1 lying1 and blood touching blood2 that ,christ is putting on ,his clothes1 and making ,him1#ajc like an ill-handled stranger1 to go to other lands4 ,pray ,him1 sister1 to lie down again with ,his beloved4 #aja ,the emigration of preachers and people to ,new ,england was the consequence of the persecuting measures pursued by ,archbishop ,laud for enforcing conformity1 in the prosecution of his favourite scheme of bringing the ,church of ,england as near to that of ,rome as could consort with his own supremacy and that of his sovereign4 ,about seventy ministers and four thousand other persons emigrated to the ,american continent to escape the tyranny of ,laud and his agents4 #ajb ,blackness ,castle1 on the ,forth1 was used as a prison4 #ajc ,in the sense of making a show of or appearing as if ,he would go2 ,luke xxiv4 #bh4 ,remember my dearest love to ,john ,gordon1 to whom ,i will write when ,i am strong1 and to ,john ,brown1 ,grissel1 ,samuel1 and ,william2 grace be upon them4 ,as you love ,christ1 keep ,christ's favour1 and put not upon ,him when ,he sleeps1 to awake ,him before ,he please4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,your brother in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,july #ba1 #afcj4 ,,xiii4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught1 when exposed to reproach for her principles4 7,,jesus ,a ,,pattern ,,of ,,patience ,,under ,,suffering47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,sister1--,i have been thinking1 since my departure from you1 of the pride and malice of your adversaries2 and ye may not 7since ye have had the ,book of ,psalms so often7 take hardly with this2 for ,david's enemies snuffed at him1 and through the pride of their heart said1 ,the ,lord will not require it 7,ps4 x4 #ac74 ,i beseech you1 therefore1 in the bowels of ,jesus1 set before your eyes the patience of your forerunner ,jesus1 who1 when ,he was reviled1 reviled not again2 when ,he suffered1 ,he threatened not1 but committed ,himself to ,him who judgeth righteously 7#a ,pet4 ii4 #bc74 ,and since your ,lord and ,redeemer with patience received many a black stroke on ,his glorious back1 and many a buffet of the unbelieving world1 and says of ,himself1 ,i gave ,my back to the smiters1 and ,my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair2 ,i hid not my face from shame and spitting 7,isa4 iv4 #f72 follow ,him1 and think it not hard that you receive a blow with your ,lord4 ,take part with ,jesus of ,his sufferings1 and glory in the marks of ,christ4 ,if this storm were over1 you must prepare yourself for a new wound2 for1 five thousand years ago1 our ,lord proclaimed deadly war betwixt the ,seed of the ,woman and the seed of the ,serpent4 ,and marvel not that one town cannot keep the children of ,god and the children of the devil1 for one belly could not keep ,jacob and ,esau 7,gen4 xxv4 #bb72 one house could not keep peaceably together ,isaac1 the son of the promise1 and ,ishmael1 the son of the handmaid 7,gen4 xxi4 #aj74 ,be you upon ,christ's side of it1 and care not what flesh can do4 ,hold yourself fast by your ,saviour1 howbeit you be buffeted1 and those that follow ,him4 ,yet a little while and the wicked shall not be4 ,we are troubled on every side1 yet not distressed2 we are perplexed1 but not in despair2 persecuted1 but not forsaken2 cast down1 but not destroyed 7#b ,cor4 iv4 #h1 #i74 ,if you can possess your soul in patience1 their day is coming4 ,worthy and dear sister1 know to carry yourself in trouble2 and when you are hated and reproached1 the ,lord shows it to you--,all this is come upon us1 yet have we not gotten ,thee1 neither have we dealt falsely in ,thy covenant 7,ps4 xliv4 #ag74 ,unless ,thy law had been my delight1 ,i had perished in mine affliction 7,ps4 cxix4 #ib74 ,keep ,god's covenant in your trials4 ,hold you by ,his blessed word1 and sin not4 ,flee anger1 wrath1 grudging1 envying1 fretting4 ,forgive an hundred pence to your fellow-servant1 because your ,lord hath forgiven you ten thousand talents4 ,for ,i assure you by the ,lord1 your adversaries shall get no advantage against you1 except you sin and offend your ,lord in your sufferings4 ,but the way to overcome is by patience1 forgiving and praying for your enemies1 in doing whereof you heap coals upon their heads1 and your ,lord shall open a door to you in your troubles4 ,wait upon ,him1 as the night watch waiteth for the morning4 ,he will not tarry4 ,go up to your watch-tower1 and come not down2 but by prayer1 and faith1 and hope1 wait on4 ,when the sea is full1 it will ebb again2 and so soon as the wicked are come to the top of their pride1 and are waxed high and mighty1 then is their change approaching4 ,they that believe make not haste4 ,remember ,zion1 forget her not1 for her enemies are many2 for the nations are gathered together against her4 ,but they know not the thoughts of the ,lord1 neither understand they ,his counsel3 for ,he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor4 ,arise and thresh1 ,o daughter of ,zion 7,micah iv4 #ab1 #ac74 ,behold1 ,god hath gathered ,his enemies together1 as sheaves to the threshing4 ,let us stay and rest upon these promises4 ,now again1 ,i trust in our ,lord you shall by faith sustain yourself1 and comfort yourself in your ,lord1 and be strong in ,his power2 for you are in the beaten and common way to heaven when you are under our ,lord's crosses4 ,you have reason to rejoice in it1 more than in a crown of gold2 and rejoice1 and be glad to bear the reproaches of ,christ4 ,i rest1 recommending you and yours for ever to the grace and mercy of ,god4 ,yours in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,feb4 #aa1 #afca4 ,,xiv4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught1 in the prospect of a ,communion season4 7,,abundance ,,in ,,jesus--,,the ,,restoration ,,of ,,the ,,jews--,,enemies ,,of ,,god47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,you are not unacquainted with the day of our ,communion4 ,i entreat1 therefore1 the aid of your prayers for that great work1 which is one of our feast days1 wherein our ,well-beloved ,jesus rejoiceth1 and is merry with ,his friends4 ,good cause have we to wonder at ,his love1 since the day of ,his death was such a sorrowful day to ,him1 even the day when ,his mother1 the kirk1 crowned ,him with thorns1 and ,he had many against ,him1 and compeared ,his lone in the fields against them all2 yet ,he delights with us to remember that day4 ,let us love ,him1 and be glad and rejoice in ,his salvation4 ,i am confident that you shall see the ,son of ,god that day1 and ,i dare in ,his name invite you to ,his banquet4 ,many a time you have been well entertained in ,his house2 and ,he changes not upon ,his friends1 nor chides them for too great kindness4 ,yet ,i speak not this to make you leave off to pray for me1 who have nothing of myself1 but in so far as daily ,i receive from ,him1 who is made of ,his ,father a running-over fountain1 at which ,i and others may come with thirsty souls1 and fill our vessels4 ,long hath this well been standing open to us4 ,lord ,jesus1 lock it not up again upon us4 ,i am sorry for our desolate kirk2 yet ,i dare not but trust1 so long as there be any of ,god's lost money here ,he shall not blow out the candle4 ,the ,lord make fair candlesticks in ,his house1 and remove the blind lights4 ,i have been this time bypast thinking much of the incoming of the kirk of the ,jews4#ajd ,pray for them4 ,when they were in their ,lord's house1 at their ,father's elbow1 they were longing for the incoming of their little sister1 the kirk of the ,gentiles4 ,they said to their ,lord1 ,we have a little sister1 and she hath no breasts3 what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for8 7,cant4 viii4 #h74 ,let us give them a meeting4 ,what shall we do for our elder sister1 the ,jews8 ,lord ,jesus1 give them breasts4 ,that were a glad day to see us and them both sit down to one table1 and ,christ at the head of the table4 ,then would our ,lord come shortly with his fair guard to hold ,his great court4 #ajd ,so in his ,trial of ,faith p4 #acc 7published #afee74 ,dear sister1 be patient1 for the ,lord's sake1 under the wrongs that you suffer of the wicked4 ,your ,lord shall make you see your desire on your enemies4 ,some of them shall be cut off2 they shall shake off their unripe grapes as the vine1 and cast off their flower as the olive 7,job4 xv4 #cc73 ,god shall make them like unripe sour grapes1 shaken off the tree with the blast of ,god's wrath2 and therefore pity them1 and pray for them4 ,others of them must remain to exercise you4 ,god hath said of them1 ,let the tares grow up until harvest 7,matt4 xiii4 #cj74 ,it proves you to be your ,lord's wheat4 ,be patient2 ,christ went to heaven with many a wrong4 ,his visage and countenance was all marred more than the sons of men4 ,you may not be above your ,master2 many a black stroke received innocent ,jesus1 and ,he received no mends1 but referred them all to the great court-day1 when all things shall be righted4 ,i desire to hear from you within a day or two1 if ,mr4 ,robert remain in his purpose to come and help us4 ,god shall give you joy of your children4 ,i pray for them by their names4 ,i bless you from our ,lord1 your husband and children4 ,grace1 grace1 and mercy be multiplied upon you4 ,yours in the ,lord for ever1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,may #g1 #afca4 ,,xv4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught on occasion of the threatened introduction of the ,episcopalian ,service-,book4 7,,troubles ,,of ,,the ,,church--,,private ,,wrongs47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,sister1--,my love in ,christ remembered4 ,i have received a letter from ,edinburgh1 certainly informing me that the ,english service1 and the organs1 and ,king ,james' ,psalms1 are to be imposed upon our kirk2 and that the bishops are dealing for a ,general ,assembly4 ,a4 ,r4 hath confirmed the news also1 and says he spoke with ,sir ,william ,alexander1#aje who is to come down with his prince's warrant for that effect4 ,i am desired in the received letter to acquaint the best-affected about me with that storm3 therefore ,i entreat you1 and charge you in the ,lord's name1 pray2 but do not communicate this to any till ,i see you4 ,my heart is broken at the remembrance of it1 and it was my fear1 and answereth to my last letter except one1 that ,i wrote unto you4 ,dearly beloved1 be not casten down1 but let us1 as our ,lord's doves1 take us to our wings 7for other armour we have none71 and flee into the hole of the rock4 ,it is true ,a4 ,r4 says1 the worthiest men in ,england are banished1 and silenced1 about the number of sixteen or seventeen choice ,gospel preachers1 and the persecution is already begun4 ,howbeit ,i do not write this unto you with a dry face1 yet ,i am confident in the ,lord's strength1 ,christ and ,his side shall overcome2 and you shall be assured2 the kirk were not a kirk1 if it were not so4 ,as our dear ,husband1 in wooing ,his kirk1 received many a black stroke1 so ,his bride1 in wooing ,him1 gets many blows1 and in this wooing there are strokes upon both sides4 ,let it be so4 ,the devil will not make the marriage go back1 neither can he tear the contract2 the end shall be mercy4 ,yet notwithstanding of all this1 we have no warrant of ,god to leave off all lawful means4 ,i have been writing unto you the counsels and draughts of men against the kirk2 but they know not1 as ,micah says1 the counsel of ,jehovah4 ,the great men of the world may make ready the fiery furnace for ,zion2 but trow ye that they can cause the fire to burn8 ,no4 ,he that made the fire1 ,i trust1 shall not say amen to their decreets4 ,i trust in my ,lord1 that ,god hath not subscribed their bill1 and their conclusions have not yet passed our great ,king's seal4 ,therefore1 if ye think good1 address yourself first to the ,lord1 and then to ,a4 ,r41 anent the business that you know4 #aje ,sir ,w4 ,alexander of ,menstrie1 afterwards ,earl of ,stirling4 ,i am most unkindly handled by the presbytery2 and 7as if ,i had been a stranger1 and not a member of that seat1 to sit in judgment with them7 ,i was summoned by their order as a witness against ,b4 ,a4 ,but they have got no advantage in that matter4 ,other particulars you shall hear1 ,god willing1 at meeting4 ,anent the matter betwixt you and ,i4 ,e41 ,i remember it to ,god4 ,i entreat you in the ,lord1 be submissive to ,his will2 for the higher that their pride mounts up1 they are the nearer to a fall4 ,the ,lord will more and more discover that man4 ,let your husband1 in all matters of judgment1 take ,christ's part1 for the defence of the poor and needy1 and the oppressed1 for the maintenance of equity and justice in the town4 ,and take you no fear4 ,he shall take your part1 and then you are strong enough4 ,what8 ,howbeit you receive indignities for your ,lord's sake1 let it be so4 ,when ,he shall put ,his holy hand up to your face in heaven1 and dry your face1 and wipe the tears from your eyes1 judge if ye will not have cause then to rejoice4 ,anent other particulars1 if you would speak with me1 appoint any of the first three days of the next week in ,carletoun1#ajf when ,carletoun is at home1 and acquaint me with your desires4 ,and remember me to ,god1 and my dearest affection to your husband2 and for ,zion's sake hold not your peace4 ,the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ be with you1 and your husband and children4 ,yours in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,june #b1 #afca4 #ajf ,carleton1 in ,galloway 7see note at ,letter ,,clvii471 not far from ,anwoth1 where ,mr4 ,fullerton1 a true friend1 resided4 ,,xvi4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught1 on occasion of a proposal to remove him from ,anwoth4 7,,babylon',s ,,destruction ,,and ,,christ',s ,,coming--,,the ,,young ,,invited47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,dear ,,mistress1--,my dearest love in ,christ remembered4 ,as to the business which ,i know you would so fain have taken effect1 my earnest desire is1 that you stand still4 ,haste not1 and you shall see the salvation of ,god4 ,the great ,master ,gardener1 the ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 in a wonderful providence1 with ,his own hand 7,i dare1 if it were for edification1 swear it71 planted me here1#ajg where1 by ,his grace1 in this part of ,his vineyard1 ,i grow4--,i dare not say but ,satan and the world 7one of his pages whom he sends on his errands7 have said otherwise4 ,and here ,i will abide till the great ,master of the ,vineyard think fit to transplant me4 ,but when ,he sees meet to loose me at the root1 and to plant me where ,i may be more useful1 both as to fruit and shadow1 and when ,he who planted pulleth up that ,he may transplant1 who dare put to their hand and hinder8 ,if they do1 ,god shall break their arm at the shoulder blade1 and do ,his turn4 ,when our ,lord is going west1 the devil and world go east2 and do you not know that it hath been ever this way betwixt ,god and the world--,god drawing1 and they holding1 ,god yea1 and the world nay8 ,but they fall on their back and are frustrate1 and our ,lord holdeth ,his grip4 #ajg ,at ,anwoth4 ,wherefore doth the word say1 that our ,christ1 the ,goodman of this house1 ,his dear kirk1 hath feet like fine brass1 as if they burned in a furnace 7,rev4 i4 #ae78 ,for no other cause but because where our ,lord setteth down ,his brazen feet1 ,he will forward2 and whithersoever ,he looketh1 ,he will follow ,his look2 and ,his feet burn all under them1 like as fire doth stubble and thorns4 ,i think ,he hath now given the world a proof of ,his exceeding great power1 when ,he is doing such great things1 wherein ,zion is concerned1 by the sword of the ,swedish king1#ajh as of a ,gideon4 ,as you love the glory of ,god1 pray instantly 7yea engage all your praying acquaintance1 and take their faithful promise to do the like7 for this king1 and every one that ,zion's ,king armeth1 to execute the written vengeance on ,babylon4 ,our ,lord hath begun to loose some of ,babylon's corner stones4 ,pray to ,him to hold on1 for that city must fall1 and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth must make a banquet of ,babylon2 for ,he hath invited them to eat the flesh of that whore1 and to drink her blood4 ,and the cup of the ,lord's right hand shall be turned unto her1 and shameful spewing shall be upon her glory4 ,he whose word must stand hath said1 ,take this cup at the hand of the ,lord1 and drink and be drunken1 and spew1 and fall1 and rise no more 7,jer4 xxv4 #bg74 ,our ,jesus is setting up ,himself1 as ,his ,father's ensign 7,isa4 xi4 #aj71 as ,god's fair white colours1 that ,his soldiers may all flock about ,him4 ,long1 long may these colours stand4 ,it is long since ,he displayed a banner against ,babylon in the fight of men and angels4 ,let us rejoice and triumph in our ,god4 ,the victory is certain2 for when ,christ and ,babel wrestle1 then angels and saints may prepare themselves to sing1 ,babylon the great is fallen1 is fallen4 ,howbeit that ,prince of renown1 precious ,jesus1 be now weeping and bleeding in ,his members1 yet ,christ will laugh again2 and it is time enough for us to laugh1 when our ,lord ,christ laugheth1--and that will be shortly4 ,for when we hear of wars and rumours of wars1 the ,judge's feet are then before the door1 and ,he must be in heaven giving order to the angels to make themselves ready1 and prepare their hooks and sickles for that great harvest4 ,christ will be upon us in haste2 watch but a little1 and ere long the skies will rive1 and that fair lovely person1 ,jesus1 shall come in the clouds1 freighted and loaded with glory4 ,and then all these knaves and foxes that destroyed the vines shall call to the hills1 and cry to the mountains to cover them1 and hide them from the face of ,him who sitteth upon the throne1 and from the wrath of the ,lamb4 #ajh ,gustavus ,adolphus4 ,remember me to your husband1 and desire him from me to help ,christ1 and to take ,his part1 and in judgment sit ever beside ,him1 and receive a blow patiently for ,his sake2 for ,he is worthy to be suffered for1 not only to blows1 but also to blood4 ,he shall find that innocency and uprightness in judgment shall hold its feet and make him happy1 when jouking will not do it4 ,i speak this because a person said to me1 ,i pray ,god the country be not in worse case now when the provost and bailies are agreed1 than formerly1--to whom ,i replied1 ,i trust the provost is agreed with the man's person1 but not with his faults4 ,i pray for you1 with my whole soul and desire1 that your children may walk in the truth1 and that the ,lord may shine upon them1 and make their faces to shine1 when the faces of others shall blush4 ,i dare promise them1 in ,his name1 whose truth ,i preach1 if they will but try ,god's service1 that they shall find ,him the sweetest ,master that ever they served4 ,and desire them from me but to try for a while the service of this blessed ,master1 and then1 if ,his service be not sweet1 if it afford not what is pleasant to the soul's taste1 change ,him upon trial1 and seek a better4 ,christ is an unknown ,christ to the young ones2 and therefore they seek ,him not1 because they know ,him not4 ,bid them come and see1 and seek a kiss of ,his mouth2 and then they will find ,his mouth is so sweet1 that they will be everlastingly chained unto ,him by their own consent4 ,if ,i have any credit with your children1 ,i entreat them in ,christ's name to try what truth and reality is in what ,i say1 and leave not ,his service till they have found me a liar4 ,i give you1 your husband1 and them1 to ,his keeping to whom ,i have1#aji and dare venture myself and soul1 even to our dear ,friend ,jesus ,christ1 in whom ,i am1 ,yours1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 #aji ,to whom ,i have given1 and dare venture to give4 ,,xvii4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught1 when in distress as to prospects of the ,church4 7,,arminianism--,,call ,,to ,,prayer--,,no ,,help ,,but ,,in ,,christ47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,sister1--,my dearest love in ,christ remembered to you4 ,know that ,i am in great heaviness for the pitiful case of our ,lord's kirk4 ,i hear the cause why ,dr4 ,burton#aaj is committed to prison is his writing and preaching against the ,arminians4 ,i therefore entreat the aid of your prayers for myself1 and the ,lord's captives of hope1 and for ,zion4 ,the ,lord hath let and daily lets me see clearly1 how deep furrows ,arminianism and the followers of it draw upon the back of ,god's ,israel 7but our ,lord cut the cords of the wicked674 ,zion said1 ,the ,lord hath forsaken me1 and my ,lord hath forgotten me 7,isa4 xlix4 #ad74 ,zion weepeth sore in the night1 and her tears are upon her cheeks2 amongst all her lovers she hath none to comfort her3 all her friends have dealt treacherously with her2 they are become her enemies 7,lam4 i4 #b74 ,our silver is become dross1 our wine mixed with water 7,isa4 i4 #bb74 ,how is the gold become dim6 how is the most fine gold changed6 the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street4 ,the precious sons of ,zion1 comparable to fine gold1 how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers1 the work of the hands of the potter6 7,lam4 ix4 #a1 #b74 ,it is time now for the ,lord's secret ones1 who favour the dust of ,zion1 to cry1 ,how long1 ,lord8 and to go up to their watch-tower1 and to stay there1 and not to come down until the vision speak2 for it shall speak 7,hab4 ii4 #c74 ,in the mean time1 the just shall live by faith4 ,let us wait on and not weary4 ,i have not a thread to hang upon and rest1 but this one1 ,can a woman forget her sucking child1 that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb8 ,yea1 she may forget1 yet will ,i not forget thee4 ,behold1 ,i have graven thee upon the palms of ,my hands2 ,thy walls are continually before ,me 7,isa4 xlix4 #ae1 #af74 ,for all outward helps do fail2 it is time therefore for us to hang ourselves1 as our ,lord's vessels1 upon the nail that is fastened in a sure place4 ,we would make stakes of our own fastening1 but they will break4 ,our ,lord will have ,zion on ,his own nail4 ,edom is busy within us1 and ,babel without us1 against the handful of ,jacob's seed4 ,it were best that we were upon ,christ's side of it1 for ,his enemies will get the stalks to keep1 as the proverb is4 ,our greatest difficulty will be to win upon the rock now1 when the wind and waves of persecution are so lofty and proud4 ,let sweet ,jesus take us by the hand4 ,neither must we think that it will be otherwise2 for it is told to the souls under the altar1 ,that their fellow-servants must be killed as they were 7,rev4 vi4 #aa74 ,surely1 it cannot be long to the day4 ,nay1 hear ,him say1 ,behold1 ,i come1 ,my dear bride2 think not long4 ,i shall be at you at once4 ,i hear you1 and am coming4 ,amen2 even so come1 ,lord ,jesus1 come quickly2 for the prisoners of hope are looking out at the prison windows1 to see if they can behold the ,king's ambassador coming with the ,king's warrant and the keys4 ,i write not to you by guess now1 because ,i have a warrant to say unto you1 the garments of ,christ's spouse must be once again dyed in blood1 as long ago her husband's were4 ,but our ,father sees ,his bleeding ,son4 ,what ,i write unto you1 show it to ,i4 ,g4 ,grace1 grace1 grace and mercy be with you1 your husband1 and children4 ,yours in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 #aaj ,henry ,burton1 an able divine of the ,church of ,england1 wrote several vigorous pieces against ,popery1 and against ,montague's ,appello ,csarem4 ,,xviii4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught1 in the prospect of a ,communion season4 7,,prayer ,,solicited--,,the ,,church',s ,,prospects47 ,,mistress1--,my love in ,christ as remembered4 ,our ,communion is on ,sabbath come#aaa eight days4 ,i will entreat you to recommend it to ,god1 and to pray for me in that work4 ,i have more sins upon me now than the last time4 ,therefore ,i will beseech you in ,christ1 seek this petition to me from ,god1 that the ,lord would give me grace to vow and perform new obedience4 ,i have cause to suit this of you2 and show it to ,thomas ,carson1 ,fergus and ,jean ,brown1 for ,i have been and am exceedingly cast down1 and am fighting against a malicious devil1 of whom ,i can win little ground4 ,i would think a spoil plucked from him1 and his trusty servant sin1 a lawful and just conquest4 ,and it were no sin to take from him1 in the name of the ,goodman of our house1 our ,king ,jesus4 ,i invite you to the banquet4 ,he saith1 ye shall be dearly welcome to ,him4 ,and ,i desire to believe 7howbeit not without great fear7 ,he shall be as hearty in ,his own house as ,he has been before4 ,for me1 it is but small reckoning2 but ,i would fain have our ,father and ,lord to break the great fair loaf1 ,christ1 and to distribute ,his slain ,son amongst the bairns of ,his house1 and that if any were a step-bairn1 in respect of comfort and sense1 it were rather myself than ,his poor bairns4 ,therefore bid our ,well-beloved come to ,his garden and feed among the lilies4 #aaa ,sabbath that comes eight days after this4 ,and as concerning ,zion1 ,i hope our ,lord1 who sent ,his angel 7,zech4 ii4 #a1 #b7 with a measuring line in his hand to measure the length and breadth of ,jerusalem1 in token ,he would not want a foot length or inch of ,his own free heritage1 shall take order with those who have taken away many acres of ,his own land from ,him4 ,and ,god will build ,jerusalem in the old sted and place where it was before4 ,in this hope rejoice and be glad4 ,christ's garment was not dipped in blood for nothing1 but for ,his ,bride1 whom ,he bought with strokes4 ,i will desire you to remember my old suits to ,god1 ,god's glory and the increase of light1 that ,i dry not up4 ,for your town1 hope and believe that the ,lord will gather in ,his loose sheaves among you to ,his barn1 and send one with a well-toothed1 sharp hook1 and strong gardies1 to reap ,his harvest4 ,and the ,lord ,jesus be ,husbandman1 and oversee the growing4 ,remember my love to your husband and to ,samuel4 ,grace upon you and your children4 ,lord1 make them corner-stones in ,jerusalem1 and give them grace in their youth to take band with the fair ,chief ,corner-stone1 who was hewed out of the mountain without hands1 and got many a knock with ,his ,father's forehammer1 and endured them all1 and the stone did neither cleave nor break4 ,upon that stone make your soul to lie4 ,king ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,your friend in his well-beloved ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 ,,xix4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,encouragement ,,to ,,abound ,,in ,,faith ,,from ,,the ,,prospect ,,of ,,glory--,,christ',s ,,unchangeableness47 ,,madam1--,having saluted you in the ,lord ,jesus1 ,i thought it my duty1 having the occasion of this bearer1 to write again unto your ladyship1 though ,i have no new purpose but what ,i wrote of before4 ,yet ye cannot be too often awakened to go forward towards your city1 since your way is long1 and 7for anything ye know7 your day is short4 ,and your ,lord requireth of you1 as ye advance in years and steal forward insensibly towards eternity1 that your faith may grow and ripen for the ,lord's harvest4 ,for the great ,husbandman giveth a season to ,his fruits that they may come to maturity1 and having gotten their fill of the tree they may then be shaken and gathered in for use2 whereas the wicked rot upon the tree1 and their branch shall not be green4 ,he shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine1 and shall cast off his flower as the olive 7,job xv4 #cc74 ,it is ,god's mercy to you1 ,madam1 that ,he giveth you your fill1 even to loathing1 of this bitter world1 that ye may willingly leave it1 and1 like a full and satisfied banqueter1#aab long for the drawing of the table4 ,and at last1 having trampled under your feet all the rotten pleasures that are under sun and moon1 and having rejoiced as though ye rejoiced not1 and having bought as though ye possessed not 7#a ,cor4 vii4 #cj71 ye may1 like an old crazy ship1 arrive at our ,lord's harbour1 and be made welcome1 as one of those who have ever had one foot loose from the earth1 longing for that place where your soul shall feast and banquet for ever and ever upon a glorious sight of the incomprehensible ,trinity1 and where ye shall see the fair face of the man ,christ1 even the beautiful face that was once for your cause more marred than any of the visages of the sons of men 7,isa4 lii4 #ad71 and was all covered with spitting and blood4 ,be content to wade through the waters betwixt you and glory with ,him1 holding ,his hand fast1 for ,he knoweth all the fords4 ,howbeit ye may be ducked1 but ye cannot drown1 being in ,his company2 and ye may all the way to glory see the way bedewed with ,his blood who is the ,forerunner4 ,be not afraid1 therefore1 when ye come even to the black and swelling river of death1 to put in your foot and wade after ,him4 ,the current1 how strong soever1 cannot carry you down the water to hell3 the ,son of ,god1 ,his death and resurrection1 are stepping-stones and a stay to you2 set down your feet by faith upon these stones1 and go through as on dry land4 ,if ye knew what ,he is preparing for you1 ye would be too glad4 ,he will not 7it may be7 give you a full draught till you come up to the well-head and drink1 yea1 drink abundantly1 of the pure river of the water of life1 that proceedeth out from the throne of ,god and of the ,lamb 7,rev4 xxii4 #a74 ,madam1 tire not1 weary not2 ,i dare find you the ,son of ,god caution1 when ye are got up thither1 and have cast your eyes to view the golden city1 and the fair and never-withering ,tree of ,life1 that beareth twelve manner of fruits every month1 ye shall then say1 ,four-and-twenty hours' abode in this place is worth threescore and ten years' sorrow upon earth4 ,if ye can but say1 that ye long earnestly to be carried up thither 7and ,i hope you cannot for shame deny ,him the honour of having wrought that desire in your soul71 then hath your ,lord given you an earnest4 ,and1 ,madam1 do ye believe that our ,lord will lose ,his earnest1 and rue of the bargain1 and change ,his mind1 as if ,he were a man that can lie1 or the son of man that can repent8 ,nay1 ,he is unchangeable1 and the same this year that ,he was the former year4 ,and ,his ,son ,jesus1 who upon earth ate and drank with publicans and sinners1 and spake and conferred with whores and harlots1 and put up ,his holy hand and touched the leper's filthy skin1 and came evermore nigh sinners1 even now in glory1 is yet that same ,lord4 ,his honour1 and ,his great court in heaven1 hath not made ,him forget ,his poor friends on earth4 ,in ,him honours change not manners1 and ,he doth yet desire your company4 ,take ,him for the old ,christ1 and claim still kindness to ,him1 and say1 ,o it is so2 ,he is not changed1 but ,i am changed4 ,nay1 it is a part of ,his unchangeable love1 and an article of the new covenant1 to keep you that ye cannot dispone ,him1 nor sell ,him4 ,he hath not played fast and loose with us in the covenant of grace1 so that we may run from ,him at our pleasure4 ,his love hath made the bargain surer than so2 for ,jesus1 as the cautioner1 is bound for us 7,heb4 vii4 #bb74 ,and it cannot stand with ,his honour to die in the borrows 7as we use to say71 and lose thee1 whom ,he must render again to the ,father when ,he shall give up the kingdom to ,him4 ,consent and say ,amen to the promises1 and ye have sealed that ,god is true1 and ,christ is yours4 ,this is an easy market4 ,ye but look on with faith2 for ,christ suffered all1 and paid all4 #aab ,allusion to ,horace1 ,sat4 i4 #a1 #ai4 ,one of the few allusions to the classics that occur in ,rutherford4 ,madam1 fearing ,i be tedious to your ,ladyship1 ,i must stop here1 desiring always to hear that your ,ladyship is well1 and that ye have still your face up the mountain4 ,pray for us1 ,madam1 and for ,zion1 whereof ye are a part4 ,we expect a trial4 ,god's wheat in this land must go through ,satan's sieve1 but their faith shall not fail4 ,i am still wrestling in our ,lord's work1 and have been tried and tempted with brethren who look awry to the ,gospel4 ,now ,he that is able to keep you unto that day preserve your soul1 body1 and spirit1 and present you before ,his face with ,his own ,bride1 spotless and blameless4 ,your ,ladyship's1 to be commanded always in the ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,nov4 #bf1 #afca4 ,,xx4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,assurance ,,of ,,christ',s ,,love ,,under ,,trials--,,fulness ,,of ,,christ--,,hope ,,of ,,glory47 ,,madam1--,i am grieved exceedingly that your ,ladyship should think1 or have cause to think1 that such as love you in ,god1 in this country1 are forgetful of you4 ,for myself1 ,madam1 ,i owe to your ,ladyship all evidences of my high respect 7in the sight of my ,lord1 whose truth ,i preach1 ,i am bold to say it7 for ,his rich grace in you4 ,my ,communion1 put off till the end of a longsome and rainy harvest1 and the presbyterial exercise 7as the bearer can inform your ,ladyship71 hindered me to see you4 ,and for my people's sake 7finding them like hot iron1 that cooleth being out of the fire1 and that is pliable to no work71 ,i do not stir abroad2 neither have ,i left them at all1 since your ,ladyship was in this country1 save at one time only1 about two years ago4 ,yet ,i dare not say but it is a fault1 howbeit no defect in my affection2 and ,i trust to make it up again1 so soon as possibly ,i am able to wait upon you4 ,madam1 ,i have no new purpose to write unto you1 but of that which ,i think 7nay1 which our ,lord thinketh7 needful1 that one thing1 ,mary's good part1 which ye have chosen 7,luke x4 #db74 ,madam1 all that ,god hath1 both ,himself and the creatures1 ,he is dealing and parting amongst the sons of ,adam4 ,there are none so poor as that they can say in ,his face1 ,he hath given them nothing4 ,but there is no small odds betwixt the gifts given to lawful bairns and to bastards2 and the more greedy ye are in suiting1 the more willing ,he is to give1 delighting to be called open-handed4 ,i hope your ,ladyship laboureth to get assurance of the surest patrimony1 even ,god ,himself4 ,ye will find in ,christianity1 that ,god aimeth1 in all ,his dealings with ,his children1 to bring them to a high contempt of1 and deadly feud with the world1 and to set an high price upon ,christ1 and to think ,him ,one who cannot be bought for gold1 and well worthy the fighting for4 ,and for no other cause1 ,madam1 doth the ,lord withdraw from you the childish toys and the earthly delights that ,he giveth unto others1 but that ,he may have you wholly to ,himself4 ,think therefore of the ,lord1 as of one who cometh to woo you in marriage1 when ye are in the furnace4 ,he seeketh ,his answer of you in affliction1 to see if ye will say1 ,even so ,i take ,him4 ,madam1 give ,him this answer pleasantly1 and in your mind do not secretly grudge nor murmur4 ,when ,he is striking you in love1 beware to strike again3 that is dangerous2 for those who strike again shall get the last blow4 ,if ,i hit not upon the right string1 it is because ,i am not acquainted with your ,ladyship's present condition2 but ,i believe your ,ladyship goeth on foot1 laughing1 and putting on a good countenance before the world1 and yet ye carry heaviness about with you4 ,ye do well1 ,madam1 not to make them witnesses of your grief1 who cannot be curers of it4 ,but be exceedingly charitable of your dear ,lord4 ,as there be some friends worldly of whom ye will not entertain an ill thought1 far more ought ye to believe good evermore of your dear friend1 that lovely fair person1 ,jesus ,christ4 ,the thorn is one of the most cursed1 and angry1 and crabbed weeds that the earth yieldeth1 and yet out of it springeth the rose1 one of the sweetest-smelled flowers1 and most delightful to the eye1 that the earth hath4 ,your ,lord shall make joy and gladness out of your afflictions2 for all ,his roses have a fragrant smell4 ,wait for the time when ,his own holy hand shall hold them to your nose2 and if ye would have present comfort under the cross1 be much in prayer1 for at that time your faith kisseth ,christ and ,he kisseth the soul4 ,and oh6 if the breath of ,his holy mouth be sweet1 ,i dare be caution1 out of some small experience1 that ye shall not be beguiled2 for the world 7yea1 not a few number of ,god's children7 know not well what that is which they call a ,godhead4 ,but1 ,madam1 come near to the ,godhead1 and look down to the bottom of the well2 there is much in ,him1 and sweet were that death to drown in such a well4 ,your grief taketh liberty to work upon your mind1 when ye are not busied in the meditation of the ever-delighting and all-blessed ,godhead4 ,if ye would lay the price ye give out 7which is but some few years' pain and trouble7 beside the commodities ye are to receive1 ye would see they are not worthy to be laid in the balance together3 but it is nature that maketh you look what ye give out1 and weakness of faith that hindereth you to see what ye shall take in4 ,amend your hope1 and frist your faithful ,lord awhile4 ,he maketh ,himself your debtor in the new covenant4 ,he is honest2 take ,his word3 ,affliction shall not spring up the second time 7,nahum i4 #i74 ,he that overcometh shall inherit all things 7,rev4 xxi4 #g74 ,of all things1 then1 which ye want in this life1 ,madam1 ,i am able to say nothing1 if that be not believed which ye have in ,rev4 iii4 #e1 #ba3 ,the overcomer shall be clothed in white raiment4 ,to the overcomer ,i will give to sit with ,me in ,my throne1 as ,i overcame1 and am set down with ,my ,father in ,his throne4 ,consider1 ,madam1 if ye are not high up now1 and far ben in the palace of our ,lord1 when ye are upon a throne in white raiment1 at lovely ,christ's elbow4 ,o thrice fools are we1 who1 like new-born princes weeping in the cradle1 know not that there is a kingdom before them6 ,then let our ,lord's sweet hand square us and hammer us1 and strike off the knots of pride1 self-love1 and world-worship1 and infidelity1 that ,he may make us stones and pillars in ,his ,father's house 7,rev4 iii4 #ab74 ,madam1 what think ye to take binding with the fair corner-stone ,jesus8 ,the ,lord give you wisdom to believe and hope your day is coming4 ,i hope to be witness of your joy1 as ,i have been a hearer and beholder of your grief4 ,think ye much to follow the heir of the crown1 who had experience of sorrows1 and was acquainted with grief8 7,isa4 liii4 #c74 ,it were pride to aim to be above the ,king's ,son3 it is more than we deserve1 that we are equals in glory1 in a manner4 ,now commending you to the dearest grace and mercy of ,god1 ,i rest ,your ,ladyship's1 at all obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,jan4 #d1 #afcb4 ,,xxi4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,self-,,denial--,,hope ,,of ,,christ',s ,,coming--,,loving ,,god ,,for ,,himself47 ,,madam1--,understanding 7a little after the writing of my last letter7 of the going of this bearer1 ,i would not omit the opportunity of remembering your ,ladyship1 still harping upon that string1 which in our whole lifetime is never too often touched upon 7nor is our lesson well enough learned71 that there is a necessity of advancing in the way to the kingdom of ,god1 of the contempt of the world1 of denying ourself and bearing of our ,lord's cross1 which is no less needful for us than daily food4 ,and among many marks that we are on this journey1 and under sail toward heaven1 this is one1 when the love of ,god so filleth our hearts1 that we forget to love1 and care not much for the having1 or wanting of1 other things2 as one extreme heat burneth out another4 ,by this1 ,madam1 ye know1 ye have betrothed your soul in marriage to ,christ1 when ye do make but small reckoning of all other suitors or wooers2 and when ye can 7having little in hand1 but much in hope7 live as a young heir1 during the time of his non-age and minority1 being content to be as hardly handled and under as precise a reckoning as servants1 because his hope is upon the inheritance4 ,for this cause ,god's bairns take well with spoiling of their goods1 knowing in themselves that they have in heaven a better and an enduring substance 7,heb4 x4 #cd74 ,that day that the earth and the works therein shall be burned with fire 7#b ,pet4 iii4 #aj71 your hidden hope and your life shall appear4 ,and therefore1 since ye have not now many years to your endless eternity1 and know not how soon the sky above your head will rive1 and the ,son of man will be seen in the clouds of heaven1 what better and wiser course can ye take1 than to think that your one foot is here1 and your other foot in the life to come1 and to leave off loving1 desiring1 or grieving for the wants that shall be made up when your ,lord and ye shall meet1 and when ye shall give in your bill1 that day1 of all your wants here8 ,if your losses be not made up1 ye have place to challenge the ,almighty2 but it shall not be so4 ,ye shall then rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory1 and your joy shall none take from you 7#a ,pet4 i4 #h2 ,john xvi4 #bb74 ,it is enough1 that the ,lord hath promised you great things1 only let the time of bestowing them be in ,his own carving4 ,it is not for us to set an hour-glass to the ,creator of time4 ,since ,he and we differ only in the term of payment2 since ,he hath promised payment1 and we believe it1 it is no great matter4 ,we will put that in ,his own will1 as the frank buyer1 who cometh near to what the seller seeketh1 useth at last to refer the difference to his own will1 and so cutteth off the course of mutual prigging4 ,madam1 do not prigg with your frank-hearted and gracious ,lord about the time of the fulfilling of your joys4 ,it will be2 ,god hath said it2 bide ,his harvest1 wait upon ,his whitsunday4#aac ,his day is better than your day2 ,he putteth not the hook in the corn till it be ripe and full-eared4 ,the great ,angel of the covenant bear you company1 till the trumpet shall sound1 and the voice of the ,archangel awaken the dead4 ,ye shall find it your only happiness1 under whatever thing disturbeth and crosseth the peace of your mind1 in this life1 to love nothing for itself1 but only ,god for ,himself4 ,it is the crooked love of some harlots1 that they love bracelets1 ear-rings1 and rings better than the lover that sendeth them4 ,god will not so be loved2 for that were to behave as harlots1 and not as the chaste spouse1 to abate from our love when these things are pulled away4 ,our love to ,him should begin on earth1 as it shall be in heaven2 for the bride taketh not1 by a thousand degrees1 so much delight in her wedding garment as she doth in her bridegroom2 so we1 in the life to come1 howbeit clothed with glory as with a robe1 shall not be so much affected with the glory that goeth about us1 as with the bridegroom's joyful race and presence4 ,madam1 if ye can win to this here1 the field is won2 and your mind1 for anything ye want1 or for anything your ,lord can take from you1 shall soon be calmed and quieted4 ,get ,himself as a pawn1 and keep ,him1 till your dear ,lord come1 and loose the pawn1 and rue upon you1 and give you all again that ,he took from you1 even a thousand talents for one penny4 ,it is not ill to lend ,god willingly1 who otherwise both will and may take from you against your will4 ,it is good to play the usurer with ,him1 and take in1 instead of ten of the hundred1 an hundred of ten1 often an hundred of one4 #aac ,his term-day4 ,madam1 fearing to be tedious to you1 ,i break off here1 commending you 7as ,i trust to do while ,i live71 your person1 ways1 burdens1 and all that concerneth you1 to that ,almighty who is able to bear you and your burdens4 ,i still remember you to ,him1 who will cause you one day to laugh4 ,i expect that1 whatever ye can do1 by word or deed1 for the ,lord's friendless ,zion1 ye will do it4 ,she is your mother2 forget her not2 for the ,lord intendeth to melt and try this land1 and it is high time we were all upon our feet1 and falling about to try what claim we have to ,christ4 ,it is like the bridegroom will be taken from us1 and then we shall mourn4 ,dear ,jesus1 remove not1 else take us with ,thee4 ,grace1 grace be with you for ever4 ,your ,ladyship's1 at all dutiful obedience1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,jan4 #ad1 #afcb4 ,,xxii4--,to ,,john ,,kennedy4 7,letter ,,lxxv47 7,,deliverance ,,from ,,shipwreck--,,recovery ,,from ,,threatened ,,death--,,use ,,of ,,trials--,,remembrance ,,of ,,friends47 ,,my ,,loving ,,and ,,most ,,affectionate ,,in ,,christ1--,i salute you with grace1 mercy1 and peace1 from ,god our ,father1 and from our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,i promised to write to you1 and although late enough1 yet ,i now make it good4 ,i heard with grief of your great danger of perishing by the sea1 and of your merciful deliverance with joy4 ,sure ,i am1 brother1 that ,satan will leave no stone unrolled1 as the proverb is1 to roll you off your ,rock1 or at least to shake and unsettle you3 for at that same time the mouths of wicked men were opened in hard speeches against you1 by land1 and the prince of the power of the air was angry with you by sea4 ,see then how much ye are obliged to that malicious murderer1 who would beat you with two rods at one time2 but1 blessed be ,god1 his arm is short2 if the sea and wind would have obeyed him1 ye had never come to land4 ,thank your ,god1 who saith1 ,i have the keys of hell and of death 7,rev4 i4 #ah72 ,i kill1 and ,i make alive 7,deut4 xxxii4 #ci72 ,the ,lord bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up 7#a ,sam4 ii4 #f74 ,if ,satan were jailor1 and had the keys of death and of the grave1 they should be stored with more prisoners4 ,ye were knocking at these black gates1 and ye found the doors shut2 and we do all welcome you back again4 ,i trust that ye know that it is not for nothing that ye are sent to us again4 ,the ,lord knew that ye had forgotten something that was necessary for your journey2 that your armour was not as yet thick enough against the stroke of death4 ,now1 in the strength of ,jesus despatch your business2 that debt is not forgiven1 but fristed3 death hath not bidden you farewell1 but hath only left you for a short season4 ,end your journey ere the night come upon you4 ,have all in readiness against the time that ye must sail through that black and impetuous ,jordan2 and ,jesus1 ,jesus1 who knoweth both those depths and the rocks1 and all the coasts1 be your pilot4 ,the last tide will not wait you for one moment4 ,if ye forget anything1 when your sea is full1 and your foot in that ship1 there is no returning again to fetch it4 ,what ye do amiss in your life to-day1 ye may amend it to-morrow2 for as many suns as ,god maketh to arise upon you1 ye have as many new lives2 but ye can die but once1 and if ye mar or spill that business1 ye cannot come back to mend that piece of work again4 ,no man sinneth twice in dying ill2 as we die but once1 so we die but ill or well once4 ,you see how the number of your months is written in ,god's book2 and as one of the ,lord's hirelings1 ye must work till the shadow of the evening come upon you1 and ye shall run out your glass even to the last pickle of sand4 ,fulfil your course with joy1 for we take nothing to the grave with us1 but a good or evil conscience4 ,and1 although the sky clear after this storm1 yet clouds will engender another4 ,ye contracted with ,christ1 ,i hope1 when first ye began to follow ,him1 that ye would bear ,his cross4 ,fulfil your part of the contract with patience1 and break not to ,jesus ,christ4 ,be honest1 brother1 in your bargaining with ,him2 for who knoweth better how to bring up children than our ,god8 ,for 7to lay aside ,his knowledge1 of the which there is no finding out7 ,he hath been practised in bringing up ,his heirs these five thousand years2 and ,his bairns are all well brought up1 and many of them are honest men now at home1 up in their own house in heaven1 and are entered heirs to their ,father's inheritance4 ,now1 the form of ,his bringing up was by chastisements1 scourging1 correcting1 nurturing2 and see if ,he maketh exception of any of ,his bairns3 no1 ,his eldest ,son and ,his ,heir1 ,jesus1 is not excepted 7,rev4 iii4 #ai2 ,heb4 xii4 #g1 #h1 and ii4 #aj74 ,suffer we must2 ere we were born1 ,god decreed it2 and it is easier to complain of ,his decree than to change it4 ,it is true1 terrors of conscience cast us down2 and yet without terrors of conscience we cannot be raised up again3 fears and doubtings shake us2 and yet without fears and doubtings we would soon sleep1 and lose our grips of ,christ4 ,tribulation and temptations will almost loosen us to the root2 and yet1 without tribulations and temptations1 we can now no more grow than herbs or corn without rain4 ,sin1 and ,satan1 and the world will say1 and cry in our ear1 that we have a hard reckoning to make in judgment2 and yet none of these three1 except they lie1 dare say in our face that our sin can change the tenor of the new covenant4 ,forward1 then1 dear brother1 and lose not your grips4 ,hold fast the truth3 for the world1 sell not one dram-weight of ,god's truth1 especially now1 when most men measure truth by time1 like young seamen setting their compass by a cloud2 for now time is father and mother to truth1 in the thoughts and practices of our evil time4 ,the ,god of truth establish us2 for1 alas6 now there are none to comfort the prisoners of hope1 and the mourners in ,zion4 ,we can do little1 except pray and mourn for ,joseph in the stocks4 ,and let their tongue cleave to the roof of their mouth who forget ,jerusalem now in her day2 and the ,lord remember ,edom1 and render to him as he hath done to us4 ,now1 brother1 ,i shall not weary you2 but ,i entreat you to remember my dearest love to ,mr4 ,david ,dickson1 with whom ,i have small acquaintance2 yet ,i bless the ,lord1 ,i know that he both prayeth and doeth for our dying kirk4 ,remember my dearest love to ,john ,stuart1 whom ,i love in ,christ2 and show him from me that ,i do always remember him1 and hope for a meeting4 ,the ,lord ,jesus establish him more and more1 though he be already a strong man in ,christ4 ,remember my heartiest affection in ,christ to ,william ,rodger1#aad whom ,i also remember to ,god4 ,i wish that the first news ,i hear of him and you1 and all that love our common ,saviour in those bounds1 may be1 that they are so knit and linked1 and kindly fastened in love with the ,son of ,god1 that ye may say1 ,now if ye would ever so fain escape out of ,christ's hands1 yet love hath so bound us1 that we cannot get our hands free again2 ,he hath so ravished our hearts1 that there is no loosening of ,his grips2 the chains of ,his soul-ravishing love are so strong1 that neither the grave nor death will break them4 ,i hope1 brother1 yea ,i doubt not of it1 that ye lay me1 and my first entry to the ,lord's vineyard1 and my flock1 before ,him who hath put me into ,his work4 ,as the ,lord knoweth1 since first ,i saw you1 ,i have been mindful of you4 ,marion ,m',naught doth remember most heartily her love to you1 and to ,john ,stuart4#aae ,blessed be the ,lord6 that in ,god's mercy ,i found in this country such a woman1 to whom ,jesus is dearer than her own heart1 when there be so many that cast ,christ over their shoulder4 ,good brother1 call to mind the memory of your worthy father1 now asleep in ,christ2 and1 as his custom was1 pray continually1 and wrestle1 for the life of a dying1 breathless kirk4 ,and desire ,john ,stuart not to forget poor ,zion2 she hath few friends1 and few to speak one good word for her4 #aad ,livingstone in his ,memor4 ,characteristics mentions this godly man1 a merchant in ,ayr4 #aae ,see ,letter ,,clxi4 ,now ,i commend you1 your whole soul1 and body1 and spirit1 to ,jesus ,christ and ,his keeping1 hoping that ye will live and die1 stand and fall1 with the cause of our ,master1 ,jesus4 ,the ,lord ,jesus ,himself be with your spirit4 ,your loving brother in our ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,feb4 #b1 #afcb4 ,,xxiii4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,exhorting ,,to ,,remember ,,her ,,espousal ,,to ,,christ--,,tribulation ,a ,,preparation ,,for ,,the ,,kingdom--,,glory ,,in ,,the ,,end47 ,,madam1--,your ,ladyship will not 7,i know7 weary nor offend1 though ,i trouble you with many letters4 ,the memory of what obligations ,i am under to your ,ladyship1 is the cause of it4 ,i am possibly impertinent in what ,i write1 because of my ignorance of your present estate2 but for all that is said1 ,i have learned of ,mr4 ,w4 ,d4#aaf that ye have not changed upon1 nor wearied of your sweet ,master1 ,christ1 and ,his service2 neither were it your part to change upon ,him who resteth in ,his love4 ,ye are among honourable company1 and such as affect grandeur and court4 ,but1 ,madam1 thinking upon your estate1 ,i think ,i see an improvident wooer coming too late to seek a bride1 because she is contracted already1 and promised away to another2 and so the wooer's busking and bravery 7who cometh to you#aag as who but he87 are in vain4 ,the outward pomp of this busy wooer1 a beguiling world1 is now coming in to suit#aah your soul too late1 when ye have promised away your soul to ,christ many years ago4 ,and ,i know1 ,madam1 what answer ye may now justly make to the late suitor2 even this3 ,ye are too long of coming2 my soul1 the bride1 is away already1 and the contract with ,christ subscribed1 and ,i cannot choose1 but ,i must be honest and faithful to ,him4 ,honourable lady1 keep your first love1 and hold the first match with that soul-delighting1 lovely ,bridegroom1 our sweet1 sweet ,jesus1 fairer than all the children of men1 the ,rose of ,sharon1 and the fairest and sweetest smelled rose in all ,his ,father's garden4 ,there is none like ,him2 ,i would not exchange one smile of ,his lovely face with kingdoms4 ,madam1 let others take their silly1 feckless heaven in this life4 ,envy them not2 but let your soul1 like a tarrowing and mislearned child1 take the dorts 7as we use to speak71 or cast at all things and disdain them1 except one only3 either ,christ or nothing4 ,your well-beloved1 ,jesus1 will be content that ye be here devoutly proud1 and ill to please1 as one that contemneth all husbands but ,himself4 ,either the ,king's ,son1 or no husband at all2 this is humble1 and worthy ambition4 ,what have ye to do to dally with a whorish and foolish world8 ,your jealous ,husband will not be content that ye look by ,him to another3 ,he will be jealous indeed1 and offended1 if ye kiss another but ,himself4 ,what weights do burden you1 ,madam1 ,i know not2 but think it great mercy that your ,lord from your youth hath been hedging in your outstraying affections1 that they may not go a-whoring from ,himself4 ,if ye were ,his bastard1 ,he would not nurture you so4 ,if ye were for the slaughter1 ye would be fattened4 ,but be content2 ye are ,his wheat1 growing in our ,lord's field 7,matt4 xiii4 #be1 #ch72 and if wheat1 ye must go under our ,lord's threshing-instrument1 in ,his barn-floor1 and through ,his sieve 7,amos ix4 #i71 and through ,his mill to be bruised 7as the ,prince of your salvation1 ,jesus1 was7 7,isa4 liii4 #aj71 that ye may be found good bread in your ,lord's house4 ,lord ,jesus1 bless the spiritual husbandry1 and separate you from the chaff1 that dow not bide the wind4 ,i am persuaded your glass is spending itself by little and little2 and if ye knew who is before you1 ye would rejoice in your tribulations4 ,think ye it a small honour to stand before the throne of ,god and the ,lamb8 and to be clothed in white1 and to be called to the marriage supper of the ,lamb8 and to be led to the fountain of living waters1 and to come to the ,well-head1 even ,god ,himself1 and get your fill of the clear1 cold1 sweet1 refreshing water of life1 the ,king's own well8 and to put up your own sinful hand to the tree of life and take down and eat the sweetest apple in all ,god's heavenly paradise1 ,jesus ,christ1 your life and your ,lord8 ,up your heart6 shout for joy6 ,your ,king is coming to fetch you to ,his ,father's house4 #aaf ,mr4 ,william ,dalgleish1 minister at ,kirkmabreck4 #aag ,a proverbial expression1 as in ,herbert's ,poem1 #hd3 ,then came brave ,glory passing by1 ,with silks that whistled1 ,who but he4 #aah ,z4 ,boyd's ,last ,battle1 p4 #ahe4 ,madam1 ,i am in exceeding great heaviness1 ,god thinking it best for my own soul thus to exercise me1 thereby1 it may be1 to fit me to be ,his mouth to others4 ,i see and hear1 at home and abroad1 nothing but matter of grief and discouragement1 which indeed maketh my life bitter4 ,and ,i hope in ,god never to get my will in this world4 ,and ,i expect ere long a fiery trial upon the ,church2 for as many men almost in ,england and ,scotland1 as many false friends to ,christ1 and as many pulling and drawing to pull the crown off ,his holy head6 and for fear that our ,beloved stay amongst us 7as if ,his room#aai were more desirable than ,himself71 men are bidding ,him go seek ,his lodging4 ,madam1 if ye have a part in silly1 friendless ,zion 7as ,i know ye have71 speak a word on her behalf to ,god and man4 ,if ye can do nothing else1 speak for ,jesus1 and ye shall thereby be a witness against this declining age4 ,now1 from my very soul1 laying and leaving you on the ,lord1 and desiring a part in your prayers 7as1 my ,lord knoweth1 ,i remember you71 ,i deliver over your body1 spirit1 and all your necessities1 to the hands of our ,lord1 and remain for ever ,your ,ladyship's1 in your sweet ,lord ,jesus and mine1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,feb4 #ac1 #afcb4 #aai ,his place4 ,,xxiv4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,christ ,,and ,,his ,,garden--,,provision ,,of ,,ordinances ,,in ,,the ,,church--,,our ,,children47 ,,beloved ,,mistress1--,my dearest love in ,christ remembered to you4 ,know that ,mr4 ,abraham#abj showed me there is to be a meeting of the bishops at ,edinburgh shortly4 ,the causes are known to themselves4 ,it is our part to hold up our hands for ,zion4 ,howbeit1 it is reported1 they came sad from court4 ,it is our ,lord's wisdom1 that ,his kirk should ever hang by a thread2 and yet the thread breaketh not1 being hanged upon ,him who is the sure ,nail in ,david's house 7,isa4 xxii4 #bc71 upon whom all the vessels1 great and small1 do hang2 and the ,nail 7,god be thanked7 neither crooketh nor can be broken4 ,jesus1 that ,flower of ,jesse set without hands1 getteth many a blast1 and yet withers not1 because ,he is ,his ,father's noble ,rose1 casting a sweet smell through heaven and earth1 and must grow2 and in the same garden grow the saints1 ,god's fair and beautiful lilies1 under wind and rain1 and all sun-burned1 and yet life remaineth at the root4 ,keep within ,his garden1 and you shall grow with them1 till the ,great ,husbandman1 our dear ,master ,gardener1 come and transplant you from the lower part of ,his vineyard up to the higher1 to the very heart of ,his garden1 above the wrongs of the rain1 sun1 or wind4 ,and then1 wait upon the times of the blowing of the sweet south and north wind of ,his gracious ,spirit1 that may make you cast a sweet smell in your ,beloved's nostrils2 and bid your ,beloved come down to ,his garden1 and eat of ,his pleasant fruits 7,cant4 iv4 #af74 ,and ,he will come4 ,you will get no more but this until you come up to the ,well-head1 where you shall put up your hand and take down the apples of the tree of life1 and eat under the shadow of that tree4 ,these apples are sweeter up beside the tree than they are down here in this piece of a clay prison-house4 ,i have no joy but in the thoughts of these times4 ,doubt not of your ,lord's part and the spouse's part2 she shall be in good case4 ,that word shall stand1 ,i shall be as the dew to ,israel3 he shall grow up as the lily1 and cast out his roots as ,lebanon4 ,his branches shall spread1 his beauty shall be as the olive tree1 and his smell as ,lebanon 7,hosea xiv4 #e1 #f74 ,christ shall set up ,his colours1 and ,his ensign for the nations1 and shall gather together the outcasts of ,israel 7,isa4 xi4 #ab74 ,then the ,lord said to me1 ,son of man1 these dead bones are the whole house of ,israel3 behold1 they say1 ,our bones are dried1 our hope is lost2 we are cut off for our parts4 ,therefore prophesy unto them1 and say1 ,thus saith the ,lord ,god1 ,behold1 ,o my people1 ,i will open your graves1 and cause you to come up out of your graves1 and bring you into the land of ,israel 7,ezek4 xxxvii4 #aa1 #ab74 ,these promises are not wind1 but the breast of our beloved ,christ1 which we must suck and draw comfort out of4 ,ye have cause to pity those poor creatures that stand out against ,christ1 and the building of ,his house4 ,silly men6 they have but a feckless and silly heaven1 nothing but meat and cloth1 and laugh a day or two in the world1 and then in a moment go down to the grave2 and they shall not be able to hinder ,christ's building4 ,he that is ,master of work will lead stones to the wall over their belly4 #abj ,possibly1 ,mr4 ,abraham ,henderson2 a staunch defender of ,presbytery1 who1 in #afje1 persisted1 along with eight of his brethren1 in convening at ,aberdeen1 in face of prohibition1 in order to maintain a protest in behalf of the ,church's inherent right to meet in ,general ,assembly4 7,see ,forbes' ,apolog4 ,narration1 p4 #acf47 ,and for that present tumult that the children of this world raise anent the planting of your town with a pastor1 believe and stay upon ,god1 as you still shame us all in believing4 ,go forward in the strength of the ,lord2 and ,i say from my ,lord1 before whom ,i stand1 have your eyes upon none but the ,lord of armies1 and the ,lord shall either let you see what you long to see1 or then else fulfil your joy more abundantly another way4 ,you and yours1 and the children of ,god whom you care for in this town1 shall have as much of the ,son of ,god's supper cut and laid upon your trenchers1 be who he will that carveth1 as shall feed you to eternal life4 ,and be not cast down for all that is done3 your reward is laid up with ,god4 ,i hope to see you laugh and leap for joy4 ,will the temple be built without din and tumult8 ,no2 ,god's stones in ,his house in ,germany are laid with blood2 and the ,son of ,god no sooner begins to chop and hew stones with ,his hammer1 but as soon the sword is drawn4 ,if the work were of men1 the world would set their shoulders to yours2 but1 in ,christ's work1 two or three must fight against a ,presbytery 7though ,his own court7 and a city4 ,this proveth that it is ,christ's errand1 and therefore that it shall thrive4 ,let them lay iron chains cross over the door1--stay1 and believe1 and wait1 whill the ,lion of the tribe of ,judah come4 ,and ,he that comes from heaven clothed with the rainbow1 and hath the little book in ,his hand1 when ,he taketh a grip of their chains1 ,he will lay the door on the broadside1 and come in1 and go up to the pulpit1 and take the man with ,him whom ,he hath chosen for ,his work4 ,therefore1 let me hear from you1 whether you be in heaviness1 or rejoicing under hope1 that ,i may take part of your grief1 and bear it with you1 and get part of your joy1 which is to me also as my own joy4 ,and as to what are your fears anent the health or life of your dear children1 lay it upon ,christ's shoulders3 let ,him bear all4 ,loose your grips of them all2 and when your dear ,lord pulleth1 let them go with faith and joy4 ,it is a tried faith to kiss a ,lord that is taking from you4 ,let them be careful1 during the short time that they are here1 to run and get a grip of the prize4 ,christ is standing in the end of their way1 holding up the garland of endless glory to their eyes1 and is crying1 ,run fast1 and come and receive4 ,happy are they 7if their breath serve them7 to run and not to weary1 whill their ,lord1 with ,his own dear hand1 puts the crown upon their head4 ,it is not long days1 but good days1 that make life glorious and happy2 and our dear ,lord is gracious to us1 who shorteneth and hath made the way to glory shorter than it was2 so that the crown that ,noah did fight for five hundred years1 children may now obtain it in fifteen years4 ,and heaven is in some sort better for us now than it was to ,noah1 for the man ,christ is there now1 who was not come in the flesh in ,noah's days4 ,you shall show this to your children1 whom my soul in ,christ blesseth1 and entreat them by the mercies of ,god1 and the bowels of ,jesus ,christ1 to covenant with ,jesus ,christ to be ,his1 and to make up the bond of friendship betwixt their souls and their ,christ1 that they may have acquaintance in heaven1 and a friend at ,god's right hand4 ,such a friend at court is much worth4 ,now ,i take my leave of you1 praying my ,christ and your ,christ to fulfil your joy2 and more graces and blessings from our sweet ,lord ,jesus to your soul1 your husband's and children1 than ever ,i wrote of the letters of ,a1 ,b1 ,c1 to you4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours in my sweet ,master1 ,jesus ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,march #i1 #afcb4 ,,xxv4--,to a ,gentlewoman at ,kirkcudbright1 excusing himself from visiting4 ,,mistress1--,i beseech you to have me excused if the daily employments of my calling shall hinder me to see you according as ,i would wish2 for ,i dare not go abroad1 since many of my people are sick1 and the time of our ,communion draweth near4 ,but frequent the company of your worthy and honest-hearted pastor1 ,mr4 ,robert 7,glendinning71 to whom the ,lord hath given the tongue of the learned1 to minister a word in season to the weary4 ,remember me to him and to your husband4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,your affectionate friend1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,xxvi4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught1 after her dangerous illness4 7,,use ,,of ,,sickness--,,reproaches--,,christ ,,our ,,eternal ,,feast--,,fasting47 ,,dearly-,,beloved ,,mistress1--,my love in ,christ remembered4 ,you are not ignorant what our ,lord in ,his love-visitation hath been doing with your soul1 even letting you see a little sight of that dark trance you must go through ere you come to glory4 ,your life hath been near the grave1 and you were at the door1 and you found the door shut and fast3 your dear ,christ thinking it not time to open these gates to you till you have fought some longer in ,his camp4 ,and therefore ,he willeth you to put on your armour again1 and to take no truce with the devil or this present world4 ,you are little obliged to any of the two2 but ,i rejoice in this1 that when any of the two comes to suit your soul in marriage1 you have an answer in readiness to tell them1--,you are too long a-coming2 ,i have many a year since promised my soul to another1 even to my dearest ,lord ,jesus1 to whom ,i must be true4 ,and therefore you are come back to us again to help us to pray for ,christ's fair bride1 a marrow dear to ,him4 ,be not cast down in heart to hear that the world barketh at ,christ's strangers1 both in ,ireland and in this land2 they do it because their ,lord hath chosen them out of this world4 ,and this is one of our ,lord's reproaches1 to be hated and ill-entreated by men4 ,the silly stranger1 in an uncouth country1 must take with a smoky inn and coarse cheer1 a hard bed1 and a barking1 ill-tongued host4 ,it is not long to the day1 and he will to his journey upon the morrow1 and leave them all4 ,indeed1 our fair morning is at hand1 the day-star is near the rising1 and we are not many miles from home4 ,what matters ill entertainment in the smoky inns of this miserable life8 ,we are not to stay here1 and we will be dearly welcome to ,him whom we go to4 ,and ,i hope1 when ,i shall see you clothed in white raiment1 washed in the blood of the ,lamb1 and shall see you even at the elbow of your dearest ,lord and ,redeemer1 and a crown upon your head1 and following our ,lamb and lovely ,lord whithersoever ,he goeth1--you will think nothing of all these days2 and you shall then rejoice1 and no man shall take your joy from you4 ,it is certain there is not much sand to run in your ,lord's sand-glass1 and that day is at hand2 and till then your ,lord in this life is giving you some little feasts4 ,it is true1 you see ,him not now as you shall see ,him then4 ,your well-beloved standeth now behind the wall looking out at the window 7,cant4 ii4 #i71 and you see but a little of ,his face4 ,then1 you shall see all ,his face and all the ,saviour1--a long1 and high1 and broad ,lord ,jesus1 the loveliest person among the children of men4 ,o joy of joys1 that our souls know there is such a great supper preparing for us even6 ,howbeit we be but half-hungered of ,christ here1 and many a time dine behind noon1#aba yet the supper of the ,lamb will come in time1 and will be set before us before we famish and lose our stomachs4 ,you have cause to hold up your heart in remembrance and hope of that fair1 long summer day2 for in this night of your life1 wherein you are in the body absent from the ,lord1 ,christ's fair moonlight in ,his word and sacraments1 in prayer1 feeling1 and holy conference1 hath shined upon you1 to let you see the way to the city4 ,i confess our diet here is but sparing2 we get but tastings of our ,lord's comforts2 but the cause of that is not because our ,steward1 ,jesus1 is a niggard1 and narrow-hearted1 but because our stomachs are weak1 and we are narrow-hearted4 ,but the great feast is coming1 and the chambers of them made fair and wide to take in the great ,lord ,jesus4 ,come in1 then1 ,lord ,jesus1 to hungry souls gaping for thee6 ,in this journey take the ,bridegroom as you may have ,him1 and be greedy of ,his smallest crumbs2 but1 dear ,mistress1 buy none of ,christ's delicates-spiritual with sin1 or fasting against your weak body4 ,remember you are in the body1 and it is the lodging-house2 and you may not1 without offending the ,lord1 suffer the old walls of that house to fall down through want of necessary food4 ,your body is the dwelling-house of the ,spirit2 and therefore1 for the love you carry to the sweet ,guest1 give a due regard to ,his house of clay4 ,when ,he looseth the wall1 why not8 ,welcome ,lord ,jesus6 ,but it is a fearful sin in us1 by hurting the body by fasting1 to loose one stone or the least piece of timber in it1 for the house is not our own4 ,the ,bridegroom is with you yet2 so fast as that also you may feast and rejoice in ,him4 ,i think upon your magistrates2 but ,he that is clothed in linen1 and hath the writer's inkhorn by ,his side1 hath written up their names in heaven already4 ,pray and be content with ,his will2 ,god hath a council-house in heaven1 and the end will be mercy unto you4 ,for the planting of your town with a godly minister1 have your eye upon the ,lord of the harvest4 ,i dare promise you1 ,god in this life shall fill your soul with the fatness of ,his house1 for your care to see ,christ's bairns fed4 ,and your posterity shall know it1 to whom#abb ,i pray for mercy1 and that they may get a name amongst the living in ,jerusalem2 and if ,god portion them with ,his bairns1 their rent is fair1 and ,i hope it shall be so4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours ever in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,sept4 #ai1 #afcb4 #aba ,noon1 or a little before it1 was then the usual hour for dinner4 #abb ,in regard to whom ,i pray for the mercy ,paul sought for the house of ,onesiphorus 7#b ,tim4 i4 #f74 ,,xxvii4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,love ,,to ,,christ ,,and ,,submission ,,to ,,his ,,cross--,,believers ,,kept--,,the ,,heavenly ,,paradise47 ,,madam1--,having saluted you with grace and mercy from ,god our ,father1 and from our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 ,i long both to see your ,ladyship1 and to hear how it goeth with you4 ,i do remember you1 and present you and your necessities to ,him who is able to keep you1 and present you blameless before ,his face with joy2 and my prayer to our ,lord is1 that ye may be sick of love for ,him1 who died of love for you1--,i mean your ,saviour ,jesus4 ,and ,o sweet were that sickness to be soul-sick for ,him6 ,and a living death it were1 to die in the fire of the love of that soul-lover1 ,jesus6 ,and1 ,madam1 if ye love ,him1 ye will keep ,his commandments2 and this is not one of the least1 to lay your neck cheerfully and willingly under the yoke of ,jesus ,christ4 ,for ,i trust your ,ladyship did first contract and bargain with the ,son of ,god to follow ,him upon these terms1 that by ,his grace ye should endure hardship1 and suffer affliction1 as the soldier of ,christ4 ,they are not worthy of ,jesus who will not take a blow for their ,master's sake4 ,as for our glorious ,peace-maker1 when ,he came to make up the friendship betwixt ,god and us1 ,god bruised ,him1 and struck ,him2 the sinful world also did beat ,him1 and crucify ,him1 yet ,he took buffets of both parties1 and 7honour to our ,lord ,jesus67 ,he would not leave the field for all that1 till ,he had made peace betwixt the parties4 ,i persuade myself your sufferings are but like your ,saviour's 7yea1 incomparably less and lighter71 which are called but a bruising of ,his heel 7,gen4 iii4 #ae72 a wound far from the heart4 ,your life is hid with ,christ in ,god 7,col4 iii4 #c71 and therefore ye cannot be robbed of it4 ,our ,lord handleth us1 as fathers do their young children2 they lay up jewels in a place1 above the reach of the short arm of bairns1 else bairns would put up their hands and take them down1 and lose them soon4 ,so hath our ,lord done with our spiritual life4 ,jesus ,christ is the high coffer in the which our ,lord hath hid our life2 we children are not able to reach up our arm so high as to take down that life and lose it2 it is in our ,christ's hand4 ,o long1 long may ,jesus be ,lord ,keeper of our life6 and happy are they that can1 with the ,apostle 7#b ,tim4 i4 #ab71 lay their soul in pawn in the hand of ,jesus1 for ,he is able to keep that which is committed in pawn to ,him against that day4 ,then1 ,madam1 so long as this life is not hurt1 all other troubles are but touches in the heel4 ,i trust ye will soon be cured4 ,ye know1 ,madam1 kings have some servants in their court that receive not present wages in their hand1 but live upon their hopes3 the ,king of kings also hath servants in ,his court that for the present get little or nothing but the heavy cross of ,christ1 troubles without and terrors within2 but they live upon hope2 and when it cometh to the parting of the inheritance1 they remain in the house as heirs4 ,it is better to be so than to get present payment1 and a portion in this life1 an inheritance in this world 7,god forgive me1 that ,i should honour it with the name of an inheritance1 it is rather a farm-room671 and then in the end to be casten out of ,god's house1 with this word1 ,ye have received your consolation1 ye will get no more4 ,alas6 what get they8 ,the rich glutton's heaven 7,luke xvi4 #be74 ,o but our ,lord maketh it a silly heaven6 ,he fared well1 saith our ,lord1 and delicately every day4 ,o no more8 a silly heaven6 ,truly no more1 except that he was clothed in purple1 and that is all4 ,i persuade myself1 ,madam1 ye have joy when ye think that your ,lord hath dealt more graciously with your soul4 ,ye have gotten little in this life1 it is true indeed3 ye have then the more to crave1 yea1 ye have all to crave2 for1 except some tastings of the first fruits1 and some kisses of ,his mouth whom your soul loveth1 ye get no more4 ,but ,i cannot tell you what is to come4 ,yet ,i may speak as our ,lord doth of it4 ,the foundation of the city is pure gold1 clear as crystal2 the twelve ports are set with precious stones2 if orchards and rivers commend a soil upon earth1 there is a paradise there1 wherein groweth the tree of life that beareth twelve manner of fruits every month1 which is seven score and four harvests in the year2 and there is there a pure river of water of life1 proceeding out of the throne of ,god and of the ,lamb2 and the city hath no need of the light of the sun or moon1 or of a candle1 for the ,lord ,god ,almighty and the ,lamb is the light thereof4 ,madam1 believe and hope for this1 till ye see and enjoy4 ,jesus is saying in the ,gospel1 ,come and see2 and ,he is come down in the chariot of truth1 wherein ,he rideth through the world1 to conquer men's souls 7,ps4 xlv4 #d71 and is now in the world saying1 ,who will go with ,me8 will ye go8 ,my ,father will make you welcome1 and give you house-room2 for in ,my ,father's house are many dwelling-places4#abc ,madam1 consent to go with ,him4 ,thus ,i rest1 commending you to ,god's dearest mercy4 ,yours in the ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 #abc 4 ,,xxviii4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure1 after the death of a child4 7,,the ,,state ,,of ,,the ,,church1 ,,cause ,,for ,,god',s ,,displeasure--,,his ,,care ,,of ,,his ,,church--,,the ,,jews--,,afflicted ,,saints47 ,,madam1--,i am afraid now 7as many others are7 that1 at the sitting down of our ,parliament1 our ,lord ,jesus and ,his spouse shall be roughly handled4 ,and it must be so1 since false and declining ,scotland1 whom our ,lord took off the dunghill and out of hell1 and made a fair bride to ,himself1 hath broken her faith to her sweet ,husband1 and hath put on the forehead of a whore4 ,and therefore ,he saith ,he will remove4 ,would ,god we could stir up ourselves to lay hold upon ,him1 who1 being highly provoked with the handling ,he hath met with1 is ready to depart6 ,alas6 we do not importune ,him by prayer and supplication to abide amongst us6 ,if we could but weep upon ,him1 and in the holy pertinacity of faith wrestle with ,him1 and say1 ,we will not let ,thee go1 it may be that then1 ,he1 who is easy to be intreated1 would yet1 notwithstanding of our high provocations1 condescend to stay and feed among the lilies1 till that fair and desirable day break1 and the shadows flee away4 ,ah6 what cause of mourning is there1 when our gold is become dim1 and the visage of our ,nazarites1 sometime whiter than snow1 is now become blacker than a coal1 and ,levi's house1 once comparable to fine gold1 is now changed1 and become like vessels in whom ,he hath no pleasure6 ,madam1 think upon this1 that when our ,lord1 who hath ,his handkerchief to wipe the face of the mourners in ,zion1 shall come to wipe away all tears from their eyes1 ,he may wipe yours also1 in the passing1 amongst others4 ,i am confident1 ,madam1 that our ,lord will yet build a new house to ,himself1 of our rejected and scattered stones1 for our ,bridegroom cannot want a wife4 ,can ,he live a widower8 ,nay1 ,he will embrace both us1 the little young sister1 and the elder sister1 the ,church of the ,jews2 and there will yet be a day of it4 ,and therefore we have cause to rejoice1 yea1 to sing and shout for joy4 ,the ,church hath been1 since the world began1 ever hanging by a small thread1 and all the hands of hell and of the wicked have been drawing at the thread4 ,but1 ,god be thanked1 they only break their arms by pulling1 but the thread is not broken2 for the sweet fingers of ,christ our ,lord have spun and twisted it4 ,lord1 hold the thread whole6 ,madam1 stir up your husband to lay hold upon the covenant1 and to do good4 ,what hath he to do with the world8 ,it is not his inheritance4 ,desire him to make home-over1 and put to his hand to lay one stone or two upon the wall of ,god's house before he go hence4 ,i have heard also1 ,madam1 that your child is removed2 but to have or want is best1 as ,he pleaseth4 ,whether she be with you1 or in ,god's keeping1 think it all one2 nay1 think it the better of the two by far that she is with ,him4 ,i trust in our ,lord that there is something laid up and kept for you2 for our kind ,lord1 who hath wounded you1 will not be so cruel as not to allay the pain of your green wound2 and1 therefore1 claim ,christ still as your own1 and own ,him as your ,one thing4 ,so resting1 ,i recommend your ,ladyship1 your soul and spirit1 in pawn to ,him who keepeth ,his ,father's pawns1 and will make an account of them faithfully1 even to that fairest amongst the sons of men1 our sweet ,lord ,jesus1 the fairest1 the sweetest1 the most delicious ,rose of all ,his ,father's great field4 ,the smell of that ,rose perfume your soul6 ,your ,ladyship's1 in his sweetest ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,april #a1 #afcc4 ,,xxix4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,christ ,,with ,,his ,,people ,,in ,,the ,,furnace ,,of ,,affliction--,,prayer47 ,,dear ,,sister1--,i longed much to have conferred with you at this time4 ,i am grieved at anything in your house that grieveth you2 and shall1 by my ,lord's grace1 suit my ,lord to help you to bear your burden1 and to come in behind you1 and give you and your burdens a put up the mountain4 ,know you not that ,christ wooeth ,his wife in the furnace8 ,behold1 ,i have refined thee1 but not with silver2 ,i have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction 7,isa4 xlviii4 #aj74 ,he casteth ,his love on you when you are in the furnace of affliction4 ,you might indeed be casten down if ,he brought you in and left you there2 but when ,he leadeth you through the waters1 think ye not that ,he has a sweet1 soft hand8 ,you know ,his love-grip already2 you shall be delivered1 wait on4 ,jesus will make a road1 and come and fetch home the captive4 ,you shall not die in prison2 but your strokes are such as were your ,husband's1 who was wounded in the house of ,his friends4 ,strokes are not newings to ,him1 and neither are they to you4 ,but your winter night is near spent2 it is near-hand the dawning4 ,i will see you leap for joy4 ,the kirk shall be delivered4 ,this wilderness shall bud and grow up like a rose4 ,christ got a charter of ,scotland from ,his ,father2 and who will bereave ,him of ,his heritage1 or put our ,redeemer out of ,his mailing1 until ,his tack be run out8 ,i must have you praying for me3 ,i am black shamed for evermore now with ,christ's goodness2 and in private1 on the #agth and #ahth of ,august1 ,i got a full answer of my ,lord to be a graced minister1 and a chosen arrow hidden in ,his own quiver4 ,but know this1 assurance is not keeped but by watching and prayer2 and1 therefore1 dear mistress1 help me4 ,i have gotten now 7honour to my ,lord67 the gate to open the slote1 and shut the bar of ,his door2 and ,i think it easy to get anything from the ,king by prayer1 and to use holy violence with ,him4 ,christ was in ,carsphairne#abd kirk1 and opened the people's hearts wonderfully4 ,jesus is looking up that water2 and minting to dwell amongst them4 ,i would we could give ,him ,his welcome home to the moors4 ,now peace and grace be upon you and all yours4 ,yours in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,aug4 #bj1 #afcc4 #abd ,the village and church of ,carsphairn stood not far from ,kenmure ,castle1 and very near ,earlston and ,knockgray4 ,the road from ,dalmellington is bare1 with steep1 rocky hills on either side of the glen4 ,the ,ken may be meant by that water in the next sentence4 ,,xxx4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,rank ,,and ,,prosperity ,,hinder ,,progress--,,watchfulness--,,case ,,of ,,relatives47 ,,madam1--,i determined1 and was desirous also1 to have seen your ladyship1 but because of a pain in my arm ,i could not4 ,i know ye will not impute it to any unsuitable forgetfulness of your ,ladyship1 from whom1 at my first entry to my calling in this country 7and since also71 ,i received such comfort in my affliction as ,i trust in ,god never to forget1 and shall labour by ,his grace to recompense in the only way possible to me2 and that is1 my presenting your soul1 person1 house1 and all your necessities1 in prayer to ,him1 whose ,i hope you are1 and who is able to keep you till that ,day of ,appearance1 and to present you before ,his face with joy4 ,i am confident your ,ladyship is going forward in the begun journey to your ,lord and ,father's home and kingdom4 ,howbeit ye want not temptations within and without4 ,and who among the saints hath ever taken that castle without stroke of sword8 the ,chief of the house1 our ,elder ,brother1 our ,lord ,jesus1 not being excepted1 who won ,his own house and home1 due to ,him by birth1 with much blood and many blows4 ,your ,ladyship hath the more need to look to yourself1 because our ,lord hath placed you higher than the rest1 and your way to heaven lieth through a more wild and waste wilderness than the way of many of your fellow-travellers1--not only through the midst of this wood of thorns1 the cumbersome world1 but also through these dangerous paths1 the vain-glory of it2 the consideration whereof hath often moved me to pity your soul1 and the soul of your worthy and noble husband4 ,and it is more to you to win heaven1 being ships of greater burden1 and in the main sea1 than for little vessels1 that are not so much in the mercy and reverence of the storms1 because they may come quietly to their port by launching alongst the coast4 ,for the which cause ye do much1 if in the midst of such a tumult of business1 and crowd of temptations1 ye shall give ,christ ,jesus ,his own court and ,his own due place in your soul4 ,i know and am persuaded1 that that lovely ,one1 ,jesus1 is dearer to you than many kingdoms2 and that ye esteem ,him your ,well-beloved1 and the ,standard-bearer among ten thousand 7,cant4 v4 #aj74 ,and it becometh ,him full well to take the place and the board-head in your soul before all the world4 ,i knew and saw ,him with you in the furnace of affliction2 for there he wooed you to ,himself1 and chose you to be ,his2 and now ,he craveth no other hire of you but your love1 and that ,he get no cause to be jealous of you4 ,and1 therefore1 dear and worthy lady1 be like to the fresh river1 that keepeth its own fresh taste in the salt sea4 ,this world is not worthy of your soul4 ,give it not a good-day when ,christ cometh in competition with it4 ,be like one of another country4 ,home6 and stay not2 for the sun is fallen low1 and nigh the tops of the mountains1 and the shadows are stretched out in great length4 ,linger not by the way4 ,the world and sin would train you on1 and make you turn aside4 ,leave not the way for them2 and the ,lord ,jesus be at the voyage6 ,madam1 many eyes are upon you1 and many would be glad your ,ladyship should spill a ,christian1 and mar a good professor4 ,lord ,jesus1 mar their godless desires1 and keep the conscience whole without a crack6 ,if there be a hole in it1 so that it take in water at a leak1 it will with difficulty mend again4 ,it is a dainty1 delicate creature1 and a rare piece of the workmanship of your ,maker2 and therefore deal gently with it1 and keep it entire1 that amidst this world's glory your ,ladyship may learn to entertain ,christ4 ,and whatsoever creature your ,ladyship findeth not to smell of ,him1 may it have no better relish to you than the white of an egg4 ,madam1 it is a part of the truth of your profession to drop words in the ears of your noble husband continually of eternity1 judgment1 death1 hell1 heaven1 the honourable profession1 the sins of his father's house4 ,he must reckon with ,god for his father's debt3 forgetting of accounts payeth no debt4 ,nay1 the interest of a forgotten bond runneth up with ,god to interest upon interest4 ,i knoweth he looketh homeward1 and loveth the truth2 but ,i pity him with my soul because of his many temptations4 ,satan layeth upon men a burden of cares above a load1#abe and maketh a pack-horse of men's souls when they are wholly set upon this world4 ,we owe the devil no such service4 ,it were wisdom to throw off that load into a mire1 and cast all our cares over upon ,god4 #abe ,a burden above a load1 or a load above a burden1 is a phrase for a very heavy weight4 ,madam1 think ye have no child4 ,subscribe a bond to your ,lord that she shall be ,his if ,he take her2 and thanks1 and praise1 and glory to ,his holy name shall be the interest for a year's loan of her4 ,look for crosses1 and while it is fair weather mend the sails of the ship4 ,now hoping your ,ladyship will pardon my tediousness1 ,i recommend your soul and person to the grace and mercy of our sweet ,lord ,jesus1 in whom ,i am1 ,your ,ladyship's1 at all dutiful obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,nov4 #ae1 #afcc4 ,,xxxi4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,a ,,union ,,for ,,prayer ,,recommended47 ,,madam1--,having received a letter from some of the worthiest of the ministry in this kingdom1 the contents whereof ,i am desired to communicate to such professors in these parts as ,i know love the beauty of ,zion1 and are afflicted to see the ,lord's vineyard trodden under foot by the wild boars out of the wood1 who lay it waste1 ,i could not but also desire your ,ladyship's help to join with the rest1 desiring you to impart it to my ,lord your husband1 and if ye think it needful1 ,i shall write to his ,lordship1 as ,mr4 ,g4 ,g4#abf shall advertise me4 #abf ,mr4 ,george ,gillespie2 see ,letter cxliv4 ,know1 therefore1 that the best affected of the ministry have thought it convenient and necessary1 at such a time as this1 that all who love the truth should join their prayers together1 and cry to ,god with humiliation and fasting4 ,the times1 which are agreed upon1 are the two first ,sabbaths of ,february next1 and the six days intervening betwixt these ,sabbaths1 as they may conveniently be had1 and the first ,sabbath of every quarter4 ,and the causes1 as they are written to me1 are these3 #a4 ,besides the distresses of the ,reformed churches abroad1 the many reigning sins of uncleanness1 ungodliness1 and unrighteousness in this land1 the present judgments on the land1 and many more hanging over us1 whereof few are sensible1 or yet know the right and true cause of them4 #b4 ,the lamentable and pitiful estate of a glorious church 7in so short a time1 against so many bonds71 in doctrine1 sacrament1 and discipline1 so sore persecuted1 in the persons of faithful pastors and professors1 and the door of ,god's house kept so straight by bastard porters1 insomuch that worthy instruments1 able for the work1 are held at the door1 the rulers having turned over religion into policy1 and the multitude ready to receive any religion that shall be enjoined by authority4 #c4 ,in our humiliation1 besides that we are under a necessity of deprecating ,god's wrath1 and vowing to ,god sincerely new obedience1 the weakness1 coldness1 silence1 and lukewarmness of some of the best of the ministry1 and the deadness of professors1 who have suffered the truth both secretly to be stolen away1 and openly to be plucked from us1 would be confessed4 #d4 ,atheism1 idolatry1 profanity1 and vanity1 should be confessed2 our king's heart recommended to ,god2 and ,god intreated1 that ,he would stir up the nobles and the people to turn from their evil ways4 ,thus1 ,madam1 hoping that your ,ladyship will join with others1 that such a work be not slighted1 at such a necessary time1 when our kirk is at the overturning1 ,i will promise to myself your help1 as the ,lord in secrecy and prudence shall enable you1 that your ,ladyship may rejoice with the ,lord's people1 when deliverance shall come2 for true and sincere humiliation come always speed with ,god4 ,and when authority1 king1 court1 and churchmen oppose the truth1 what other armour have we but prayer and faith8 whereby1 if we wrestle with ,him1 there is ground to hope that those who would remove the burdensome stone 7,zech4 xii4 #c7 out of its place1 shall but hurt their back1 and the stone shall not be moved1 at least not removed4 ,grace1 grace be with you1 from ,him who hath called you to the inheritance of the saints in light4 ,your ,ladyship's at all submissive obedience in his sweet ,lord ,jesus4 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,jan4 #bc1 #afcd4 ,,xxxii4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,state ,,and ,,prospects ,,of ,,the ,,church--,,satan47 ,,mistress1--,my love in ,christ remembered4 ,i am in care and fear for this work of our ,lord's1 now near approaching1 because of the danger of the time2 and ,i dare not for my soul be silent1 to see my ,lord's house burning1 and not cry ,fire1 fire6 ,therefore1 seek from our ,lord wisdom spiritual1 and not black policy1 to speak with liberty our ,lord's truth4--,i am cast down1 and would fain have access and presence to ,the ,king that day1 even howbeit ,i should break up iron doors4 ,i believe you will not forget me2 and you will desire ,jean ,brown1 ,thomas ,carson1 and ,marion ,carson1 to help me4 ,pray for well-cooked meat and a heartsome ,saviour1 with joy crying1 ,welcome in ,my ,father's name4 ,i am confident ,zion shall be well2 the ,bush shall burn and not consume1 for the good will of ,him that dwelt in the bush4 ,but the ,lord is making on a fire in ,jerusalem1 and purposeth to blow the bellows1 and to melt the tin and brass1 and bring out a fair beautiful bride out of the furnace1 that will be married over again upon the new ,husband1 and sing as in the days of her youth1 when the contract of marriage is written over again4 ,but ,i fear the bride be hidden for a time from the dragon that pursueth the woman with child4 ,but what1 howbeit we go and lurk in the wilderness for a time8 for the ,lord will take ,his kirk to the wilderness and speak to her heart4 ,nothing casteth me down1 but only ,i fear the ,lord will cast down the shepherd's tents1 and feed his own in a secret place4 ,but let us1 however matters frame1 cast over the affairs of the bride upon the ,bridegroom2 the government is upon ,his shoulders1 and ,he dow bear us all well enough4 ,that fallen star1 the prince of the bottomless pit1 knoweth it is near the time when he shall be tormented2 and now in his evening he has gathered his armies1 to win one battle or two1 in the edge of the evening1 at the sun going down4 ,and when our ,lord has been watering ,his vineyards in ,france1 and ,germany1 and ,bohemia1 how can we think ourselves ,christ's sister1 if we be not like ,him1 and our other great sisters8 ,i cannot but think1 seeing the ends of the earth are given to ,christ 7,psa4 ii4 #h71 and ,scotland is the end of the earth1 and so we are in ,christ's charter-tailzie1 but our ,lord will keep ,his possession4 ,we fall by promise and law to ,christ4 ,he won us with the sweat of ,his brow1 if ,i may say so2 ,his ,father promised ,him ,his liferent of ,scotland4 ,glory1 glory to our ,king6 long may ,he wear ,his crown4 ,o ,lord1 let us never see another ,king6 ,o let ,him come down like rain upon the new-mown grass6 ,i had you in remembrance on ,saturday in the morning last1 in a great measure1 and was brought1 thrice on end1 in remembrance of you in my prayer to ,god4 ,grace1 grace be your portion4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,march #b1 #afcd4 ,,xxxiii4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,in ,,prospect ,,of ,a ,,communion ,,season47 ,,mistress1--,my love in ,christ remembered4 ,please you understand1 to my grief1 our ,communion is delayed till ,sabbath come eight days2 the laird and lady hath earnestly desired me to delay it1 because the laird is sick1 and he fears he be not able to travel1 because he has lately taken physic4 ,the ,lord bless that work4 ,commend it to ,god as you love me1 for ,i love not ,satan's thorns cast in the ,lord's way4 ,the ,lord rebuke him4 ,i trust in ,god's mercy1 ,satan has gotten but a delay1 but no free discharge that his kingdom shall not be hurt4 ,commend the laird to your ,god4 ,i pray you advertise your people1 that they be not disappointed in coming here4 ,show such of them as you love in ,christ1 from me1 that ,jesus ,christ will be welcome1 when ,he comes1 in that ,he has sharpened their desires for eight days space4 ,your daughter is well1 ,i hope1 every way4 ,forget not ,god's kirk2 they are but bastards1 and not sons and daughters1 that mourn not for ,zion4 ,lord hear us6 ,no further4 ,jesus ,christ be with your spirit4 ,i shall remember you and your new house4 ,lord ,jesus go from the one house to the other4 ,yours at all power in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 ,,xxxiv4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,prospects ,,of ,,the ,,church--,,christ',s ,,care ,,for ,,the ,,children ,,of ,,believers47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,sister1--,my old and dearest love in ,christ remembered4 ,know that ,i have been visiting my ,lady ,kenmure4 ,her child is with the ,lord4 ,i entreat you1 visit her1 and desire the goodwife#abg of ,barcapple to visit her1 and ,knockbrecks 7,mr4 ,gordon71 if you see him in the town4 ,my ,lord her husband is absent1 and ,i think she will be heavy4 ,you know what ,mr4 ,w4 ,dalgleish and ,i desired you to deal for1 at my ,lord ,kirkcudbright's hand4 ,send me word if you obtained anything at my ,lord's hands1 anent the giving up of our names to the ,high ,commission2 for ,i hear it is not for nothing that the ,bishop hath taken that course4 ,our ,lord knows best what is good for an old kirk that has fallen from her first love1 and hath forgotten her ,husband days without number4 ,a trial is like to come on2 but ,i am sure our ,husbandman ,christ shall lose chaff1 but no corn at all4 ,yet there is a dry wind coming1 but neither to fan nor to purge4 ,happy are they who are not blown away with the chaff1 for we will but suffer temptation for ten days2 but those who are faithful to the death shall receive the crown of life4 ,i hear daily what hath been spoken of myself1 most unjustly and falsely2 and no marvel1 the dragon1 with the swing of his tail1 hath made the third part of the stars to fall from heaven1 and the fallen stars would have many to fall with them4 ,if ever ,satan was busy1 now1 when he knoweth his time is short1 he is busy4 ,yet a little while1 and ,he that shall come will come1 and will not tarry4 ,i know1 ere it be long1 the ,lord shall come and redd all pleas betwixt us and our enemies4 ,now welcome1 ,lord ,jesus1 go fast4 #abg ,barcaple is in the stewartry of ,kirkcudbright1 in the parish of ,tongueland4 ,send me word about ,grizel1 your daughter1 whom ,i remember in ,christ2 and desire her to cast herself in ,his arms who was born of a woman1 and1 being the ,ancient of days1 was made a young weeping child4 ,it was not for nothing that our brother ,jesus was an infant4 ,it was that ,he might pity infants of believers1 who were to come out of the womb into the world4 ,i believe our ,lord ,jesus shall be waiting on1 with mercy1 mercy1 mercy1 to the end of that battle1 and bring her through with life and peace1 and a sign of ,god's favour4 ,i will expect advertisement from you1 and especially if you fear her4 ,mistress1 you remember that ,i said to you anent your love to me and my brother1 begun in ,christ2 you know we are here but strangers1 and you have not yet found us a dry well1 as others have been4 ,be not overcome of any suspicion4 ,i trust in ,god that the ,lord1 who knit us together1 shall keep us together4 ,it is time now that the lambs of ,jesus should all run together1 when the wolf is barking at them2 yet ,i know1 ere ,god's bairns want a cross1 their love among themselves shall be a cross2 but our ,lord giveth love for another end4 ,i know you will1 with love1 cover infirmities2 and our ,lord give you wisdom in all things4 ,i think love hath broad shoulders1 and will bear many things1 and yet neither faint nor sweat1 nor fall under the burden4 ,commend me to your husband and dear ,grizel4 ,i think on her4 ,lord ,jesus be in the furnace with her1 and then she will but smoke and not burn4 ,desire ,mr4 ,robert#abh to excuse my not seeing of him at his house4 ,i have my own reasons therefor4#abi ,grace1 mercy1 and peace be with you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,april #be1 #afcd4 #abh ,mr4 ,robert ,glendinning1 the minister4 #abi ,for this2 as in our metre version1 ,ps4 cvi4 #dj1 etc4 ,,xxxv4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure1 on the death of a child4 7,,god ,,measures ,,our ,,days--,,bereavements ,,ripen ,,us ,,for ,,the ,,harvest47 ,,madam1--,all submissive and dutiful obedience in our ,lord ,jesus remembered4 ,i trust ,i need not much entreat your ,ladyship to look to ,him who hath stricken you at this time2 but my duty1 in the memory of that comfort ,i found in your ,ladyship's kindness1 when ,i was no less heavy 7in a case not unlike that71 speaketh to me to say something now4 ,and ,i wish ,i could ease your ,ladyship1 at least with words4 ,i am persuaded your ,physician will not slay you1 but purge you1 seeing ,he calleth ,himself the ,chirurgeon1 who maketh the wound and bindeth it up again2 for to lance a wound is not to kill1 but to cure the patient 7,deut4 xxxii4 #ci74 ,i believe faith will teach you to kiss a striking ,lord2 and so acknowledge the sovereignty of ,god 7in the death of a child7 to be above the power of us mortal men1 who may pluck up a flower in the bud and not be blamed for it4 ,if our dear ,lord pluck up one of ,his roses1 and pull down sour and green fruit before harvest1 who can challenge ,him8 ,for ,he sendeth us to ,his world1 as men to a market1 wherein some stay many hours1 and eat and drink1 and buy and sell1 and pass through the fair1 till they be weary2 and such are those who live long1 and get a heavy fill of this life4 ,and others again come slipping in to the morning market1 and do neither sit nor stand1 nor buy nor sell1 but look about them a little1 and pass presently home again2 and these are infants and young ones1 who end their short market in the morning1 and get but a short view of the ,fair4 ,our ,lord1 who hath numbered man's months1 and set him bounds that he cannot pass 7,job xiv4 #e71 hath written the length of our market1 and it is easier to complain of the decree than to change it4 ,i verily believe1 when ,i write this1 your ,lord hath taught your ,ladyship to lay your hand on your mouth4 ,but ,i shall be far from desiring your ,ladyship1 or any others1 to cast by a cross1 like an old useless bill that is only for the fire2 but rather would wish each cross were looked in the face seven times1 and were read over and over again4 ,it is the messenger of the ,lord1 and speaks something2 and the man of understanding will hear the rod1 and ,him that hath appointed it4 ,try what is the taste of the ,lord's cup1 and drink with ,god's blessing1 that ye may grow thereby4 ,i trust in ,god1 whatever speech it utter to your soul1 this is one word in it1--,behold1 blessed is the man whom ,god correcteth 7,job v4 #ag72 and that it saith to you1 ,ye are from home while here2 ye are not of this world1 as your ,redeemer1 ,christ1 was not of this world4 ,there is something keeping for you1 which is worth the having4 ,all that is here is condemned to die1 to pass away like a snowball before a summer sun2 and since death took first possession of something of yours1 it hath been and daily is creeping nearer and nearer to yourself1 howbeit with no noise of feet4 ,your ,husbandman and ,lord hath lopped off some branches already2 the tree itself is to be transplanted to the high garden4 ,in a good time be it4 ,our ,lord ripen your ,ladyship4 ,all these crosses 7and indeed1 when ,i remember them1 they are heavy and many1--peace1 peace be the end of them67 are to make you white and ripe for the ,lord's harvest-hook4 ,i have seen the ,lord weaning you from the breasts of this world4 ,it was never ,his mind it should be your patrimony2 and ,god be thanked for that4 ,ye look the liker one of the heirs4 ,let the movables go2 why not8 ,they are not yours4 ,fasten your grips upon the heritage2 and our ,lord ,jesus make the charters sure1 and give your ,ladyship to grow as a palm-tree on ,god's mount ,zion2 howbeit shaken with winds1 yet the root is fast4 ,this is all ,i can do1 to recommend your case to your ,lord1 who hath you written upon the palms of ,his hand4 ,if ,i were able to do more1 your ,ladyship may believe me that gladly ,i would4 ,i trust shortly to see your ,ladyship4 ,now ,he who hath called you confirm and stablish your heart in grace1 unto the ,day of the ,liberty of the ,sons of ,god4 ,your ,ladyship's at all submissive obedience in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,april #bi1 #afcd4 ,,xxxvi4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,choice ,,of ,a ,,commissioner ,,for ,,parliament47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,mistress1--,my love in ,christ remembered4 ,i hear this day your town is to choose a commissioner for the ,parliament2 and ,i was written to from ,edinburgh1 to see that good men should be chosen in your bounds4 ,and ,i have heard this day that ,robert ,glendoning or ,john ,ewart look to be chosen4 ,i beseech you see this be not4 ,the ,lord's cause craveth other witnesses to speak for ,him than such men2 and1 therefore1 let it not be said that ,kirkcudbright1 which is spoken of in this kingdom for their religion1 hath sent a man to be their mouth that will speak against ,christ4 ,such a time as this will not fall out once in half an age4 ,i would intreat your husband to take it upon him4 ,it is an honourable and necessary service for ,christ2 and shew him that ,i wrote unto you for that effect4 ,i fear ,william ,glendoning hath not skill and authority4 ,i am in great heaviness4 ,pray for me1 for we must take our life in our hand in this ill time4 ,let us stir up ourselves1 to lay our ,lord's bride and her wrongs before our ,husband and ,lord4 ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,may #bj4 ,,xxxvii4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,on ,,the ,,death ,,of ,,lord ,,kenmure--,,designs ,,of ,,and ,,duties ,,of ,,affliction47 ,,my ,,very ,,noble ,,and ,,worthy ,,lady1--,so oft as ,i call to mind the comforts that ,i myself1 a poor friendless stranger1 received from your ,ladyship here in a strange part of the country1 when my ,lord took from me the delight of mine eyes 7,ezek4 xxiv4 #af71 as the ,word speaketh 7which wound is not yet fully healed and cured71 ,i trust your ,lord shall remember that1 and give you comfort now at such a time as this1 wherein your dearest ,lord hath made you a widow1 that ye may be a free woman for ,christ1 who is now suiting for marriage-love of you4 ,and therefore1 since you lie alone in your bed1 let ,christ be as a bundle of myrrh1 to sleep and lie all the night betwixt your breasts 7,cant4 i4 #ac71 and then your bed is better filled than before4 ,and seeing1 amongst all crosses spoken of in our ,lord's ,word1 this giveth you a particular right to make ,god your ,husband 7which was not so yours while your husband was alive71 read ,god's mercy out of this visitation2 albeit ,i must out of some experience say1 the mourning for the husband of your youth be1 by ,god's own mouth1 the heaviest worldly sorrow 7,joel i4 #h74 ,and though this be the weightiest burden that ever lay upon your back2 yet ye know 7when the fields are emptied and your husband now asleep in the ,lord71 if ye shall wait upon ,him who hideth ,his face for a while1 that it lieth upon ,god's honour and truth to fill the field1 and to be a ,husband to the widow4 ,see and consider then what ye have lost1 and how little it is4 ,therefore1 ,madam1 let me intreat you1 in the bowels of ,christ ,jesus1 and by the comforts of ,his ,spirit1 and your appearance before ,him1 let ,god1 and men1 and angels now see what is in you4 ,the ,lord hath pierced the vessel2 it will be known whether there be in it wine or water4 ,let your faith and patience be seen1 that it may be known your only beloved first and last hath been ,christ4 ,and1 therefore1 now ware your whole love upon ,him2 ,he alone is a suitable object for your love and all the affections of your soul4 ,god hath dried up one channel of your love by the removal of your husband4 ,let now that speat run upon ,christ4 ,your ,lord and lover hath graciously taken out your husband's name and your name out of the summonses that are raised at the instance of the terrible sin-revenging ,judge of the world against the house of the ,kenmures4 ,and ,i dare say that ,god's hammering of you from your youth is only to make you a fair carved stone in the high upper temple of the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,your ,lord never thought this world's vain painted glory a gift worthy of you2 and therefore would not bestow it on you1 because ,he is to propine you with a better portion4 ,let the movables go2 the inheritance is yours4 ,ye are a child of the house1 and joy is laid up for you2 it is long in coming1 but not the worse for that4 ,i am now expecting to see1 and that with joy and comfort1 that which ,i hoped of you since ,i knew you fully1 even that ye have laid such strength upon the ,holy ,one of ,israel1 that ye defy troubles1 and that your soul is a castle that may be besieged1 but cannot be taken4 ,what have ye to do here8 ,this world never looked like a friend upon you4 ,ye owe it little love4 ,it looked ever sour-like upon you4 ,howbeit ye should woo it1 it will not match with you2 and therefore never seek warm fire under cold ice4 ,this is not a field where your happiness groweth2 it is up above1 where there are a great multitude1 which no man can number1 of all nations1 and kindreds1 and people1 and tongues1 standing before the throne and before the ,lamb1 clothed with white robes1 and palms in their hands 7,rev4 vii4 #i74 ,what ye could never get here ye shall find there4 ,and withal consider how in all these trials 7and truly they have been many7 your ,lord hath been loosing you at the root from perishing things1 and hunting after you to grip your soul4 ,madam1 for the ,son of ,god's sake1 let ,him not miss ,his grip1 but stay and abide in the love of ,god1 as ,jude saith 7,jude #ba74 ,now1 ,madam1 ,i hope your ,ladyship will take these lines in good part2 and wherein ,i have fallen short and failed to your ,ladyship1 in not evidencing what ,i was obliged to your more-than-undeserved love and respect1 ,i request for a full pardon for it4 ,again1 my dear and noble lady1 let me beseech you to lift up your head1 for the day of your redemption draweth near4 ,and remember1 that star that shined in ,galloway is now shining in another world4 ,now ,i pray that ,god may answer1 in ,his own style1 to your soul1 and that ,he may be to you the ,god of all consolations4 ,thus ,i remain1 ,your ,ladyship's at all dutiful obedience in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,sept4 #ad1 #afcd4 ,,xxxviii4--,to ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,christ',s ,,care ,,of ,,his ,,church1 ,,and ,,his ,,judgments ,,on ,,her ,,enemies47 ,,mistress1--,my dearest love in ,christ remembered4 ,i entreat you charge your soul to return to rest1 and to glorify your dearest ,lord in believing2 and know that for the good-will of ,him that dwelleth in the bush1 the burning kirk shall not be consumed to ashes2 but ,blessing shall come on the head of ,joseph1 and upon the top of the head of him that was separate from his brethren 7,deut4 xxxiii4 #af74 ,and are not the saints separate from their brethren1 and sold and hated8 ,for the archers have sorely grieved ,joseph1 and shot at him and hated him2 but his bow abode in strength1 and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty ,god of ,jacob 7,gen4 xlix4 #bc1 #bd74 ,from ,him is the ,shepherd and the ,stone of ,israel4 ,the ,stone of ,israel shall not be broken in pieces2 it is hammered upon by the children of this world1 and we shall live and not die4 ,our ,lord hath done all this1 to see if we will believe1 and not give over2 and ,i am persuaded you must of necessity stick by your work4 ,the eye of ,christ hath been upon all this business2 and ,he taketh good heed to who is for ,him1 and who is against ,him4 ,let us do our part1 as we would be approved of ,christ4 ,the ,son of ,god is near to ,his enemies4 ,if they were not deaf1 they may hear the dinn of ,his feet2 and ,he will come with a start upon ,his weeping bairns1 and take them on ,his knee1 and lay their head in ,his bosom1 and dry their watery eyes4 ,and this day is fast coming4 ,yet a little time1 and the vision will speak1 it will not tarry 7,hab4 ii4 #c74 ,these questions betwixt us and our adversaries will all be decided in yonder day1 when the ,son of ,god shall come1 and redd all pleas2 and it will be seen whether we or they have been for ,christ1 and who have been pleading for ,baal4 ,it is not known what we are now2 but when our life shall appear in glory1 then we shall see who laughs fastest that day4 ,therefore1 we must possess our souls in patience1 and go into our chamber and rest1 while the indignation be past4 ,we shall not weep long when our ,lord shall take us up1 in the day that ,he gathereth ,his jewels4 ,they that feared the ,lord spoke often one to another1 and the ,lord hearkened and heard it1 and a book of remembrance was written before ,him1 for them that feared the ,lord1 and thought upon ,his name 7,mal4 iii4 #af74 ,i shall never be of another faith1 but that our ,lord is heating a furnace for the enemies of ,his kirk in ,scotland4 ,it is true the spouse of ,christ hath played the harlot1 and hath left her first ,husband1 and the enemies think they offend not1 for we have sinned against the ,lord2 but they shall get the devil to their thanks4 ,the rod shall be cast into the fire1 that we may sing as in the days of our youth4 ,my dear friend1 therefore1 lay down your head upon ,christ's breast4 ,weep not2 the ,lion of the tribe of ,judah will arise4 ,the sun is gone down upon the prophets1 and our gold is become dim1 and the ,lord feedeth ,his people with waters of gall and wormwood2 yet ,christ standeth but behind the wall1 ,his bowels are moved for ,scotland4 ,he waiteth1 as ,isaiah saith1 that ,he may show mercy4 ,if we could go home1 and take our brethren with us1 weeping with our face towards ,zion1 asking the way thitherward1 ,he would bring back our captivity4 ,we may not think that ,god has no care of ,his honour1 while men tread it under their feet2 ,he will clothe ,himself with vengeance1 as with a cloak1 and appear against our enemies for our deliverance4 ,ye were never yet beguiled1 and ,god will not now begin with you4 ,wrestle still with the angel of the covenant1 and you shall get the blessing4 ,fight6 ,he delighteth to be overcome by wrestling4 ,commend me to ,grizel4 ,desire her to learn to know the adversaries of the ,lord1 and to take them as her adversaries1 and to learn to know the right gate into the ,son of ,god4 ,o but acquaintance with the ,son of ,god1 to say1 ,my ,well-beloved is mine1 and ,i am ,his1 is a sweet and glorious course of life1 that none know but those who are sealed and marked in the forehead with ,christ's mark1 and the new name1 that ,christ writeth upon ,his own4 ,grace1 grace1 and mercy be with you4 ,yours in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,sept4 #be1 #afcd4 ,,xxxix4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,preparation ,,for ,,death ,,and ,,eternity47 ,,madam1--,all dutiful obedience in our ,lord remembered4 ,i know ye are now near one of those straits in which ye have been before4 ,but because your outward comforts are fewer1 ,i pray ,him whose ye are to supply what ye want another way4 ,for howbeit we cannot win to the bottom of ,his wise providence1 who ruleth all2 yet it is certain this is not only good which the ,almighty hath done1 but it is best4 ,he hath reckoned all your steps to heaven2 and if your ,ladyship were through this water1 there are the fewer behind2 and if this were the last1 ,i hope your ,ladyship hath learned by on-waiting to make your acquaintance with death1 which being to the ,lord1 the woman's seed1 ,jesus1 only a bloody heel and not a broken head 7,gen4 iii4 #ae71 cannot be ill to ,his friends1 who get far less of death than ,himself4 ,therefore1 ,madam1 seeing ye know not but the journey is ended1 and ye are come to the water-side1 in ,god's wisdom look all your papers and your counts1 and whether ye be ready to receive the kingdom of heaven as a little child1 in whom there is little haughtiness and much humility4 ,i would be far from discouraging your ,ladyship2 but there is an absolute necessity that1 near eternity1 we look ere we leap1 seeing no man winneth back again to mend his leap4 ,i am confident your ,ladyship thinketh often upon it1 and that your old ,guide shall go before you and take your hand4 ,his love to you will not grow sour1 nor wear out of date1 as the love of men1 which groweth old and grey-haired often before themselves4 ,ye have so much the more reason to love a better life than this1 because this world hath been to you a cold fire1 with little heat to the body1 and as little light1 and much smoke to hurt the eyes4 ,but1 ,madam1 your ,lord would have you thinking it but dry breasts1 full of wind and empty of food4 ,in this late visitation that hath befallen your ,ladyship1 ye have seen ,god's love and care1 in such a measure that ,i thought our ,lord brake the sharp point off the cross1 and made us and your ,ladyship see ,christ take possession and infeftment upon earth1 of him who is now reigning and triumphing with the hundred forty and four thousand who stand with the ,lamb on ,mount ,zion4 ,i know the sweetest of it is bitter to you2 but your ,lord will not give you painted crosses4 ,he pareth not all the bitterness from the cross1 neither taketh ,he the sharp edge quite from it2 then it should be of your waling and not of ,his1 which should have as little reason in it as it should have profit for us4 ,only1 ,madam1 ,god commandeth you now to believe and cast anchor in the dark night1 and climb up the mountain4 ,he who hath called you1 establish you and confirm you to the end4 ,i had a purpose to have visited your ,ladyship2 but when ,i thought better upon it1 the truth is1 ,i cannot see what my company would profit you2 and this hath broken off my purpose1 and no other thing4 ,i know many honourable friends and worthy professors will see your ,ladyship1 and that the ,son of ,god is with you1 to whose love and mercy1 from my soul1 ,i recommend your ,ladyship1 and remain1 ,your ,ladyship's at all dutiful obedience1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,nov4 #bi1 #afcd4 ,,xl4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,when ,,mr4 ,,rutherford ,,had ,,the ,,prospect ,,of ,,being ,,removed ,,from ,,anwoth47 ,,madam1--,my humble obedience in the ,lord remembered4 ,know it hath pleased the ,lord to let me see1 by all appearance1 that my labours in ,god's house here are at an end2 and ,i must now learn to suffer1 in the which ,i am a dull scholar4 ,by a strange providence1 some of my papers1 anent the corruptions of this time1 are come to the ,king's hand4 ,i know1 by the wise and well-affected ,i shall be censured as not wise nor circumspect enough2 but it is ordinary1 that that should be a part of the cross of those who suffer for ,him4 ,yet ,i love and pardon the instrument2 ,i would commit my life to him1 howbeit by him this hath befallen me4 ,but ,i look higher than to him4 ,i make no question of your ,ladyship's love and care to do what ye can for my help1 and am persuaded that1 in my adversities1 your ,ladyship will wish me well4 ,i seek no other thing but that my ,lord may be honoured by me in giving a testimony4 ,i was willing to do ,him more service2 but seeing ,he will have no more of my labours1 and this land will thrust me out1 ,i pray for grace to learn to be acquaint with misery1 if ,i may give so rough a name to such a mark of those who shall be crowned with ,christ4 ,and howbeit ,i will possibly prove a faint-hearted1 unwise man in that1 yet ,i dare say ,i intend otherwise2 and ,i desire not to go on the lee-side or sunny side of religion1 or to put truth betwixt me and a storm3 my ,saviour did not so for me1 who in ,his suffering took the windy side of the hill4 ,no farther2 but the ,son of ,god be with you4 ,your ,ladyship's in the ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,dec4 #e1 #afcd4 ,,xli4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,the ,,church',s ,,trials--,,comfort ,,under ,,temptations--,,deliverance--,a ,,message ,,to ,,the ,,young47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,sister1--,my love in ,christ remembered4 ,i hear of good news anent our kirk2 but ,i fear that our ,king will not be resisted1 and therefore let us not be secure and careless4 ,i do wonder if this kirk come not through our ,lord's fan1 since there is so much chaff in it2 howbeit ,i persuade myself1 the ,son of ,god's wheat will not be blown away4 ,let us be putting on ,god's armour1 and be strong in the ,lord4 ,if the devil and ,zion's enemies strike a hole in that armour1 let our ,lord see to that2--let us put it on1 and stand4 ,we have ,jesus on our side2 and they are not worthy such a ,captain1 who would not take a blow at ,his back4 ,we are in sight of ,his colours2 ,his banner over us is love2 look up to that white banner1 and stand1 ,i persuade you1 in the ,lord of victory4 ,my brother writeth to me of your heaviness1 and of temptations that press you sore4 ,i am content it be so3 you bear about with you the mark of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,so it was with the ,lord's apostle1 when he was to come with the ,gospel to ,macedonia 7#b ,cor4 vii4 #e73 his flesh had no rest2 he was troubled on every side1 and knew not what side to turn him unto2 without were fightings1 and within were fears4 ,in the great work of our redemption1 your lovely1 beautiful1 and glorious ,friend and ,well-beloved ,jesus1 was brought to tears and strong cries2 so as ,his face was wet with tears and blood1 arising from a holy fear and the weight of the curse4 ,take a drink of the ,son of ,god's cup1 and love it the better that ,he drank of it before you4 ,there is no poison in it4 ,i wonder many times that ever a child of ,god should have a sad heart1 considering what their ,lord is preparing for them4 ,is your mind troubled anent that business that we have now in hand in ,edinburgh4#acj ,i trust in my ,lord1 the ,lord shall in the end give to you your heart's desire2 even howbeit the business frame not1 the ,lord shall feed your soul1 and all the hungry souls in that town4 ,therefore ,i request you in the ,lord1 pray for a submissive will1 and pray as your ,lord ,jesus bids you1 ,thy will be done on earth1 as it is in heaven4 ,and let it be that your faith be brangled with temptations1 believe ye that there is a tree in our ,lord's garden that is not often shaken with wind from all the four airts8 ,surely there is none4 ,rebuke your soul1 as the ,lord's prophet doth3 ,why art thou cast down1 ,o my soul8 why art thou disquieted within me8 7,psalm xliii4 #aa74 ,that was the word of a man who was at the very over-going of the brae and mountain2 but ,god held a grip of him4 ,swim through your temptations and troubles to be at that lovely1 amiable person1 ,jesus1 to whom your soul is dear4 ,in your temptations run to the promises3 they be our ,lord's branches hanging over the water1 that our ,lord's silly1 half-drowned children may take a grip of them2 if you let that grip go1 you will fall to the ground4 ,are you troubled with the case of ,god's kirk8 ,our ,lord will evermore have her betwixt the sinking and the swimming4 ,he will have her going through a thousand deaths1 and through hell1 as a cripple woman1 halting1 and wanting the power of her one side 7,micah iv4 #f1 #g71 that ,god may be her staff4 ,that broken ship will come to land1 because ,jesus is the pilot4 ,faint not2 you shall see the salvation of ,god1--else say1 that ,god never spake ,his word by my mouth2 and ,i had rather never have been born1 ere it were so with me4 ,but my ,lord hath sealed me4 ,i dare not deny ,i have also been in heaviness since ,i came from you1 fearing for my unthankfulness that ,i be deserted4 ,but the ,lord will be kind to me1 whether ,i will or not4 ,i repose that much in ,his rich grace1 that ,he will be loath to change upon me4 ,as you love me1 pray for me in this particular4 #acj ,efforts to obtain redress from grievances inflicted by the prelatic party4 ,after advising with ,carletoun1 ,i have written to ,mr4 ,david ,dickson anent ,mr4 ,hugh ,m',kail1#aca and desired him to write his mind to ,carletoun1 and ,carletoun to ,edinburgh1 that they may particularly remember ,mr4 ,hugh to the ,lord2 and ,i happened upon a convenient trusty bearer by ,god's wonderful providence4 #aca ,see ,letter ,,lxxi4 ,no further4 ,i recommend you to the ,lord's grace1 and your husband and children4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,edinburgh1 #afcd4 ,p4,s4--,,mistress1--,i had not time to give my advice to your daughter ,grizel2 you shall carry my words therefore to her4 ,show her now1 that in respect of her tender age1 she is in a manner as clean paper1 ready to receive either good or ill2 and that it were a sweet and glorious thing for her to give herself up to ,christ1 that ,he may write upon her ,his ,father's name1 and ,his own new name4 ,and desire her to acquaint herself with the ,book of ,god2 the promises that our ,lord writes upon ,his own1 and performeth in them and for them1 are contained there4 ,i persuade you1 when ,i think that she is in the company of such parents1 and hath occasion to learn ,christ1 ,i think ,christ is wooing her soul2 and ,i pray ,god she may not refuse such a husband4 ,and therefore ,i charge her1 and beseech her by the mercies of ,god1 by the wounds and blood of ,him who died for her1 by the word of truth1 which she heareth1 and can read1 by the coming of the ,son of ,god to judge the world1 that she would fulfil your joy1 and learn ,christ1 and walk in ,christ4 ,she shall think this the truth of ,god many years after this2 and ,i will promise to myself1 in respect of the beginnings that ,i have seen1 that she shall give herself to ,him that gave ,himself for her4 ,let her begin at prayer2 for if she remember her ,creator in the days of her youth1 ,he will claim kindness to her in her old age4 ,it shall be a part of my prayers1 that this may be effectual in her1 by ,him who is able to do exceeding abundantly1 to whose grace again ,i recommend you1 and her1 and all yours4 ,,xlii4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,the ,,world ,,passeth ,,away--,,special ,,portions ,,of ,,the ,,word ,,for ,,the ,,afflicted--,,call ,,to ,,kirkcudbright47 ,,madam1--,the cause of my not writing to your ,ladyship was not my forgetfulness of you1 but the want of the opportunity of a convenient bearer2 for ,i am under more than a simple obligation to be kind 7on paper1 at least7 to your ,ladyship4 ,i bless our ,lord1 through ,christ1 who hath brought you home again to your own country from that place1#acb where ye have seen with your eyes that which our ,lord's truth taught you before1 to wit1 that worldly glory is nothing but a vapour1 a shadow1 the foam of the water1 or something less and lighter1 even nothing2 and that our ,lord hath not without cause said in ,his ,word1 ,the countenance1 or fashion1 of this world passeth away 7#a ,cor4 vii4 #ca7--;in which place our ,lord compareth it to an image in a looking-glass1 for it is the looking-glass of ,adam's sons4 ,some come to the glass1 and see in it the picture of honour1--and but a picture indeed1 for true honour is to be great in the sight of ,god2 and others see in it the shadow of riches1--and but a shadow indeed1 for durable riches stand as one of the maids of ,wisdom upon her left hand 7,prov4 iii4 #af72 and a third sort see in it the face of painted pleasures1 and the beholders will not believe but the image they see in this glass is a living man1 till the ,lord come and break the glass in pieces and remove the face1 and then1 like ,pharaoh awakened1 they say1 ,and behold it was a dream4 ,i know your ,ladyship thinketh yourself little in the common of this world1 for the favourable aspect of any of these three painted faces2 and blessed be our ,lord that it is so4 ,the better for you1 ,madam2 they are not worthy to be wooers1 to suit in marriage your soul1 that look to no higher match than to be married upon painted clay4 ,know1 therefore1 ,madam1 the place whither our ,lord ,jesus cometh to woo a bride1 it is even in the furnace3 for if ye be one of ,zion's daughters 7which ,i ever put beyond all question1 since ,i first had occasion to see in your ,ladyship such pregnant evidences of the grace of ,god71 the ,lord1 who hath ,his fire in ,zion1 and ,his furnace in ,jerusalem 7,isa4 xxxi4 #i71 is purifying you in the furnace4 ,and therefore be content to live in it1 and every day to be adding and sewing-to a pasment to your wedding garment1 that ye may be at last decored and trimmed as a bride for ,christ1 a bride of ,his own busking1 beautified in the hidden man of the heart4 ,forgetting your father's house1 so shall the ,king greatly desire your beauty 7,psalm xlv4 #aa74 ,if your ,ladyship be not changed 7as ,i hope ye are not71 ,i believe ye esteem yourself to be of those whom ,god hath tried these many years1 and refined as silver4 ,but1 ,madam1 ,i will show your ,ladyship a privilege that others want1 and ye have1 in this case4 ,such as are in prosperity1 and are fatted with earthly joys1 and increased with children and friends1 though the ,word of ,god is indeed written to such for their instruction1 yet to you1 who are in trouble 7spare me1 ,madam1 to say this71 from whom the ,lord hath taken many children1 and whom ,he hath exercised otherwise1 there are some chapters1 some particular promises in the ,word of ,god1 made in a most special manner1 which should never have been yours1 so as they now are1 if you had your portion in this life1 as others4 ,and1 therefore1 all the comforts1 promises1 and mercies ,god offereth to the afflicted1 they are as so many love-letters written to you4 ,take them to you1 ,madam1 and claim your right1 and be not robbed4 ,it is no small comfort1 that ,god hath written some scriptures to you1 which ,he hath not written to others4 ,ye seem rather in this to be envied than pitied2 and ye are indeed in this1 like people of another world1 and those that are above the ordinary rank of mankind1 whom our ,king and ,lord1 our ,bridegroom ,jesus1 in ,his love-letter to ,his well-beloved spouse1 hath named beside all the rest4 ,he hath written comforts and ,his hearty commendations in the #edth of ,isaiah1 #d1 #e2 ,psalm cxlvii4 #b1 #c1 to you4 ,read these and the like1 and think your ,god is like a friend that sendeth a letter to a whole house and family1 but speaketh in ,his letter to some by name1 that are dearest to ,him in the house4 ,ye are1 then1 ,madam1 of the dearest friends of the ,bridegroom4 ,if it were lawful1 ,i would envy you1 that ,god honoured you so above many of ,his dear children4 ,therefore1 ,madam1 your part is1 in this case 7seeing ,god taketh nothing from you but that which ,he is to supply with ,his own presence71 to desire your ,lord to know ,his own room1 and take it even upon ,him to come in1 in the room of dead children4 ,jehovah1 know ,thy own place1 and take it to ,thee1 is all ye have to say4 #acb ,edinburgh4 ,madam1 ,i persuade myself that this world is to you an unco inn2 and that ye are like a traveller1 who hath his bundle upon his back1 and his staff in his hand1 and his feet upon the door-threshold4 ,go forward1 honourable and elect lady1 in the strength of your ,lord 7let the world bide at home and keep the house71 with your face toward ,him1 who longeth more for a sight of you than ye can do for ,him4 ,ere it be long1 ,he will see us4 ,i hope to see you laugh as cheerfully after noon1 as ye have mourned before noon4 ,the hand of the ,lord1 the hand of the ,lord be with you in your journey4 ,what have ye to do here8 ,this is not your mountain of rest4 ,arise1 then1 and set your foot up the mountain2 go up out of the wilderness1 leaning upon the shoulder of your ,beloved 7,song viii4 #e74 ,if ye knew the welcome that abideth you when ye come home1 ye would hasten your pace2 for ye shall see your ,lord put up ,his own holy hand to your face1 and wipe all tears from your eyes2 and ,i trow1 then ye shall have some joy of heart4 ,madam1 paper willeth me to end before affection4 ,remember the estate of ,zion2 pray that ,jerusalem may be as ,zechariah prophesied1 a burdensome stone for all 7,zech4 xii4 #c71 that whosoever boweth down to roll the stone out of the way1 may hurt and break the joints of their back1 and strain their arms1 and disjoint their shoulder-blades4 ,and pray ,jehovah that the stone may lie still in its own place1 and keep band with the cornerstone4 ,i hope it shall be so2 ,he is a skilled ,master-builder who laid it4 ,i would1 ,madam1 under great heaviness be refreshed with two lines from your ,ladyship1 which ,i refer to your own wisdom4 ,madam1 ,i would seem undutiful not to show you1 that great solicitation is made by the town of ,kirkcudbright for to have the use of my poor labours amongst them4 ,if the ,lord shall call1 and ,his people cry1 who am ,i to resist8 ,but without ,his seen calling1 and till the flock whom ,i now oversee be planted with one to whom ,i dare intrust ,christ's spouse1 gold nor silver nor favour of men1 ,i hope1 shall not loose me4 ,i leave your ,ladyship1 praying more earnestly for grace and mercy to be with you1 and multiplied upon you1 here and hereafter1 than my pen can express4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,your ,ladyship's at all obedience in the ,lord4 ,,kirkcudbright4 ,,xliii4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,when ,,mr4 ,,rutherford ,,was ,,in ,,difficulty ,,as ,,to ,,accepting ,a ,,call ,,to ,,kirkcudbright1 ,,and ,,cramond47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,dear ,,mistress1--,my love in ,christ remembered4 ,i am grieved at the heart to write anything to you to breed heaviness to you2 and what ,i have written1 ,i wrote with much heaviness4 ,but ,i entreat you in ,christ's name1 when my soul is under wrestlings1 and seeking direction from our ,lord 7to whom ,his vineyard belongeth7 whither ,i shall go1 give me liberty to advise1 and try all airts and paths1 to see whether ,he goeth before me and leadeth me4 ,for if ,i were assured of ,god's call to your town1 let my arm fall from my shoulder-blade and lose power1 and my right eye be dried up 7which is the judgment of the idol shepherd7 7,zech4 xi4 #ag71 if ,i would not swim through the water without a boat ere ,i sat ,his bidding4 ,but if ye knew my doubtings and fears in that1 ye would suffer with me4 ,whether they be temptations or impediments cast in by my ,god1 ,i know not4 ,but you have now cause to thank ,god2 for seeing the ,bishop hath given you such a promise1 he will give you an honest man more willingly than he will permit me to come to you4 ,and1 as ,i ever entreated you1 put the business out of your hand in the ,lord's reverence2#acc and try of ,him1 if ye have warrant of ,him to seek no man in the world but one only1 when there are choice of good men to be had4 ,howbeit they be too scarce1 yet they are4 ,and what ,god saith to me in the business1 ,i resolve by ,his grace to do2 for ,i know not what ,he will do with me4 ,but ,god shall fill you with joy ere this business be ended2 for ,i persuade myself our ,lord ,jesus hath stirred you up already to do good in the business1 and ye shall not lose your reward4 #acc ,referring to a promise made to the people of ,kirkcudbright by the ,bishop of ,galloway1 to give them a man according to their own mind1 provided they would not choose ,mr4 ,rutherford4 ,i have heard your husband and ,samuel have been sick4 ,the man who is called the ,branch and ,god's fellow1 who standeth before ,his ,father1 will be your stay and help 7,zech4 xiii4 #g74 ,i would ,i were able to comfort your soul4 ,but have patience1 and stand still2 he that believeth maketh not haste4 ,this matter of ,cramond1 cast in at this time1 is either a temptation1 having fallen out at this time2 or then it will clear all my doubts1 and let you see the ,lord's will4 ,but ,i never knew my own part in the business till now4 ,i thought ,i was more willing to have embraced the charge in your town1 than ,i am1 or am able to win to4 ,i know ye pray that ,god would resolve me what to do2 and will interpret me1 as love biddeth you1 which thinketh not ill1 and believeth all things1 and hopeth all things4 ,would ye have more than the ,son of ,god8 and ye have ,him already4 ,and ye shall be fed by the carver of the meat1 be he who he will2 and those who are hungry look more to the meat than to the carver4 ,i cannot see you the next week4 ,if my lady come home1 ,i must visit her4 ,the week thereafter will be a ,presbytery at ,girthon4 ,god will dispose of the meeting4 ,grace upon you1 and your seed1 and husband4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 ,,xliv4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,troubles ,,threatening ,,the ,,church47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,sister1--,my love in ,jesus ,christ remembered4 ,your daughter is well1 thanks be to ,god4 ,i trust in ,him ye shall have joy of her2 the ,lord bless her4 ,i am now presently going about catechising4 ,the bearer is in haste4 ,forget not poor ,zion2 and the ,lord remember you1 for we shall be shortly winnowed4 ,jesus1 pray for us1 that our faith fail not6 ,i would wish to see you a ,sabbath with us1 and we shall stir up one another1 ,god willing1 to seek the ,lord2 for it may be ,he hide ,himself from us ere it be long4 ,keep that which you have3 ye will get more in heaven4 ,the ,lord send us to the shore out of all the storms1 with our silly souls sound and whole with us2 for if liberty of conscience come1 as is rumoured1 the best of us will be put to our wits to seek how to be freed4 ,but we shall be like those who have their chamber to go in unto1 spoken of in ,isaiah 7,isa4 xxvi4 #bj74 ,read the place yourself1 and keep you within your house while the storm be passed4 ,if you can learn a ditty against ,c41 try1 and cause try1 that ye may see the ,lord's righteous judgment upon the devil's instruments4 ,we are not much obliged to his kindness4 ,i wish all such wicked doers were cut off4 ,these in haste4 ,i bless you in ,god's name1 and all yours4 ,your daughter desires a ,bible and a gown4 ,i hope she shall use the ,bible well1 which if she do1 the gown is the better bestowed4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours for ever in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 ,,xlv4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,in ,,the ,,prospect ,,of ,,the ,,communion1 ,,and ,,of ,,trials ,,to ,,the ,,church47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,sister ,,in ,,christ1--,you shall understand ,i have received a letter from ,edinburgh1 that it is suspected that there will be a ,general ,assembly1 or then some meeting of the bishops2 and that at this synod there will be some commissioners chosen by the ,bishop2 which news have so taken up my mind that ,i am not so settled for studies as ,i have been before1 and therefore was never in such fear for the work4 ,but because it is written to me as a secret1 ,i dare not reveal it to any but to yourself1 whom ,i know4 ,and therefore1 ,i entreat you not for any comfort of mine1 who am but one man1 but for the glory and honour of ,jesus ,christ1 the ,master of the banquet1 be more earnest with ,god2 and1 in general1 show others of your ,christian acquaintance my fears for myself4 ,i can be content of shame in that work1 if my ,lord and ,master be honoured2 and therefore petition our ,lord especially to see to ,his own glory1 and to give bread to ,his hungry bairns1 howbeit ,i go hungry away from the feast4 ,bequest ,mr4 ,robert#acd from me1 if he come not1 to remember us to our ,lord4 #acd ,mr4 ,robert ,glendinning4 ,i have neither time1 nor a free disposed mind1 to write to you anent your own case4 ,send me word if all your children and your husband be well4 ,seeing they are not yours1 but your dear ,lord's1 esteem them but as borrowed1 and lay them down at ,god's feet4 ,your ,christ to you is better than they all4 ,you will pardon my unaccustomed short letter2 and remember me and that honourable feast to our ,lord ,jesus4 ,he was with us before4 ,i hope ,he will not change upon us2 but ,i fear ,i have changed upon ,him4 ,but1 ,lord1 let old kindness stand4 ,jesus ,christ be with your spirit4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 ,,xlvi4--,to ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,tossings ,,of ,,spirit--,,her ,,children ,,and ,,husband47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,and ,,dear ,,sister1--,my tender affection in ,christ remembered4 ,i left you in as great heaviness as ,i was in since ,i came to this country2 but ,i know you doubt not but that 7as the truth is in ,christ7 my soul is knit to your soul1 and to the soul of all yours2 and ,i would1 if ,i could1 send you the largest part of my heart inclosed in this letter4 ,but by fervent calling upon my ,lord1 ,i have attained some victory over my heart1 which runneth often not knowing whither1 and over my beguiling hopes1 which ,i know now better than ,i did4 ,i trust in my ,lord to hold aloof from the enticings of a seducing heart1 by which ,i am daily cosened2 and ,i mind not 7by ,his grace who hath called me according to ,his eternal purpose7 to come so far within the grips of my foolish mind1 gripping about any folly coming its way as the woodbine or ivy goeth about the tree4 ,i adore and kiss the providence of my ,lord1 who knoweth well what is most expedient for me1 and for you and your children2 and ,i think of you as of myself1 that the ,lord1 who in ,his deep wisdom turneth about all the wheels and turning of such changes1 shall also dispose of that for the best to you and yours4 ,in the presence of my ,lord1 ,i am not able1 howbeit ,i would1 to conceive amiss of you in that matter4 ,grace1 grace for ever be upon you and your seed1 and it shall be your portion1 in despite of all the powers of darkness4 ,do not make more question of this4 ,but the ,lord saw a nail in my heart loose1 and ,he hath now fastened it4 ,honour be to ,his ,majesty4 ,i hear your son is entered to the school4 ,if ,i had known of the day1 ,i would have begged from our ,lord that ,he would have put the book in his hand with ,his own hand4 ,i trust in my ,lord it is so2 and ,i conceive a hope to see him a star1 to give light in some room of our ,lord's house2 and purpose1 by the ,lord's grace1 as ,i am able 7if our ,lord call you to rest before me71 when you are at your home1 to do to the uttermost of my power to help him every way in grace and learning1 and his brothers1 and all your children4 ,and ,i hope you would expect that of me4 ,further1 you shall know that ,mr4 ,w4 ,d4#ace is come home1 who saith it is a miracle that your husband1 in this process before the ,council1 escaped both discredit and damage4 ,let it not be forgotten he was1 in our apprehension1 to our grief1 cast down and humbled in the ,lord's work1 in that matter betwixt him and the bailie3 now the ,lord hath honoured him1 and made him famous for virtue1 honesty1 and integrity1 two several times1 before the nobles of this kingdom4 ,your ,lord liveth4 ,we will go to ,his throne of grace again2 ,his arm is not shortened4 #ace ,william ,dalgleish1 minister of ,kirkdale and ,kirkmabreck4 ,see ,letter ,,cxvii4 ,the ,king is certainly expected4 ,ill is feared2 we have cause for our sins to fear that the ,bridegroom shall be taken from us4 ,by our sins we have rent ,his fair garments1 and we have stirred up and awakened our ,beloved4 ,pray ,him to tarry1 or then to take us with ,him4 ,it were good that we should knock and rap at our ,lord's door4 ,we may not tire to knock oftener than twice or thrice4 ,he knoweth the knock of ,his friends4 ,i am still what ,i was ever to your dear children1 tendering their soul's happiness1 and praying that grace1 grace1 grace1 mercy1 and peace from ,god1 even ,god our ,father1 and from our ,lord ,jesus1 may be their portion2 and that now1 while they are green and young1 their hearts may take band with ,jesus1 the ,cornerstone3 and win once in1 in our ,lord and ,saviour's house1 and then they will not get leave to flit4 ,pray for me1 and especially for humility and thankfulness4 ,i have always remembrance of you1 and your husband1 and dear children4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours evermore in my dear ,lord ,jesus and yours1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 ,,xlvii4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,submission ,,to ,,god',s ,,arrangements47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,beloved ,,mistress1--,my love in ,christ remembered4 ,i have sent you a letter from ,mr4 ,david ,dick#acf concerning the placing of ,mr4 ,hugh ,m',kail with themselves2 therefore ,i write to you now only to entreat you in ,christ not to be discouraged thereat4 ,be submissive to the will of your dear ,lord1 who knoweth best what is good for your soul and your town both2 for ,god can come over greater mountains than these1 we believe2 for ,he worketh ,his greatest works contrary to carnal reason and means4 ,my ways are not1 saith our ,lord1 as your ways2 neither are my thoughts as your thoughts 7,isa4 lv4 #h74 ,i am no whit put from my belief for all that4 ,believe1 pray1 and use means4 ,we shall cause ,mr4 ,john ,kerr1 who conveyed myself to ,lochinvar1#acg to use means to seek a man1 if ,mr4 ,hugh fail us4 ,our ,lord has a little bride among you1 and ,i trust ,he will send one to woo her to our sweet ,lord ,jesus4 ,he will not want ,his wife for the suiting1 and ,he has means in abundance in ,his hand to open all the slots and bars that ,satan draws over the door4 ,he cometh to ,his bride leaping over the mountains1 and skipping over the hills4 ,his way to ,his spouse is full of stones1 mountains1 and waters1 yet ,he putteth in ,his foot and wadeth through4 ,he will not want her2 and therefore refresh me with two words concerning your confidence and courage in our ,lord1 both about that1 and about ,his own ,zion2 for ,he wooeth ,his wife in the ,burning ,bush2 and for the good-will of ,him that dwelleth in the ,bush1 the bush is not consumed4 ,it is better to weep with ,jerusalem in the forenoon1 than to weep with ,babel after noon1 in the end of the day4 ,our day of laughter and rejoicing is coming4 ,yet a little while1 and ye shall see the salvation of ,god4 ,i long to see you1 and to hear how your children are1 especially ,samuel4 ,grace be their heritage and portion from the ,lord1 and the ,lord be their lot1 and then their inheritance shall please them well4 ,remember my love to your husband4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours in his sweetest ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 #acf ,david ,dickson4 #acg ,about four miles east from ,earlston4 ,it has a small loch1 where are ruins of an old castle4 ,,xlviii4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,troubles ,,from ,,false ,,brethren--,,occurrences--,,christ',s ,,coming--,,intercession47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,sister1--,i know you have heard of the success of our business in ,edinburgh4 ,i do every ,presbytery day see the faces of my brethren smiling upon me1 but their tongues convey reproaches and lies of me a hundred miles off1 and have made me odious to the ,bishop of ,st4 ,andrews1 who said to ,mr4 ,w4 ,dalgleish that ministers in ,galloway were his informers4 ,whereupon no letter of favour could be procured from him for effectuating of our business2 only ,i am brought in the mouths of men1 who otherwise knew me not1 and have power 7if ,god shall permit7 to harm me4 ,yet ,i entreat you1 in the bowels of ,christ ,jesus1 be not cast down4 ,i fear your sorrow exceed because of this2 and ,i am not so careful for myself in the matter as for you4 ,take courage2--your dearest ,lord will light your candle1 which the wicked would fain blow out2 and1 as sure as our ,lord liveth1 your soul shall find joy and comfort in this business4 ,howbeit you see all the hounds in hell let loose to mar it1 their iron chains to our dear and mighty ,lord are but straws1 which ,he can easily break4 ,let not this temptation stick in your throat2 swallow it1 and let it go down2 our ,lord give you a drink of the consolations of ,his ,spirit1 that it may digest4 ,you never knew one in ,god's book who put to their hand to the ,lord's work for ,his kirk1 but the world and ,satan did bark against them1 and bite also where they had power4 ,you will not lay one stone on ,zion's walls but they will labour to cast it down again4 ,for myself1 the ,lord letteth me see now greater evidence of a calling to ,kirkcudbright than ever ,he did before2 and therefore pray1 and possess your soul in patience4 ,those that were doers in the business have good hopes that it will yet go forward and prosper4 ,as for the death of the ,king of ,sweden 7which is thought to be too true71 we can do nothing else but reverence our ,lord1 who doth not ordinarily hold ,zion on her rock by the sword1 and arm of flesh and blood1 but by ,his own mighty and outstretched arm4 ,her ,king that reigneth in ,zion yet liveth1 and they are plucking ,him round about to pull ,him off ,his throne2 but ,his ,father hath crowned him1 and who dare say1 ,it is ill done8 ,the ,lord's bride will be up and down1 above the water swimming and under the water sinking1 until her lovely and mighty ,redeemer and ,husband set ,his head through the skies1 and come with ,his fair court to red all their pleas1 and give them the hoped-for inheritance3 and then we shall lay down our swords and triumph1 and fight no more4 ,but do not think1 for all this1 that our ,lord and ,chief ,shepherd will want one weak sheep1 or the silliest dying lamb1 that ,he hath redeemed4 ,he will tell ,his flock1 and gather them all together1 and make a faithful account of them to the ,father who gave them to ,him4 ,let us learn to turn our eyes off men1 that our whorish hearts doat not on them1 and woo our old ,husband1 and make ,him our darling4 ,for1 thus saith the ,lord to the enemies of ,zion1 ,drink ye1 and be drunk1 and spue1 and fall1 and rise no more1 because of the sword that ,i send amongst you4 ,and it shall be1 if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink1 then shalt thou say to them1 ,thus saith the ,lord of ,hosts1 ,ye shall certainly drink 7,jer4 xxv4 #bg1 #bh74 ,you see our ,lord brewing a cup of poison for ,his enemies1 which they must drink1 and because of this have sore bowels and sick stomachs1 yea1 burst4 ,but when ,zion's captivity is at an end1 the children of ,israel shall come1 they and the children of ,judah together1 going and weeping3 they shall go1 and seek the ,lord their ,god4 ,they shall ask the way to ,zion1 with their faces thitherward1 saying1 ,come1 and let us join ourselves to the ,lord in an everlasting covenant that shall not be forgotten 7,jer4 i4 #de74 ,this is spoken to us1 and for us1 who with woe hearts ask1 ,what is the way to ,zion8 ,it is our part who know how to go to our ,lord's door1 and to knock by prayer1 and how to lift ,christ's slot1 and shut the bar of ,his chamber door1 to complain and tell ,him how the ,lord handleth us1 and how our ,king's business goeth1 that ,he may get up and lend them a blow1 who are tigging and playing with ,christ and ,his spouse4 ,you have also1 dear ,mistress1 house troubles1 in sickness of your husband and bairns1 and in spoiling of your house by thieves2 take these rods in patience from your ,lord4 ,he must still move you from vessel to vessel1 and grind you as our ,lord's wheat1 to be bread in ,his house4 ,but when all these strokes are over your head1 what will ye say to see your well-beloved ,christ's white and ruddy face1 even ,his face who is worthy to bear the colours among ten thousand8 7,cant4 v4 #aj74 ,hope and believe to the end4 ,grace for ever be multiplied upon you1 your husband1 and children4 ,your own in his dearest ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,edinburgh1 ,dec4 #afcd4 ,,xlix4--,to ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,spoiling ,,of ,,goods--,,call ,,to ,,kirkcudbright--,,the ,,lord ,,reigneth47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,and ,,dear ,,sister1--,my love in ,christ remembered4 ,god hath brought me home from a place where ,i have been exercised with great heaviness1 and ,i have found at home new matter of great heaviness1 yet dare not but in all things give thanks4 ,in my business in ,edinburgh1#ach ,i have not sinned nor wronged my party1--by his own confession1 and by the confession of his friends1 ,i have given of my goods for peace and the saving of my ,lord's truth from reproaches1 which is dearer to me than all ,i have4 ,my mother is weak1 and ,i think shall leave me alone2 but ,i am not alone1 because ,christ's ,father is with me4 #ach ,see note1 ,letter ,,xii4 ,for your business anent your town ,i see great evidence2 but ,satan and his instruments are against it1 and few set their shoulders to ,christ's shoulder to help ,him4 ,but ,he will do all ,his lone2 and ,i dare not but exhort you to believe1 and persuade you1 that the hungry in your city shall be fed2 and as for the rest that want a stomach1 the parings of ,god's loaf will suffice them2 and1 therefore1 believe it shall be well4 ,i may not leave my mother to come and confer with you of all particulars4 ,i have given such directions to our dear friend as ,i can2 but the event is in our dear ,lord's hands4 ,god's ,zion abroad flourisheth1 and ,his arm is not shortened with us1 if we could believe4 ,there is scarcity and a famine of the word of ,god in ,edinburgh4 ,your sister ,jane laboureth mightily in our business2 but hath not as yet gotten an answer from ,i4 ,p4 ,mr4 ,a4 ,c4#aci will work what he can4 ,my ,lady saith she can do little1 and that it suiteth not her nor her husband well to speak in such an affair4 ,i told her my mind plainly4 #aci ,probably ,mr4 ,alexander ,colville1 mentioned ,letter ,,xi4 ,i long to know of your estate4 ,remember me heartily to your dear husband4 ,grace be the portion of your bairns4 ,i know you are mindful of the green wound of our sister kirk in ,ireland4 ,bid our ,lord lay a plaister to it 7,he hath good skill to do so71 and set others to work4 ,grace1 grace upon your soul1 and body1 and all yours4 ,yours in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 ,the following brief note1 addressed to ,marion ,m',naught1 may be read as a sort of postscript to the foregoing1 though generally printed as a separate ,letter4 ,,dear ,,mistress1--,i have not time this day to write to you2 but ,god1 knowing my present state and necessities of my calling1 will1 ,i hope1 spare my mother's life for a time1 for the which ,i have cause to thank the ,lord4 ,i entreat you1 be not cast down for that which ,i wrote before to you anent the planting of a minister in your town4 ,believe1 and you shall see the salvation of ,god4 ,i write this1 because when you suffer1 my heart suffereth with you4 ,i do believe your soul shall have joy in your labours and holy desires for that work4 ,grace upon you1 and your husband1 and children4 ,yours ever in ,christ1 ,,anwoth4 ,l4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,christ ,,coming ,,as ,,captain ,,of ,,salvation--,,his ,,church',s ,,conflict ,,and ,,covenant--,,the ,,jews--,,last ,,days ,,apostasy47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,and ,,dear ,,sister1--,i know your heart is cast down for the desolation like to come upon this kirk and the appearance that an hireling shall be thrust in upon ,christ's flock in that town2 but send a heavy heart up to ,christ1 it shall be welcome4 ,those who are with the beast and the dragon1 must make war with the ,lamb2 but the ,lamb shall overcome them3 for ,he is ,lord of lords1 and ,king of kings2 and they who are with ,him are called and chosen1 and faithful 7,rev4 xvii4 #ad74 ,our ten days shall have an end2 all the former things shall be forgotten when we shall be up before the throne4 ,christ hath been ever thus in the world2 ,he hath always the defender's part1 and hath been still in the camp1 fighting the ,church's battles4 ,the enemies of the ,son of ,god will be fed with their own flesh1 and shall drink their own blood2 and therefore1 their part of it shall at last be found hard enough3 so that we may look forward and pity them4 ,until the number of the elect be fulfilled1 ,christ's garments must be rolled in blood4 ,he cometh from ,edom1 from the slaughter of ,his enemies1 clothed with dyed garments1 glorious in ,his apparel1 travelling in the greatness of ,his strength4 ,who is this 7saith he7 that appears in this glorious posture8 ,our great ,he6 that ,he who is mighty to save1 whose glory shineth while ,he sprinkleth the blood of ,his adversaries1 and staineth all ,his raiment4 ,the glory of ,his righteous revenges shineth forth in these stains 7,isa4 lxiii4 #a74 ,but seeing our world is not here-away1 we poor children1 far from home1 must steal through many waters1 weeping as we go1 and withal believing that we do the ,lord's faithfulness no wrong1 seeing ,he hath said1 ,i1 even ,i1 am ,he that comforteth you3 who art thou1 that shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die1 and of the son of man that shall be made as grass8 7,isa4 li4 #ab74 ,when thou passest through the waters1 ,i will be with thee2 and through the rivers1 they shall not overflow thee4 ,when thou walkest through the fire1 thou shalt not be burnt2 neither shall the flames kindle upon thee 7,isa4 xliii4 #b74 ,there is a cloud gathering and a storm coming4 ,this land shall be turned upside down2 and if ever the ,lord spake to me 7think on it71 ,christ's bride will be glad of a hole to hide her head in1 and the dragon may so prevail as to chase the woman and her man-child over sea4 ,but there shall be a gleaning1 two or three berries left in the top of the olive-tree1 of whom ,god shall say1 ,destroy them not1 for there is a blessing in them4 ,thereafter there shall be a fair sun-blink on ,christ's old spouse1 and a clear sky1 and she shall sing as in the days of her youth4 ,the ,antichrist and the great red dragon will lop ,christ's branches1 and bring ,his vine to a low stump1 under the feet of those who carry the mark of the beast2 but the ,plant of ,renown1 the ,man whose name is the ,branch1 will bud forth again and blossom as the rose1 and there shall be fair white flourishes again1 with most pleasant fruits1 upon that tree of life4 ,a fair season may ,he have6 ,grace1 grace be upon that blessed and beautiful tree6 under whose shadow we shall sit1 and ,his fruit shall be sweet to our taste4 ,but ,christ shall woo ,his handful in the fire1 and choose ,his own in the furnace of affliction4 ,but be it so2 ,he dow not1 ,he will not slay ,his children4 ,love will not let ,him make a full end4 ,the covenant will cause ,him hold ,his hand4 ,fear not1 then1 saith the ,first and the ,last1 ,he who was dead and is alive4 ,we see not ,christ sharpening and furbishing ,his sword for ,his enemies2 and therefore our faithless hearts say1 as ,zion did1 ,the ,lord hath forsaken me4 ,but ,god reproveth her1 and saith1 ,well1 well1 ,zion1 is that well said8 ,think again on it1 you are in the wrong to ,me4 ,can a woman forget her sucking child1 that she should not have compassion on the fruit of her womb8 ,yea1 she may2 yet will ,i not forget thee4 ,behold1 ,i have engraven thee upon the palms of ,my hands 7,isa4 xlix4 #ae1 #af74 ,you break your heart and grow heavy1 and forget that ,christ hath your name engraven on the palms of ,his hand in great letters4 ,in the name of the ,son of ,god1 believe that buried ,scotland1 dead and buried with her dear ,bridegroom1 shall rise the third day again1 and there shall be a new growth after the old timber is cut down4 ,i recommend you1 and your burdens and heavy heart1 to the supporting of ,his grace and good-will who dwelt in the ,bush1 to ,him who was separated from ,his brethren4 ,try your husband afar off1 to see if he can be induced to think upon going to ,america4 ,o to see the sight1 next to ,christ's ,coming in the clouds1 the most joyful6 our elder brethren the ,jews and ,christ fall upon one another's necks and kiss each other6 ,they have been long asunder2 they will be kind to one another when they meet4 ,o day6 ,o longed-for and lovely day-dawn6 ,o sweet ,jesus1 let me see that sight which will be as life from the dead1 ,thee and ,thy ancient people in mutual embraces4#adj #adj ,in the ,preface to his ,peaceable ,plea1 he expresses the same yearnings towards the ,jews4 ,and also in ,trial of ,faith1 sermon xiii4 ,desire your daughter to close with ,christ upon terms of suffering for ,him2 for the cross is an old mealing and plot of ground that lyeth to ,christ's house4 ,our dear ,chief had aye that rent lying to ,his inheritance4 ,but tell her the day is near the dawning1 the sky is riving2 our ,beloved will be on us1 ere ever we be aware4 ,the ,antichrist1 and death and hell1 and ,christ's enemies and ours1 will be bound and cast into the bottomless pit4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,april #bb1 #afce4 ,,li4--,to ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,public ,,temptations--,,the ,,security ,,of ,,every ,,saint--,,occurrences ,,in ,,the ,,country-,,side47 ,,loving ,,and ,,dear ,,sister1--,for ,zion's sake hold not your peace1 neither be discouraged1 for the on-going of this persecution4 ,jehovah is in this burning ,bush4 ,the floods may swell and roar1 but our ark shall swim above the waters2 it cannot sink1 because a ,saviour is in it4 ,because our ,beloved was not let in by ,his spouse when ,he stood at the door1 with ,his wet and frozen head1 therefore ,he will have us to seek ,him awhile2 and while we are seeking1 the watchmen who go about the walls have stricken the poor woman1 and have taken away her veil from her4 ,but yet a little while and our ,lord will come again4 ,scotland's sky will clear again2 her moment must go over4 ,i dare in faith say and write 7,i am not dreaming71 ,christ is but seeking 7what ,he will have and make7 a clean glistering bride out of the fire4 ,god send ,him ,his errand1 but ,he cannot want what ,he seeks4 ,in the meantime1 one way or other1 ,he shall find1 or make a nest for ,his mourning dove4 ,what is this we are doing1 breaking the neck of our faith8 ,we are not come as yet to the mouth of the ,red ,sea2 and howbeit we were1 for ,his honour's sake1 ,he must dry it up4 ,it is our part to die gripping and holding fast ,his faithful promise4 ,if the ,beast should get leave to ride through the land1 to seal such as are his1 he will not get one lamb with him1 for these are secured and sealed as the servants of ,god4 ,in ,god's name1 let ,christ take ,his barn-floor1 and all that is in it1 to a hill1 and winnow it4 ,let ,him sift ,his corn1 and sweep ,his house1 and seek ,his lost gold4 ,the ,lord shall cog the rumbling wheels1 or turn them2 for the remainder of wrath doth ,he restrain4 ,he can loose the belt of kings2 to ,god1 their belt1 wherewith they are girt1 is knit with a single draw-knot4 ,as for a pastor to your town1 your conscience can bear you witness you have done your part4 ,let the ,master of the vineyard now see to ,his garden1 seeing you have gone on1 till ,he hath said1 ,stand still4 ,the will of the ,lord be done4 ,but a trial is not1 to give up with ,god and believe no more4 ,i thank my ,god in ,christ1 ,i find the force of my temptation abated1 and its edge blunted1 since ,i spoke to you last4 ,i know not if the tempter be hovering1 until he find the dam gather again1 and me more secure2 but it hath been my burden1 and ,i am yet more confident the ,lord will succour and deliver4 ,i intend1 ,god willing1 that our ,communion shall be celebrated the first ,sabbath after ,pasch4 ,our ,lord1 that great ,master of the feast1 send us one hearty and heartsome supper1 for ,i look it shall be the last4 ,but we expect1 when the shadows shall flee away1 and our ,lord shall come to ,his garden1 that ,he shall feed us in green pastures without fear4 ,the dogs shall not then be hounded out amongst the sheep4 ,i earnestly desire your prayers for assistance at our work1 and put others with you to do the same4 ,remember me to your husband1 and desire your daughter to be kind to ,christ1 and seek to win near ,him2 ,he will give her a welcome unto ,his house of wine1 and bring her into the ,king's chamber4 ,o how will the sight of ,his face1 and the smell of ,his garments1 allure and ravish the heart6 ,now1 the love of the lovely ,son of ,god be with you4 ,yours in his sweet ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 #afce4 ,,lii4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,in ,,the ,,prospect ,,of ,,her ,,husband ,,being ,,compelled ,,to ,,receive ,,the ,,command ,,of ,,the ,,prelates--,,saints ,,are ,,yet ,,to ,,judge47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,mistress1--,i charge you in the name of the ,son of ,god1 to rest upon your ,rock1 that is higher than yourself4 ,be not afraid of a man1 who is a worm1 nor of the son of man1 who shall die4 ,god be your fear4 ,encourage your husband4 ,i would counsel you to write to ,edinburgh to some advised lawyers1 to understand what your husband1 as the head magistrate1 may do in opposing any intruded minister1 and in his carriage toward the new prelate1#ada if he command him to imprison or lay hands upon any1 and1 in a word1 how far he may in his office disobey a prelate1 without danger of law4 ,for if the ,bishop come to your town1 and find not obedience to his heart1 it is like he will command the ,provost to assist him against ,god and the truth4 ,ye will have more courage under the persecution4 ,fear not2 take ,christ caution1#adb who said1 ,there shall not one hair of your head perish 7,luke xxi4 #ah74 ,christ will not be in your common to have you giving out anything for ,him1 and not give you all incomes with advantage4 ,it is ,his honour ,his servants should not be herried and undone in ,his service4 ,you were never honoured till now4 ,and if your husband be the first magistrate who shall suffer for ,christ's name in this persecution1 he may rejoice that ,christ hath put the first garland on his head and upon yours4 ,truth will yet keep the crown of the causey in ,scotland4 ,christ and truth are strong enough4 ,they judge us now2 we shall one day judge them1 and sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes4 ,believe1 believe2 for they dare not pray2 they dare not look ,christ in the face4 ,they have been false to ,christ1 and ,he will not sit with the wrong4 ,ye know it is not our cause2 for if we would quit our ,lord1 we might sleep for the present in a sound skin1 and keep our place1 means1 and honour1 and be dear to them also2 but let us once put all we have over in ,christ's hand4 ,fear not for my papers2 ,i shall despatch them1 but ye will be examined for them4 ,the ,spirit of ,jesus give you inward peace4 ,desire your husband from me to prove honest to ,christ2 he shall not be a loser at ,christ's hand4 ,yours ever in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,july #h1 #afce4 #ada ,bishop ,sydserff wished to force a minister upon the people of ,kirkcudbright1 in room of ,mr4 ,glendinning1 whom he ordered to be imprisoned1 because he would not conform to ,episcopacy4 ,provost ,fullarton 7husband of ,m4 ,m',naught71 along with other magistrates1 refused to imprison ,mr4 ,glendinning4 ,see note at ,letter ,,lxvii4 #adb ,surety4 ,,liii4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,encouragement ,,under ,,trial ,,by ,,prospect ,,of ,,brighter ,,days47 ,,mistress1--,my love in ,christ remembered4 ,having appointed a meeting with ,mr4 ,david ,dickson1 and knowing that ,b4 will not keep the ,presbytery1 ,i cannot see you now4 ,commend my journey to ,god4 ,my soul blesseth you for your last letter4 ,be not discouraged2 ,christ will not want the ,isles-men4 ,the ,isles shall wait for ,his law4 ,we are ,his inheritance1 and ,he will sell no part of ,his inheritance4 ,for the sins of this land1 and our breach of the covenant1 contempt of the ,gospel1 and our defection from the truth1 ,he hath set up a burning furnace in our ,mount ,zion2 but ,i say it1 and will bide by it1 the grass shall yet grow green on our ,mount ,zion4 ,there shall be dew all the night upon the lilies1 amongst which ,christ feedeth1 until the day break1 and the shadows flee away4 ,and the moth shall eat up the enemies of ,christ4 ,let them make a fire of their own1 and walk in the light thereof1 it shall not let them see to go to their bed2 but they shall lie down in sorrow 7,isa4 l4 #aa74 ,therefore1 rejoice and believe4 ,this in haste4 ,grace1 grace be with you and yours4 ,yours in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 ,,liv4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,public ,,wrongs--,,words ,,of ,,comfort47 ,,loving ,,and ,,dear ,,sister1--,i fear that you be moved and cast down1 because of the late wrong that your husband received in your ,town ,council4 ,but ,i pray you comfort yourself in the ,lord2 for a just cause bides under the water only as long as wicked men hold their hand above it2 their arm will weary1 and then the just cause shall swim above1 and the light that is sown for the righteous shall spring and grow up4 ,if ye were not strangers here1 the dogs of the world would not bark at you4 ,you may see all windings and turnings that are in your way to heaven out of ,god's ,word2 for ,he will not lead you to the kingdom at the nearest1 but you must go through honour and dishonour1 by evil report and good report2 as deceivers1 and yet true2 as unknown1 and yet well known2 as dying1 and1 behold1 we live2 as chastened1 and not killed2 as sorrowful1 and yet always rejoicing 7#b ,cor4 vi4 #h1 #aj74 ,the world is one of the enemies that we have to fight with1 but a vanquished and overcome enemy1 and like a beaten and forlorn soldier2 for our ,jesus hath taken the armour from it4 ,let me then speak to you in ,his words3 ,be of good courage1 saith the ,captain of our salvation1 for ,i have overcome the world4 ,you shall neither be free of the scourge of the tongue1 nor of disgraces 7even if it were buffetings and spittings upon the face1 as was our ,saviour's case71 if you follow ,jesus ,christ4 ,i beseech you in the bowels of our ,lord ,jesus1 keep a good conscience1 as ,i trust you do4 ,you live not upon men's opinion2 gold may be gold1 and have the king's stamp upon it1 when it is trampled upon by men4 ,happy are you1 if1 when the world trampleth upon you in your credit and good name1 yet you are the ,lord's gold1 stamped with the ,king of heaven's image1 and sealed by the ,spirit unto the day of your redemption4 ,pray for the spirit of love2 for love beareth all things2 it believeth all things1 hopeth all things1 and endureth all things 7#a ,cor4 xiii4 #g74 ,and ,i pray you and your husband1 yea1 ,i charge you before ,god1 and the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and the elect angels1 pray for these your adversaries1 and read this to your husband from me1 and let both of you put on1 as the elect of ,god1 bowels of mercies4 ,and1 sister1 remember how many thousands of talents of sins your ,master hath forgiven you4 ,forgive ye therefore your fellow-servants one talent4 ,follow ,god's command in this1 and seek not after your own heart1 and after your own eyes1 in this matter1 as the ,spirit speaks 7,numb4 xv4 #ci74 ,ask never the counsel of your own heart here2 the world will blow up your heart now1 and cause it swell1 except the grace of ,god cause it fall4 ,jesus1 even ,jesus1 the ,eternal ,wisdom of the ,father1 give you wisdom4 ,i trust ,god shall be glorified in you4 ,and a door shall be opened unto you1 as to the ,lord's prisoners of hope1 as ,zechariah speaks4 ,it is a benefit to you1 that the wicked are ,god's fan to purge you4 ,and ,i hope they shall blow away no corn1 or spiritual graces1 but only your chaff4 ,i pray you1 in your pursuit1 have so recourse to the law of men1 that you wander not from the law of ,god4 ,be not cast down3 if you saw ,him who is standing on the shore1 holding out ,his arms to welcome you on land1 you would not only wade through a sea of wrongs1 but through hell itself to be at ,him4 ,and ,i trust in ,god you see ,him sometimes4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit1 and all yours4 ,your brother in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 ,,lv4--,to ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,when ,,he ,,had ,,been ,,threatened ,,with ,,persecution ,,for ,,preaching ,,the ,,gospel--,,the ,,saints ,,shall ,,yet ,,win ,,the ,,day47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,well-,,beloved ,,mistress1--,my love in ,christ remembered4 ,i know ye have heard of the purpose of my adversaries1 to try what they can do against me at this ,synod for the work of ,god in your town when ,i was at your ,communion4 ,they intend to call me in question at the ,synod for treasonable doctrine4 ,therefore help me with your prayers1 and desire your acquaintance to help me also4 ,your ears heard how ,christ was there4 ,if ,he suffer ,his servant to get a broken head in ,his own kingly service1 and not either help or revenge the wrong1 ,i never saw the like of it4 ,there is not a night drunkard1 time-serving1 idle1 idol shepherd to be spoken against3 ,i am the only man2 and because it is so1 and ,i know ,god will not help them lest they be proud1 ,i am confident their process shall fall asunder4 ,only be ye earnest with ,god for hearing1 for an open ear1 and reading of the bill1 that ,he may in heaven hear both parties1 and judge accordingly4 ,and doubt not1 fear not2 they shall not1 who now ride highest1 put ,christ out of ,his kingly possession in ,scotland4 ,the pride of man and his rage shall turn to the praise of our ,lord4 ,it is an old feud1 that the rulers of the earth1 the dragon and his angels1 have carried to the ,lamb and ,his followers2 but the followers of the ,lamb shall overcome by the ,word of ,god4 ,and believe this1 and wait on a little1 till they have got their womb full of clay and gravel1 and they shall know 7howbeit stolen waters be sweet7 ,esau's portion is not worth his hunting4 ,commend me to your husband1 and send me word how ,grizel is4 ,the ,son of ,god lead her through the water4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours in his only1 only ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth4 ,,lvi4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,reasons ,,for ,,resignation--,,security ,,of ,,saints--,,the ,,end ,,of ,,time47 ,,madam1--,i received your ,ladyship's letter from ,j4 ,g4#adc ,i thank our ,lord ye are as well at least as one may be who is not come home4 ,it is a mercy in this stormy sea to get a second wind2 for none of the saints get a first1 but they must take the winds as the ,lord of the seas causeth them to blow1 and the inn as the ,lord and ,master of the inns hath ordered it4 ,if contentment were here1 heaven were not heaven4 ,whoever seek the world to be their bed1 shall at best find it short and ill-made1 and a stone under their side to hold them waking1 rather than a soft pillow to sleep upon4 ,ye ought to bless your ,lord that it is not worse4 ,we live in a sea where many have suffered shipwreck1 and have need that ,christ sit at the helm of the ship4 ,it is a mercy to win to heaven1 though with much hard toil and heavy labour1 and to take it by violence ill and well as it may be4 ,better go swimming and wet through our waters than drown by the way2 especially now when truth suffereth1 and great men bid ,christ sit lower and contract ,himself in less bounds1 as if ,he took too much room4 #adc ,j4 ,gordon4 ,i expect our new prelate#add shall try my sitting4 ,i hang by a thread1 but it is 7if ,i may speak so7 of ,christ's spinning4 ,there is no quarrel more honest or honourable than to suffer for truth4 ,but the worst is1 that this kirk is like to sink1 and all her lovers and friends stand afar off2 none mourn with her1 and none mourn for her4 ,but the ,lord ,jesus will not be put out of ,his conquest so soon in ,scotland4 ,it will be seen that the kirk and truth will rise again within three days1 and ,christ again shall ride upon ,his white horse2 howbeit ,his horse seem now to stumble1 yet he cannot fall4 ,the fulness of ,christ's harvest in the end of the earth is not yet come in4 ,i speak not this because ,i would have it so1 but upon better grounds than my naked liking4 ,but enough of this sad subject4 #add ,sydserff4 ,i long to be fully assured of your ,ladyship's welfare1 and that your soul prospereth1 especially now in your solitary life when your comforts outward are few1 and when ,christ hath you for the very uptaking4 ,i know ,his love to you is still running over1 and ,his love hath not so bad a memory as to forget you and your dear child1 who hath two fathers in heaven1 the one the ,ancient of ,days4 ,i trust in ,his mercy ,he hath something laid up for him above1 however it may go with him here4 ,i know it is long since your ,ladyship saw that this world had turned your stepmother and did forsake you4 ,madam1 you have reason to take in good part a lean dinner and spare diet in this life1 seeing your large supper of the ,lamb's preparing will recompense all4 ,let it go1 which was never yours but only in sight1 not in property4 ,the time of your loan will wear shorter and shorter1 and time is measured to you by ounce weights2 and then ,i know your hope shall be a full ear of corn and not blasted with wind4 ,it may be your joy that your anchor is up within the veil1 and that the ground it is cast upon is not false but firm4 ,god hath done ,his part3 ,i hope ye will not deny to fish and fetch home all your love to ,himself2 and it is but too narrow and short for ,him if it were more4 ,if ye were before pouring all your love 7if it had been many gallons more7 in upon your ,lord1 if drops fell by in the in-pouring1 ,he forgiveth you4 ,he hath done now all that can be done to win beyond it all1 and hath left little to woo your love from ,himself1 except one only child4 ,what is ,his purpose herein ,he knoweth best1 who hath taken your soul in tutoring4 ,your faith may be boldly charitable of ,christ1 that however matters go1 the worst shall be a tired traveller1 and a joyful and sweet welcome home4 ,the back of your winter night is broken4 ,look to the east1 the day sky is breaking4 ,think not that ,christ loseth time1 or lingereth unsuitably4 ,o fair1 fair1 and sweet morning6 ,we are but as sea passengers4 ,if we look right1 we are upon our country coast3 our ,redeemer is fast coming1 to take this old worm-eaten world1 like an old moth-eaten garment1 in ,his two hands1 and to roll it up and lay it by ,him4 ,these are the last days1 and an oath is given1 by ,god ,himself1 that time shall be no more 7,rev4 x4 #f72 and when time itself is old and grey-haired1 it were good we were away4 ,thus1 ,madam1 ye see ,i am1 as my custom is tedious in my lines4 ,your ,ladyship will pardon it4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,your ,ladyship's at all obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,jan4 #ah1 #afcf4 ,,lvii4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,in ,,the ,,prospect ,,of ,,removal ,,to ,,aberdeen47 ,,honoured ,,and ,,dearest ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i am well1 and my soul prospereth4 ,i find ,christ with me4 ,i burden no man2 ,i want nothing2 no face looketh on me but it laugheth on me4 ,sweet1 sweet is the ,lord's cross4 ,i overcome my heaviness4 ,my ,bridegroom's love-blinks fatten my weary soul4 ,i soon go to my ,king's palace at ,aberdeen4 ,tongue1 and pen1 and wit1 cannot express my joy4 ,remember my love to ,jean ,gordon1 to my sister1 ,jean ,brown1 to ,grizel1 to your husband4 ,thus in haste4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours in his only1 only ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,edinburgh1 ,april #e1 #afcf4 ,p4,s4--,my charge is to you to believe1 rejoice1 sing1 and triumph4 ,christ has said to me1 ,mercy1 mercy1 grace and peace for ,marion ,m',naught4 ,,lviii4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,on ,,occasion ,,of ,,efforts ,,to ,,introduce ,,episcopacy47 ,,right ,,honourable1--,i cannot find a time for writing some things ,i intended on ,job1 ,i have been so taken up with the broils that we are encumbered with in our calling4 ,for our prelate will have us either to swallow our light over1 and digest it contrary to our stomachs 7howbeit we should vomit our conscience and all1 in this troublesome conformity71 or then he will try if deprivation can convert us to the ceremonial faith4#ade #ade ,conformity to episcopal forms4 ,i write to your ,ladyship1 ,madam1 not as distrusting your affection or willingness to help me1 as your ,ladyship is able by yourself or others1 but to advertise you that ,i hang by a small thread4 ,for our learned prelate1 because we cannot see with his eyes so far in a mill-stone as his light doeth1 will not follow his ,master1 meek ,jesus1 who waited upon the wearied and short-breathed in the way to heaven4#adf ,where all see not alike1 and some are weaker1 ,he carrieth the lambs in ,his bosom1 and leadeth gently those that are with young4 ,but we must either see all the evil of ceremonies to be but as indifferent straws1 or suffer no less than to be casten out of the ,lord's inheritance6 ,madam1 if ,i had time ,i would write more at length1 but your ,ladyship will pardon me till a fitter occasion4 ,grace be with you and your child1 and bear you company to your best home4 ,your ,ladyship's in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,june #h1 #afcf4 #adf ,alluding to ,gen4 xxxii4 #ad1 and ,isa4 xl4 #aa4 ,,lix4--,to ,,earlston1 ,elder4 ,,alexander ,,gordon of ,earlston was descended from the house of ,gordon of ,lochinvar1 and the residence of his family at first was ,gordon of ,airds 7about a mile from the ,new ,galloway ,railway ,station1 on a wooded height1 in the parish of ,kells74 ,his great-grandfather1 ,alexander ,gordon of ,airds1 having married ,margaret1 eldest daughter of ,john ,sinclair of ,earlston1 the issue of that union came to possess the lands of ,earlston4 7,nisbet's ,heraldry47 ,it is a tradition that old ,gordon of ,airds imbibed ,wickliffite views1 when he was on a sort of embassy to the ,english ,borderers1 and that he propagated the truth by bringing home an ,english ,wickliffite to be tutor to his eldest son4 ,having obtained a ,new ,testament in the vulgar tongue1 he read it at meetings which were held in the woods of ,airds1 in a secluded spot1 at the junction of the ,ken and the ,dee1 where the loch begins4#adg ,the truth circulated rapidly through the whole province of ,galloway4 #adg ,it is probably the little mound in the wood called ,low's ,seat1 from its being the favourite resort of a local poet of that name4 ,there are some interesting traditions about old ,gordon of ,airds4 ,he was compelled1 when a youth1 to sign the sentence that doomed ,patrick ,hamilton to death1 #aebh2 and this very circumstance led him to inquire more fully into the truth4 ,he lived to the age of one hundred and one1 dying in #aehf4 ,a traveller1 coming to crave the hospitality of ,airds one evening1 was courteously received by a youth1 who1 however1 referred him to his father4 ,his father in turn referred him to an older man1 the grandfather of the boy2 and then this grey-haired grand-sire said1 ,sir1 you must ask my father1--the patriarch who sat in the arm-chair and conducted worship that evening4 7,agnew's ,sheriffs of ,galloway47 ,earlston1 or ,erliston1 or ,earleston1 is not far from ,carsphairn4 ,as you come from ,dalry1 in ,glenkens1 you see the roof of the ancient residence appearing from among the trees that grow up the sloping ridge at the foot of which it stands4 ,in front of the grim old tower there is a fine lawn1 a remnant of better days1 and a linn not far off4 ,there is another ,earlston1 in the parish of ,borgue1 a quite modern mansion1 built by a descendant of this ancient family1 and called after the name of the original property4 ,the grace of ,god1 which had early chosen this family1 continued to favour it for many generations4 ,alexander ,gordon1 ,rutherford's friend1 was worthy of his ancestors4 ,livingstone1 in his ,characteristics1 speaks of him as a man of great spirit1 but much subdued by inward exercise4 ,for wisdom1 courage1 and righteousness1 he might have been a magistrate in any part of the earth4 ,he warmly espoused the side of the ,presbyterians4 ,in the end of ,july #afce1 he was summoned by the ,bishop of ,glasgow to appear before the ,high ,commission1 for preventing the intrusion of an unpopular nominee of the bishop into a vacant parish4 ,but ,lord ,lorn1 afterwards the martyred ,marquis of ,argyle1 having appeared with him before that court1 and affirmed that ,earlston had done this by his direction as patron of the parish1 the matter was deferred to a future day4 ,this letter of ,rutherford probably refers to the vexatious proceedings instituted against him in regard to this matter4 ,he was afterwards summoned by ,sydserff1 ,bishop of ,galloway1 fined five hundred merks1 and banished to ,montrose4 ,the ,privy ,council1 however1 afterwards dispensed with his banishment upon the payment of his fine4 ,earlston was a member of the ,assembly which met at ,glasgow1 in #afch1 as commissioner from the ,presbytery of ,kirkcudbright4 ,his name appears among the members of ,parliament in #afda1 as member for the shire of ,galloway4 ,he was married to ,elizabeth1 daughter of ,john ,gordon of ,muirfad1 by whom he had several children4 ,his eldest son1 ,william1 who succeeded him1 is retoured heir of his father on the #bcrd of ,january #afee4 ,in the avenue leading to ,earlston1 there is a very large old oak1 still shown as that in the thick foliage of which this ,william ,gordon hid1 and so escaped his pursuers1 in the days of the persecution4 ,but in #afgi1 on his way to join the rising at ,bothwell1 he was shot by a troop of dragoons1 and lies buried in ,glassford ,churchyard1 where is a monument to his memory4 99 99 99 99 99 7,,no ,,suffering ,,for ,,christ ,,unrewarded--,,loss ,,of ,,children--,,christ ,,in ,,providence47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,i have heard of the mind and malice of your adversaries against you4 ,it is like they will extend the law they have1 in length and breadth1 answerable to their heat of mind4 ,but it is a great part of your glory that the cause is not yours1 but your ,lord's whom you serve4 ,and ,i doubt not but ,christ will count it ,his honour to back ,his weak servant2 and it were a shame for ,him 7with reverence to ,his holy name7 that ,he should suffer ,himself to be in the common of such a poor man as ye are1 and that ye should give out for ,him and not get in again4 ,write up your depursments for your ,master ,christ1 and keep the account of what ye give out1 whether name1 credit1 goods1 or life1 and suspend your reckoning till nigh the evening2 and remember that a poor weak servant of ,christ wrote it to you1 that ye shall have ,christ1 a ,king1 caution for your incomes and all your losses4 ,reckon not from the forenoon4 ,take the ,word of ,god for your warrant2 and for ,christ's act of cautionary1 howbeit body1 life1 and goods go for ,christ your ,lord1 and though ye should lose the head for ,him1 yet there shall not one hair of your head perish2 in patience1 therefore1 possess your soul4#adh ,and because ye are the first man in ,galloway called out and questioned for the name of ,jesus1 ,his eye hath been upon you1 as upon one whom ,he designed to be among ,his witnesses4 ,christ hath said1 ,alexander ,gordon shall lead the ring in witnessing a good confession1 and therefore ,he hath put the garland of suffering for ,himself first upon your head4 ,think yourself so much the more obliged to ,him1 and fear not2 for ,he layeth ,his right hand on your head4 ,he who was dead and is alive will plead your cause1 and will look attentively upon the process from the beginning to the end1 and the ,spirit of glory shall rest upon you4 ,fear none of these things which thou shalt suffer3 behold1 the devil shall cast some of you into prison1 that ye may be tried2 and ye shall have tribulation ten days3 be thou faithful unto death1 and ,i will give thee a crown of life#adi 7,rev4 ii4 #aj74 ,this lovely ,one1 ,jesus1 who also became the ,son of man1 that ,he might take strokes for you1 write the cross-sweetening and soul-supporting sense of these words in your heart6 #adh ,luke xxi4 #ah1 #ai4 #adi ,zech4 xii4 #b1 #f4 ,these rumbling wheels of ,scotland's ten days' tribulation are under ,his look who hath seven eyes4 ,take a house on your head1 and slip yourself by faith in under ,christ's wings till the storm be over4 ,and remember1 when they have drunken us down1 ,jerusalem will be a cup of trembling and of poison4#aej ,they shall be fain to vomit out the saints2 for ,judah shall be a hearth of fire in a sheaf1 and they shall devour all the people round about1 on the right hand and on the left4 ,woe to ,zion's enemies6 they have the worst of it2 for we have writ for the victory4 ,sir1 ye were never honourable till now4 ,this is your glory1 that ,christ hath put you in the roll with ,himself and with the rest of the witnesses who are come out of great tribulation1 and have washen their garments and made them white in the blood of the ,lamb4 ,be not cast down for what the servants of ,antichrist cast in your teeth1 that ye are a head to and favourer of the ,puritans1 and leader to that sect4 ,if your conscience say1 ,alas6 here is much din and little done 7as the proverb is71 because ye have not done so much service to ,christ that way as ye might and should1 take courage from that same temptation4 ,for your ,lord ,christ looketh upon that very challenge as an hungering desire in you to have done more than ye did2 and that filleth up the blank1 and ,he will accept of what ye have done in that kind4 ,if great men be kind to you1 ,i pray you overlook them2 if they smile on you1 ,christ but borroweth their face to smile through them upon ,his afflicted servant4 ,know the well-head2 and for all that1 learn the way to the well itself4 ,thank ,god that ,christ came to your house in your absence and took with ,him some of your children4 ,he presumed that much on your love1 that ye would not offend2#aea and howbeit ,he should take the rest1 ,he cannot come upon your wrong side4 ,i question not1 if they were children of gold1 but ye think them well bestowed upon ,him4 #aej ,zech4 xii4 #b1 #f4 #aea ,stumble2 be offended4 ,expound well these two rods on you1 one in your house at home1 another on your own person abroad4 ,love thinketh no evil4 ,if ye were not ,christ's wheat1 appointed to be bread in ,his house1 ,he would not grind you4 ,but keep the middle line1 neither despise nor faint 7,heb4 xii4 #e74 ,ye see your ,father is homely with you4 ,strokes of a father evidence kindness and care2 take them so4 ,i hope your ,lord hath manifested ,himself to you1 and suggested these1 or more choice thoughts about ,his dealing with you4 ,we are using our weak moyen and credit for you up at our own court1 as we dow4 ,we pray the ,king to hear us1 and the ,son of ,man to go side for side with you1 and hand in hand in the fiery oven1 and to quicken and encourage your unbelieving heart when ye droop and despond4 ,sir1 to the honour of ,christ be it said1 my faith goeth with my pen now4 ,i am presently believing ,christ shall bring you out4 ,truth in ,scotland shall keep the crown of the causeway yet4 ,the saints shall see religion go naked at noon-day1 free from shame and fear of men4 ,we shall divide ,shechem1 and ride upon the high places of ,jacob4 ,remember my obliged respects and love to ,lady ,kenmure and her sweet child4 ,yours ever in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,july #f1 #afcf4 ,,lx4--,to ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,when ,,he ,,was ,,under ,,trial ,,by ,,the ,,high ,,commission47 ,,my ,,dear ,,and ,,well-,,beloved ,,in ,,christ1--,i am yet under trial1 and have appeared before ,christ's forbidden lords1#aeb for a testimony against them4 ,the ,chancellor and the rest tempted me with questions1 nothing belonging to my summons1 which ,i wholly declined1 notwithstanding of his threats4 ,my newly printed book against ,arminians#aec was one challenge2 not lording the prelates#aed was another4 ,the most part of the bishops1 when ,i came in1 looked more astonished than ,i1 and heard me with silence4 ,some spoke for me2 but my ,lord ruled it so as ,i am filled with joy in my sufferings1 and ,i find ,christ's cross sweet4 ,what they intend against the next day ,i know not4 ,be not secure1 but pray4 ,our ,bishop of ,galloway said1 ,if the ,commission should not give him his will of me 7with an oath he said71 he would write to the ,king4 ,the ,chancellor summoned me in judgment to appear that day eight days4 ,my ,lord has brought me a friend from the ,highlands of ,argyle1 my ,lord of ,lorn1#aee who hath done as much as was within the compass of his power4 ,god gave me favour in his eyes4 ,mr4 ,robert ,glendinning is silenced1 till he accepts a colleague4 ,we hope to deal yet for him4 ,christ is worthy to be entrusted4 ,your husband will get an easy and good way of his business4 ,ye and ,i both shall see the salvation of ,god upon ,joseph separate from his brethren4 ,grace be with you4 ,s4 ,r4 ,,edinburgh1 #afcf4 #aeb ,the prelates2 alluding to #a ,pet4 v4 #c4 #aec ,exercitat4 ,apol4 pro ,divin ,grati1 published this year 7#afcf7 at ,amsterdam4 #aed ,calling them ,lords4 #aee ,brother to ,lady ,kenmure1 and afterwards the celebrated ,marquis of ,argyle4 ,see ,letter ,,lxi4 also4 ,,lxi4--,to the truly ,noble and ,elect ,lady1 my ,,lady ,,viscountess ,,of ,,kenmure1 on the evening of his banishment to ,aberdeen4 7,,his ,,only ,,regrets--,,the ,,cross ,,unspeakably ,,sweet--,,retrospect ,,of ,,his ,,ministry47 ,,noble ,,and ,,elect ,,lady1--,that honour that ,i have prayed for these sixteen years1 with submission to my ,lord's will1 my kind ,lord hath now bestowed upon me1 even to suffer for my royal and princely ,king ,jesus1 and for ,his kingly crown1 and the freedom of ,his kingdom that ,his ,father hath given ,him4 ,the forbidden lords have sentenced me with deprivation1 and confinement within the town of ,aberdeen4 ,i am charged in the ,king's name to enter against the #bjth day of ,august next1 and there to remain during the ,king's pleasure1 as they have given it out4 ,howbeit ,christ's green cross1 newly laid upon me1 be somewhat heavy1 while ,i call to mind the many fair days sweet and comfortable to my soul and to the souls of many others1 and how young ones in ,christ are plucked from the breast1 and the inheritance of ,god laid waste2 yet that sweet smelled and perfumed cross of ,christ is accompanied with sweet refreshments1 with the kisses of a ,king1 with the joy of the ,holy ,ghost1 with faith that the ,lord hears the sighing of a prisoner1 with undoubted hope 7as sure as my ,lord liveth7 after this night to see daylight1 and ,christ's sky to clear up again upon me1 and ,his poor kirk2 and that in a strange land1 among strange faces1 ,he will give favour in the eyes of men to ,his poor oppressed servant1 who dow not but love that lovely ,one1 that princely ,one1 ,jesus1 the ,comforter of his soul4 ,all would be well1 if ,i were free of old challenges for guiltiness1 and for neglect in my calling1 and for speaking too little for my ,well-beloved's crown1 honour1 and kingdom4 ,o for a day in the assembly of the saints to advocate for ,king ,jesus6 ,if my ,lord also go on now to quarrels ,i die1 ,i cannot endure it4 ,but ,i look for peace from ,him1 because ,he knoweth ,i dow bear men's feud1 but ,i dow not bear ,his feud4 ,this is my only exercise1 that ,i fear ,i have done little good in my ministry2 but ,i dare not but say1 ,i loved the bairns of the wedding-chamber1 and prayed for and desired the thriving of the marriage1 and coming of ,his kingdom4 ,i apprehend no less than a judgment upon ,galloway1 and that the ,lord shall visit this whole nation for the quarrel of the ,covenant4 ,but what can be laid upon me1 or any the like of me1 is too light for ,christ4 ,christ dow bear more1 and would bear death and burning quick1 in ,his quick servants1 even for this honourable cause that ,i now suffer for4 ,yet for all my complaints 7and ,he knoweth that ,i dare not now dissemble71 ,he was never sweeter and kinder than ,he is now4 ,one kiss now is sweeter than ten long since2 sweet1 sweet is ,his cross2 light1 light and easy is ,his yoke4 ,o what a sweet step were it up to my ,father's house through ten deaths1 for the truth and cause of that unknown1 and so not half well loved1 ,plant of ,renown1 the ,man called the ,branch1 the ,chief among ten thousands1 the fairest among the sons of men6 ,o what unseen joys1 how many hidden heart-burnings of love1 are in the remnants of the sufferings of ,christ6 7,col4 i4 #bd47 ,my dear worthy ,lady1 ,i give it to your ,ladyship1 under my own hand1 my heart writing as well as my hand1--welcome1 welcome1 sweet1 sweet and glorious cross of ,christ2 welcome1 sweet ,jesus1 with ,thy light cross4 ,thou hast now gained and gotten all my love from me2 keep what ,thou hast gotten6 ,only woe1 woe is me1 for my bereft flock1 for the lambs of ,jesus1 that ,i fear shall be fed with dry breasts4 ,but ,i spare now4 ,madam1 ,i dare not promise to see your ,ladyship1 because of the little time ,i have allotted me2 and ,i purpose to obey the ,king1 who hath power of my body2 and rebellion to kings is unbeseeming ,christ's ministers4 ,be pleased to acquaint my ,lady ,mar#aef with my case4 ,i will look that your ,ladyship and that good lady will be mindful to ,god of the ,lord's prisoner1 not for my cause1 but for the ,gospel's sake4 ,madam1 bind me more1 if more can be1 to your ,ladyship1 and write thanks to your brother1 my ,lord of ,lorn1 for what he hath done for me1 a poor unknown stranger to his ,lordship4 ,i shall pray for him and his house1 while ,i live4 ,it is his honour to open his mouth in the streets1 for his wronged and oppressed ,master ,christ ,jesus4 ,now1 ,madam1 commending your ,ladyship and the sweet child to the tender mercies of mine own ,lord ,jesus1 and ,his good-will who dwelt in the ,bush1 ,i am yours in his own sweetest ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,edinburgh1 ,july #bh1 #afcf4 #aef ,see ,letter ,,cxl4 ,,lxii4--,to the ,,lady ,,culross1 on occasion of his banishment to ,aberdeen4 ,,elizabeth ,,melville1 wife of ,james ,colvill1 the eldest son of ,alexander1 ,commendator of ,culross1 was the daughter of ,sir ,james ,melville of ,halhill1 in ,fife4 ,her father was ambassador from ,queen ,mary to ,queen ,elizabeth1 and a privy councillor to ,king ,james ,,vi4 ,he was also a man of piety1 who 7says ,livingstone71 professed he had got assurance from the ,lord1 that himself1 wife1 and all his children1 should meet in heaven4 ,lady ,culross held a high place among the eminent ,christians of her day4 ,livingstone says3 ,she was famous for her piety1 and for her dream concerning her spiritual condition1 which she put in verse1 which was published by others4 ,of all that ever ,i saw1 she was most unwearied in religious exercises2 and the more she enjoyed access to ,god therein she hungered the more4 ,she was present at the famous ,communion at ,shotts in ,june #afcf1 when the sermon preached by ,livingstone1 on the ,monday after1 was the means1 it is believed1 of the conversion of not less than five hundred individuals4 ,the night before had been spent in prayer by a great number of ,christians in a large room of the inn where she slept2 and the minister who should have preached on ,monday having fallen sick1 it was at her suggestion that the other ministers assisting on that occasion1 to whom ,livingstone was a stranger1 laid upon him the work of addressing the people4 ,there is a poem written by her1 entitled ,ane ,godlie ,dream2 and there is still preserved a sonnet of her composition1 which she sent to ,mr4 ,john ,welsh when he was imprisoned in ,blackness1 #afje3-- ,my dear brother1 with courage bear the cross1 ,joy shall be joined with all thy sorrow here4 ,high is thy hope1 disdain this earthly dross1 ,once shall you see the wished day appear4 ,now it is dark1 thy sky cannot be clear2 ,after the clouds it shall be calm anon2 ,wait on ,his will whose blood hath bought thee dear3 ,extol ,his name1 though outward joys be gone4 ,look to the ,lord1 thou art not left alone1 ,since ,he is thine1 what pleasure canst thou take6 ,he is at hand1 and hears thy every groan3 ,end out thy fight1 and suffer for ,his sake4 ,a sight most bright thy soul shall shortly see1 ,when store of glore thy rich reward shall be4 --,wodrow ,,mss4 ,adv4 ,lib4 ,edin4 vol4 xxix4 7,,challenges ,,of ,,conscience--,,the ,,cross ,,no ,,burden47 ,,madam1--,your letter came in due time to me1 now a prisoner of ,christ1 and in bonds for the ,gospel4 ,i am sentenced with deprivation and confinement within the town of ,aberdeen4 ,but ,o my guiltiness1 the follies of my youth1 the neglects in my calling1 and especially in not speaking more for the kingdom1 crown1 and sceptre of my royal and princely ,king ,jesus1 do so stare me in the face1 that ,i apprehend anger in that which is a crown of rejoicing to the dear saints of ,god4 ,this1 before my compearance1 which was three several days1 did trouble me1 and burdeneth me more now2 howbeit ,christ1 and in ,him ,god reconciled1 met me with open arms1 and trysted me precisely at the entry of the door of the ,chancellor's hall1 and assisted me so to answer1 as that the advantage is not theirs but ,christ's4 ,alas6 that is no cause of wondering that ,i am thus borne down with challenges2 for the world hath mistaken me1 and no man knoweth what guiltiness is in me so well as these two1 who keep my eyes now waking and my heart heavy1 ,i mean 7#a7 my heart and conscience1 and 7#b7 my ,lord1 who is greater than my heart4 ,shew your brother that ,i desire him1 while he is on the watch-tower1 to plead with his mother1 and to plead with this land1 and spare not to cry for my sweet ,lord ,jesus ,his fair crown1 that the interdicted and forbidden lords are plucking off ,his royal head4 ,if ,i were free of challenges1 and a ,high ,commission within my soul1 ,i would not give a straw to go to my ,father's house through ten deaths1 for the truth and cause of my lovely1 lovely ,one1 ,jesus4 ,but ,i walk in heaviness now4 ,if ye love me1 and ,christ in me1 my dear ,lady1 pray1 pray for this only1 that bygones betwixt my ,lord and me may be bygones1 and that ,he would pass from the summons of ,his ,high ,commission1 and seek nothing from me1 but what ,he will do for me and work in me4 ,if your ladyship knew me as ,i do myself1 ye would say1 ,poor soul1 no marvel4 ,it is not my apprehension that createth this cross to me2 it is too real1 and hath sad and certain grounds4 ,but ,i will not believe that ,god will take this advantage of me1 when my back is at the wall4 ,he who forbiddeth to add affliction to affliction1 will ,he do it ,himself8 ,why should ,he pursue a dry leaf and stubble8 ,desire ,him to spare me now4 ,also the memory of the fair feast-days1 that ,christ and ,i had in ,his banqueting-house of wine1 and of the scattered flock once committed to me1 and now taken off my hand by ,himself1 because ,i was not so faithful in the end as ,i was in the two first years of my entry1 when sleep departed from my eyes1 because my soul was taken up with a care for ,christ's lambs1--even these add sorrow to my sorrow4 ,now my ,lord hath only given me this to say1 and ,i write it under mine own hand 7be ye the ,lord's servant's witness71 welcome1 welcome1 sweet1 sweet cross of ,christ2 welcome1 fair1 fair1 lovely1 royal ,king with ,thine own cross4 ,let us all three go to heaven together4 ,neither care ,i much to go from the south of ,scotland to the north1 and to be ,christ's prisoner amongst unco faces1 in a place of this kingdom1 which ,i have little reason to be in love with4 ,i know ,christ shall make ,aberdeen my garden of delights4 ,i am fully persuaded that ,scotland shall eat ,ezekiel's book1 that is written within and without1 lamentation1 and mourning1 and woe 7,ezek4 ii4 #aj74 ,but the saints shall get a drink of the well that goeth through the streets of the ,new ,jerusalem1 to put it down4 ,thus hoping that ye will think upon the poor prisoner of ,christ1 ,i pray1 grace1 grace be with you4 ,your ,ladyship's in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,edinburgh1 ,july #cj1 #afcf4 ,,lxiii4--,to ,,mr4 ,,robert ,,cunningham1 ,minister of the ,gospel at ,holywood1 in ,ireland4 ,,mr4 ,,robert ,,cunningham was for some time employed as chaplain to the ,earl of ,buccleuch's regiment in ,holland4 ,on the return of the troops to ,scotland1 he removed to the north of ,ireland1 where he was admitted minister of ,holywood in #afae4 ,he was the one man to my discerning1 says ,livingstone1 of all that ever ,i saw1 who resembled most the meekness of ,jesus ,christ in his whole carriage1 and was so far reverenced by all1 even the most wicked1 that he was oft troubled with that ,scripture1 ',woe to you when all men speak well of you4' ,he continued to labour in his charge1 and in the surrounding district1 with great success1 until the ,presbyterian ministers began to be molested for their nonconformity4 ,owing to the singular gentleness of ,cunningham's disposition1 he was for some time less subjected to trouble than his brethren2 but at length1 on the #abth of ,august #afcf1 he and four other ministers 7among whom was ,mr4 ,hamilton mentioned in the close of this letter7 were formally deposed for refusing to subscribe certain canons1 one of which was kneeling at the ,lord's ,supper4 ,not long after1 he1 with some of his deposed brethren1 came over to ,scotland2 but he did not long survive his arrival4 ,he died at ,irvine1 on the #bith of ,march #afcg1 scarcely eight months after this letter was written4 ,a little before he expired1 his wife sitting on the front of his bed with her hand clasped in his1 after committing to ,god his flock at ,holywood1 his friends and his children1 he added1 ,and last of all1 ,i recommend to ,thee this gentlewoman1 who is no more my wife4 ,his affectionate wife bursting into tears1 he sought by comfortable words to allay her grief2 but in the act of so doing1 fell asleep in ,jesus4 7,,consolation ,,to ,a ,,brother ,,in ,,tribulation--,,his ,,own ,,deprivation ,,of ,,ministry--,,christ ,,worth ,,suffering ,,for47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,and ,,reverend ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,upon acquaintance in ,christ1 ,i thought good to take the opportunity of writing to you4 ,seeing it hath seemed good to the ,lord of the harvest to take the hooks out of our hands for a time1 and to lay upon us a more honourable service1 even to suffer for ,his name1 it were good to comfort one another in writing4 ,i have had a desire to see you in the face2 yet now being the prisoner of ,christ1 it is taken away4 ,i am greatly comforted to hear of your soldier's stately#aeg spirit1 for your princely and royal ,captain ,jesus our ,lord1 and for the grace of ,god in the rest of our dear brethren with you4 #aeg ,see ,glossary4 ,you have heard of my trouble1 ,i suppose4 ,it hath pleased our sweet ,lord ,jesus to let loose the malice of these interdicted lords in ,his house to deprive me of my ministry at ,anwoth1 and to confine me1 eight score miles from thence1 to ,aberdeen2 and also 7which was not done to any before7 to inhibit me to speak at all in ,jesus' name1 within this kingdom1 under the pain of rebellion4 ,the cause that ripened their hatred was my book against the ,arminians1 whereof they accused me1 on those three days ,i appeared before them4 ,but1 let our crowned ,king in ,zion reign6 ,by ,his grace the loss is theirs1 the advantage is ,christ's and truth's4 ,albeit this honest cross gained some ground on me1 and my heaviness and my inward challenges of conscience for a time were sharp1 yet now1 for the encouragement of you all1 ,i dare say it1 and write it under my hand1 ,welcome1 welcome1 sweet1 sweet cross of ,christ4 ,i verily think the chains of my ,lord ,jesus are all overlaid with pure gold1 and that ,his cross is perfumed1 and that it smelleth of ,christ1 and that the victory shall be by the blood of the ,lamb1 and by the word of ,his truth1 and that ,christ1 lying on ,his back1 in ,his weak servants1 and oppressed truth1 shall ride over ,his enemies' bellies1 and shall strike through kings in the day of ,his wrath 7,psa4 cx4 #d74 ,it is time we laugh when ,he laugheth2 and seeing ,he is now pleased to sit#aeh with wrongs for a time1 it becometh us to be silent until the ,lord hath let the enemies enjoy their hungry1 lean1 and feckless paradise4 ,blessed are they who are content to take strokes with weeping ,christ4 ,faith will trust the ,lord1 and is not hasty1 nor headstrong2 neither is faith so timorous as to flatter a temptation1 or to bud and bribe the cross4 ,it is little up or little down#aei that the ,lamb and ,his followers can get no law-surety1 nor truce with crosses2 it must be so1 till we be up in our ,father's house4 ,my heart is woe indeed for my mother ,church1 that hath played the harlot with many lovers4 ,her ,husband hath a mind to sell her for her horrible transgressions2 and heavy will the hand of the ,lord be upon this backsliding nation4 ,the ways of our ,zion mourn2 her gold has become dim1 her white ,nazarites are black like a coal4 ,how shall not the children weep1 when the ,husband and the mother cannot agree6 ,yet ,i believe ,scotland's sky shall clear again2 that ,christ shall build again the old waste places of ,jacob2 that our dead and dry bones shall become one army of living men1 and that our ,well-beloved may yet feed among the lilies1 until the day break and the shadows flee away 7,song iv4 #e1 #f74 ,my dear brother1 let us help one another with our prayers4 ,our ,king shall mow down ,his enemies1 and shall come from ,bozrah with ,his garments all dyed in blood4 ,and for our consolation shall ,he appear1 and call ,his wife ,hephzibah1 and ,his land ,beulah 7,isa4 lxii4 #d72 for ,he will rejoice over us and marry us1 and ,scotland shall say1 ,what have ,i to do any more with idols8 ,only let us be faithful to ,him that can ride through hell and death upon a windlestrae1 and ,his horse never stumble2 and let ,him make of me a bridge over a water1 so that ,his high and holy name may be glorified in me4 ,strokes with the sweet ,mediator's hand are very sweet4 ,he was always sweet to my soul2 but since ,i suffered for ,him1 ,his breath hath a sweeter smell than before4 ,oh that every hair of my head1 and every member and every bone in my body1 were a man to witness a fair confession for ,him6 ,i would think all too little for ,him4 ,when ,i look over beyond the line1 and beyond death1 to the laughing side of the world1 ,i triumph1 and ride upon the high places of ,jacob2 howbeit otherwise ,i am a faint1 dead-hearted1 cowardly man1 oft borne down1 and hungry in waiting for the marriage supper of the ,lamb4 ,nevertheless1 ,i think it the ,lord's wise love that feeds us with hunger1 and makes us fat with wants and desertions4 #aeh ,endure4 #aei ,of little moment4 ,i know not1 my dear brother1 if our worthy brethren be gone to sea or not4 ,they are on my heart and in my prayers4 ,if they be yet with you1 salute my dear friend1 ,john ,stuart1 my well-beloved brethren in the ,lord1 ,mr4 ,blair1 ,mr4 ,hamilton1 ,mr4 ,livingston1 and ,mr4 ,m',clelland1#afj and acquaint them with my troubles1 and entreat them to pray for the poor afflicted prisoner of ,christ4 ,they are dear to my soul4 ,i seek your prayers and theirs for my flock3 their remembrance breaketh my heart4 ,i desire to love that people1 and others my dear acquaintance in ,christ1 with love in ,god1 and as ,god loveth them4 ,i know that ,he who sent me to the west and south1 sends me also to the north4 ,i will charge my soul to believe and to wait for ,him1 and will follow ,his providence1 and not go before it1 nor stay behind it4 ,now1 my dear brother1 taking farewell in paper1 ,i commend you all to the word of ,his grace1 and to the work of ,his ,spirit1 to ,him who holdeth the seven stars in ,his right hand1 that you may be kept spotless till the day of ,jesus our ,lord4 ,i am your brother in affliction in our sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,from ,,irvine1 being on my journey to ,christ's ,palace in ,aberdeen1 ,august #d1 #afcf4 #afj ,correspondents who1 because of the oppressive measures of the prelates1 intended to proceed to ,new ,england4 ,there was a ,m',lelland of ,balmagachan1 near ,roberton1 in the parish of ,borgue2 but this is not he4 ,this was ,john ,m',lelland1 sometime minister of ,kirkcudbright1 a friend of ,r4 ,blair's4 ,,lxiv4--,to ,,alexander ,,gordon of ,earlston4 7,,his ,,feelings ,,upon ,,leaving ,,anwoth47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,i find small hopes of ,q4's business4#afa ,i intend1 after the council-day1 to go on to ,aberdeen4 ,the ,lord is with me3 ,i care not what man can do4 ,i burden no man1 and ,i want nothing4 ,no king is better provided than ,i am4 ,sweet1 sweet1 and easy is the cross of my ,lord4 ,all men ,i look in the face 7of whatsoever denomination1 nobles and poor1 acquaintance and strangers7 are friendly to me4 ,my ,well-beloved is some kinder and more warmly than ordinary1 and cometh and visiteth my soul4 ,my chains are overgilded with gold4 ,only the remembrance of my fair days with ,christ in ,anwoth1 and of my dear flock 7whose case is my heart's sorrow71 is vinegar to my sugared wine4 ,yet both sweet and sour feed my soul4 ,no pen1 no words1 no ingine can express to you the loveliness of my only1 only ,lord ,jesus4 ,thus1 in haste1 making for my palace at ,aberdeen1 ,i bless you1 your wife1 your eldest son1 and other children4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 #afa ,probably ,queensberry4 ,yours in his only1 only ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,edinburgh1 ,sept4 #e1 #afcf4 ,,lxv4--,to ,,robert ,,gordon of ,knockbreck1 on his way to ,aberdeen4 ,,robert ,,gordon of ,knockbrex1 in the parish of ,borgue1 which adjoins ,anwoth1 is1 by ,livingstone in his ,characteristics1 described as a single-hearted and painful ,christian1 much employed at parliaments and public meetings after the year #afch4 ,he was a member of the famous ,assembly which met at ,glasgow in #afch1 as commissioner from the ,presbytery of ,kirkcudbright4 ,the precise date of his death is uncertain2 but we find1 in #afeg1 ,john ,gordon in ,garloch1 five miles from ,dalry1 is retoured heir of ,robert ,gordon of ,knockbreck1 his granduncle1 in the lands of ,knockbreck4 7,inq4 ,retor4 ,abbrev4 ,kirkcudbright1 ,no4 #bgd47 ,this ,john ,gordon1 and ,robert1 his brother1 were executed together at ,edinburgh on the #gth of ,december #afff1 for having been engaged in the rising at ,pentland4 7,see ,letter ,,ccxvii47 ,they inherited1 and suffered for1 the principles of ,robert ,gordon of ,knockbreck1 their granduncle1 to whom this letter was written4 ,knockbrex stands near the sea-shore1 amid thick woods1 looking down on the opening of ,wigtown ,bay4 ,but a modern mansion has taken the place of ,gordon's residence4 99 99 99 99 99 7,,how ,,upheld ,,on ,,the ,,way47 ,,my ,,dearest ,,brother1--,i see ,christ thinketh shame 7if ,i may speak so7 to be in such a poor man's common as mine4 ,i burden no man2 ,i want nothing2 no face hath gloomed upon me since ,i left you4 ,god's sun and fair weather conveyeth me to my time-paradise in ,aberdeen4 ,christ hath so handsomely fitted for my shoulders this rough tree of the cross1 as that it hurteth me no ways4 ,my treasure is up in ,christ's coffers2 my comforts are greater than ye can believe2 my pen shall lie for penury of words to write of them4 ,god knoweth ,i am filled with the joy of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,only my memory of you1 my dearest in the ,lord1 my flock and others1 keepeth me under1 and from being exalted above measure4 ,christ's sweet sauce hath this sour mixed with it2 but ,o such a sweet and pleasant taste6 ,i find small hopes of ,q4's matter4 ,thus in haste4 ,remember me to your wife1 and to ,william ,gordon4 ,grace be with you1 ,yours in his only1 only ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,edinburgh1 ,sept4 #e1 #afcf4 ,,lxvi4--,to ,,robert ,,gordon of ,knockbreck1 after arriving at ,aberdeen4 7,,challenges ,,of ,,conscience--,,ease ,,in ,,zion47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i am1 by ,god's mercy1 come now to ,aberdeen1 the place of my confinement1 and settled in an honest man's house4 ,i find the town's-men cold1 general1 and dry in their kindness2 yet ,i find a lodging in the heart of many strangers4 ,my challenges are revived again1 and ,i find old sores bleeding of new2 dangerous and painful is an under-cotted conscience2 yet ,i have an eye to the blood that is physic for such sores4 ,but1 verily1 ,i see ,christianity is conceived to be more easy and lighter than it is2 so that ,i sometimes think ,i never knew anything but the letters of that name2 for our nature contenteth itself with little in godliness4 ,our ,lord1 ,lord1 seemeth to us ten ,lord-,lords4 ,little holiness in our balance is much1 because it is our own holiness2 and we love to lay small burdens upon our soft natures1 and to make a fair court-way to heaven4 ,and ,i know it were necessary to take more pains than we do1 and not to make heaven a city more easily taken than ,god hath made it4 ,i persuade myself that many runners shall come short1 and get a disappointment4 ,oh6 how easy is it to deceive ourselves1 and to sleep1 and wish that heaven may fall down in our laps6 ,yet for all my ,lord's glooms1 ,i find ,him sweet1 gracious1 loving1 kind2 and ,i want both pen and words to set forth the fairness1 beauty1 and sweetness of ,christ's love1 and the honour of this cross of ,christ1 which is glorious to me1 though the world thinketh shame thereof4 ,i verily think that the cross of ,christ would blush and think shame of these thin-skinned worldings1 who are so married to their credit that they are ashamed of the sufferings of ,christ4 ,o the honour to be scourged and stoned with ,christ1 and to go through a furious-faced death to life eternal6 ,but men would have law-borrows against ,christ's cross4 ,now1 my dear brother1 forget not the prisoner of ,christ1 for ,i see very few here who kindly fear ,god4 ,grace be with you4 ,let my love in ,christ and hearty affection be remembered to your kind wife1 to your brother ,john1 and to all friends4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours in his only1 only ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #bj1 #afcf4 ,,lxvii4-,for ,,william ,,fullarton1 ,provost of ,kirkcudbright4 ,,william ,,fullarton1 as has been formerly noticed1 was the husband of ,marion ,m',naught4 ,his religious principles were the same with those of his excellent wife1 and he was a man of virtue1 integrity1 and piety4 ,he proved himself the patron of the oppressed in the case of ,mr4 ,robert ,glendinning1 the aged minister of ,kirkcudbright2 to which case there is evident allusion in this letter4 ,mr4 ,glendinning having refused to conform to ,prelacy1 and to receive1 as his assistant and successor1 a man whom ,bishop ,sydserff intruded upon him and the people of ,kirkcudbright1 the bishop suspended him from his office1 and sentenced him to be imprisoned4 ,provost ,fullarton1 and the other magistrates of the burgh 7one of whom was ,mr4 ,william ,glendinning1 son of the minister71 indignant at such tyrannical proceedings1 refused to incarcerate their own pastor1 then nearly eighty years of age1 and were determined1 with the great body of the inhabitants of the town1 to attend upon his ministry4 ,sydserff1 too proud and violent to allow his authority to be thus despised1 caused ,bailie ,glendinning to be imprisoned in ,kirkcudbright1 and the other magistrates to be confined within the town of ,wigtown1 while he sentenced the aged minister to remain within the bounds of his parish1 and forbade him to exercise any part of his ministerial functions4 ,but he found it impossible1 by all the means he could employ1 to reduce these refractory magistrates to obedience4 ,the firmness which ,fullarton manifested on this occasion is warmly commended by ,rutherford4 99 99 99 99 99 7,,encouragement ,,to ,,suffer ,,for ,,christ47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,very ,,dear ,,friend1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i am in good case1 blessed be the ,lord1 remaining here in this unco town a prisoner for ,christ and ,his truth4 ,and ,i am not ashamed of ,his cross4 ,my soul is comforted with the consolations of ,his sweet presence1 for whom ,i suffer4 ,i earnestly entreat you to give your honour and authority to ,christ1 and for ,christ2 and be not dismayed for flesh and blood1 while you are for the ,lord1 and for ,his truth and cause4 ,and howbeit we see truth put to the worse for the time1 yet ,christ will be a friend to truth1 and will do for those who dare hazard all that they have for ,him and for ,his glory4 ,sir1 our fair day is coming1 and the court will change1 and wicked men will weep after noon1 and sorer than the sons of ,god1 who weep in the morning4 ,let us believe and hope for ,god's salvation4 ,sir1 ,i hope ,i need not write to you for your kindness and love to my brother1#afb who is now to be distressed for the truth of ,god as well as ,i am4 ,i think myself obliged to pray for you1 and your worthy and kind bed-fellow and children1 for your love to him and me also4 ,i hope your pains for us in ,christ shall not be lost4 ,thus recommending you to the tender mercy and loving-kindness of ,god1 ,i rest1 ,your very loving and affectionate brother1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #ba1 #afcf4 #afb ,his brother was a teacher in ,kirkcudbright1 and between him and ,samuel there was a warm attachment1 and strong sympathies4 ,he1 too1 suffered persecution for his adherence to the cause of ,presbytery4 ,for this1 and his zealous support of ,mr4 ,glendinning1 whom the ,bishop of ,galloway treated with such cruelty1 he was in ,november #afcf condemned to resign his charge1 and remove from ,kirkcudbright before the ensuing term of ,whitsunday4 ,,lxviii4--,to ,,john ,,fleming1 ,bailiffe 7,bailie7 of ,leith4 ,of ,mr4 ,fleming nothing can be ascertained1 unless it is he who is mentioned by ,livingston as being a merchant in ,edinburgh1 a man of note among the godly4 7,,the ,,sweetness ,,and ,,faithfulness ,,of ,,christ',s ,,love47 ,,my ,,very ,,worthy ,,friend1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i received your letter4 ,i bless the ,lord through ,jesus ,christ1 ,i find ,his word good1 ,i have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction 7,isa4 xlviii4 #aj74 ,i will be with him in trouble 7,ps4 xci4 #ae74 ,i never expected other at ,christ's hand but much good and comfort2 and ,i am not disappointed4 ,i find my ,lord's cross overgilded and oiled with comforts4 ,my ,lord hath now shown me the white side of ,his cross4 ,i would not exchange my weeping in prison with the ,fourteen ,prelates'#afc laughter1 amidst their hungry and lean joys4 ,this world knoweth not the sweetness of ,christ's love2 it is a mystery to them4 #afc ,referring probably to the number of prelates 7consisting of two archbishops and twelve bishops7 who were members of the ,high ,commission by whom he was sentenced to imprisonment4 ,at my first coming here1 ,i found great heaviness1 especially because it had pleased the prelates to add this gentle cruelty to my former sufferings 7for it is gentle to them71 to inhibit the ministers of the town to give me the liberty of a pulpit4 ,i said1 ,what aileth ,christ at my service8 ,but ,i was a fool2 ,he hath chid ,himself friends with me4 ,if ye and others of ,god's children shall praise ,his great name1 who maketh worthless men witnesses for ,him1 my silence and sufferings shall preach more than my tongue could do4 ,if ,his glory be seen in me1 ,i am satisfied2 for ,i want for no kindness from ,christ4 ,and1 sir1 ,i dare not smother ,his liberality4 ,i write it to you1 that ye may praise1 and desire your brother and others to join with me in this work4 ,this land shall be made desolate4 ,our iniquities are full2 the ,lord saith1 we shall drink1 and spue1 and fall4 ,remember my love to your good kind wife4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,nov4 #ac1 #afcf4 ,,lxix4--,to the ,noble and ,christian ,lady the ,,viscountess ,,of ,,kenmure4 7,,his ,,enjoyment ,,of ,,christ ,,in ,,aberdeen--,a ,,sight ,,of ,,christ ,,exceeds ,,all ,,reports--,,some ,,ashamed ,,of ,,him ,,and ,,his47 ,,my ,,very ,,honourable ,,and ,,dear ,,lady1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i cannot forget your ,ladyship1 and that sweet child4 ,i desire to hear what the ,lord is doing to you and him4 ,to write to me were charity4 ,i cannot but write to my friends1 that ,christ hath trysted me in ,aberdeen2 and my adversaries have sent me here to be feasted with love banquets with my royal1 high1 high1 and princely ,king ,jesus4 ,madam1 why should ,i smother ,christ's honesty8 ,i dare not conceal ,his goodness to my soul2 ,he looked fremed and unco-like upon me when ,i came first here2 but ,i believe ,himself better than ,his looks4 ,i shall not again quarrel ,christ for a gloom1 now ,he hath taken the mask off ,his face1 and saith1 ,kiss thy fill2 and what can ,i have more when ,i get great heaven in my little arms8 ,oh1 how sweet are the sufferings of ,christ for ,christ6 ,god forgive them that raise an ill report upon the sweet cross of ,christ4 ,it is but our weak and dim eyes1 and our looking only to the black side that makes us mistake4 ,those who can take that crabbed tree handsomely upon their back1 and fasten it on cannily1 shall find it such a burden as wings unto a bird1 or sails to a ship4 ,madam1 rue not of your having chosen the better part4 ,upon my salvation1 this is ,christ's truth ,i now suffer for4 ,if ,i found but cold comfort in my sufferings1 ,i would not beguile others2 ,i would have told you plainly4 ,but the truth is1 ,christ's crown1 ,his sceptre1 and the freedom of ,his kingdom1 is that which is now called in question2 because we will not allow that ,christ should pay tribute and be a vassal to the shields of the earth1 therefore the sons of our mother are angry at us4 ,but it becometh not ,christ to hold any man's stirrup4 ,it were a sweet and honourable death to die for the honour of that royal and princely ,king ,jesus4 ,his love is a mystery to the world4 ,i would not have believed that there was so much in ,christ as there is4 ,come and see maketh ,christ to be known in ,his excellency and glory4 ,i wish all this nation knew how sweet ,his breath is4 ,it is little to see ,christ in a book1 as men do the world in a card4 ,they talk of ,christ by the book and the tongue1 and no more2 but to come nigh ,christ1 and hause ,him1 and embrace ,him1 is another thing4 ,madam1 ,i write to your honour1 for your encouragement in that honourable profession ,christ hath honoured you with4 ,ye have gotten the sunny side of the brae1 and the best of ,christ's good things4 ,he hath not given you the bastard's portion2 and howbeit ye get strokes and sour looks from your ,lord1 yet believe ,his love more than your own feeling1 for this world can take nothing from you that is truly yours1 and death can do you no wrong4 ,your rock doth not ebb and flow1 but your sea4 ,that which ,christ hath said1 ,he will bide by it4 ,he will be your tutor4 ,you shall not get you charters of heaven to play you with4 ,it is good that ye have lost your credit with ,christ1 and that ,lord ,free-will shall not be your tutor4 ,christ will lippen the taking you to heaven1 neither to yourself1 nor any deputy1 but only to ,himself4 ,blessed be your tutor4 ,when your ,head shall appear1 your ,bridegroom and ,lord1 your day shall then dawn1 and it shall never have an afternoon1 nor an evening shadow4 ,let your child be ,christ's2 let him stay beside you as thy ,lord's pledge that you shall willingly render again1 if ,god will4 ,madam1 ,i find folks here kind to me2 but in the night1 and under their breath4 ,my ,master's cause may not come to the crown of the causeway4 ,others are kind according to their fashion4 ,many think me a strange man1 and my cause not good2 but ,i care not much for man's thoughts or approbation4 ,i think no shame of the cross4 ,the preachers of the town pretend great love1 but the prelates have added to the rest this gentle cruelty 7for so they think of it71 to discharge me of the pulpits of this town4 ,the people murmur and cry out against it2 and to speak truly 7howbeit ,christ is most indulgent to me otherwise71 my silence on the ,lord's day keeps me from being exalted above measure1 and from startling in the heat of my ,lord's love4 ,some people affect me1 for the which cause1 ,i hear the preachers here purpose to have my confinement changed to another place2 so cold is northern love2 but ,christ and ,i will bear it4 ,i have wrestled long with this sad silence4 ,i said1 what aileth ,christ at my service8 and my soul hath been at a pleading with ,christ1 and at yea and nay4 ,but ,i will yield to ,him1 providing my suffering may preach more than my tongue did2 for ,i give not ,christ an inch but for twice as good again4 ,in a word1 ,i am a fool1 and ,he is ,god4 ,i will hold my peace hereafter4 ,let me hear from your ,ladyship1 and your dear child4 ,pray for the prisoner of ,christ1 who is mindful of your ,ladyship4 ,remember my obliged obedience to my good ,lady ,marr4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,i write and pray blessings to your sweet child4 ,yours in all dutiful obedience in his only ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,nov4 #bb1 #afcf4 ,,lxx4--,to the ,right ,honourable and ,christian ,lady1 my ,,lady ,,viscountess ,,of ,,kenmure4 7,,exercise ,,under ,,restraint ,,from ,,preaching--,,the ,,devil--,,christ',s ,,loving ,,kindness--,,progress47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i received your ,ladyship's letter4 ,it refreshed me in my heaviness4 ,the blessing and prayer of a prisoner of ,christ come upon you4 ,since my coming hither1 ,galloway sent me not a line1 except what my brother1 ,earlston1 and his son1 did write4 ,i cannot get my papers transported2 but1 ,madam1 ,i want not kindness of one who hath the gate of it4 ,christ 7if ,he had never done more for me since ,i was born7 hath engaged my heart1 and gained my blessing in this house of my pilgrimage4 ,it pleaseth my ,well-beloved to dine with a poor prisoner1 and the ,king's spikenard casteth a fragrant smell4 ,nothing grieveth me1 but that ,i eat my feasts my lone1 and that ,i cannot edify ,his saints4 ,o that this nation knew what is betwixt ,him and me2 none would scar at the cross of ,christ6 ,my silence eats me up1 but ,he hath told me ,he thanketh me no less1 than if ,i were preaching daily4 ,he sees how gladly ,i would be at it2 and therefore my wages are going to the fore1 up in heaven1 as if ,i were still preaching ,christ4 ,captains pay duly bedfast soldiers1 howbeit they do#afd nor march1 nor carry armour4 ,though ,israel be not gathered1 yet shall ,i be glorious in the eyes of the ,lord1 and my ,god shall be my strength 7,isa4 xlix4 #e74 ,my garland1 the banished minister 7the term of ,aberdeen71 ashameth me not4 ,i have seen the white side of ,christ's cross2 how lovely hath ,he been to ,his oppressed servant6 ,the ,lord executeth judgment for the oppressed1 ,he giveth food to the hungry3 the ,lord looseth the prisoner2 the ,lord raiseth them that are bowed down3 the ,lord preserveth the stranger 7,ps4 cxlvi4 #g1 #i74 ,if it were come to exchanging of crosses1 ,i would not exchange my cross with any4 ,i am well pleased with ,christ1 and ,he with me2 ,i hope none shall hear us4#afe ,it is true for all this1 ,i get my meat with many strokes1 and am seven times a-day up and down1 and am often anxious and cast down for the case of my oppressed brother2 yet ,i hope the ,lord will be surety for ,his servant4 ,but now upon some weak1 very weak experience1 ,i am come to love a rumbling and raging devil best4 ,seeing we must have a devil to hold the saints waking1 ,i wish a cumbersome devil1 rather than a secure and sleeping one4#aff ,at my first coming hither1 ,i took the dorts at ,christ1 and took up a stomach against ,him2 ,i said1 ,he had cast me over the dike of the vineyard1 like a dry tree4 ,but it was ,his mercy1 ,i see1 that the fire did not burn the dry tree2 and now1 as if my ,lord ,jesus had done that fault1 and not ,i 7who belied my ,lord71 ,he hath made the first mends1 and ,he spake not one word against me1 but hath come again and quickened my soul with ,his presence4 ,nay1 now ,i think the very annuity and casualties of the cross of ,christ ,jesus my ,lord1 and these comforts that accompany it1 better than the world's set-rent4 ,o how many rich off-fallings are in my ,king's house6 ,i am persuaded1 and dare pawn my salvation on it1 that it is ,christ's truth ,i now suffer for4 ,i know ,his comforts are no dreams2 ,he would not put ,his seal on blank paper1 nor deceive ,his afflicted ones that trust in ,him4 #afd ,some editions read dow1--are not able4 #afe ,in ,thomson's edition this is explained by referring to ,proverbs xiv4 #aj4 #aff ,trial of ,faith1 p4 #dfb1 #afee1 uses the same words4 ,your ,ladyship wrote to me that ye are yet an ill scholar4 ,madam1 ye must go in at heaven's gates1 and your book in your hand1 still learning4 ,you have had your own large share of troubles1 and a double portion2 but it saith your ,father counteth you not a bastard2 full-begotten bairns are nurtured 7,heb4 xii4 #h74 ,i long to hear of the child4 ,i write the blessings of ,christ's prisoner and the mercies of ,god to him4 ,let him be ,christ's and yours betwixt you1 but let ,christ be whole play-maker4 ,let ,him be the leader2 and you the borrower1 not an owner4 ,madam1 it is not long since ,i did write to your ,ladyship that ,christ is keeping mercy for you2 and ,i bide by it still1 and now write it under my hand4 ,love ,him dearly4 ,win in to see ,him2 there is in ,him that which you never saw4 ,he is aye nigh2 ,he is a tree of life1 green and blossoming1 both summer and winter4 ,there is a nick in ,christianity1 to the which whosoever cometh1 they see and feel more than others can do4 ,i invite you of new to come to ,him4 ,come and see1 will speak better things of ,him than ,i can do4 ,come nearer will say much4 ,god never thought this world a portion worthy of you4 ,he would not even you to a gift of dirt and clay2 nay1 ,he will not give you ,esau's portion1 but reserves the inheritance of ,jacob for you4 ,are ye not well married now8 ,have you not a good husband now8 ,my heart cannot express what sad nights ,i have had for the virgin daughter of my people4 ,woe is me1 for my time is coming4 ,behold1 the day1 behold1 the day is come2 the morning hath gone forth1 the rod hath blossomed1 pride hath budded1 violence is risen up in a rod of wickedness1 the sun is gone down upon our prophets4 ,a dry wind upon ,scotland1 but neither to fan nor to cleanse2 but out of all question1 when the ,lord hath cut down the forest1 the aftergrowth of ,lebanon shall flourish2 they shall plant vines in our mountains1 and a cloud shall yet fill the temple4 ,now the blessing of our dearest ,lord ,jesus1 and the blessing of him that is separate from his brethren1 come upon you4 ,yours1 at ,aberdeen1 the prisoner of ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 ,,lxxi4--,to ,,mr4 ,,hugh ,m',,kail4 ,,mr4 ,,hugh ,m',,kail was at this time minister of ,irvine4 ,previous to his settlement in that parish1 ,rutherford was very desirous of seeing him settled assistant and successor to ,mr4 ,robert ,glendinning1 the aged minister of ,kirkcudbright2 the people too had an eye to him1 but were disappointed1 having been anticipated by the parish of which he was now pastor4 ,he and ,mr4 ,william ,cockburn were appointed by the ,general ,assembly of #afdd to visit the north of ,ireland for three months1 with the view of promoting the interests of the ,presbyterian ,church in that country4 ,he was ultimately translated to ,edinburgh4 ,in the unhappy controversy between the ,resolutioners and ,protesters1 ,m',kail took the side of the former2 but was among the more moderate of the party4 ,baillie often refers to him in his letters4 ,he died in the beginning of the year #affj1 and was buried in the ,greyfriars' churchyard1 ,edinburgh4 7,lamont's ,diary1 p4 #aba47 ,he was the brother of ,mr4 ,matthew ,m',kail of ,bothwell1 who was the father of the youthful ,hugh ,m',kail1 and young ,hugh1 who nobly suffered in #afff1 was educated in ,edinburgh1 under the superintendence of this uncle4 7,,christ ,,to ,,be ,,trusted ,,amid ,,trial47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i thank you for your letter4 ,i cannot but show you1 that as ,i never expected anything from ,christ1 but much good and kindness1 so ,he hath made me to find it in the house of my pilgrimage4 ,and believe me1 brother1 ,i give it to you under mine own hand-writ1 that whoso looketh to the white side of ,christ's cross1 and can take it up handsomely with faith and courage1 shall find it such a burden as sails are to a ship1 or wings to a bird4 ,i find that my ,lord hath overgilded that black tree1 and hath perfumed it1 and oiled it with joy and consolation4 ,like a fool1 once ,i would chide and plead with ,christ1 and slander ,him to others1 of unkindness4#afg ,but ,i trust in ,god1 not to call ,his glooms unkind again2 for ,he hath taken from me my sackcloth2 and ,i verily cannot tell you what a poor ,joseph and prisoner 7with whom my mother's children were angry7 doth now think of kind ,christ4 ,i will chide no more1 providing ,he will quit me all by-gones2 for ,i am poor4 ,i am taught in this ill weather to go on the lee-side of ,christ1 and to put ,him in between me and the storm2 and 7,i thank ,god7 ,i walk on the sunny side of the brae4 ,i write it that ye may speak in my behalf the praises of my ,lord to others1 that my bonds may preach4 ,o if all ,scotland knew the feasts1 and love-blinks1 and visits that the prelates have sent unto me6 ,i will verily give my ,lord ,jesus a free discharge of all that ,i1 like a fool1 laid to ,his charge1 and beg ,him pardon1 to the mends4 ,god grant that in my temptations ,i come not on ,his wrong side again1 and never again fall a raving against my ,physician in my fever4 #afg ,at one time ,i would have falsely charged ,him with unkindness4 ,brother1 plead with your mother while ye have time4 ,a pulpit would be a high feast to me2 but ,i dare not say one word against ,him who hath done it4 ,i am not out of the house as yet4 ,my sweet ,master saith1 ,i shall have house-room at ,his own elbow2 albeit their synagogue will need force to cast me out4 ,a letter were a work of charity to me4 ,grace be with you4 ,pray for me4 ,your brother and ,christ's prisoner1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,nov4 #bb1 #afcf4 ,,lxxii4--,to ,,william ,,gordon of ,roberton4 ,,william ,,gordon of ,roberton1 in the parish of ,borgue in ,galloway1 close to ,knockbrex1 was the father of ,william ,gordon of ,roberton1 who joined with the ,covenanters in the rising at ,pentland in #afff1 and was killed1 to the great loss of the country where he lived1 says ,wodrow1 and his own family1 his aged father having no more sons4 ,mary1 a daughter of this venerable old man1 to whom this letter is addressed1 suffered much for nonconformity at the hands of ,claverhouse and his friends4 ,she was married to ,john ,gordon of ,largmore 7which is in ,kells1 near ,kenmure ,castle71 who1 in the battle at ,pentland1 was severely wounded1 and1 returning to his own house1 died in the course of a few days4 ,the old man did not long survive the death of his son and son-in-law2 for1 on the #hth of ,september #affh1 ,mary ,gordon is retoured heir of ,william ,gordon of ,roberton1 her father4 ,in ,kells churchyard1 near the gate1 there is a short epitaph3 ,here lyes the corpse of ,roger ,gordon of ,largmore1 who dyed ,march #b1 #affb1 aged #gb years2 and of ,john ,gordon of ,largmore his grandchild1 who dyed ,january #f1 #affg1 of his wounds got at ,pentland in defence of the ,covenanted ,reformation4 7,,how ,,trials ,,are ,,misimproved--,,the ,,infinite ,,value of ,,christ--,,despised ,,warnings47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,so often as ,i think on our case1 in our soldier's night-watch1 and of our fighting life in the fields1 while we are here1 ,i am forced to say1 prisoners in a dungeon1 condemned by a judge to want the light of the sun1 and moon1 and candle1 till their dying day1 are no more1 nay1 not so much1 to be pitied as we are4 ,for they are weary of their life1 they hate their prison2 but we fall to1 in our prison1 where we see little1 to drink ourselves drunk with the night-pleasures of our weak dreams2 and we long for no better life than this4 ,but at the blast of the last trumpet1 and the shout of the archangel1 when ,god shall take down the shepherd's tent of this fading world1 we shall not have so much as a drink of water1 of all the dreams that we now build on4 ,alas6 that the sharp and bitter blasts on face and sides1 which meet us in this life1 have not learned us mortification1 and made us dead to this world6 ,we buy our own sorrow1 and we pay dear for it1 when we spend out our love1 our joy1 our desires1 our confidence1 upon an handful of snow and ice1 that time will melt away to nothing1 and go thirsty out of the drunken inn when all is done4 ,alas6 that we inquire not for the clear fountain1 but are so foolish as to drink foul1 muddy1 and rotten waters1 even till our bed-time4 ,and then in the ,resurrection1 when we shall be awakened1 our yesternight's sour drink and swinish dregs shall rift up upon us2 and sick1 sick1 shall many a soul be then4 ,i know no wholesome fountain but one4 ,i know not a thing worth the buying but heaven2 and my own mind is1 if comparison were made betwixt ,christ and heaven1 ,i would sell heaven with my blessing1 and buy ,christ4 ,o if ,i could raise the market for ,christ1 and heighten the market a pound for a penny1 and cry up ,christ in men's estimation ten thousand talents more than men think of ,him6 ,but they are cheapening ,him1#afh and crying ,him down1 and valuing ,him at their unworthy halfpenny2 or else exchanging and bartering ,christ with the miserable old fallen house of this vain world4 ,or then they lend ,him out upon interest1 and play the usurers with ,christ3 because they profess ,him1 and give out before men that ,christ is their treasure and stock2 and in the mean time1 praise of men1 and a name1 and ease1 and the summer sun of the ,gospel1 is the usury they would be at4 ,so1 when the trial cometh1 they quit the stock for the interest1 and lose all4 ,happy are they who can keep ,christ by ,himself alone1 and keep ,him clean and whole till ,god come and count with them4 ,i know that in your hard and heavy trials long since1 ye thought well and highly of ,christ2 but1 truly1 no cross should be old to us4 ,we should not forget them because years are come betwixt us and them1 and cast them byhand as we do old clothes4 ,we may make a cross old in time1 new in use1 and as fruitful as in the beginning of it4 ,god is where and what ,he was seven years ago1 whatever change may be in us4 ,i speak not this as if ,i thought ye had forgotten what ,god did1 to have your love long since1 but that ye may awake yourself in this sleepy age1 and remember fruitfully of ,christ's first wooing and suiting of your love1 both with fire and water1 and try if ,he got ,his answer1 or if ye be yet to give ,him it4 ,for ,i find in myself1 that water runneth not faster through a sieve than our warnings slip from us2 ,i have lost and casten byhand many summons the ,lord sent to me2 and therefore the ,lord hath given me double charges1 that ,i trust in ,god shall not rive me4 ,i bless ,his great name1 who is no niggard in holding-in crosses upon me1 but spendeth largely ,his rods1 that ,he may save me from this perishing world4 ,how plentiful ,god is in means of this kind is esteemed by many one of ,god's unkind mercies2 but ,christ's cross is neither a cruel nor unkind mercy1 but the love-token of a father4 ,i am sure1 a lover chasing us for our weal1 and to have our love1 should not be run away from1 or fled from4 ,god send me no worse mercy than the sanctified cross of ,christ portendeth1 and ,i am sure ,i should be happy and blessed4 #afh ,bringing down the price1 perhaps alluding to ,zech4 xi4 #ca4 ,pray for me1 that ,i may find house-room in the ,lord's house to speak in ,his name4 ,remember my dearest love in ,christ to your wife4 ,grace1 grace be unto you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcf4 ,,lxxiii4--,to ,,earlston1 ,elder4 ,and they overcame the dragon by the blood of the ,lamb1 and by the word of their testimony1 and they loved not their lives unto the death4--,,rev4 xii4 #aa4 7,,christ',s ,,liberality--,,his ,,own ,,misapprehensions ,,of ,,christ47 ,,much-,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i long to see you in paper1 and to be refreshed by you4 ,i cannot but desire you1 and charge you to help me to praise ,him who feedeth a poor prisoner with the fatness of ,his house4 ,o how weighty is ,his love6 ,o but there is much telling in ,christ's kindness6 ,the ,amen1 the ,faithful and ,true ,witness1 hath paid me my hundred-fold1 well told1 and one to the hundred4 ,i complained of ,him1 but ,he is owing me nothing now4 ,sir1 ,i charge you to help me to praise ,his goodness1 and to proclaim to others my ,bridegroom's kindness1 whose love is better than wine4 ,i took up an action against ,christ1 and brought a plea against ,his love1 and libelled unkindness against ,christ my ,lord1 and ,i said1 ,this is my death2 ,he hath forgotten me4 ,but my meek ,lord held ,his peace1 and beheld me1 and would not contend for the last word of flyting4 ,and now ,he hath chided ,himself friends with me4 ,and now ,i see ,he must be ,god1 and ,i must be flesh4 ,i pass from my summons2 ,i acknowledge ,he might have given me my fill of it1 and never troubled ,himself4 ,but now ,he hath taken away the mask2 ,i have been comforted2 ,he could not smother ,his love any longer to a prisoner and a stranger4 ,god grant that ,i may never buy a plea against ,christ again1 but may keep good quarters with ,him4 ,i want here no kindness1#afi no love-tokens2 but ,o wise is ,his love6 for1 notwithstanding of this hot summer-blink1 ,i am kept low with the grief of my silence4 ,for ,his word is in me as a fire in my bowels2 and ,i see the ,lord's vineyard laid waste1 and the heathen entered into the sanctuary3 and my belly is pained1 and my soul in heaviness1 because the ,lord's people are gone into captivity1 and because of the fury of the ,lord1 and that wind 7but neither to fan nor purge7 which is coming upon apostate ,scotland4 ,also ,i am kept awake with the late wrong done to my brother2 but ,i trust you will counsel and comfort him4 ,yet1 in this mist1 ,i see and believe the ,lord will heal this halting kirk1 and will lay her stones with fair colours1 and her foundations with sapphires1 and will make her windows of agates1 and her gates carbuncles 7,isa4 liv4 #aa1 #ab74 ,and for brass ,he will bring gold4 ,he hath created the smith that formed the sword3 no weapon in war shall prosper against us4 ,let us be glad and rejoice in the ,lord1 for ,his salvation is near to come4 ,remember me to your wife and your son ,john4 ,and ,i entreat you to write to me4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours in his only1 only ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,dec4 #cj1 #afcf4 #afi ,i have no want of4 ,,lxxiv4--,to the ,,lady ,,culross4 ,these are they which came out of great tribulation1 and have washed their robes1 and made them white in the blood of the ,lamb4--,,rev4 vii4 #ad4 7,,his ,,own ,,misconception ,,of ,,christ',s ,,ways--,,christ',s ,,kindness47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be multiplied upon you4 ,i greatly long to be refreshed with your letter4 ,i am now 7all honour and glory to the ,king eternal1 immortal1 and invisible67 in better terms with ,christ than ,i was4 ,i1 like a fool1 summoned my ,husband and ,lord1 and libelled unkindness against ,him2 but now ,i pass from that foolish pursuit2 ,i give over the plea4 ,he is ,god1 and ,i am man4 ,i was loosing a fast stone1 and digging at the ground-stone1 the love of my ,lord1 to shake and unsettle it4 ,but1 ,god be thanked1 it is fast2 all is sure4 ,in my prison ,he hath shown me daylight2 ,he dought not hide ,his love any longer4 ,christ was disguised and masked1 and ,i apprehended it was not ,he2 but ,he hath said1 ,it is ,i1 be not afraid2 and now ,his love is better than wine4 ,o that all the virgins had part of the ,bridegroom's love whereupon ,he maketh me to feed4 ,help me to praise4 ,i charge you1 ,madam1 help me to pay praises2 and tell others1 the daughters of ,jerusalem1 how kind ,christ is to a poor prisoner4 ,he hath paid me my hundred-fold2 it is well told me1 and one to the hundred4 ,i am nothing behind with ,christ4 ,let not fools1 because of their lazy and soft flesh1 raise a slander and an ill report upon the cross of ,christ4 ,it is sweeter than fair4 ,i see grace groweth best in winter4 ,this poor persecuted kirk1 this lily amongst the thorns1 shall blossom1 and laugh upon the gardener2 the husbandman's blessing shall light upon it4 ,o if ,i could be free of jealousies of ,christ1 after this1 and believe1 and keep good quarters with my dearest ,husband6 for ,he hath been kind to the stranger4 ,and yet in all this fair hot summer weather1 ,i am kept from saying1 ,it is good to be here1#agj with my silence1 and with grief to see my mother wounded and her veil taken from her1 and the fair temple casten down4 ,my belly is pained1 my soul is heavy for the captivity of the daughter of my people1 and because of the fury of the ,lord1 and ,his fierce indignation against apostate ,scotland4 ,i pray you1 ,madam1 let me have that which is my prayer here1 that my sufferings may preach to the four quarters of this land2 and1 therefore1 tell others how open-handed ,christ had been to the prisoner and the oppressed stranger4 ,why should ,i conceal it8 ,i know no other way how to glorify ,christ1 but to make an open proclamation of ,his love1 and of ,his soft and sweet kisses to me in the furnace1 and of ,his fidelity to such as suffer for ,him4 ,give it me under your hand1 that ye will help me to pray and praise2 but rather to praise and rejoice in the salvation of ,god4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours in his dearest and only1 only ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,dec4 #cj1 #afcf4 #agj ,my being silenced as to preaching1 and my grief1 keep me from saying4 ,illustration3 ,,ayr4 ,,lxxv4--,to ,,john ,,kennedy1 ,bailiffe 7i4e4 ,bailie7 of ,ayr4 ,,john ,,kennedy was the son of ,hugh ,kennedy1 ,provost of ,ayr4 ,hugh was an eminent ,christian1 and did much to promote the cause of religion in the place where he lived4 ,john ,welsh1 minister of ,ayr1 bore this high testimony to him in a letter written to him in ,france3 ,happy is that city1 yea1 happy is that nation that has a ,hugh ,kennedy in it4 ,i have myself certainly found the answer of his prayers from the ,lord in my behalf4 ,on his death-bed1 he was filled with inexpressible joy in the ,holy ,ghost1 beyond what it was possible to comprehend4 7,wodrow1 in his life of ,boyd of ,trochrig47 ,john1 his son1 possessed much of the spirit and character of his father4 ,he was1 says ,fleming 7,fulfilling of the ,scriptures71 as choice a ,christian as was at that time4 ,the same writer records a remarkable escape from imminent peril at sea which ,kennedy experienced2 which may be the deliverance to which ,rutherford refers in a subsequent letter4 ,it happened thus3 ,john ,stewart1 ,provost of ,ayr1 another of ,rutherford's correspondents1 who had gone to ,france1 having loaded a ship at ,rochelle with various commodities for ,scotland1 proceeded to ,england by the nearest way1 and thence to ,ayr4 ,after waiting a considerable time for the arrival of his vessel1 he was told that it was captured by the ,turks4 ,this information1 however1 proved to be incorrect1 for it at length arrived in the roads2 upon hearing of which1 ,kennedy1 an intimate friend of ,stewart1 was so overjoyed1 that he went out to it in a small boat4 ,but a storm suddenly arising1 he was driven past the vessel1 and the general belief of the onlookers from the shore was that he and his boat were swallowed up2 indeed1 the storm increased to such a degree of violence as to threaten even the shipwreck of the vessel4 ,deeply affected at the apprehended loss of his friend1 ,stewart shut himself up in entire seclusion for three days2 but at the very time he had gone to visit ,kennedy's wife under her supposed bereavement1 ,kennedy1 who had been driven to another part of the coast1 but had reached the land in safety1 made his appearance1 to the great joy of all4 ,kennedy was a member of the ,scottish ,parliament in the years #afdd-e-f1 for the burgh of ,ayr1 and is styled in the roll1 ,john ,kennedy1 ,provost of ,ayr4 ,he was also a member of the ,general ,assemblies of #afdb-c-d-f and #g1 and his name appears among the ruling elders in the commission for the public affairs of the kirk in all these years4 ,his brother ,hugh 7also an elder of the ,church7 was frequently a member of the ,general ,assembly1 and1 as we learn from ,baillie's ,letters1 had an active share in the proceedings of the ,covenanters during the reign of ,charles ,i4 ,there are lineal descendants of this family in ,ayr at this day2 one of them1 like his ancestor1 was lately ,provost of the town4 7,,longing ,,after ,,clearer ,,views ,,of ,,christ--,,his ,,long-,,suffering--,,trying ,,circumstances47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i long to see you in this northern world on paper2 ,i know it is not forgetfulness that ye write not4 ,i am every way in good ease1 both in soul and body2 all honour and glory be to my ,lord4 ,i want nothing but a further revelation of the beauty of the unknown ,son of ,god4 ,either ,i know not what ,christianity is1 or we have stinted a measure of so many ounce weights1 and no more1 upon holiness2 and there we are at a stand1 drawing our breath all our life4 ,a moderation in ,god's way is now much in request4 ,i profess that ,i have never taken pains to find out ,him whom my soul loveth2 there is a gate yet of finding out ,christ that ,i have never lighted upon4 ,oh1 if ,i could find it out6 ,alas1 how soon are we pleased with our own shadow in a glass6 ,it were good to be beginning in sad earnest to find out ,god1 and to seek the right tread of ,christ4 ,time1 custom1 and a good opinion of ourselves1 our good meaning1 and our lazy desires1 our fair shows1 and the world's glistering lustres1 and these broad passments and buskings of religion1 that bear bulk in the kirk1 is that wherewith most satisfy themselves4 ,but a bed watered with tears1 a throat dry with praying1 eyes as a fountain of tears for the sins of the land1 are rare to be found among us4 ,oh if we could know the power of godliness6 ,this is one part of my case2 and another is1 that ,i1 like a fool1 once summoned ,christ for unkindness1 and complained of ,his fickleness and inconstancy1 because ,he would have no more of my service nor preaching1 and had casten me out of the inheritance of the ,lord4 ,and now ,i confess that this was but a bought plea1 and ,i was a fool4 ,yet ,he hath borne with me4 ,i gave ,him a fair advantage against me1 but love and mercy would not let ,him take it2 and the truth is1 now ,he hath chided ,himself friends with me1 and hath taken away the mask1 and hath renewed ,his wonted favour in such a manner that ,he hath paid me my hundred-fold in this life1 and one to the hundred4 ,this prison is my banqueting-house2 ,i am handled as softly and delicately as a dawted child4 ,i am nothing behind 7,i see7 with ,christ2 ,he can1 in a month1 make up a year's losses4 ,and ,i write this to you1 that ,i may entreat1 nay1 adjure and charge you1 by the love of our ,well-beloved1 to help me to praise2 and to tell all your ,christian acquaintance to help me1 for ,i am as deeply drowned in ,his debt as any dyvour can be4 ,and yet in this fair sun-blink ,i have something to keep me from startling1 or being exalted above measure2 ,his word is as fire shut up in my bowels1 and ,i am weary with forbearing4 ,the ministers in this town are saying that they will have my prison changed into less bounds1 because they see ,god with me4 ,my mother hath borne me a man of contention1 one that striveth with the whole earth4 ,the late wrongs and oppressions done to my brother keep my sails low2 yet ,i defy crosses to embark me in such a plea against ,christ as ,i was troubled with of late4 ,i hope to over-hope and over-believe my troubles4 ,i have cause now to trust ,christ's promise more than ,his gloom4 ,remember my hearty affection to your wife4 ,my soul is grieved for the success of our brethren's journey to ,new ,england2 but ,god hath somewhat to reveal that we see not4 ,grace be with you4 ,pray for the prisoner4 ,yours1 in his only ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,jan4 #a1 #afcg4 ,,lxxvi4--,to ,,robert ,,gordon of ,knockbrex4 7,,benefit ,,of ,,affliction47 ,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be multiplied upon you4--,i am almost wearying1 yea1 wondering1 that ye write not to me3 though ,i know it is not forgetfulness4 ,as for myself1 ,i am every way well1 all glory to ,god4 ,i was before at a plea with ,christ 7but it was bought by me1 and unlawful71 because ,his whole providence was not yea and nay to my yea and nay1 and because ,i believed ,christ's outward look better than ,his faithful promise4 ,yet ,he hath in patience waited on1 whill ,i be come to myself1 and hath not taken advantage of my weak apprehensions of ,his goodness4 ,great and holy is ,his name6 ,he looketh to what ,i desire to be1 and not to what ,i am4 ,one thing ,i have learned4 ,if ,i had been in ,christ1 by way of adhesion only1 as many branches are1 ,i should have been burnt to ashes1 and this world would have seen a suffering minister of ,christ 7of something once in show7 turned into unsavoury salt4 ,but my ,lord ,jesus had a good eye that the tempter should not play foul play1 and blow out ,christ's candle4 ,he took no thought of my stomach1 and fretting and grudging humour1 but of ,his own grace4 ,when ,he burnt the house1 ,he saved ,his own goods4 ,and ,i believe that the devil and the persecuting world shall reap no fruit of me1 but burnt ashes3 for ,he will see to ,his own gold1 and save that from being consumed with the fire4 ,oh1 what owe ,i to the file1 to the hammer1 to the furnace of my ,lord ,jesus6 who hath now let me see how good the wheat of ,christ is1 that goeth through ,his mill1 and ,his oven1 to be made bread for ,his own table4 ,grace tried is better than grace1 and it is more than grace2 it is glory in its infancy4 ,i now see that godliness is more than the outside1 and this world's passments and their buskings4 ,who knoweth the truth of grace without a trial8 ,oh1 how little getteth ,christ of us1 but that which ,he winneth 7to speak so7 with much toil and pains6 ,and how soon would faith freeze without a cross6 ,how many dumb crosses have been laid upon my back1 that had never a tongue to speak the sweetness of ,christ1 as this hath6 ,when ,christ blesseth ,his own crosses with a tongue1 they breathe out ,christ's love1 wisdom1 kindness1 and care of us4 ,why should ,i start at the plough of my ,lord1 that maketh deep furrows on my soul8 ,i know that ,he is no idle ,husbandman1 ,he purposeth a crop4 ,o that this white1 withered lea-ground were made fertile to bear a crop for ,him1 by whom it is so painfully dressed2 and that this fallow-ground were broken up6 ,why was ,i 7a fool67 grieved that ,he put ,his garland and ,his rose upon my head--the glory and honour of ,his faithful witnesses8 ,i desire now to make no more pleas with ,christ4 ,verily ,he hath not put me to a loss by what ,i suffer2 ,he oweth me nothing2 for in my bonds how sweet and comfortable have the thoughts of ,him been to me1 wherein ,i find a sufficient recompense of reward6 ,how blind are my adversaries1 who sent me to a banqueting-house1 to a house of wine1 to the lovely feasts of my lovely ,lord ,jesus1 and not to a prison1 or place of exile6 ,why should ,i smother my ,husband's honesty1 or sin against ,his love1 or be a niggard in giving out to others what ,i get for nothing8 ,brother1 eat with me1 and give thanks4 ,i charge you before ,god1 that ye speak to others1 and invite them to help me to praise6 ,oh1 my debt of praise1 how weighty it is1 and how far run up6 ,o that others would lend me to pay1 and learn me to praise6 ,oh1 ,i am a drowned dyvour6 ,lord ,jesus1 take my thoughts for payments4 ,yet ,i am in this hot summer-blink with the tear in my eye2 for 7by reason of my silence7 sorrow1 sorrow hath filled me2 my harp is hanged upon the willow-trees1 because ,i am in a strange land4 ,i am still kept in exercise with envious brethren2 my mother hath borne me a man of contention4 ,write to me your mind anent ,y4 ,c43 ,i cannot forget him2 ,i know not what ,god hath to do with him3--and your mind anent my parishioners' behaviour1 and how they are served in preaching2 or if there be a minister as yet thrust in upon them1 which ,i desire greatly to know1 and which ,i much fear4 ,dear brother1 ye are in my heart1 to live and to die with you4 ,visit me with a letter4 ,pray for me4 ,remember my love to your wife4 ,grace1 grace be with you2 and ,god1 who heareth prayer1 visit you1 and let it be unto you according to the prayers of ,your own brother1 and ,christ's prisoner1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,jan4 #a1 #afcg4 ,,lxxvii4--,to my ,,lady ,,boyd4 ,,lady ,,boyd1 whose maiden name was ,christian ,hamilton1 was the eldest daughter of ,thomas1 first ,earl of ,haddington4 ,she was first married to ,robert1 ninth ,lord ,lindsay of ,byres1 who died in #afaf4 ,she married for her second husband1 ,robert1 sixth ,lord ,boyd1 who died in ,august #afbh4 ,lady ,boyd was distinguished for piety1 and a zealous ,presbyterian4 ,livingstone gives her a place among some of the professors in the ,church of ,scotland of his acquaintance1 who were eminent for grace and gifts2 eulogizes her as a rare pattern of ,christianity1 grave1 diligent1 and prudent2 and adds1 ,she used every night to write what had been the case of her soul all the day1 and what she had observed of the ,lord's dealing4 ,he speaks of residing for some time1 during the course of his ministry1 in the house of ,kilmarnock1 with the worthy ,lady ,boyd4 ,some of her letters are given by ,wodrow in his life of ,boyd of ,trochrig 7pp4 #aff1 #bgb47 ,she used to reside much at ,badenheath1 in the parish of ,chryston1 near ,glasgow1 and there ,john ,livingston visited her4 7,,aberdeen--,,experience ,,of ,,himself ,,sad--,,pressing ,,forwards47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be unto you4 ,the ,lord hath brought me to ,aberdeen1 where ,i see ,god in few4 ,this town hath been advised upon of purpose for me2 it consisteth either of ,papists1 or men of ,gallio's naughty faith4 ,it is counted wisdom1 in the most1 not to countenance a confined minister2 but ,i find ,christ neither strange nor unkind2 for ,i have found many faces smile upon me since ,i came hither4 ,i am heavy and sad1 considering what is betwixt the ,lord and my soul1 which none seeth but ,he4 ,i find men have mistaken me2 it would be no art 7as ,i now see7 to spin small1#aga and make hypocrisy a goodly web1 and to go through the market as a saint among men1 and yet steal quietly to hell1 without observation3 so easy is it to deceive men4 ,i have disputed whether or no ,i ever knew anything of ,christianity1 save the letters of that name4 ,men see but as men1 and they call ten twenty1 and twenty an hundred2 but ,o6 to be approved of ,god in the heart and in sincerity is not an ordinary mercy4 ,my neglects while ,i had a pulpit1 and other things whereof ,i am ashamed to speak1 meet me now1 so as ,god maketh an honest cross my daily sorrow4 ,and1 for fear of scandal and stumbling1 ,i must bide this day of the law's pleading3 ,i know not if this court kept within my soul be fenced in ,christ's name4 ,if certainty of salvation were to be bought1 ,god knoweth1 if ,i had ten earths1 ,i would not prig with ,god4 ,like a fool1 ,i believed1 under suffering for ,christ1 that ,i myself should keep the key of ,christ's treasures1 and take out comforts when ,i listed1 and eat and be fat3 but ,i see now a sufferer for ,christ will be made to know himself1 and will be holden at the door as well as another poor sinner1 and will be fain to eat with the bairns1 and to take the by-board1 and glad to do so4 ,my blessing on the cross of ,christ that hath made me see this6 ,oh6 if we could take pains for the kingdom of heaven6 ,but we sit down upon some ordinary marks of ,god's children1 thinking we have as much as will separate us from a reprobate2 and thereupon we take the play and cry1 ,holiday6 and thus the devil casteth water on our fire1 and blunteth our zeal and care4 ,but ,i see heaven is not at the door2 and ,i see1 howbeit my challenges be many1 ,i suffer for ,christ1 and dare hazard my salvation upon it2 for sometimes my ,lord cometh with a fair hour1 and ,o6 but ,his love be sweet1 delightful1 and comfortable4 ,half a kiss is sweet2 but our doting love will not be content with a right to ,christ1 unless we get possession2 like the man who will not be content with rights to bought land1 except he get also the ridges and acres laid upon his back to carry home with him6 ,however it be1 ,christ is wise2 and we are fools1 to be browden and fond of a pawn in the loof of our hand4 ,living on trust by faith may well content us4 ,madam1 ,i know your ,ladyship knoweth this1 and that made me bold to write of it1 that others might reap somewhat by my bonds for the truth2 for ,i should desire1 and ,i aim at this1 to have my ,lord well spoken of and honoured1 howbeit ,he should make nothing of me but a bridge over a water4 ,thus1 recommending your ,ladyship1 your son1 and children to ,his grace1 who hath honoured you with a name and room among the living in ,jerusalem1 and wishing grace to be with your ,ladyship1 ,i rest1 ,your ,ladyship's in his sweetest ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 #aga ,spin fine4 ,,lxxviii4--,to my ,,lord ,,boyd4 ,,robert1 seventh ,,lord ,,boyd1 was the only son of ,robert1 sixth ,lord ,boyd1 by ,lady ,christian ,hamilton1 mentioned in the preceding letter4 ,his father 7who was cousin of the famous ,robert ,boyd of ,trochrig1 two miles from ,girvan1 and under whom he studied at ,saumur7 died in ,august #afbh1 at the early age of #cc4 ,young ,robert was served heir to his father the #ith of ,may #afbi4 ,his earthly course was1 however1 brief2 for he died of a fever on the #agth of ,november #afdj1 aged about #bd4 ,he was married to ,lady ,anne ,fleming1 second daughter of ,john1 second ,earl of ,wigtown4 ,lord ,boyd warmly espoused the side of the ,covenanters2 and though not a member of the ,general ,assembly held at ,glasgow in #afch1 he attended its meetings and took a deep interest in its proceedings4 7,,encouragement ,,to ,,exertion ,,for ,,christ',s ,,cause47 ,,my ,,very ,,honourable ,,and ,,good ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to your ,lordship4 ,out of the worthy report that ,i hear of your ,lordship's zeal for this borne-down and oppressed ,gospel1 ,i am bold to write to your ,lordship1 beseeching you by the mercies of ,god1 by the honour of our royal and princely ,king ,jesus1 by the sorrows1 tears1 and desolation of your afflicted mother-,church1 and by the peace of your conscience1 and your joy in the day of ,christ1 that your ,lordship would go on1 in the strength of your ,lord1 and in the power of ,his might1 to bestir yourself1 for the vindicating of the fallen honour of your ,lord ,jesus4 ,oh1 blessed hands for evermore1 that shall help to put the crown upon the head of ,christ again in ,scotland6 ,i dare promise1 in the name of our ,lord1 that this will fasten and fix the pillars and the stakes of your honourable house upon earth1 if you lend and lay in pledge in ,christ's hand1 upon spiritual hazard1 life1 estate1 house1 honour1 credit1 moyen1 friends1 the favour of men 7suppose kings with three crowns71 so being that ye may bear witness1 and acquit yourself as a man of valour and courage to the ,prince of your salvation1 for the purging of ,his temple1 and sweeping out the lordly ,diotrepheses1 time-courting ,demases1 corrupt ,hymenuses and ,philetuses1 and other such oxen1 that with their dung defile the temple of the ,lord4 ,is not ,christ now crying1 ,who will help ,me8 who will come out with ,me1 to take part with ,me1 and share in the honour of ,my victory over these ,mine enemies1 who have said1 ,we will not have this man to rule over us8 ,my very honourable and dear ,lord1 join1 join 7as ye do7 with ,christ4 ,he is more worth to you and your posterity than this world's ,may-flowers1 and withering riches and honour1 that shall go away as smoke1 and evanish in a night vision1 and shall1 in one half-hour after the blast of the archangel's trumpet1 lie in white ashes4 ,let me beseech your ,lordship to draw by the lap of time's curtain1 and to look in through the window to great and endless eternity1 and consider if a worldly price 7suppose this little round clay globe of this ashy and dirty earth1 the dying idol of the fools of this world1 were all your own7 can be given for one smile of ,christ's ,god-like and soul-ravishing countenance4 ,in that day when so many joints and knees of thousand thousands wailing shall stand before ,christ1 trembling1 shouting1 and making their prayers to hills and mountains to fall upon them1 and hide them from the face of the ,lamb1 oh1 how many would sell lordships and kingdoms that day1 and buy ,christ6 ,but1 oh1 the market shall be closed and ended ere then6 ,your ,lordship hath now a blessed venture of winning court with the ,prince of the kings of the earth4 ,he ,himself weeping2 truth borne down and fallen in the streets1 and an oppressed ,gospel2 ,christ's bride with watery eyes and spoiled of her veil1 her hair hanging about her eyes1 forced to go in ragged apparel2 the banished1 alienated1 and imprisoned prophets of ,god1 who have not the favour of liberty to prophesy in sackcloth1 all these1 ,i say1 call for your help4 ,fear not worms of clay2 the moth shall eat them as a garment4 ,let the ,lord be your fear2 ,he is with you1 and shall fight for you2 and ye shall make the heart of this your mother-,church to sing for joy4 ,the ,lamb and ,his armies are with you1 and the kingdoms of the earth are the ,lord's4 ,i am persuaded that there is not another gospel1 nor another saving truth1 than that which ye now contend for4 ,i dare hazard my heaven and salvation upon it1 that this is the only saving way to glory4 ,grace1 grace1 be with your ,lordship4 ,your ,lordship's at all respectful obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,lxxix4--,to ,,margaret ,,ballantine4 ,this name is not found among the people of the parish of ,anwoth4 ,like ,john ,laurie1 ,letter ,,clxxv41 she may have been some one at a distance4 7,,value ,,of ,,the ,,soul ,,and ,,urgency ,,of ,,salvation47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be unto you4--,it is more than time that ,i should have written to you2 but it is yet good time1 if ,i could help your soul to mend your pace1 and to go more swiftly to your heavenly country4 ,for truly ye have need to make all haste1 because the inch of your day that remaineth will quickly slip away2 for whether we sleep or wake1 our glass runneth4 ,the tide bideth no man4 ,beware of a beguile in the matter of your salvation4 ,woe1 woe for evermore1 to them that lose that prize4 ,for what is behind1 when the soul is once lost1 but that sinners warm their bits of clay houses at a fire of their own kindling1 for a day or two 7which doth rather suffocate with its smoke than warm them72 and at length they lie down in sorrow1 and are clothed with everlasting shame6 ,i would seek no further measure of faith to begin withal than to believe really and stedfastly the doctrine of ,god's justice1 ,his all-devouring wrath1 and everlasting burning1 where sinners are burnt1 soul and body1 in a river and great lake of fire and brimstone4 ,then they would wish no more goods than the thousandth part of a cold fountain-well to cool their tongues4 ,they would then buy death with enduring of pain and torment for as many years as ,god hath created drops of rain since the creation4 ,but there is no market of buying or selling life or death there4 ,o1 alas6 the greatest part of this world run to the place of that torment rejoicing and dancing1 eating1 drinking1 and sleeping4 ,my counsel to you is1 that ye start in time to be after ,christ2 for if ye go quickly1 ,christ is not far before you2 ye shall overtake ,him4 ,o ,lord ,god1 what is so needful as this1 ,salvation1 salvation6 ,fy upon this condemned and foolish world1 that would give so little for salvation6 ,oh1 if there were a free market for salvation proclaimed in that day when the trumpet of ,god shall awake the dead1 how many buyers would be then6 ,god send me no more happiness than that salvation which the blind world1 to their eternal woe1 letteth slip through their fingers4 ,therefore1 look if ye can give out your money 7as ,isaiah speaketh7 7lv4 #b7 for bread1 and lay ,christ and ,his blood in wadset for heaven4 ,it is a dry and hungry bairn's part of goods that ,esaus are hunting for here4 ,i see thousands following the chase1 and in the pursuit of such things1 while in the meantime they lose the blessing2 and1 when all is done1 they have caught nothing to roast for supper1 but lie down hungry4 ,and1 besides1 they go to bed1 when they die1 without a candle2 for ,god saith to them1 ,this ye shall have at ,my hand1 ye shall lie down in sorrow 7,isa4 l4 #aa74 ,and truly this is as ill-made a bed to lie upon as one could wish2 for he cannot sleep soundly1 nor rest sweetly1 who hath sorrow for his pillow4 ,rouse1 rouse up1 therefore1 your soul1 and speer#agb how ,christ and your soul met together4 ,i am sure that they never got ,christ1 who were not once sick at the yolk of the heart for ,him4 ,too1 too many whole souls think that they have met with ,christ1 who had never a wearied night for the want of ,him3 but1 alas6 what richer are men1 that they dreamed the last night they had much gold1 and1 when they awoke in the morning1 they found it was but a dream8 ,what are all the sinners in the world1 in that day when heaven and earth shall go up in a flame of fire1 but a number of beguiled dreamers8 ,every one shall say of his hunting and his conquest1 ,behold1 it was a dream6 ,every man in that day will tell his dream4 ,i beseech you1 in the ,lord ,jesus1 beware1 beware of unsound work in the matter of your salvation3 ye may not1 ye cannot1 ye dow not want ,christ4 ,then after this day1 convene all your lovers before your soul1 and give them their leave2 and strike hands with ,christ1 that thereafter there may be no happiness to you but ,christ1 no hunting for anything but ,christ1 no bed at night1 when death cometh1 but ,christ4 ,christ1 ,christ1 who but ,christ6 ,i know this much of ,christ1 that ,he is not ill to be found1 nor lordly of ,his love4 ,woe had been my part of it for evermore1 if ,christ had made a dainty of ,himself to me4 ,but1 ,god be thanked1 ,i gave nothing for ,christ4 ,and now ,i protest before men and angels that ,christ cannot be exchanged1 that ,christ cannot be sold1 that ,christ cannot be weighed4 ,where would angels1 or all the world1 find a balance to weigh ,him in8 ,all lovers blush when ye stand beside ,christ6 ,woe upon all love but the love of ,christ6 ,hunger1 hunger for evermore be upon all heaven but ,christ6 ,shame1 shame for evermore be upon all glory but ,christ's glory4 ,i cry death1 death upon all lives but the life of ,christ4 ,oh1 what is it that holdeth us asunder8 ,o that once we could have a fair meeting6 ,thus recommending ,christ to you and you to ,him1 for evermore1 ,i rest4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 #agb ,ask4 ,,lxxx4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,his ,,comfort ,,under ,,tribulation1 ,,and ,,the ,,prison ,a ,,palace47 ,,my ,,dearly ,,beloved ,,sister1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i complain that ,galloway is not kind to me in paper4 ,i have received no letters these sixteen weeks but two4 ,i am well4 ,my prison is a palace to me1 and ,christ's banqueting-house4 ,my ,lord ,jesus is as kind as they call ,him4 ,o that all ,scotland knew my case1 and had part of my feast6 ,i charge you in the name of ,god1 ,i charge you to believe4 ,fear not the sons of men2 the worms shall eat them4 ,to pray and believe now1 when ,christ seems to give you a nay-say1 is more than it was before4 ,die believing2 die1 and ,christ's promise in your hand4 ,i desire1 ,i request1 ,i charge your husband and that town1#agc to stand for the truth of the ,gospel4 ,contend with ,christ's enemies2 and ,i pray you show all professors whom you know my case4 ,help me to praise4 ,the ministers here envy me2 they will have my prison changed4 ,my mother hath borne me a man of contention1 and one that striveth with the whole earth4 ,remember my love to your husband4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,jan4 #c1 #afcg4 #agc ,kirkcudbright4 ,,lxxxi4--,to ,,mr4 ,,john ,,meine 7,jun474 ,,mr4 ,,john ,,meine was the son of ,john ,meine1 merchant in ,edinburgh1 a solid and stedfast professor of the truth of ,god4 ,his mother was ,barbara ,hamilton1 a notice of whom see ,letter ,,cccxiii4 ,he was now1 it would appear from an allusion in the close of this letter1 a student of theology1 with a view to the holy ministry4 ,halyburton on his deathbed spake of this letter as one in which was to be found ,more practical religion than in a large volume4 7,,experience--,,patient ,,waiting--,,sanctification47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i have been too long in answering your letter1 but other business took me up4 ,i am here waiting1 if the fair wind will turn upon ,christ's sails in ,scotland1 and if deliverance be breaking out to this over-clouded and benighted kirk4 ,o that we could contend1 by prayers and supplications1 with our ,lord for that effect6 ,i know that ,he hath not given out ,his last doom against this land4 ,i have little of ,christ1 in this prison1 but groanings1 and longings1 and desires4 ,all my stock of ,christ is some hunger for ,him1 and yet ,i cannot say but ,i am rich in that4 ,my faith1 and hope1 and holy practice of new obedience1 are scarce worth the speaking of4 ,but blessed be my ,lord1 who taketh me1 light1 and clipped1 and naughty1 and feckless as ,i am4 ,i see that ,christ will not prig with me1 nor stand upon stepping-stones2 but cometh in at the broadside without ceremonies1 or making it nice1 to make a poor1 ransomed one ,his own4 ,o that ,i could feed upon ,his breathing1 and kissing1 and embracing1 and upon the hopes of my meeting and ,his6 when love-letters shall not go betwixt us1 but ,he will be messenger ,himself6 ,but there is required patience on our part1 till the summer-fruit in heaven be ripe for us4 ,it is in the bud2 but there be many things to do before our harvest come4 ,and we take ill with it1 and can hardly endure to set our paper-face to one of ,christ's storms and to go to heaven with wet feet1 and pain1 and sorrow4 ,we love to carry a heaven to heaven with us1 and would have two summers in one year1 and no less than two heavens4 ,but this will not do for us3 one 7and such a one67 may suffice us well enough4 ,the man1 ,christ1 got but one only1 and shall we have two8 ,remember my love in ,christ to your father2 and help me with your prayers4 ,if ye would be a deep divine1 ,i recommend to you sanctification4 ,fear ,him1 and ,he will reveal ,his covenant to you4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,jan4 #e1 #afcg4 ,illustration3 ,,cardoness ,,castle4 ,,lxxxii4--,to ,,john ,,gordon of ,cardoness1 ,elder4 ,,john ,,gordon of ,cardoness1 in the parish of ,anwoth1 was descended from ,gordon of ,lochinvar2 but little is known concerning him4 ,his name appears the first of #ahh signatures attached to an unsuccessful petition of the elders and parishioners of ,anwoth1 presented to the ,commission of the ,general ,assembly #afch1 for ,rutherford being continued minister of that parish1 when counter applications were made by the city of ,edinburgh and the ,university of ,st4 ,andrews for the transference of his services4 ,from ,rutherford's letters to him1 we learn that he was at this time far advanced in life4 ,he was naturally a man of strong passions1 by which it would appear he had1 in the previous part of his life1 been led astray4 ,the old castle of ,cardoness stands on a tongue of land1 at the mouth of the river ,fleet1 about a mile from ,gatehouse4 ,it is built on a rocky height1 overhanging the public road1 and looking toward the bay4 ,you see an old square-built tower1 or fortalice1 raising its grey head from among the tall trees that now surround it4 ,tradition tells of an old proprietor1 that he was in league with ,grme1 the ,border outlaw2 and how1 in consequence of his daring and ,god-defying deeds1 the chief and his whole family perished in the ,black ,loch1 a small loch in the parish of ,anwoth1 at ,woodend1 #bf ft4 deep4 ,though not a descendant1 ,john ,gordon seems to have been a man of like strong passions with that old chieftain1 till subdued by grace4 7,,win ,,christ ,,at ,,all ,,hazards--,,christ',s ,,beauty--,a ,,word ,,to ,,children47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i have longed to hear from you1 and to know the estate of your soul1 and the estate of that people with you4 ,i beseech you1 ,sir1 by the salvation of your precious soul1 and the mercies of ,god1 to make good and sure work of your salvation1 and try upon what ground-stone ye have builded4 ,worthy and dear ,sir1 if ye be upon sinking sand1 a storm of death1 and a blast1 will lose ,christ and you1 and wash you close off the rock4 ,oh1 for the ,lord's sake1 look narrowly to the work6 ,read over your life1 with the light of ,god's day-light and sun2 for salvation is not casten down at every man's door4 ,it is good to look to your compass1 and all ye have need of1 ere you take shipping2 for no wind can blow you back again4 ,remember1 when the race is ended1 and the play either won or lost1 and ye are in the utmost circle and border of time1 and shall put your foot within the march of eternity1 and all your good things of this short night-dream shall seem to you like the ashes of a bleeze of thorns or straw1 and your poor soul shall be crying1 ,lodging1 lodging1 for ,god's sake6 then shall your soul be more glad at one of your ,lord's lovely and homely smiles1 than if ye had the charters of three worlds for all eternity4 ,let pleasures and gain1 will and desires of this world1 be put over into ,god's hands1 as arrested and fenced goods that ye cannot intromit with4 ,now1 when ye are drinking the grounds of your cup1 and ye are upon the utmost end of the last link of time1 and old age1 like death's long shadow1 is casting a covering upon your days1 it is no time to court this vain life1 and to set love and heart upon it4 ,it is near after-supper2 seek rest and ease for your soul in ,god through ,christ4 ,believe me1 that ,i find it to be hard wrestling to play fair with ,christ1 and to keep good quarters with ,him1 and to love ,him in integrity and life1 and to keep a constant course of sound and solid daily communion with ,christ4 ,temptations are daily breaking the thread of that course1 and it is not easy to cast a knot again2 and many knots make evil work4 ,oh1 how fair have many ships been plying before the wind1 that1 in an hour's space1 have been lying in the sea-bottom6 ,how many professors cast a golden lustre1 as if they were pure gold1 and yet are1 under that skin and cover1 but base and reprobate metal6 ,and how many keep breath in their race many miles1 and yet come short of the prize and the garland6 ,dear sir1 my soul would mourn in secret for you1 if ,i knew your case with ,god to be but false work4 ,love to have you anchored upon ,christ maketh me fear your tottering and slips4 ,false under-water1 not seen in the ground of an enlightened conscience1 is dangerous2 so is often falling1 and sinning against light4 ,know this1 that those who never had sick nights or days in conscience for sin1 cannot have but such a peace with ,god as will undercoat and break the flesh again1 and end in a sad war at death4 ,oh1 how fearfully are thousands beguiled with false hide1 grown over old sins1 as if the soul were cured and healed6 ,dear ,sir1 ,i always saw nature mighty1 lofty1 heady1 and strong in you2 and that it was more for you to be mortified and dead to the world1 than for another common man4 ,ye will take a low ebb1 and a deep cut1 and a long lance1 to go to the bottom of your wounds in saving humiliation1 to make you a won prey for ,christ4 ,be humbled2 walk softly4 ,down1 down1 for ,god's sake1 my dear and worthy brother1 with your topsail4 ,stoop1 stoop6 it is a low entry to go in at heaven's gate4 ,there is infinite justice in the party ye have to do with2 it is ,his nature not to acquit the guilty and the sinner4 ,the law of ,god will not want one farthing of the sinner4 ,god forgetteth not both the cautioner and the sinner2 and every man must pay1 either in his own person 7oh1 ,lord save you from that payment671 or in his cautioner1 ,christ4 ,it is violence to corrupt nature for a man to be holy1 to lie down under ,christ's feet1 to quit will1 pleasure1 worldly love1 earthly hope1 and an itching of heart after this farded and over-gilded world1 and to be content that ,christ trample upon all4 ,come in1 come in to ,christ1 and see what ye want1 and find it in ,him4 ,he is the short cut 7as we used to say71 and the nearest way to an outgate of all your burdens4 ,i dare avouch that ye shall be dearly welcome to ,him2 my soul would be glad to take part of the joy ye should have in ,him4 ,i dare say that angels' pens1 angels' tongues1 nay1 as many worlds of angels as there are drops of water in all the seas1 and fountains1 and rivers of the earth1 cannot paint ,him out to you4 ,i think ,his sweetness1 since ,i was a prisoner1 hath swelled upon me to the greatness of two heavens4 ,oh for a soul as wide as the utmost circle of the highest heaven that containeth all1 to contain ,his love6 ,and yet ,i could hold little of it4 ,o world's wonder6 ,oh1 if my soul might but lie within the smell of ,his love1 suppose ,i could get no more but the smell of it6 ,oh1 but it is long to that day when ,i shall have a free world of ,christ's love6 ,oh1 what a sight to be up in heaven1 in that fair orchard of the new paradise2 and to see1 and smell1 and touch1 and kiss that fair field-flower1 that ever-green ,tree of life6 ,his bare shadow were enough for me2 a sight of ,him would be the earnest of heaven to me4 ,fy1 fy upon us6 that we have love lying rusting beside us1 or1 which is worse1 wasting upon some loathsome objects1 and that ,christ should lie ,his lone4 ,wo1 wo is me6 that sin hath made so many madmen1 seeking the fool's paradise1 fire under ice1 and some good and desirable things1 without and apart from ,christ4 ,christ1 ,christ1 nothing but ,christ1 can cool our love's burning languor4 ,o thirsty love6 wilt thou set ,christ1 the well of life1 to thy head1 and drink thy fill8 ,drink1 and spare not2 drink love1 and be drunken with ,christ6 ,nay1 alas6 the distance betwixt us and ,christ is a death4 ,oh1 if we were clasped in other's arms6 ,we should never twin again1 except heaven twinned and sundered us2 and that cannot be4 ,i desire your children to seek this ,lord4 ,desire them from me1 to be requested1 for ,christ's sake1 to be blessed and happy1 and to come and take ,christ1 and all things with ,him4 ,let them beware of glassy and slippery youth1 of foolish young notions1 of worldly lusts1 of deceivable gain1 of wicked company1 of cursing1 lying1 blaspheming1 and foolish talking4 ,let them be filled with the ,spirit2 acquaint themselves with daily praying2 and with the storehouse of wisdom and comfort1 the good word of ,god4 ,help the souls of the poor people4 ,o that my ,lord would bring me again among them1 that ,i might tell unco and great tales of ,christ to them6 ,receive not a stranger to preach any other doctrine to them4 ,pray for me1 ,his prisoner of hope4 ,i pray for you without ceasing4 ,i write my blessing1 earnest prayers1 the love of ,god1 and the sweet presence of ,christ to you1 and yours1 and them4 ,grace1 grace1 grace be with you4 ,your lawful and loving pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,lxxxiii4--,to the ,,earl ,,of ,,lothian4 ,,william1 third ,,earl ,,of ,,lothian1 to whom this letter is addressed1 was the eldest son of ,robert1 first ,earl of ,ancrum2 and he acquired the title of ,earl of ,lothian by his marriage with ,anne ,ker1 ,countess of ,lothian1 by whom he succeeded to the estate and titles of ,lothian in #afbd4 ,in #afch he manifested great zeal for the ,covenant4 ,he was a member of the ,general ,assembly which met at ,glasgow that year1 as elder for the ,presbytery of ,dalkeith4 ,hostilities having again commenced in #afdj1 his ,lordship was in the ,scottish army that invaded ,england1 and defeated the ,royalists at ,newburn4 ,in #afdc he was sent from ,scotland by the ,privy ,council1 with the approbation of ,charles ,i4 ,in #afdd he commanded1 with the ,marquis of ,argyle1 the forces sent against the ,marquis of ,montrose1 whom he obliged to retreat1 and then delivered up his commission to the ,committee of ,estates1 who passed an act in approbation of his services4 ,he was president of the ,committee despatched by the ,parliament to the ,king in ,december #afdf1 with their final propositions4 ,he protested against the raising of an army in #afdh to rescue the ,king from the hands of the ,english1 without receiving from ,his ,majesty assurance that he would secure the religious liberties of his ,scottish subjects1--an attempt which was called the ,engagement4 ,but while resisting the arbitrary measures of his prince1 he was of sincere and ardent loyalty4 ,no sooner was it known that the ,parliament of ,england intended to proceed against ,charles ,i4 before the ,high ,court of ,justice1 than he and other commissioners were sent1 in name of the kingdom of ,scotland1 to remonstrate against their proceedings in regard to the sacred person of the king4 ,he took a solemn protest against their proceedings1 for which he was put under arrest1 sent with a guard to ,gravesend1 and thence to ,scotland4 ,on his return he received the thanks of ,parliament for his conduct on this occasion2 and1 along with the ,earl of ,cassillis1 was despatched to ,breda in #afej to invite ,king ,charles to ,scotland4 ,his ,lordship died in the year #afge4 ,by ,anne1 ,countess of ,lothian1 he had five sons and nine daughters4 7,,advice ,,as ,,to ,,public ,,conduct--,,everything ,,to ,,be ,,endured ,,for ,,christ47 ,,right ,,honourable1 ,,and ,,my ,,very ,,worthy ,,and ,,noble ,,lord1--,out of the honourable and good report that ,i hear of your ,lordship's good-will and kindness1 in taking to heart the honourable cause of ,christ1 and ,his afflicted ,church and wronged truth in this land1 ,i make bold to speak a word on paper1 to your ,lordship1 at this distance1 which ,i trust your ,lordship will take in good part4 ,it is to your ,lordship's honour and credit1 to put to your hand1 as ye do 7all honour to ,god671 to the falling and tottering tabernacle of ,christ1 in this your mother-,church1 and to own ,christ's wrongs as your own wrongs4 ,o blessed hand1 which shall wipe and dry the watery eyes of our weeping ,lord ,jesus1 now going mourning in sackcloth in ,his members1 in ,his spouse in ,his truth1 and in the prerogative royal of ,his kingly power6 ,he needeth not service and help from men2 but it pleaseth ,his wisdom to make the wants and losses1 the sores and wounds of ,his spouse1 a field and an office-house for the zeal of ,his servants to exercise themselves in4 ,therefore1 my noble and dear ,lord1 go on1 go on in the strength of the ,lord against all opposition1 to side with wronged ,christ4 ,the defending1 and warding of strokes off ,christ's bride1 the ,king's daughter1 is like a piece of the rest of the way to heaven1 knotty1 rough1 stormy1 and full of thorns4 ,many would follow ,christ1 but with a reservation that1 by open proclamation1 ,christ would cry down crosses1 and cry up fair weather1 and a summer sky and sun1 till we were all fairly landed at heaven4 ,i know that your ,lordship hath not so learned ,christ2 but that ye intend to fetch heaven1 suppose that your father were standing in your way1 and to take it with the wind on your face2 for so both storm and wind were on the fair face of your lovely ,forerunner1 ,christ1 all ,his way4 ,it is possible that the success answer not your desire in this worthy cause4 ,what then8 duties are ours1 but events are the ,lord's2 and ,i hope1 if your ,lordship1 and others with you1 will go on to dive to the lowest ground and bottom of the knavery and perfidious treachery to ,christ of the accursed and wretched prelates1 the ,antichrist's first-born1 and the first-fruit of his foul womb1 and shall deal with our ,sovereign 7law going before you7 for the reasonable and impartial hearing of ,christ's bill of complaints1 and set yourselves singly to seek the ,lord and ,his face1 that your righteousness shall break through the clouds which prejudice hath drawn over it1 and that ye shall1 in the strength of the ,lord1 bring our banished and departing ,lord ,jesus home again to ,his sanctuary4 ,neither must your ,lordship advise with flesh and blood in this2 but wink1 and in the dark1 reach your hand to ,christ1 and follow ,him4 ,let not men's fainting discourage you2 neither be afraid of men's canny wisdom1 who1 in this storm1 take the nearest shore1 and go to the lee and calm side of the ,gospel1 and hide ,christ 7if ever they had ,him7 in their cabinets1 as if they were ashamed of ,him1 or as if ,christ were stolen wares1 and would blush before the sun4 ,my very dear and noble ,lord1 ye have rejoiced the hearts of many1 that ye have made choice of ,christ and ,his ,gospel1 whereas such great temptations do stand in your way4 ,but ,i love your profession the better that it endureth winds4 ,if we knew ourselves well1 to want temptations is the greatest temptation of all4 ,neither is father1 nor mother1 nor court1 nor honour1 in this over-lustred world with all its paintry and farding1 anything else1 when they are laid in the balance with ,christ1 but feathers1 shadows1 night-dreams1 and straws4 ,oh1 if this world knew the excellency1 sweetness1 and beauty of that high and lofty ,one1 the ,fairest among the sons of men1 verily they would see1 that if their love were bigger than ten heavens1 all in circles beyond each other1 it were all too little for ,christ our ,lord6 ,i hope that your choice will not repent you1 when life shall come to that twilight betwixt time and eternity1 and ye shall see the utmost border of time1 and shall draw the curtain1 and look into eternity1 and shall one day see ,god take the heavens in ,his hands1 and fold them together1 like an old holely garment1 and set on fire this clay part of the creation of ,god1 and consume away into smoke and ashes the idol-hope of poor fools1 who think that there is not a better country than this low country of dying clay4 ,children cannot make comparison aright betwixt this life and that which is to come2 and1 therefore1 the babes of this world1 who see no better1 mould1 in their own brain1 a heaven of their own coining1 because they see no farther than the nearest side of time4 ,i dare lay in pawn my hope of heaven1 that this reproached way is the only way of peace4 ,i find it is the way that the ,lord hath sealed with ,his comforts now1 in my bonds for ,christ2 and ,i verily esteem and find chains and fetters for that lovely ,one1 ,christ1 to be watered over with sweet consolations1 and the love-smiles of that lovely ,bridegroom1 for whose coming we wait4 ,and when ,he cometh1 then shall the blacks and whites of all men come before the sun2 then shall the ,lord put a final decision upon the pleas that ,zion hath with her adversaries4 ,and as fast as time passeth away 7which neither sitteth1 nor standeth1 nor sleepeth71 as fast is our hand-breadth of this short winter-night flying away1 and the sky of our long-lasting day drawing near its breaking4 ,except your ,lordship be pleased to plead for me against the tyranny of prelates1 ,i shall be forgotten in this prison2 for they did shape my doom according to their new1 lawless canons1 which is1 that a deprived minister shall be utterly silenced1 and not preach at all2 which is a cruelty1 contrary to their own former practices4 ,now1 the only wise ,god1 the very ,god of peace1 confirm1 strengthen1 and establish your ,lordship upon the stone laid in ,zion1 and be with you for ever4 ,your ,lordship's at all respectful obedience in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,lxxxiv4--,to ,,jean ,,brown4 ,,jean ,,brown was the mother of the well-known ,mr4 ,john ,brown1 minister of ,wamphray in ,annandale1 who1 after the restoration of ,charles ,,ii41 was ejected from his charge and banished from the ,king's dominions for his opposition to ,prelacy4 ,she was a woman of intelligence and piety4 7,,the ,,joys ,,of ,,this ,,life ,,embittered ,,by ,,sin--,,heaven ,,an ,,object ,,of ,,desire--,,trial ,a ,,blessed ,,thing47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be unto you4 ,i long to hear how your soul prospereth4 ,i earnestly desire your on-going toward your country4 ,i know that ye see your day melteth away by little and little1 and that in a short time ye shall be put beyond time's bounds2 for life is a post that standeth not still1 and our joys here are born weeping1 rather than laughing1 and they die weeping4 ,sin1 sin1 this body of sin and corruption embittereth and poisoneth all our enjoyments4 ,o that ,i were where ,i shall sin no more6 ,o to be freed of these chains and iron fetters1 which we carry about with us6 ,lord1 loose the sad prisoners6 ,who of the children of ,god have not cause to say1 that they have their fill of this vain life8 and1 like a full and sick stomach1 to wish at mid-supper that the supper were ended1 and the table drawn1 that the sick man might win to bed1 and enjoy rest8 ,we have cause to tire at mid-supper of the best messes that this world can dress up for us2 and to cry to ,god1 that ,he would remove the table and put the sin-sick souls to rest with ,himself4 ,o for a long play-day with ,christ1 and our long-lasting vacance of rest6 ,glad may their souls be that are safe over the frith1 ,christ having paid the fraught4 ,happy are they who have passed their hard and wearisome time of apprenticeship1 and are now freemen and citizens in that joyful1 high city1 the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,alas6 that we should be glad of and rejoice in our fetters1 and our prison-house1 and this dear inn1 a life of sin1 where we are absent from our ,lord1 and so far from our home4 ,o that we could get bonds and law-suretyship of our love1 that it fasten not itself on these clay-dreams1 these clay-shadows1 and worldly vanities6 ,we might be oftener seeing what they are doing in heaven1 and our hearts more frequently upon our sweet treasure above4 ,we smell of the smoke of this lower house of the earth1 because our hearts and our thoughts are here4 ,if we could haunt up with ,god1 we should smell of heaven and of our country above2 and we should look like our country1 and like strangers1 or people not born or brought up hereaway4 ,our crosses would not bite#agd upon us if we were heavenly-minded4 ,i know of no obligation which the saints have to this world1 seeing we fare but upon the smoke of it2 and1 if there be any smoke in the house1 it bloweth upon our eyes4 ,all our part of the table is scarce worth a drink of water2 and when we are stricken1 we dare not weep1 but steal our grief away betwixt our ,lord and us1 and content ourselves with stolen sorrow behind backs4 ,god be thanked that we have many things that so stroke us against the hair that we may pray1 ,god keep our better home1 ,god bless our ,father's house2 and not this smoke1 that bloweth us to seek our best lodging4 ,i am sure that this is the best fruit of the cross1 when we1 from the hard fare of the dear inn1 cry the more that ,god would send a fair wind1 to land us1 hungered and oppressed strangers1 at the door of our ,father's house1 which now is made1 in ,christ1 our kindly heritage4 ,oh6 then1 let us pull up the stakes and stoups of our tent1 and take our tent on our back1 and go with our flitting to our best home2 for here we have no continuing city4 #agd ,leave the mark of their teeth4 ,i am waiting in hope here1 to see what my ,lord will do with me4 ,let ,him make of me what ,he pleaseth2 providing ,he make glory to ,himself out of me1 ,i care not4 ,i hope1 yea1 ,i am now sure1 that ,i am for ,christ1 and all that ,i can or may make is for ,him4 ,i am ,his everlasting dyvour1 and still shall be2 for1 alas1 ,i have nothing for ,him1 and ,he getteth but little service of me6 ,pray for me1 that our ,lord would be pleased to give me houseroom1 that ,i may serve ,him in the calling which ,he hath called me unto4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,lxxxv4--,to ,,john ,,kennedy1 ,bailie of ,ayr4 7,,the ,,reasonableness ,,of ,,believing ,,under ,,all ,,affliction--,,obligations ,,to ,,free ,,grace47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,well-,,beloved ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be unto you4--,i am yet waiting what our ,lord will do for ,his afflicted ,church1 and for my re-entry to my ,lord's house4 ,o that ,i could hear the forfeiture of ,christ 7now casten out of ,his inheritance7 recalled and taken off by open proclamation2 and that ,christ were restored to be a freeholder and a landed heritor in ,scotland2 and that the courts fenced in the name of the bastard prelates 7their godfather1 the ,pope's1 bailiffs and sheriffs7 were cried down6 ,oh1 how sweet a sight were it to see all the tribes of the ,lord in this land fetching home again our banished ,king1 ,christ1 to ,his own palace1 ,his sanctuary1 and ,his throne6 ,i shall think it mercy to my soul1 if my faith will out-watch all this winter-night1 and not nod nor slumber till my ,lord's summer-day dawn upon me4 ,it is much if faith and hope1 in the sad nights of our heavy trial1 escape with a whole skin1 and without crack or crook4 ,i confess that unbelief hath not reason to be either father or mother to it1#age for unbelief is always an irrational thing2 but how can it be1 but that such weak eyes as ours must cast water in a great smoke1 or that a weak head should not turn giddy when the water runneth deep and strong8 ,but ,god be thanked that ,christ in ,his children can endure a stress and a storm1 howbeit soft nature would fall down in pieces4 ,o that ,i had that confidence as to rest on this1 though ,he should grind me into small powder1 and bray me into dust1 and scatter the dust to the four winds of heaven1 that my ,lord would gather up the powder1 and make me up a new vessel again1 to bear ,christ's name to the world6 ,i am sure that love1 bottomed and seated upon the faith of ,his love to me1 would desire and endure this1 and would even claim and threep kindness upon ,christ's strokes1 and kiss ,his love-glooms1 and both spell and read salvation upon the wounds made by ,christ's sweet hands4 ,o that ,i had but a promise made from the mouth of ,christ1 of ,his love to me6 and then1 howbeit my faith were as tender as paper1 ,i think longing1 and dwining1 and greening of sick desires would cause it to bide out the siege till the ,lord came to fill the soul with ,his love4 ,and ,i know also1 that in that case faith would bide green and sappy at the root1 even at mid-winter1 and stand out against all storms4 ,however it be1 ,i know that ,christ winneth heaven in despite of hell4 #age ,unbelief has not its origin in reason4 ,but ,i owe as many praises and thanks to free grace as would lie betwixt me and the utmost border of the highest heaven1 suppose ten thousand heavens were all laid above other4 ,but oh6 ,i have nothing that can hire or bud grace2 for if grace would take hire1 it were no more grace4 ,but all our stability1 and the strength of our salvation1 is anchored and fastened upon free grace2 and ,i am sure that ,christ hath by ,his death and blood casten the knot so fast1 that the fingers of the devils and hell-fulls of sins cannot loose it4 ,and that bond of ,christ 7that never yet was1 nor ever shall1 nor can be registrated7 standeth surer than heaven1 or the days of heaven1 as that sweet pillar of the covenant whereon we all hang4 ,christ1 with all ,his little ones under ,his two wings and in the compass or circle of ,his arms1 is so sure1 that1 cast ,him and them into the ground of the sea1 ,he shall come up again and not lose one4 ,an odd one cannot1 nor shall1 be lost in the telling4 ,this was always ,god's aim1 since ,christ came into the play betwixt ,him and us1 to make men dependent creatures2 and1 in the work of our salvation1 to put created strength1 and arms and legs of clay1 quite out of place1 and out of office and court4 ,and now ,god hath substituted in our room1 and accepted ,his ,son1 the ,mediator1 for us and all that we can make4 ,if this had not been1 ,i would have skinked over and foregone my part of paradise and salvation1 for a breakfast of dead1 moth-eaten earth2 but now ,i would not give it1 nor let it go for more than ,i can tell4 ,and truly they are silly fools1 and ignorant of ,christ's worth1 and so full ill-trained and tutored1 who tell ,christ and heaven over the board for two feathers or two straws of the devil's painted pleasures1 only lustred on the outer side4 ,this is our happiness now1 that our reckonings at night1 when eternity shall come upon us1 cannot be told4 ,we shall be so far gainers1 and so far from being super-expended 7as the poor fools of this world are1 who give out their money1 and get in but black hunger71 that angels cannot lay our counts1 nor sum our advantage and incomes4 ,who knoweth how far it is to the bottom of our ,christ's fulness1 and to the ground of our heaven8 ,who ever weighed ,christ in a pair of balances8 ,who hath seen the foldings and plies1 and the heights and depths of that glory which is in ,him1 and kept for us8 ,o for such a heaven as to stand afar off1 and see1 and love1 and long for ,him1 whill time's thread be cut1 and this great work of creation dissolved1 at the coming of our ,lord6 ,now to ,his grace ,i recommend you4 ,i beseech you also to pray for a re-entry to me into the ,lord's house1 if it be ,his good will4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,jan4 #f1 #afcg4 ,,lxxxvi4--,to my ,,lord ,,craighall4 ,,sir ,,john ,,hope1 ,,lord ,,craighall1 was the eldest son of ,sir ,thomas ,hope 7,lord ,advocate of ,scotland in the time of ,james ,,vi4 and ,charles ,i47 ,his property1 ,craighall1 is in the parish of ,inveresk1 near ,edinburgh4 ,sir ,thomas was the most eminent lawyer of his day1 and was first brought into notice by the ability with which he defended the cause of ,john ,forbes1 ,john ,welsh1 and the other ministers who were tried for high treason at ,linlithgow1 on account of their holding a ,general ,assembly at ,aberdeen in #afje4 ,craighall is in the parish of ,ceres1 in ,fife1#agf a fine old castellated ruin4 ,john1 second baronet1 was admitted a ,lord of ,session #bgth ,july #afcb1 and became ,president of the ,court1 and in #afde was appointed one of the ,privy ,council4 ,his name appears on the roll of members of the ,general ,assemblies #afde-afdi1 and of the commissions which these ,assemblies appointed4 ,in ,lamont's ,diary we read 7#afei71 ,the ,laird of ,craighall1 in ,fyfe1 depairted out of this lyfe on ,sabbath at nyght1 and was interred at ,ceres4 #agf ,there is a village of ,craighall near ,inveresk1 in the barony of ,pinkie1 which got its name from this family1 just as there is an ,earlston in ,borgue parish1 called from the old ,earlston4 7,,episcopalian ,,ceremonies--,,how ,,to ,,abide ,,in ,,the ,,truth--,,desire ,,for ,,liberty ,,to ,,preach ,,christ47 ,,my ,,lord1--,i received ,mr4 ,l4's#agg letter with your ,lordship's and his learned thoughts in the matter of ceremonies4 ,i owe respect to the man's learning1 for that ,i hear him to be opposed to ,arminian heresies4 ,but1 with reverence of that worthy man1 ,i wonder to hear such popish-like expressions as he hath in his letter1 as1 ,your ,lordship may spare doubtings1 when the ,king and ,church have agreed in the settling of such orders2 and the ,church's direction in things indifferent and circumstantial 7as if indifferent and circumstantial were all one67 should be the rule of every private ,christian4 ,i only viewed the papers two hours' space1 the bearer hastening me to write4 ,i find the worthy man not so seen in this controversy as some turbulent men of our country1 whom he calleth refusers of conformity2 and let me say it1 ,i am more confirmed in nonconformity1 when ,i see such a great wit play the agent so slenderly4 ,but ,i will lay the blame on the weakness of the cause1 not on the meanness of ,mr4 ,l4's learning4 ,i have been1 and still am confident1 that ,britain#agh cannot answer one argument1 a scandalo3 and ,i longed much to hear ,mr4 ,l4 speak to the cause2 and ,i would say1 if some ordinary divine had answered as ,mr4 ,l4 doth1 that he understood not the nature of a scandal2 but ,i dare not vilify that worthy man so4 ,i am now upon the heat of some other employment4 ,i shall 7but ,god willing7 answer this1 to the satisfying of any not prejudiced4 #agg ,who is here meant cannot now be well ascertained4 ,it may have been ,mr4 ,loudian1 of whom ,baillie says1 ,he was an excellent philosophe1 sound and orthodox1 opposite to ,canterbury's way1 albeit too conform4 ,i counselled oft ,glasgow to have him for their ,divinity ,lecturer 7,letters and ,journals1 i4 #gg74 #agh ,all the divines in ,britain4 ,i will not say that every one is acquainted with the reason in my letter1 from ,god's presence and bright shining face in suffering for this cause4 ,aristotle never knew the medium of the conclusion3 and ,christ saith few know it 7,rev4 ii4 #ag74 ,i am sure that conscience standing in awe of the ,almighty1 and fearing to make a little hole in the bottom for fear of under-water1 is a strong medium to hold off an erroneous conclusion in the least wing1 or lith1 of sweet1 sweet truth1 that concerneth the royal prerogative of our kingly and highest ,lord ,jesus4 ,and my witness is in heaven1 that ,i saw neither pleasure1 nor profit1 nor honour1 to hook me1 or catch me1 in entering into prison for ,christ1 but the wind on my face for the present4 ,and if ,i had loved to sleep in a whole skin1 with the ease and present delight that ,i saw on this side of sun and moon1 ,i should have lived at ease1 and in good hopes to fare as well as others4 ,the ,lord knoweth that ,i preferred preaching of ,christ1 and still do1 to anything1 next to ,christ ,himself4 ,and their new canons took my one1 my only joy1 from me1 which was to me as the poor man's one ewe1 that had no more6 ,and1 alas6 there is little lodging in their hearts for pity or mercy1 to pluck out a poor man's one eye for a thing indifferent2 i4e4 for knots of straw1 and things 7as they mean7 off the way to heaven4 ,i desire not that my name take journey1 and go a pilgrim to ,cambridge1 for fear ,i come into the ears of authority4 ,i am sufficiently burnt already4 ,in the mean time1 be pleased to try if the ,bishop of ,st4 ,andrews1#agi and ,glasgow 7,galloway's ordinary71#ahj will be pleased to abate from the heat of their wrath1 and let me go to my charge4 ,few know the heart of a prisoner2 yet ,i hope that the ,lord will hew ,his own glory out of as knotty timber as ,i am4 ,keep ,christ1 my dear and worthy ,lord4 ,pretended paper-arguments from#aha angering the mother-,church 7that can reel1 and nod1 and stagger71 are not of such weight as peace with the ,father1 and ,husband4 ,let the wife gloom1 ,i care not1 if the ,husband laugh4 ,remember my service to my ,lord your father1 and mother1 and lady4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours at all obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,jan4 #bd1 #afcg4 #agi ,john ,spottiswoode4 #ahj ,james ,law1 ,bishop of ,glasgow1 was the deputy of ,sydserff1 the ,bishop of ,galloway4 #aha ,arguments drawn from the risk of provoking4 ,,lxxxvii4--,to ,,elizabeth ,,kennedy4 ,,elizabeth ,,kennedy was the sister of ,hugh ,kennedy1 ,provost of ,ayr1 and a woman as eminent for piety and prayer as her brother4 ,wodrow records of her that1 being much afflicted with the stone1 she was advised to submit to a surgical operation4 ,several meetings for prayer took place among the godly at ,ayr in reference to her case4 ,when the surgeon came to perform the operation1 one of these meetings was going on in the house1 and they continued so long in prayer as nearly to exhaust his patience2 but before they had concluded1 the stone dissolved1 and without surgical aid she obtained immediate relief4 7,wodrow's ,analecta1 vol4 ii47 7,,danger ,,of ,,formality--,,christ ,,wholly ,,to ,,be ,,loved--,,other ,,objects ,,of ,,love47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i have long had a purpose of writing unto you1 but ,i have been hindered4 ,i heartily desire that ye would mind your country1 and consider to what airt your soul setteth its face2 for all come not home at night who suppose that they have set their face heavenward4 ,it is a woful thing to die1 and miss heaven1 and to lose house-room with ,christ at night3 it is an evil journey where travellers are benighted in the fields4 ,i persuade myself that thousands shall be deceived and ashamed of their hope4 ,because they cast their anchor in sinking sands1 they must lose it4 ,till now ,i knew not the pain1 labour1 nor difficulty that there is to win at home3 nor did ,i understand so well1 before this1 what that meaneth1 ,the righteous shall scarcely be saved4 ,oh1 how many a poor professor's candle is blown out1 and never lighted again6 ,i see that ordinary profession1 and to be ranked amongst the children of ,god1 and to have a name among men1 is now thought good enough to carry professors to heaven4 ,but certainly a name is but a name1 and will never bide a blast of ,god's storm4 ,i counsel you not to give your soul or ,christ rest1 nor your eyes sleep1 till ye have gotten something that will bide the fire1 and stand out the storm4 ,i am sure1 that if my one foot were in heaven1 and if then ,he should say1 ,fend thyself1 ,i will hold my grips of thee no longer1 ,i should go no farther1 but presently fall down in as many pieces of dead nature4 ,they are happy for evermore who are over head and ears in the love of ,christ1 and know no sickness but love-sickness for ,christ1 and feel no pain but the pain of an absent and hidden ,well-beloved4 ,we run our souls out of breath and tire them1 in coursing and galloping after our night-dreams 7such are the rovings of our miscarrying hearts71 to get some created good thing in this life1 and on this side of death4 ,we would fain stay and spin out a heaven to ourselves1 on this side of the water2 but sorrow1 want1 changes1 crosses1 and sin1 are both woof and warp in that ill-spun web4 ,oh1 how sweet and dear are those thoughts that are still upon the things which are above6 and how happy are they who are longing to have little sand in their glass1 and to have time's thread cut1 and can cry to ,christ1 ,lord ,jesus1 have over2 come and fetch the dreary#ahb passenger6 ,i wish that our thoughts were more frequently than they are upon our country4 ,oh1 but heaven casteth a sweet smell afar off to those who have spiritual smelling6 ,god hath made many fair flowers2 but the fairest of them all is heaven1 and the ,flower of all flowers is ,christ4 ,oh6 why do we not fly up to that lovely ,one8 ,alas that there is such a scarcity of love1 and of lovers1 to ,christ amongst us all6 ,fie1 fie1 upon us1 who love fair things1 as fair gold1 fair houses1 fair lands1 fair pleasures1 fair honours1 and fair persons1 and do not pine and melt away with love to ,christ6 ,oh6 would to ,god ,i had more love for ,his sake6 ,o for as much as would lie betwixt me and heaven1 for ,his sake6 ,o for as much as would go round about the earth1 and over the heaven1 yea1 the heaven of heavens1 and ten thousand worlds1 that ,i might let all out upon fair1 fair1 only fair ,christ6 ,but1 alas6 ,i have nothing for ,him1 yet ,he hath much for me4 ,it is no gain to ,christ that ,he getteth my little1 feckless span-length and hand-breadth of love4 #ahb ,sorrowful4 ,if men would have something to do with their hearts and their thoughts1 that are always rolling up and down 7like men with oars in a boat71 after sinful vanities1 they might find great and sweet employment to their thoughts upon ,christ4 ,if those frothy1 fluctuating1 and restless hearts of ours would come all about ,christ1 and look into ,his love1 to bottomless love1 to the depth of mercy1 to the unsearchable riches of ,his grace1 to inquire after and search into the beauty of ,god in ,christ1 they would be swallowed up in the depth and height1 length and breadth of ,his goodness4 ,oh1 if men would draw the curtains1 and look into the inner side of the ark1 and behold how the fullness of the ,godhead dwelleth in ,him bodily6 ,oh6 who would not say1 ,let me die1 let me die ten times1 to see a sight of ,him8 ,ten thousand deaths were no great price to give for ,him4 ,i am sure that sick1 fainting love would heighten the market1 and raise the price to the double for ,him4 ,but1 alas6 if men and angels were rouped1 and sold at the dearest price1 they would not all buy a night's love1 or a four-and-twenty-hours' sight of ,christ6 ,oh1 how happy are they who get ,christ for nothing6 ,god send me no more1 for my part of paradise1 but ,christ3 and surely ,i were rich enough1 and as well heavened as the best of them1 if ,christ were my heaven4 ,i can write no better thing to you1 than to desire you1 if ever ye laid ,christ in a count1 to take ,him up and count over again3 and weigh ,him again and again3 and after this have no other to court your love1 and to woo your soul's delight1 but ,christ4 ,he will be found worthy of all your love1 howbeit it should swell upon you from the earth to the uppermost circle of the heaven of heavens4 ,to our ,lord ,jesus and ,his love ,i commend you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,lxxxviii4--,to ,,janet ,,kennedy4 ,this seems to be the wife of ,mr4 ,john ,fergushill2 see ,letter ,,cxii4 7,,christ ,,to ,,be ,,kept ,,at ,,every ,,sacrifice--,,his ,,incomparable ,,loveliness47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be unto you4 ,ye are not a little obliged to ,his rich grace1 who hath separated you for ,himself1 and for the promised inheritance with the saints in light1 from this condemned and guilty world4 ,hold fast ,christ1 contend for ,him2 it is a lawful plea to go to holding and drawing for ,christ2 and it is not possible to keep ,christ peaceably1 having once gotten ,him1 except the devil were dead4 ,it must be your resolution to set your face against ,satan's northern tempests and storms1 for salvation4 ,nature would have heaven to come to us while sleeping in our beds4 ,we would all buy ,christ1 so being we might make price ourselves4 ,but ,christ is worth more blood and lives than either ye or ,i have to give ,him4 ,when we shall come home1 and enter to the possession of our ,brother's fair kingdom1 and when our heads shall find the weight of the eternal crown of glory1 and when we shall look back to pains and sufferings1 then shall we see life and sorrow to be less than one step or stride from a prison to glory2 and that our little inch of time-suffering is not worthy of our first night's welcome-home to heaven4 ,oh1 what then shall be the weight of every one of ,christ's kisses6 ,oh1 how weighty1 and of what worth shall every one of ,christ's love-smiles be6 ,oh1 when once ,he shall thrust a wearied traveller's head betwixt ,his blessed breasts1 the poor soul will think one kiss of ,christ hath fully paid home forty or fifty years' wet feet1 and all its sore hearts1 and light 7#b ,cor4 iv4 #ag7 sufferings it had in following after ,christ6 ,oh1 thrice-blinded souls1 whose hearts are charmed and bewitched with dreams1 shadows1 feckless things1 night-vanities1 and night-fancies of a miserable life of sin6 ,shame on us who sit still1 fettered with the love and liking of the loan of a piece of dead clay6 ,oh1 poor fools1 who are beguiled with painted things1 and this world's fair weather1 and smooth promises1 and rotten1 worm-eaten hopes6 ,may not the devil laugh to see us give out our souls1 and get in but corrupt and counterfeit pleasures of sin8 ,o for a sight of eternity's glory1 and a little tasting of the ,lamb's marriage-supper6 ,half a draught1 or a drop of the wine of consolation1 that is up at our banqueting-house1 out of ,christ's own hand1 would make our stomachs loathe the brown bread and the sour drink of a miserable life4 ,oh1 how far are we bereaved of wit1 to chafe1 and hunt1 and run1 till our souls be out of breath1 after a condemned happiness of our own making6 ,and do we not sit far in our own light to make it a matter of bairn's play1 to skink and drink over#ahc paradise1 and the heaven that ,christ did sweat for1 even for a blast of smoke1 and for ,esau's morning breakfast8 ,o that we were out of ourselves1 and dead to this world1 and this world dead and crucified to us6 ,and1 when we should be close out of love and conceit of any masked and farded lover whatsoever1 then ,christ would win and conquer to ,himself a lodging in the inmost yolk of our heart4 ,then ,christ should be our night-song and morning-song2 then the very noise and din of our ,well-beloved's feet1 when ,he cometh1 and ,his first knock or rap at the door1 should be as news of two heavens to us4 ,o that our eyes and our soul's smelling should go after a blasted and sun-burnt flower1 even this plastered1 fair-outsided world3 and then we have neither eye nor smell for the ,flower of ,jesse1 for that ,plant of renown1 for ,christ1 the choicest1 the fairest1 the sweetest rose that ever ,god planted6 ,oh1 let some of us die to smell the fragrance of ,him2 and let my part of this rotten world be forfeited and sold for evermore1 providing ,i may anchor my tottering soul upon ,christ6 ,i know that it is sometimes at this1 ,lord1 what wilt ,thou have for ,christ8 ,but1 ,o ,lord1 canst ,thou be budded1 and propined with any gift for ,christ8 ,o ,lord1 can ,christ be sold8 or rather1 may not a poor needy sinner have ,him for nothing8 ,if ,i can get no more1 oh1 let me be pained to all eternity1 with longing for ,him6 ,the joy of hungering for ,christ should be my heaven for evermore4 ,alas1 that ,i cannot draw souls and ,christ together6 ,but ,i desire the coming of ,his kingdom1 and that ,christ1 as ,i assuredly hope ,he will1 would come upon withered ,scotland1 as rain upon the new-mown grass4 ,oh1 let the ,king come6 ,oh1 let ,his kingdom come6 ,oh1 let their eyes rot in their eyeholes 7,zech4 xiv4 #ab71 who will not receive ,him home again to reign and rule in ,scotland4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 #ahc ,drink the health of the buyer over the concluded bargain4 ,,lxxxix4--,to my ,well-beloved and ,reverend ,brother1 ,,mr4 ,,robert ,,blair4 ,,mr4 ,,robert ,,blair was born at ,irvine in #aeic4 ,after completing his education at the ,college of ,glasgow1 he there held for several years the office of regent1 during which time he was licensed as a probationer for the holy ministry4 ,having a strong desire to go to ,france1 he was encouraged to this by ,m4 ,basnage1 a ,french ,protestant minister who visited ,scotland in #afbb4 ,but ,providence ordered his lot otherwise4 ,he was induced to accept of the charge of ,bangor1 in ,ireland1 and was admitted in the year #afbc4 ,here he laboured with great diligence and success2 and there being in the same part of the country several other devout ministers1 by mutual co-operation1 they were instrumental in producing in the north of ,ireland a change upon an ignorant and irreligious people1 much resembling the effects of the preaching of the ,gospel in the apostolic age4 ,but this good work was not allowed to go on unopposed4 ,in the autumn of #afca he was suspended from his ministry by the ,bishop of ,down2 in ,may #afcb he was deposed2 and in ,november #afcd solemnly excommunicated2 and all this simply for nonconformity4 ,in these circumstances1 he and some other ministers similarly situated1 together with a considerable number of people1 formed the purpose of going to ,new ,england1 and actually embarked in #afcf2 but the tempestuous state of the weather forced them to return4 ,he then came over to ,scotland1 and in #afch became minister of ,ayr1 from which by a sentence of the ,general ,assembly he was soon translated to ,st4 ,andrews1 where he and ,rutherford lived in the warmest friendship until the rise of the controversy between the ,resolutioners and ,protesters1 which in some degree disturbed their mutual good understanding4 ,rutherford was a strong ,protester3 ,blair regretted the extremes1 as he conceived1 to which both parties went2 and1 with ,mr4 ,james ,durham of ,glasgow1 endeavoured to restore harmony between them1 but without success4 ,in #affa he was summoned before the ,privy ,council for a sermon he had preached1 in which he bore testimony to the covenanted ,reformation1 as well as against the defections of the times4 ,he was sentenced to be confined to his own house1 but afterwards permitted to retire to ,musselburgh4 ,he next removed to ,kirkcaldy1 and from thence to ,meikle ,couston1 in the parish of ,aberdour1 where he died on the #bgth of ,april #afff4 7,see ,life of ,robert ,blair1 issued by the ,wodrow ,society1 #ahdh47 7,,god',s ,,arrangements ,,sometimes ,,mysterious47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dearly ,,beloved ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace from ,god our ,father1 and from our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 be unto you4 ,it is no great wonder1 my dear brother1 that ye be in heaviness for a season1 and that ,god's will 7in crossing your design and desires to dwell amongst a people whose ,god is the ,lord7 should move you4 ,i deny not but ye have cause to inquire what ,his providence speaketh in this to you2 but ,god's directing and commanding ,will can by no good logic be concluded from events of providence4 ,the ,lord sent ,paul on many errands for the spreading of ,his ,gospel1 where he found lions in his way4 ,a promise was made to ,his people of the ,holy ,land1 and yet many nations were in the way1 fighting against1 and ready to kill them that had the promise1 or to keep them from possessing that good land which the ,lord their ,god had given them4 ,i know that ye have most to do with submission of spirit2 but ,i persuade myself that ye have learned1 in every condition wherein ye are cast1 therein to be content1 and to say1 ,good is the will of the ,lord1 let it be done4 ,i believe that the ,lord tacketh ,his ship often to fetch the wind1 and that ,he purposeth to bring mercy out of your sufferings and silence1 which 7,i know from mine own experience7 is grievous to you4 ,seeing that ,he knoweth our willing mind to serve ,him1 our wages and stipend is running to the fore with our ,god1 even as some sick soldiers get pay1 when they are bedfast and not able to go to the field with others4 ,though ,israel be not gathered1 yet shall ,i be glorious in the eyes of the ,lord1 and my ,god shall be my strength 7,isa4 xlix4 #e74 ,and we are to believe it shall be thus ere all the play be played4 ,the violence done to me and to my flesh be upon ,babylon 7and the great whore's lovers71 shall the inhabitants of ,zion say2 and my blood be upon ,chaldea1 shall ,jerusalem say4#ahd ,and1 ,behold1 ,i will make ,jerusalem a cup of trembling to all the people round about1 when they shall be in the siege both against ,judah and against ,jerusalem4 ,and in that day will ,i make ,jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people3 they that burden themselves with it shall be broken in pieces1 though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it4#ahe ,when they have eaten and swallowed us up1 they shall be sick and vomit us out living men again2 the devil's stomach cannot digest the ,church of ,god4 ,suffering is the other half of our ministry1 howbeit the hardest2 for we would be content that our ,king ,jesus should make an open proclamation1 and cry down crosses1 and cry up joy1 gladness1 ease1 honour1 and peace4 ,but it must not be so2 through many afflictions we must enter into the kingdom of ,god4 ,not only by them1 but through them1 must we go2 and wiles will not take us past the cross4 ,it is folly to think to steal to heaven with a whole skin4 #ahd ,jer4 li4 #ce4 #ahe ,zech4 xii4 #b1 #c4 ,for myself1 ,i am here a prisoner confined in ,aberdeen1 threatened to be removed to ,caithness1 because ,i desire to edify in this town2 and am openly preached against in the pulpits in my hearing1 and tempted with disputations by the doctors1 especially by ,d4 ,b4#ahf ,yet ,i am not ashamed of the ,lord ,jesus1 ,his garland1 and ,his crown4 ,i would not exchange my weeping with the painted laughter of the fourteen prelates4 ,at my first coming here ,i took the dorts at ,christ1 and would1 forsooth1 summon ,him for unkindness4 ,i sought a plea of my ,lord1 and was tossed with challenges whether ,he loved me or not2 and disputed over again all that ,he had done to me1 because ,his word was a fire shut up in my bowels1 and ,i was weary with forbearing1 because ,i said ,i was cast out of the ,lord's inheritance4 ,but now ,i see that ,i was a fool4 ,my ,lord miskent all1 and did bear with my foolish jealousies2 and miskent that ever ,i wronged ,his love4 ,and now ,he has come again with mercy under ,his wings4 ,i pass from my 7oh witless67 summons3 ,he is ,god1 ,i see1 and ,i am man4 ,now it hath pleased ,him to renew ,his love to my soul1 and to dawt ,his poor prisoner4 ,therefore1 dear brother1 help me to praise and show the ,lord's people with you what ,he hath done to my soul1 that they may pray and praise4 ,and ,i charge you in the name of ,christ1 not to omit it4 ,for this cause ,i write to you1 that my sufferings may glorify my royal ,king1 and edify ,his ,church in ,ireland4 ,he knoweth how one of ,christ's love coals hath burnt my soul with a desire to have my bonds to preach ,his glory1 whose cross ,i now bear4 ,god forgive you if you do it not2 but ,i hope the ,lord will move your heart1 to proclaim in my behalf the sweetness1 excellency1 and glory of my royal ,king4 ,it is but our soft flesh that hath raised a slander on the ,cross of ,christ3 ,i see now the white side of it2 my ,lord's chains are all over-gilded4 ,oh1 if ,scotland and ,ireland had part of my feast6 ,and yet ,i get not my meat but with many strokes4 ,there are none here to whom ,i can speak2 ,i dwell in ,kedar's tents4 ,refresh me with a letter from you4 ,few know what is betwixt ,christ and me4 #ahf ,dr ,robert ,baron1 ,professor of ,divinity in the ,marischal ,college of ,aberdeen1 one of the learned doctors of that city1 whose dispute1 in #afch1 with ,alexander ,henderson1 ,david ,dickson1 and ,andrew ,cant1 on the subject of the ,covenant1 excited at the time so much attention4 ,dear brother1 upon my salvation1 this is ,his truth that we suffer for4 ,christ would not seal a blank charter to souls4 ,courage1 courage6 joy1 joy for evermore6 ,oh1 joy unspeakable and glorious6 ,o for help to set my crowned ,king on high6 ,o for love to ,him who is altogether lovely1--that love which many waters cannot quench1 neither can the floods drown6 ,i remember you1 and bear your name on my breast to ,christ4 ,i beseech you1 forget not ,his afflicted prisoner4 ,grace1 mercy1 and peace be with you4 ,salute in the ,lord1 from me1 ,mr4 ,cunningham1 ,mr4 ,livingstone1 ,mr4 ,ridge1#ahg ,mr4 ,colwart1#ahh c4 ,your brother1 and fellow-prisoner1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,feb4 #g1 #afcg4 #ahg ,mr4 ,john ,ridge was an ,english minister1 whom opposition to ceremonial impositions on conscience led to leave his native country for ,ireland4 ,he was admitted to the vicarage of ,antrim on the #gth of ,july #afai1 in which he laboured with success for many years2 but being deposed by ,henry ,leslie1 the ,bishop of ,down1 for nonconformity1 he came over to ,irvine1 where he died4 #ahh ,mr4 ,henry ,colwart was also a native of ,england2 and1 like ,mr4 ,ridge1 left the land of his birth1 and went to ,ireland4 ,he was admitted to the pastoral charge of ,oldstone in #afcj2 but1 being deposed by ,bishop ,leslie for refusing to submit to the innovations of ,prelacy1 he came over to ,scotland1 and was admitted minister of ,paisley1 where he died4 ,,xc4--,to his ,reverend and ,dear ,brother1 ,,mr4 ,,john ,,livingstone4 ,,john ,,livingstone 7the son of ,alexander ,livingstone1 minister first at ,monyabroch or ,kilsyth1 and afterwards at ,lanark7 was born at ,monyabroch on the #bast of ,january #afjc4 ,at the ,college of ,glasgow1 he enjoyed the advantage of having as his regent for two years the famous ,robert ,blair1 for whom he continued ever after to retain the highest veneration4 ,he was first settled minister at ,killinchie1 in ,ireland1 towards the close of the year #afcj1 but had not laboured above twelve months in that charge when he was suspended by the ,bishop of ,down1 for nonconformity4 ,to enjoy religious liberty1 he set out with ,mr4 ,blair and others in their intended emigration to ,america2 but1 with the rest1 was forced by the adverse state of the weather to return4 ,shortly after1 he received calls from two parishes1 ,stranraer and ,stewarton1 but preferred the call from the former1 and his induction took place on the #eth of ,july #afch4 ,here he continued in the assiduous discharge of his pastoral functions until #afdh1 when1 by the sentence of the ,general ,assembly1 he was translated to the parish of ,ancrum1 in the ,presbytery of ,jedburgh4 ,upon the death of ,charles ,i41 he was sent to the ,hague1 and afterwards to ,breda1 as one of the commissioners from the ,church of ,scotland to treat with his son ,charles ,,ii41 whose character he had the penetration to discover4 ,in the controversy between the ,resolutioners and ,protesters1 ,livingstone took the side of the latter1 but was dissatisfied with the violence manifested by his party4 ,after the restoration of ,charles ,,ii41 being summoned to appear before the ,privy ,council in #affb1 he appeared2 but1 declining to engage to observe the anniversary of the death of ,charles ,i41 and to take the oath of allegiance in the precise way in which it was dictated to him1 he was sentenced to quit his native land within two months4 ,having repaired to ,rotterdam1 he preached occasionally to the ,scottish congregation there1 and devoted the remainder of his life to the cultivation of ,biblical literature4 ,he died in that city on the #ith of ,august #afgb1 in the seventieth year of his age4 ,it was this same ,livingstone that was so blessed in awakenings4 ,by a sermon which he preached in #afcj at the ,kirk-of-,shotts1 on the ,monday after the dispensation of the ,lord's ,supper1 five hundred souls1 it is believed1 were converted4 ,on a similar occasion1 at ,holywood1 in the north of ,ireland1 in one day1 he was the instrument of awakening double that number to inquiry after salvation4 7,see ,brief ,historical ,relation of the ,life of ,john ,livingston in ,select ,biographies1 vol4 i41 ,wodrow ,society1 #ahde47 7,,resignation--,,enjoyment--,,state ,,of ,,the ,,church47 ,,my ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i long to hear from you1 and to be refreshed with the comforts of ,the ,bride of our ,lord ,jesus in ,ireland4 ,i suffer with you in grief1 for the dash that your desires to be at ,new ,england have received of late2 but if our ,lord1 who hath skill to bring up ,his children1 had not seen it your best1 it would not have befallen you4 ,hold your peace1 and stay yourselves upon the ,holy ,one of ,israel4 ,hearken to what ,he hath said in crossing of your desires2 ,he will speak peace to ,his people4 ,i am here removed from my flock1 and silenced1 and confined in ,aberdeen1 for the testimony of ,jesus4 ,and ,i have been confined in spirit also with desertions and challenges4 ,i gave in a bill of quarrels1 and complaints of unkindness against ,christ1 who seemed to have cast me over the dyke of the vineyard as a dry tree1 and separated me from the ,lord's inheritance2 but high1 high and loud praises be to our royal crowned ,king in ,zion1 that ,he hath not burnt the dry branch4 ,i shall yet live1 and see ,his glory4 ,your mother-,church1 for her whoredom1 is like to be cast off4 ,the bairns may break their hearts to see such chiding betwixt the husband and the wife4 ,our clergy is upon a reconciliation with the ,lutherans2 and the ,doctors are writing books1 and drawing up a common confession1 at the ,council's command4 ,our ,service ,book is proclaimed with sound of trumpet4 ,the night is fallen down upon the prophets6 ,scotland's day of visitation is come4 ,it is time for the bride to weep1 while ,christ is a-saying that ,he will choose another wife4 ,but our sky will clear again2 the dry branch of cut-down ,lebanon will bud again and be glorious1 and they shall yet plant vines upon our mountains4 ,now1 my dear brother1 ,i write to you for this end1 that ye may help me to praise2 and seek help of others with you1 that ,god may be glorified in my bonds4 ,my ,lord ,jesus hath taken the withered1 dry stranger1 and ,his prisoner broken in heart1 into ,his house of wine4 ,oh1 oh1 if ye1 and all ,scotland1 and all our brethren with you1 knew how ,i am feasted6 ,christ's honey-combs drop comforts4 ,he dineth with ,his prisoner1 and the ,king's spikenard casteth a smell4 ,the devil cannot get it denied that we suffer for the apple of ,christ's eye1 ,his royal prerogatives1 as ,king and ,lawgiver4 ,let us not fear or faint4 ,he will have ,his ,gospel once again rouped in ,scotland1 and have the matter going to voices1 to see who will say1 ,let ,christ be crowned ,king in ,scotland4 ,it is true that ,antichrist stirreth his tail2 but ,i love a rumbling and raging devil in the kirk 7since the ,church militant cannot or may not want a devil to trouble her71 rather than a subtle or sleeping devil4 ,christ never yet got a bride without stroke of sword4 ,it is now nigh the ,bridegroom's entering into ,his chamber2 let us awake and go in with ,him4 ,i bear your name to ,christ's door2 ,i pray you1 dear brother1 forget me not4 ,let me hear from you by a letter2 and ,i charge you1 smother not ,christ's bounty towards me4 ,i write what ,i have found of ,him in the house of my pilgrimage4 ,remember my love to all our brethren and sisters there4 ,the ,keeper of the vineyard watch for ,his besieged city1 and for you4 ,your brother1 and fellow-sufferer1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,feb4 #g1 #afcg4 ,,xci4--,to ,,mr4 ,,ephraim ,,melvin4 ,,ephraim ,,melvin1 or ,,melville1 was first ordained minister of ,queensferry1 and afterwards translated to ,linlithgow1 where he died4 ,his ministry was signally blessed of ,god for bringing many to the saving knowledge of the truth1 among whom were some who afterwards became eminent ministers of the ,gospel in their day4 ,one of these was the famous ,mr4 ,james ,durham of ,glasgow4 ,happening1 with his pious wife1 a daughter of the laird of ,duntervie1 to pay a visit to her mother1 also a religious woman1 in ,queensferry1 when the sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper was to be observed in that place1 his mother-in-law1 upon the ,saturday1 desired him to go with her to hear sermon4 ,being then a stranger to true religion1 he was disinclined to go1 and said1 with a tone of indifference1 that he had not come there to hear sermon2 but upon being pressed1 to gratify his pious relative1 he went4 ,the discourse which he heard1 though plain and ordinary1 was delivered with an affection and earnestness that arrested the attention of ,durham1 and so impressed him1 that on coming home he said to his mother-in-law1 ,your minister preached very seriously1 and ,i shall not need to be pressed to go to hear to-morrow4 ,accordingly he went1 and ,mr4 ,melvin1 choosing for his text these words1 ,to you which believe1 ,he is precious1 #a ,peter ii4 #g1 opened up the preciousness of ,christ with such unction and seriousness1 that it proved1 by the power of the ,holy ,spirit1 the means of his conversion4 ,in that sermon he closed with ,christ1 and then took his seat at the ,lord's ,table1 though to that day he had been an absolute stranger to believing4 ,he was accustomed afterwards to call ,mr4 ,melvin his father1 when he spoke of him or to him4 ,on another occasion1 ,mr4 ,melvin1 by a sermon which he preached at ,stewarton1 when a probationer and chaplain to the excellent ,lady ,boyd1 was the instrument of converting ,mr4 ,john ,stirling in the fourteenth or sixteenth year of his age--one who proved a useful minister in his day1 ,some say also1 remarks ,wodrow1 that he was a spiritual father to ,mr4 ,john ,dury of ,dalmeny1 a man much esteemed of in his time1 as having a taking and soaring gift of preaching1 much like ,mr4 ,william ,guthrie's gift4 ,when ,rutherford heard of ,melvin's death1 he is represented to have said1 ,and is ,ephraim dead8 ,he was an interpreter among a thousand4 7,wodrow's ,anal41 vol4 iii47 7,,the ,,idolatry ,,of ,,kneeling ,,at ,,the ,,communion47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i received your letter1 and am contented1 with all my heart1 that our acquaintance in our ,lord continue4 ,i am wrestling as ,i dow1 up the mount with ,christ's cross3 my ,second is kind and able to help4 ,as for your questions1 because of my manifold distractions1 and letters to multitudes1 ,i have not time to answer them4 ,what shall be said in common for that shall be imparted to you2 for ,i am upon these questions4 ,therefore spare me a little1 for the ,service ,book would take a great time4 ,but ,i think2 ,sicut deosculatio religiosa imaginis1 aut etiam elementorum1 est in se idololatria externa1 etsi intentio deosculandi1 tota1 quanta in actu est1 feratur in ,deum 2 ita1 geniculatio coram pane1 quando1 nempe1 ex instituto1 totus homo externus et internus versari debeat circa elementaria signa1 est adoratio relativa1 et adoratio ipsius panis4 ,ratio3 ,intentio adorandi objectum materiale1 non est de essenti extern adorationis1 ut patet in deosculatione religios4 ,sic geniculatio coram imagine ,babylonic est externa adoratio imaginis1 etsi tres pueri mente intendissent adorare ,jehovam4 ,sic1 qui ex metu solo1 aut spe pretii1 aut inanis glori1 geniculatur coram aureo vitulo ,jeroboami 7quod ab ipso rege1 qui null religione inductus1 sed libidine dominandi tantum1 vitulum erexit1 factitatum esse1 textus satis luculenter clamat71 adorat vitulum extern adoratione4 ,esto quod putaret vitulum esse meram creaturam1 et honore nullo dignum3 quia geniculatio1 sive nos nolumus1 sive volumus1 ex instituto ,dei et natur1 in actu religioso1 est symbolum religios adorationis4 ,ergo1 sicut panis significat corpus ,christi1 etsi absit actus omnis nostr intentionis2 sic religiosa geniculatio1 sublat omni intentione human1 est externa adoratio panis1 coram quo adoramus1 ut coram signo vicario et reprsentativo ,dei4 ,as the religious homage done to an image1 or even to elements1 is in itself an external act of idolatry1 in so far as the act is concerned1 although the intention of such homage may be directed to ,god the ,great ,first ,cause1--so the act of kneeling to a piece of bread1 seeing that1 according to the ordinance1 the whole man1 internal and external1 ought to be engaged in the elementary signs1 is a relative act of worship and an adoration of the bread itself4 ,the reason is3 an intention to worship a material object is not of the essence of external adoration1 as appears in a religious act of homage4 ,thus1 the bending of the knee before the ,babylonish image is an external act of worship1 even though the three youths had no intention to worship any but the true ,god2 and in like manner1 those who1 from fear or the hope of reward or vain-glory1 bend the knee to ,jeroboam's golden calf 7which the text clearly enough proclaims to have been done by the king himself1 from no religious motive but the mere desire to rule71 do pay adoration to the calf by the external act1 although1 no doubt1 they may suppose the calf a mere created object and unworthy of honour1--because the act of homage1 whether we mean it or not1 is1 from the ordinance of ,god and nature1 a symbol of worship4 ,therefore1 as the bread denotes the body of ,christ 7even though that idea be not present to the mind71 so in like manner1 kneeling1 when used as a religious service1 is the external adoration of that bread1 in presence of which we bow as before the delegated representative of ,god1 be our intention what it may4#ahi #ahi ,the ,latin is to be accounted for as being an extract from some learned treatise4 ,it is in substance what we find in ,calderwood's ,altare ,damascenum1 p4 #eie4 ,thus recommending you to ,god's tender mercy1 ,i desire that you would remember me to ,god4 ,sanctification will settle you most in the truth4 ,grace be with you1 ,brother in ,christ ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,xcii4--,to ,,robert ,,gordon of ,knockbrex4 7,,visits ,,of ,,christ--,,the ,,things ,,which ,,affliction ,,teaches47 ,,my ,,very ,,worthy ,,and ,,dear ,,friend1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,though all ,galloway should have forgotten me1 ,i would have expected a letter from you ere now2 but ,i will not expound it to be forgetfulness of me4 ,now1 my dear brother1 ,i cannot show you how matters go betwixt ,christ and me4 ,i find my ,lord going and coming seven times a day4 ,his visits are short2 but they are both frequent and sweet4 ,i dare not for my life think of a challenge of my ,lord4 ,i hear ill tales1 and hard reports of ,christ1 from ,the ,tempter and my flesh2 but love believeth no evil4 ,i may swear that they are liars1 and that apprehensions make lies of ,christ's honest and unalterable love to me4 ,i dare not say that ,i am a dry tree1 or that ,i have no room at all in the vineyard2 but yet ,i often think that the sparrows are blessed1 who may resort to the house of ,god in ,anwoth1 from which ,i am banished4 ,temptations1 that ,i supposed to be stricken dead and laid upon their back1 rise again and revive upon me2 yea1 ,i see that while ,i live1 temptations will not die4 ,the devil seemeth to brag and boast as much as if he had more court with ,christ than ,i have2 and as if he had charmed and blasted my ministry1 that ,i shall do no more good in public4 ,but his wind shaketh no corn4#aij ,i will not believe that ,christ would have made such a mint to have me to ,himself1 and have taken so much pains upon me as ,he hath done1 and then slip so easily from possession1 and lose the glory of what ,he hath done4 ,nay1 since ,i came to ,aberdeen1 ,i have been taken up to see the new land1 the fair palace of the ,lamb2 and will ,christ let me see heaven1 to break my heart1 and never give it to me8 ,i shall not think my ,lord ,jesus giveth a dumb earnest1 or putteth ,his seals to blank paper1 or intendeth to put me off with fair and false promises4 ,i see that now which ,i never saw well before4 7#a47 ,i see faith's necessity in a fair day is never known aright2 but now ,i miss nothing so much as faith4 ,hunger in me runneth to fair and sweet promises2 but when ,i come1 ,i am like a hungry man that wanteth teeth1 or a weak stomach having a sharp appetite that is filled with the very sight of meat1 or like one stupefied with cold under the water1 that would fain come to land1 but cannot grip anything casten to him4 ,i can let ,christ grip me1 but ,i cannot grip ,him4 ,i love to be kissed1 and to sit on ,christ's knee2 but ,i cannot set my feet to the ground1 for afflictions bring the cramp upon my faith4 ,all that ,i dow do is to hold out a lame faith to ,christ1 like a beggar holding out a stump1 instead of an arm or leg1 and cry1 ,lord ,jesus1 work a miracle6 ,oh1 what would ,i give to have hands and arms to grip strongly1 and fold heartsomely about ,christ's neck1 and to have my claim made good with real possession6 ,i think that my love to ,christ hath feet in abundance1 and runneth swiftly to be at ,him1 but it wanteth hands and fingers to apprehend ,him4 ,i think that ,i would give ,christ every morning my blessing1 to have as much faith as ,i have love and hunger2 at least1 ,i miss faith more than love or hunger4 #aij ,does no harm4 7#b47 ,i see that mortification1 and to be crucified to the world1 is not so highly accounted of by us as it should be4 ,oh1 how heavenly a thing it is to be dead1 and dumb1 and deaf to this world's sweet music6 ,i confess it hath pleased ,his ,majesty to make me laugh at the children1 who are wooing this world for their match4 ,i see men lying about the world1 as nobles about a king's court2 and ,i wonder what they are all doing there4 ,as ,i am at this present1 ,i would scorn to court such a feckless and petty princess1 or buy this world's kindness with a bow of my knee4 ,i scarce now either hear or see what it is that this world offereth me2 ,i know that it is little which it can take from me1 and as little that it can give me4 ,i recommend mortification to you above anything2 for1 alas6 we but chase feathers flying in the air1 and tire our own spirits for the froth and over-gilded clay of a dying life4 ,one sight of what my ,lord hath let me see within this short time is worth a world of worlds4 7#c47 ,i thought courage1 in the time of trouble for ,christ's sake1 a thing that ,i might take up at my foot4 ,i thought that the very remembrance of the honesty of the cause would be enough4 ,but ,i was a fool in so thinking4 ,i have much ado now to win to one smile4 ,but ,i see that joy groweth up in heaven1 and it is above our short arm4 ,christ will be steward and dispenser ,himself1 and none else but ,he2 therefore1 now1 ,i count much of one dramweight of spiritual joy4 ,one smile of ,christ's face is now to me as a kingdom2 and yet ,he is no niggard to me of comforts4 ,truly ,i have no cause to say that ,i am pinched with penury1 or that the consolations of ,christ are dried up3 for ,he hath poured down rivers upon a dry wilderness the like of me1#aia to my admiration2 and in my very swoonings1 ,he holdeth up my head1 and stayeth me with flagons of wine1 and comforteth me with apples4 ,my house and bed are strewed with kisses of love4 ,praise1 praise with me4 ,oh1 if ye and ,i betwixt us could lift up ,christ upon ,his throne1 howbeit all ,scotland should cast ,him down to the ground6 #aia ,such as ,i am6 ,my brother's case toucheth me near4 ,i hope that ye will be kind to him1 and give him your best counsel4 ,remember my love to your brother1 to your wife1 and ,g4 ,m4#aib ,desire him to be faithful1 and to repent of his hypocrisy2 and say that ,i wrote it to you4 ,i wish him salvation4 ,write to me your mind anent ,c4 ,e4 and ,c4 ,y41 and their wives1 and ,i4 ,g41 or any others in my parish4 ,i fear that ,i am forgotten amongst them2 but ,i cannot forget them4 #aib ,all those whose initials are given are understood to have been parishioners of his at ,anwoth4 ,the prisoner's prayers and blessings come upon you4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,your brother1 in the ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,feb4 #i1 #afcg4 ,,xciii4--,to the ,honourable and truly ,noble ,lady1 the ,,viscountess ,,of ,,kenmure4 7,,god',s ,,dealings ,,with ,,scotland--,,the ,,eye ,,to ,,be ,,directed ,,heavenward47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to your ,ladyship4--,i long to hear from you4 ,i am here waiting1 if a good wind1 long looked for1 will at length blow into ,christ's sails1 in this land4 ,but ,i wonder if ,jesus be not content to suffer more yet in ,his members and cause1 and in the beauty of ,his house1 rather than ,he should not be avenged upon this land4 ,i hear that many worthy men1 who see more in the ,lord's dealings than ,i can take up with my dim sight1 are of a contrary mind1 and do believe that the ,lord is coming home again to ,his house in ,scotland4 ,i hope ,he is on ,his journey that way2 yet ,i look not but that ,he will feed this land with their own blood1 before ,he establish ,his throne amongst us4 ,i know that your honour is not looking after things here-away4 ,ye have no great cause to think that your stock and principal is under the roof of these visible heavens2 and ,i hope that ye would think yourself a beguiled and cozened soul if it were so4 ,i should be sorry to counsel your ,ladyship to make a covenant with time1 and this life2 but rather desire you to hold in fair generals1 and afar off from this ill-founded heaven that is on this side of the water4 ,it speaketh somewhat when our ,lord bloweth the bloom off our daft hopes in this life1 and loppeth the branches off our worldly joys1 well nigh the root1 on purpose that they should not thrive4 ,lord1 spill my fool's heaven in this life1 that ,i may be saved for ever4 ,a forfeiture of the saint's part of the yolk and marrow of short-laughing worldly happiness1 is not such a real evil as our blinded eyes conceive4 ,i am thinking long now for some deliverance more than before4 ,but ,i know ,i am in an error4 ,it is possible ,i am not come to that measure of trial which the ,lord is seeking in ,his work4 ,if my friends in ,galloway would effectually do for my deliverance1 ,i should exceedingly rejoice2 but ,i know not but the ,lord hath a way whereof ,he will be the only reaper of praises4 ,let me know with the bearer how the child is4 ,the ,lord be his father and tutor1 and your only comforter4 ,there is nothing here1 where ,i am1 but profanity and atheism4 ,grace1 grace1 be with your ,ladyship4 ,your ,ladyship's1 at all obliged obedience1 in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,feb4 #ac1 #afcg4 ,,xciv4--,to the ,noble and ,christian ,lady1 the ,,viscountess ,,of ,,kenmure4 7,,the ,,times--,,christ',s ,,sweetness ,,in ,,trouble--,,longing ,,after ,,him47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i would not omit the occasion to write to your ,ladyship with the bearer4 ,i am glad that the child is well4 ,god's favour1 even in the eyes of men1 be seen upon him6 ,i hope that your ,ladyship is thinking upon these sad and woful days wherein we now live1 when our ,lord1 in ,his righteous judgment1 is sending the kirk the gate she is going to ,rome's brothel-house to seek a lover of her own1 seeing that she hath given up with ,christ her ,husband4 ,oh1 what sweet comfort1 what rich salvation1 is laid up for those who had rather wash and roll their garments in their own blood1 than break out#aic from ,christ by apostacy6 ,keep yourself in the love of ,christ1 and stand far aback from the pollutions of the world4 ,side not with these times2 and hold off from coming nigh the signs of a conspiracy with those that are now come out against ,christ1 that ye may be one kept for ,christ only4 ,i know that your ,ladyship thinketh upon this1 and how you may be humbled for yourself and this backsliding land2 for ,i avouch1 that wrath from the ,lord is gone out against ,scotland4 ,i think aye the longer the better of my royal and worthy ,master4 ,he is become a new ,well-beloved to me now1 in renewed consolations1 by the presence of the ,spirit of grace and glory4 ,christ's garments smell of the powder of the merchant1 when ,he cometh out of ,his ivory chambers4 ,oh1 ,his perfumed face1 ,his fair face1 ,his lovely and kindly kisses1 have made me1 a poor prisoner1 see that there is more to be had of ,christ in this life than ,i believed6 ,we think all is but a little earnest1 a four-hours1 a small tasting1 that we have1 or that is to be had1 in this life 7which is true compared with the inheritance72 but yet ,i know it is more3 it is the kingdom of ,god within us4 ,wo1 wo is me1 that ,i have not ten loves for that one ,lord ,jesus2 and that love faileth1 and drieth up in loving ,him2 and that ,i find no way to spend my love desires1 and the yolk of my heart upon that fairest and dearest ,one4 ,i am far behind with my narrow heart4 ,oh1 how ebb a soul have ,i to take in ,christ's love6 for let worlds be multiplied1 according to angels' understanding1 in millions1 whill they weary themselves1 these worlds would not contain the thousandth part of ,his love4 ,oh1 if ,i could yoke in amongst the thick of angels1 and seraphims1 and now glorified saints1 and could raise a new love-song of ,christ1 before all the world6 ,i am pained with wondering at new-opened treasures in ,christ4 ,if every finger1 member1 bone1 and joint1 were a torch burning in the hottest fire in hell1 ,i would that they could all send out love praises1 high songs of praise for evermore1 to that ,plant of ,renown1 to that royal and high ,prince1 ,jesus my ,lord4 ,but alas6 ,his love swelleth in me1 and findeth no vent4 ,alas6 what can a dumb prisoner do or say for ,him6 ,o for an ingine to write a book of ,christ and ,his love6 ,nay1 ,i am left of ,him bound and chained with ,his love4 ,i cannot find a loosed soul to lift up ,his praises1 and give them out to others4 ,but oh6 my day-light hath thick clouds2 ,i cannot shine in ,his praises4 ,i am often like a ship plying about to seek the wind2 ,i sail at great leisure1 and cannot be blown upon that loveliest ,lord4 ,oh1 if ,i could turn my sails to ,christ's right airth1 and that ,i had my heart's wishes of ,his love6 ,but ,i but mar ,his praises3 nay1 ,i know no comparison of what ,christ is1 and what ,his worth is4 ,all the angels1 and all the glorified1 praise ,him not so much as in halves4 ,who can advance ,him1 or utter all ,his praises8 ,i want nothing2 unknown faces favour me2 enemies must speak good of the truth2 my ,master's cause purchaseth commendations4 #aic ,off1 probably4 ,the hopes of my enlargement1 from appearances1 are cold4 ,my faith hath no bed to sleep upon but omnipotency4 ,the good-will of the ,lord1 and ,his sweetest presence1 be with you and that child4 ,grace and peace be yours4 ,your ,ladyship's1 in all duty in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,xcv4--,to the ,right ,honourable and ,christian ,lady1 the ,,viscountess ,,of ,,kenmure4 7,,christ',s ,,cross ,,sweet--,,his ,,coming ,,to ,,be ,,desired--,,jealous ,,of ,,any ,,rival47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to your ,ladyship4 ,i would not omit to write a line with this ,christian bearer2 one in your ,ladyship's own case1 driven near to ,christ1 in and by her affliction4 ,i wish that my friends in ,galloway forget me not4 ,however it be1 ,christ is so good1 ,i will have no other tutor1 suppose ,i could have wale and choice of ten thousand beside4 ,i think now five hundred heavy hearts for ,him too little4 ,i wish that ,christ1 now weeping1 suffering1 and contemned of men1 were more dear and desirable to many souls than ,he is4 ,i am sure that if the saints wanted ,christ's cross1 so profitable1 and so sweet1 they might1 for the gain and glory of it1 wish it were lawful either to buy or borrow ,his cross4 ,but it is a mercy that the saints have it laid to their hand for nothing2 for ,i know no sweeter way to heaven than through free grace and hard trials together2 and one of these cannot well want another4 ,o that time would post faster1 and hasten our looked-for communion with that fairest1 fairest among the sons of men6 ,o that the day would favour us and come1 and put ,christ and us into each other's arms6 ,i am sure that a few years will do our turn1 and the soldier's hour-glass will soon run out4 ,madam1 look to your lamp1 and look for your ,lord's ,coming1 and let your heart dwell aloof from that sweet child4 ,christ's jealousy will not admit of two equal loves in your ,ladyship's heart4 ,he must have one1 and that the greatest2 a little one to a creature may and must suffice a soul married to ,him4 ,thy ,maker is thine ,husband 7,isa4 liv4 #e74 ,i would wish you well1 and my obligations these many years byegone speak no less to me2 but more ,i can neither wish1 nor pray1 nor desire for your ,ladyship1 than ,christ singled and waled out from all created good things1 or ,christ howbeit wet in ,his own blood1 and wearing a crown of thorns4 ,i am sure that the saints1 at their best1 are but strangers to the weight and worth of the incomparable sweetness of ,christ4 ,he is so new1 so fresh in excellency every day of new1 to those that search more and more in ,him1 as if heaven could furnish us as many new ,christs 7if ,i may so speak7 as there are days betwixt ,him and us2 and yet ,he one and the same4 ,oh1 we love an unknown lover when we love ,christ6 ,let me hear how the child is every way4 ,the prayers of a prisoner of ,christ be upon him4 ,grace for evermore1 even whill glory perfect it1 be with your ,ladyship4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,xcvi4--,to the ,noble and ,christian ,lady1 the ,,viscountess ,,of ,,kenmure4 7,,christ ,,all ,,worthy--,,anwoth47 ,,madam1--,notwithstanding the great haste of the bearer1 ,i would bless your ,ladyship on paper1 desiring1 that since ,christ hath ever envied that the world should have your love by ,him1#aid that ye give yourself out for ,christ1 and that ye may be for no other4 ,i know none worthy of you but ,christ4 #aid ,more than ,he2 setting ,him aside4 ,madam1 ,i am either suffering for ,christ1 and this is the sure and good way2 or1 ,i have done with heaven1 and shall never see ,god's face1 which1 ,i bless ,him1 cannot be4 ,i write my blessing to that sweet child1 that ye have borrowed from ,god4 ,he is no heritage to you1 but a loan2 love him as folks do borrowed things4 ,my heart is heavy for you4 ,they say that the kirk of ,christ hath neither son nor heir1 and therefore that her enemies shall possess her4 ,but ,i know that she is not that ill-friended2 her ,husband is her heir1 and she ,his heritage4 ,if my ,lord would be pleased1 ,i should desire that some be dealt with1 for my return to ,anwoth4 ,but if that never be1 ,i thank ,god ,anwoth is not heaven2 preaching is not ,christ4 ,i hope to wait on4 ,let me hear how your child is1 and your ,ladyship's mind and hopes of him2 for it would ease my heart to know that he is well4 ,i am in good terms with ,christ2 but oh1 my guiltiness6 ,yet ,he bringeth not pleas betwixt ,him and me to the streets1 and before the sun4 ,grace1 grace for ever more be with your ,ladyship4 ,your ,ladyship's1 at all obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,xcvii4--,to ,,alexander ,,gordon of ,earlston4 7,,christ ,,endeared ,,by ,,bitter ,,experiences--,,searchings ,,of ,,heart--,,fear ,,for ,,the ,,church47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i received your letter1 which refreshed me4 ,except from your son1 and my brother1 ,i have seen few letters from my acquaintance in that country2 which maketh me heavy4 ,but ,i have the company of a ,lord who can teach us all to be kind1 and hath the right gate of it4 ,though1 for the present1 ,i have seven ups and downs every day1 yet ,i am abundantly comforted and feasted with my ,king and ,well-beloved daily4 ,it pleaseth ,him to come and dine with a sad prisoner1 and a solitary stranger4 ,his spikenard casteth a smell4 ,yet my sweet hath some sour mixed with it1 wherein ,i must acquiesce2 for there is no reason that ,his comforts be too cheap1 seeing they are delicates4 ,why should ,he not make them so to ,his own8 ,but ,i verily think now1 that ,christ hath led me up to a nick in ,christianity that ,i was never at before2 ,i think all before was but childhood and bairn's play4 ,since ,i departed from you1 ,i have been scalded1 whill the smoke of hell's fire went in at my throat1 and ,i would have bought peace with a thousand years' torment in hell2 and ,i have been up also1 after these deep down-castings and sorrows1 before the ,lamb's white throne1 in my ,father's inner court1 the ,great ,king's dining-hall4 ,and ,christ did cast a covering of love on me4 ,he hath casten a coal into my soul1 and it is smoking among the straw and keeping the hearth warm4 ,i look back to what ,i was before1 and ,i laugh to see the sand-houses ,i built when ,i was a child4 ,at first the remembrance of the many fair feast-days with my ,lord ,jesus in public1 which are now changed into silent ,sabbaths1 raised a great tempest1 and 7if ,i may speak so7 made the devil ado in my soul4 ,the devil came in1 and would prompt me to make a plea with ,christ1 and to lay the blame on ,him as a hard master4 ,but now these mists are blown away1 and ,i am not only silenced as to all quarrelling1 but fully satisfied4 ,now1 ,i wonder that any man living can laugh upon the world1 or give it a hearty good-day4 ,the ,lord ,jesus hath handled me so1 that1 as ,i am now disposed1 ,i think never to be in this world's commons again for a night's lodging4 ,christ beareth me good company4 ,he hath eased me1 when ,i saw it not1 lifting the cross off my shoulders1 so that ,i think it to be but a feather1 because underneath are everlasting arms4 ,god forbid it come to bartering or nifferings of crosses2 for ,i think my cross so sweet1 that ,i know not where ,i would get the like of it4 ,christ's honey-combs drop so abundantly1 that they sweeten my gall4 ,nothing breaketh my heart1 but that ,i cannot get the daughters of ,jerusalem to tell them of my ,bridegroom's glory4 ,i charge you in the name of ,christ1 that ye tell all that ye come to of it2 and yet it is above telling and understanding4 ,oh1 if all the kingdom were as ,i am1 except my bonds6 ,they know not the love-kisses that my only ,lord ,jesus wasteth on a dawted prisoner4 ,on my salvation1 this is the only way to the ,new ,city4 ,i know that ,christ hath no dumb seals4 ,would ,he put ,his privy-seal upon blank paper8 ,he hath sealed my sufferings with ,his comforts4 ,i write this to confirm you4 ,i write now what ,i have seen as well as heard4 ,now and then my silence burneth up my spirit2 but ,christ hath said1 ,thy stipend is running up with interest in heaven1 as if thou wert preaching2 and this from a ,king's mouth rejoiceth my heart4 ,at other times ,i am sad1 dwelling in ,kedar's tents4 ,there are none 7that ,i yet know of7 but two persons in this town that ,i dare give my word for4 ,and the ,lord hath removed my brethren and my acquaintance far from me2 and it may be1 that ,i shall be forgotten in the place where the ,lord made me the instrument to do some good4 ,but ,i see that this is vanity in me2 let ,him make of me what ,he pleaseth1 if ,he make salvation out of it to me4 ,i am tempted and troubled1 that all the fourteen prelates#aie should have been armed of ,god against me only1 while the rest of my brethren are still preaching4 ,but ,i dare not say one word but this1 ,it is good1 ,lord ,jesus1 because ,thou hast done it4 #aie ,see ,letter ,,lxviii4 ,wo is me for the virgin-daughter6 wo is me for the desolation of the virgin-daughter of ,scotland6 ,oh1 if my eyes were a fountain of tears1 to weep day and night for that poor widow-kirk1 that poor miserable harlot6 ,alas1 that my ,father hath put to the door on my poor harlot-mother6 ,o for that cloud of black wrath1 and fury of the indignation of the ,lord1 that is hanging over the land6 ,sir1 write to me1 ,i beseech you4 ,i pray you also be kind to my afflicted brother4 ,remember my love to your wife2 and the prayer and blessing of the prisoner of ,christ be on you4 ,frequent your meetings for prayer and communion with ,god3 they would be sweet meetings to me4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,feb4 #af1 #afcg4 ,,xcviii4--,to the ,worthy and much ,honoured ,,mr4 ,,alexander ,,colville of ,blair4 ,,alexander ,,colville of ,blair 7which is in the parish of ,carnock1 ,fifeshire7 early commended himself to the gratitude of ,rutherford by befriending him under prelatic persecutions4 ,when ,rutherford in #afcj was summoned before the ,high ,commission ,court1 this gentleman1 being one of the judges1 exerted himself in his behalf2 and his influence1 together with the absence of the ,archbishop of ,st ,andrews1 occasioned the desertion of the diet1 and put a stop to the proceedings against the obnoxious minister4 7,see ,letter ,,xi47 ,as we learn from this letter1 he also showed much kindness to ,rutherford's brother on his trial before the ,high ,commission in ,november #afcf1 for his nonconformity and zealous support of ,mr4 ,glendinning1 the injured minister of ,kirkcudbright4 ,colville was an elder of the ,church1 and his name appears on the roll of the members of the ,general ,assemblies #afde1 #afdf1 #afdh1 and #afdi1 and of the ,commissions appointed by these ,assemblies4 ,we find him after this1 in co-operation with another individual1 delating ,mr4 ,robert ,bruce1 minister of ,ballagray1 of which they were parishioners1 on the ground that they were not edified by his doctrine4 7,,increasing ,,experience ,,of ,,christ',s ,,love--,,god ,,with ,,his ,,saints47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,the bearer hereof1 ,mr4 ,r4 ,f41 is most kind to me2 ,i desire you to thank him4 ,but none is so kind as my only royal ,king and ,master1 whose cross is my garland4 ,the ,king dineth with ,his prisoner1 and ,his spikenard casteth a smell4 ,he hath led me up to such a pitch and nick of joyful communion with ,himself1 as ,i never knew before4 ,when ,i look back to by-gones1 ,i judge myself to have been a child at ,a1 ,b1 ,c with ,christ4 ,worthy ,sir1 pardon me1 ,i dare not conceal it from you2 it is as a fire in my bowels4 7,in ,his presence who seeth me ,i speak it67 ,i am pained1 pained with the love of ,christ2 ,he hath made me sick1 and wounded me4 ,hunger for ,christ outrunneth faith2 ,i miss faith more than love4 ,oh1 if the three kingdoms would come and see6 ,oh1 if they knew ,his kindness to my soul6 ,it hath pleased ,him to bring me to this1 that ,i will not strike sails to this world1 nor flatter it1 nor adore this clay idol that fools worship4 ,as ,i am now disposed1 ,i think that ,i shall neither borrow nor lend#aif with it2 and yet ,i get my meat from ,christ with nurture2 for seven times a-day ,i am lifted up1 and casten down4 ,my dumb ,sabbaths burden my heart1 and make it bleed4 ,i want not fearful challenges1 and jealousies sometimes of ,christ's love1 that ,he hath casten me over the dyke of the vineyard as a dry tree4 ,but this is my infirmity4 ,by ,his grace ,i take myself in these ravings4 ,it is kindly that faith and love both be sick1 and fevers are kindly to most joyful communion with ,christ4 #aif ,neither borrow nor lend1 have no dealings with it4 ,ye are blessed who avouch ,christ openly before ,the ,prince of this kingdom1 whose eyes are upon you4 ,it is your glory to lift ,him up on ,his throne1 to carry ,his train1 and bear up the hem of ,his robe royal4 ,he hath an hiding-place for ,mr4 ,alexander ,colville against the storm3 go on1 and fear not what man can do4 ,the saints seem to have the worst of it 7for apprehension can make a lie of ,christ and ,his love72 but it is not so4 ,providence is not rolled upon unequal and crooked wheels2 all things work together for the good of those who love ,god1 and are called according to ,his purpose4 ,ere it be long1 we shall see the white side of ,god's providence4 ,my brother's case hath moved me not a little4 ,he wrote to me your care and kindness4 ,sir1 the prisoner's blessings and prayers1 ,i trust1 shall not go past you4 ,he that is able to keep you1 and to present you before the presence of ,his face with joy1 establish your heart in the love of ,christ4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,feb4 #ai1 #afcg4 ,,xcix4--,to ,,earlston1 ,younger4 ,,william ,,gordon1 to whom this letter is addressed1 was the eldest son of ,alexander ,gordon of ,earlston1 formerly noticed 7,letter ,,lix474 ,he exhibited in youth much of the piety and public spirit of his father4 ,his well-known attachment to the cause of ,presbytery rendered him early obnoxious to ,charles ,,ii4 and the ,malignant party4 ,when that monarch came to ,scotland in #afea1 and held a ,parliament1 he was fined for his compliance with the ,english2 and on his refusing to pay the fine1 soldiers were sent out to extract it by compulsion from his tenants1 who were almost ruined by the driving away of their cattle and the robbing of their houses4 ,he was again fined by ,middleton1 in #affb1 and summoned before the ,privy ,council4 ,on the #ast of ,march #affd1 sentence of banishment from the kingdom was pronounced upon him for keeping conventicles1 and for refusing to engage to refrain from such meetings in all time coming4 ,whither he went is not known2 but the ,council1 on being petitioned1 granted him licence to return until the #aeth of ,march ensuing1 at the same time requiring him to depart and remain forth of the kingdom the said day1 in case the said ,lords give order therefor 7,decr4 ,secr4 ,council1 ,register ,house1 ,edin474 ,after this he remained at home1 but his end was near1 for1 setting out to join the forces of the ,covenanters at ,bothwell1 in the beginning of the year #afgi1 after the defeat 7either on the day of it1 or the day after71 he was met by a party of ,english dragoons1 who1 upon his refusing to surrender1 killed him on the spot4 ,thus fell1 says ,howie1 in the ,scots ,worthies1 a renowned ,gordon1 a gentleman of good parts and endowments2 a man devoted unto religion and godliness1 and a prime supporter of the ,presbyterian interest in that part of the country where he lived4 ,he was married to ,mary1 daughter of ,sir ,john ,hope1 second baronet of ,craighall1 and ,president of the ,court of ,session1 by his wife ,margaret1 daughter of ,sir ,archibald ,murray of ,blackbarony4 ,his eldest son1 ,alexander1 succeeded him4 ,illustration3 ,,bothwell ,,bridge4 7,,christ',s ,,ways ,,misunderstood--,,his ,,increasing ,,kindness--,,spiritual ,,delicacy--,,hard ,,to ,,be ,,dead ,,to ,,the ,,world47 ,,honoured ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i received your letter1 which refreshed my soul4 ,i thank ,god that the court is closed2 ,i think shame of my part of it4 ,i pass now from my unjust summons of unkindness libelled against ,christ my ,lord4 ,he is not such a ,lord and ,master as ,i took ,him to be2 verily ,he is ,god1 and ,i am dust and ashes4 ,it took ,christ's glooms to be as good as ,scripture speaking wrath2 but ,i have seen the other side of ,christ1 and the white side of ,his cross now4 ,i behoved to come to ,aberdeen to learn a new mystery in ,christ1 that ,his promise is better to be believed than ,his looks1 and that the devil can cause ,christ's glooms to speak a lie to a weak man4 ,nay1 verily1 ,i was a child before2 all by-gones are but bairn's play4 ,i would ,i could begin to be a ,christian in sad earnest4 ,i need not blame ,christ if ,i be not one1 for ,he hath showed me heaven and hell in ,aberdeen4 ,but the truth is1 for all my sorrow1 ,christ is nothing in my debt1 for comforts have refreshed my soul4 ,i have heard and seen ,him in ,his sweetness1 so as ,i am almost saying1 it is not ,he that ,i was wont to meet with4 ,he smileth more cheerfully1 ,his kisses are more sweet and soul-refreshing than the kisses of the ,christ ,i saw before were1 though ,he be the same4 ,or rather1 the ,king hath led me up to a measure of joy and communion with my ,bridegroom that ,i never attained to before1 so that often ,i think that ,i will neither borrow nor lend with this world4#aig ,i will not strike sail to crosses1 nor flatter them to be quit of them1 as ,i have done4 ,come all crosses1 welcome1 welcome6 so that ,i may get my heartful of my ,lord ,jesus4 ,i have been so near ,him1 that ,i have said1 ,i take instruments that this is the ,lord4 ,leave a token behind ,thee1 that ,i may never forget this4 ,now1 what can ,christ do more to dawt one of ,his poor prisoners8 ,therefore1 ,sir1 ,i charge you in the name of my ,lord ,jesus1 praise with me1 and show unto others what ,he hath done unto my soul4 ,this is the fruit of my sufferings1 that ,i desire ,christ's name may be spread abroad in this kingdom1 in my behalf4 ,i hope in ,god not to slander ,him again4 ,yet in this1 ,i get not my feasts without some mixture of gall2 neither am ,i free of old jealousies1 for ,he hath removed my lovers and friends far from me2 ,he hath made my congregation desolate1 and taken away my crown4 ,and my dumb ,sabbaths are like a stone tied to a bird's foot1 that wanteth not wings1--they seem to hinder me to fly1 were it not that ,i dare not say one word1 but1 ,well done1 ,lord ,jesus4 #aig ,see ,letter ,,xcviii4 ,we can1 in our prosperity1 sport ourselves1 and be too bold with ,christ2 yea1 be that insolent1 as to chide with ,him2 but under the water we dare not speak4 ,i wonder now of my sometime boldness1 to chide and quarrel ,christ1 to nickname providence when it stroked me against the hair2 for now1 swimming in the waters1 ,i think my will is fallen to the ground of the water3 ,i have lost it4 ,i think that ,i would fain let ,christ alone1 and give ,him leave to do with me what ,he pleaseth1 if ,he would smile upon me4 ,verily1 we know not what an evil it is to spill and indulge ourselves1 and to make an idol of our will4 ,i was once that ,i would not eat except ,i had waled meat2 now ,i dare not complain of the crumbs and parings under ,his table4 ,i was once that ,i would make the house ado1 if ,i saw not the world carved and set in order to my liking2 now ,i am silent when ,i see ,god hath set servants on horseback1 and is fattening and feeding the children of perdition4 ,i pray ,god1 that ,i may never find my will again4 ,oh1 if ,christ would subject my will to ,his1 and trample it under ,his feet1 and liberate me from that lawless lord6 ,now1 ,sir1 in your youth gather fast2 your sun will mount to the meridian quickly1 and thereafter decline4 ,be greedy of grace4 ,study above anything1 my dear brother1 to mortify your lusts4 ,oh1 but pride of youth1 vanity1 lusts1 idolizing of the world1 and charming pleasures1 take long time to root them out6 ,as far as ye are advanced in the way to heaven1 as near as ye are to ,christ1 as much progress as ye have made in the way of mortification1 ye will find that ye are far behind1 and have most of your work before you4 ,i never took it to be so hard to be dead to my lusts and to this world4 ,when the day of visitation cometh1 and your old idols come weeping about you1 ye will have much ado not to break your heart4 ,it is best to give up in time with them1 so as ye could at a call quit your part of this world for a drink of water1 or a thing of nothing4 ,verily ,i have seen the best of this world1 a moth-eaten1 threadbare coat3 ,i purpose to lay it aside1 being now old and full of holes4 ,o for my house above1 not made with hands6 ,pray for ,christ's prisoner2 and write to me4 ,remember my love to your mother4 ,desire her1 from me1 to make ready for removing2 the ,lord's tide will not bide her2 and to seek an heavenly mind1 that her heart may be often there4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 and ,christ's prisoner1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,feb4 #bj1 #afcg4 ,c4--,to the ,,lady ,,cardoness4 7,,the ,,one ,,thing ,,needful--,,conscientious ,,acting ,,in ,,the ,,world--,,advice ,,under ,,dejecting ,,trials47 ,,my ,,dearly ,,beloved1 ,,and ,,longed-,,for ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you--,i long to hear how your soul prospereth1 and how the kingdom of ,christ thriveth in you4 ,i exhort you and beseech you in the bowels of ,christ1 faint not1 weary not4 ,there is a great necessity of heaven2 ye must needs have it4 ,all other things1 as houses1 lands1 children1 husband1 friends1 country1 credit1 health1 wealth1 honour1 may be wanted2 but heaven is your one thing necessary1 the good part that shall not be taken from you4 ,see that ye buy the field where the pearl is4 ,sell all1 and make a purchase of salvation4 ,think it not easy2 for it is a steep ascent to eternal glory2 many are lying dead by the way1 that were slain with security4 ,i have now been led by my ,lord ,jesus to such a nick in ,christianity1 as ,i think little of former things4 ,oh1 what ,i want6 ,i want so many things1 that ,i am almost asking if ,i have anything at all4 ,every man thinketh he is rich enough in grace1 till he take out his purse1 and tell his money1 and then he findeth his pack but poor and light in the day of a heavy trial4 ,i found that ,i had not to bear my expenses1 and ,i should have fainted1 if want and penury had not chased me to the storehouse of all4 ,i beseech you to make conscience of your ways4 ,deal kindly1 and with conscience1 with your tenants4 ,to fill a breach or a hole1 make not a greater breach in the conscience4 ,i wish plenty of love to your soul4 ,let the world be the portion of bastards2 make it not yours4 ,after the last trumpet is blown1 the world and all its glory will be like an old house that is burnt to ashes1 and like an old fallen castle1 without a roof4 ,fy1 fy upon us1 fools6 who think ourselves debtors to the world6 ,my ,lord hath brought me to this1 that ,i would not give a drink of cold water for this world's kindness4 ,i wonder that men long after1 love1 or care for these feathers4 ,it is almost an unco world to me4 ,to think that men are so mad as to block with dead earth6 ,to give out conscience1 and get in clay again1 is a strange bargain6 ,i have written my mind at length to your husband4 ,write to me again his case4 ,i cannot forget him in my prayers2 ,i am looking up 7,ps4 v4 #c74 ,christ hath some claim to him4 ,my counsel is1 that ye bear with him when passion overtaketh him3 ,a soft answer putteth away wrath4 ,answer him in what he speaketh1 and apply yourself in the fear of ,god to him2 and then ye will remove a pound weight of your heavy cross1 that way1 and so it shall become light4 ,when ,christ hideth ,himself1 wait on1 and make din till ,he return2 it is not time then to be carelessly patient4 ,i love to be grieved when ,he hideth ,his smiles4 ,yet believe ,his love in a patient onwaiting and believing in the dark4 ,ye must learn to swim and hold up your head above the water1 even when the sense of ,his presence is not with you to hold up your chin4 ,i trust in ,god that ,he will bring your ship safe to land4 ,i counsel you to study sanctification1 and to be dead to this world4 ,urge kindness on ,knockbrex4 ,labour to benefit by his company2 the man is acquainted with ,christ4 ,i beg the help of your prayers1 for ,i forget not you4 ,counsel your husband to fulfil my joy1 and to seek the ,lord's face4 ,show him1 from me1 that my joy and desire is to hear that he is in the ,lord4 ,god casteth him often in my mind1 ,i cannot forget him4 ,i hope ,christ and he have something to do together4 ,bless ,john from me4 ,i write blessings to him1 and to your husband1 and to the rest of your children4 ,let it not be said1 ,i am not in your house1 through neglect of the ,sabbath exercise4 ,your lawful and loving pastor in his only1 only ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,feb4 #bj1 #afcg4 ,,ci4--,to ,,jonet ,,macculloch4 ,no doubt this lady was one of the ,maccullochs of ,ardwell1 a residence near ,anwoth1 next to ,cardoness4 ,the ,letter1 ,,clxxxiv41 to ,mr4 ,thomas ,macculloch of ,nether ,ardwell1 relates apparently to another of the same house4 ,the house is very pleasantly situated near the mouth of the ,fleet4 ,the old mansion-house of ,ardwell1 or ,ardwall1 bore the name of ,nether ,ardwell2 it occupied a spot about a hundred yards distant from the present mansion1 lying towards the shore1 a little below where the bay receives the waters of the ,fleet4 ,higher ,ardwell was towards the north3 a farm near ,bushy ,bield 7,rutherford's old manse1 which was originally a mansion house7 still bears that name4 ,the family of the ,maccullochs1 who were intimate with ,rutherford1 still retain the property4 ,they are an ancient family2 for ,william ,macculloch got a feu charter of the lands of ,nether ,ardwell from his cousin1 or uncle1 ,macculloch of ,cardoness and ,myreton1 in #aehg4 ,it is the wife of this ,william ,macculloch1 in all probability1 of whom the following lines speak1 on the tomb at the south side of the raised pile in the old churchyard3-- ,dumb1 senseless statue of a painted stone1 ,what means this boast8 ,thy captive is but clay4 ,thou gainest nothing but some lifeless bones2 ,her choicest part1 her soul1 triumphs for aye4 ,then1 gazing friends1 do not her death deplore2 ,you lose1 while she doth gain for evermore4 ,margrat ,maklellan1 goodwife of ,ardwell1 departed this life #afbj4 tatis su #ca4 ,we may add1 the grand-daughter of this lady1 to whom the lines on the monument refer1 was mother of the martyr1 ,john ,bell of ,whyteside4 7,,christ',s ,,sufficiency--,,stedfastness ,,in ,,the ,,truth47 ,,dear ,,sister1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i long to hear how your soul prospereth4 ,i am as well as a prisoner of ,christ can be1 feasted and made fat with the comforts of ,god4 ,christ's kisses are made sweeter to my soul than ever they were4 ,i would not change my ,master with all the kings of clay upon the earth4 ,oh6 my ,well-beloved is altogether lovely and loving4 ,i care not what flesh can do4 ,i persuade my soul that ,i delivered the truth of ,christ to you4 ,slip not from it1 for any bosts or fear of men4 ,if ye go against the truth of ,christ that ,i now suffer for1 ,i shall bear witness against you in the day of ,christ4 ,sister1 fasten your grip fast on ,christ4 ,follow not the guises of this sinful world4 ,let not this clay portion of earth take up your soul3 it is the portion of bastards1 and ye are a child of ,god2 and1 therefore1 seek your ,father's heritage4 ,send up your heart to see the dwelling house and fair rooms in the ,new ,city4 ,fy1 fy upon those who cry1 ,up with the world and down with conscience and heaven6 ,we have bairn's wits1 and therefore we cannot prize ,christ aright4 ,counsel your husband1 and mother1 to make them ready for eternity4 ,that day is drawing nigh4 ,pray for me1 the prisoner of ,christ4 ,i cannot forget you4 ,your lawful pastor and brother1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,feb4 #bj1 #afcg4 ,,cii4--,to ,,alexander ,,gordon of ,knockgray4 ,knockgray is a farm-like house1 enclosed by trees1 at the foot of the hills of ,carsphairn4 ,it is on your right hand1 coming from ,earlston to ,carsphairn1 after passing the little hill of ,dundeuch4 ,alexander ,gordon of ,knockgray1 says ,livingstone1 who personally knew him1 was a rare ,christian in his time4 ,his chief1 the ,laird of ,lochinvar1 put him out of his land mostly for his religion2 yet1 being thereafter restored by that man's son1 ,lord ,viscount of ,kenmure1 he told me the ,lord had blessed him1 so as he had ten thousand sheep 7,select ,biograph4 vol4 i474 ,from what ,rutherford says in a subsequent letter addressed to him1--,christ's ways were known to you long before ,i 7who am but a child7 knew anything of ,him1--it may be concluded that he was much older than ,rutherford4 ,the venerable old man was apprehended in his own house by one ,captain ,stuart2 by whom also he seems to have been carried to ,edinburgh1 and there incarcerated4 ,alexander1 his son 7the grandson of ,rutherford's correspondent71 had also his own share of persecution under the intolerant reign of ,charles ,,ii4 ,he suffered much by garrisons put into his house1 by the loss of household articles which they carried away1 and by the forfeiture of his property4 7,wodrow1 ,,mss4 vol4 xxxvii47 7,,grounds ,,of ,,praise--,,affliction ,,tempts ,,to ,,misrepresent ,,christ--,,idols47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i long to hear how your soul prospereth4 ,i expected letters from you ere now4 ,as for myself1 ,i am here in good case1 well feasted with a great ,king4 ,at my coming here1 ,i was that bold as to take up a jealousy of ,christ's love4 ,i said ,i was cast over the dyke of the ,lord's vineyard1 as a dry tree2 but ,i see that if ,i had been a withered branch1 the fire would have burned me long ere now4 ,blessed be ,his high name1 who hath kept sap in the dry tree4 ,and now1 as if ,christ hath done the wrong1 ,he hath made the mends1 and hath miskent my ravings2 for a man under the water cannot well command his wit1 far less his faith and love4 ,because it was a fever1 my ,lord ,jesus forgave me that amongst the rest4 ,he knoweth that in our afflictions we can find a spot in the fairest face that ever was1 even in ,christ's face4 ,i would not have believed that a gloom should have made me to misken my old ,master2 but we must be whiles#aih sick4 ,sickness is but kindly to both faith and love4 ,but oh1 how exceedingly is a poor dawted prisoner obliged to sweet ,jesus6 ,my tears are sweeter to me than the laughter of the fourteen prelates is to them4 ,the worst of ,christ1 even ,his chaff1 is better than the world's corn4 #aih ,occasionally4 ,dear ,brother1 ,i beseech you1 ,i charge you in the name and authority of the ,son of ,god1 to help me to praise ,his ,highness2 and ,i charge you also to tell all your acquaintance1 that my ,master may get many thanks4 ,oh1 if my hairs1 all my members1 and all my bones1 were well-tuned tongues1 to sing the high praises of my great and glorious ,king6 ,help me to lift ,christ up upon ,his throne1 and to lift ,him up above the thrones of the clay-kings1 the dying sceptre-bearers of this world4 ,the prisoner's blessing1 the blessing of him that is separate from his brethren1 be upon them all who will lend me a lift in this work4 ,show this to that people with you to whom ,i sometimes preached4 ,brother1 my ,lord hath brought me to this1 that ,i will not flatter the world for a drink of water4 ,i am no debtor to clay2 ,christ hath made me dead to that4 ,i now wonder that ever ,i was such a child1 long since1 as to beg at such beggars6 ,fy upon us1 who woo such a black-skinned harlot1 when we may get such a fair1 fair match in heaven6 ,o that ,i could give up this clay-idol1 this masked1 painted1 over-gilded dirt1 that ,adam's sons adore6 ,we make an idol of our will4 ,as many lusts in us1 as many gods2 we are all godmakers4 ,we are like to lose ,christ1 the true ,god1 in the throng of those new and false gods4 ,scotland hath cast her crown off her head2 the virgin-daughter hath lost her garland4 ,wo1 wo to our harlot mother4 ,our day is coming2 a time when women shall wish they had been childless1 and fathers shall bless miscarrying wombs and dry breasts2 many houses great and fair shall be desolate4 ,this kirk shall sit on the ground all the night1 and the tears shall run down her cheeks4 ,the sun hath gone down upon her prophets4 ,blessed are the prisoners of hope1 who can run into their stronghold1 and hide themselves for a little1 till the indignation be overpast4 ,commend me to your wife1 your daughters1 your son-in-law1 and to ,a4 ,t4 ,write to me the case of your kirk4 ,grace be with you4 ,i am much moved for my brother4 ,i entreat for your kindness and counsel to him4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,feb4 #bc1 #afcg4 ,,ciii4--,to the ,,lady ,,cardoness1 ,elder4 7,,christ ,,and ,,his ,,cause ,,recommended--,,heavenly-,,mindedness-- ,,caution ,,against ,,compliances--,,anxiety ,,about ,,his ,,parish47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,well-,,beloved ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i long to hear from you on paper1 that ,i may know how your soul prospereth4 ,my desire and longing is to hear that ye walk in the truth1 and that ye are content to follow the despised but most lovely ,son of ,god4 ,i cannot but recommend ,him unto you1 as your ,husband1 your ,well-beloved1 your ,portion1 your ,comfort1 and your ,joy4 ,i speak this of that lovely ,one1 because ,i praise and commend the ford 7as we used to speak7 as ,i find it4 ,he hath watered with ,his sweet comforts an oppressed prisoner4 ,he was always kind to my soul2 but never so kind as now1 in my greatest extremities4 ,i dine and sup with ,christ4 ,he visiteth my soul the visitations of love1 in the night-watches4 ,i persuade my soul that this is the way to heaven1 and ,his own truth ,i now suffer for4 ,i exhort you in the name of ,christ to continue in the truth which ,i delivered unto you4 ,make ,christ sure to your soul2 for your day draweth nigh to an end4 ,many slide back now1 who seemed to be ,christ's friends1 and prove dishonest to ,him2 but be ye faithful to the death1 and ye shall have the crown of life4 ,this span-length of your days 7whereof the spirit of ,god speaketh1 ,ps4 xxxix4 #e7 shall1 within a short time1 come to a finger-breadth1 and at length to nothing4 ,oh1 how sweet and comfortable will the feast of a good conscience be to you1 when your eye-strings shall break1 your face wax pale1 and the breath turn cold1 and your poor soul come sighing to the windows of the house of clay of your dying body1 and shall long to be out1 and to have the jailor to open the door1 that the prisoner may be set at liberty6 ,ye draw nigh the water-side3 look your accounts2 ask for your ,guide to take you to the other side4 ,let not the world be your portion2 what have ye to do with dead clay8 ,ye are not a bastard1 but a lawfully begotten child2 therefore set your heart on the inheritance4 ,go up beforehand1 and see your lodging4 ,look through all your ,father's rooms in heaven3 in your ,father's house are many dwelling-places4 ,men take a sight of lands ere they buy them4 ,i know that ,christ hath made the bargain already2 but be kind to the house ye are going to1 and see it often4 ,set your heart on things that are above1 where ,christ is at the right hand of ,god4 ,stir up your husband to mind his own country at home4 ,counsel him to deal mercifully with the poor people of ,god under him4 ,they are ,christ's1 and not his2 therefore1 desire him to show them merciful dealing and kindness1 and to be good to their souls4 ,i desire you to write to me4 ,it may be that my parish forget me2 but my witness is in heaven that ,i dow not1 ,i do not1 forget them4 ,they are my sighs in the night1 and my tears in the day4 ,i think myself like a husband plucked from the wife of his youth4 ,o ,lord1 be my ,judge3 what joy would it be to my soul to hear that my ministry hath left the ,son of ,god among them1 and that they are walking in ,christ6 ,remember my love to your son and daughter4 ,desire them from me to seek the ,lord in their youth1 and to give ,him the morning of their days4 ,acquaint them with the word of ,god and prayer4 ,grace be with you4 ,pray for the prisoner of ,christ2 in my heart ,i forget you not4 ,your lawful and loving pastor1 in his only ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #f1 #afcg4 ,,civ4--,to the ,right ,honourable and ,christian ,lady1 my ,,lady ,,viscountess ,,of ,,kenmure4 7,,painstaking ,,in ,,the ,,knowledge ,,of ,,christ--,,unusual ,,enjoyment ,,of ,,his ,,love--,,not ,,easy ,,to ,,be ,a ,,christian--,,friends ,,must ,,not ,,mislead47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i am refreshed with your letter4 ,the right hand of ,him to whom belong the issues from death hath been gracious to that sweet child4 ,i dow not1 ,i do not1 forget him and your ,ladyship in my prayers4 ,madam1 for your own case4 ,i love careful1 and withal1 doing complaints of want of practice2 because ,i observe many who think it holiness enough to complain1 and set themselves at nothing3 as if to say ,i am sick could cure them4 ,they think complaints a good charm for guiltiness4 ,i hope that ye are wrestling and struggling on1 in this dead age1 wherein folks have lost tongue1 and legs1 and arms for ,christ4 ,i urge upon you1 ,madam1 a nearer communion with ,christ1 and a growing communion4 ,there are curtains to be drawn by in ,christ1 that we never saw1 and new foldings of love in ,him4 ,i despair that ever ,i shall win to the far end of that love1 there are so many plies in it4 ,therefore1 dig deep2 and sweat1 and labour1 and take pains for ,him2 and set by as much time in the day for ,him as you can4 ,he will be won with labour4 ,i1 ,his exiled prisoner1 sought ,him1 and ,he hath rued upon me1 and hath made a moan for me1 as ,he doth for ,his own1#aii and ,i know not what to do with ,christ4 ,his love surroundeth and surchargeth me4 ,i am burdened with it2 but oh1 how sweet and lovely is that burden6 ,i dow not keep it within me4 ,i am so in love with ,his love1 that if ,his love were not in heaven1 ,i should be unwilling to go thither4 ,oh1 what weighing1 and what telling is in ,christ's love6 ,i fear nothing now so much as the losing#bjj of ,christ's cross1 and of the love-showers that accompany it4 ,i wonder what ,he meaneth1 to put such a slave at the board-head1 at ,his own elbow4 ,o that ,i should lay my black mouth to such a fair1 fair1 fair face as ,christ's6 ,but ,i dare not refuse to be loved4 ,the cause is not in me1 why ,he hath looked upon me1 and loved me for ,he got neither bud nor hire of me4 ,it cost me nothing1 it is good-cheap love4 ,oh1 the many pound-weights of ,his love under which ,i am sweetly pressed6 #aii ,jer4 xxxi4 #bj2 ,hos4 xi4 #h4 #bjj ,the fear to be deprived of it4 ,early editions give laughing1 which seems a misprint4 ,now1 ,madam1 ,i persuade you1 that the greatest part but play with ,christianity2 they put it by-hand easily4 ,i thought it had been an easy thing to be a ,christian1 and that to seek ,god had been at the next door2 but ,o the windings1 the turnings1 the ups and the downs that ,he hath led me through6 ,and ,i see yet much way to the ford4 ,he speaketh with my reins in the night-season2 and in the morning1 when ,i awake1 ,i find ,his love-arrows1 that ,he shot at me1 sticking in my heart4 ,who will help me to praise8 ,who will come to lift up with me1 and set on high1 ,his great love8 ,and yet ,i find that a fire-flaught of challenges will come in at midsummer1 and question me4 ,but it is only to keep a sinner in order4 ,as for friends1 ,i will not think the world to be the world if that well go not dry4 ,i trust1 in ,god1 to use the world as a canny or cunning master doth a knave servant 7at least ,god give me grace to do so673 he giveth him no handling nor credit1 only he intrusteth him with common errands1 wherein he cannot play the knave4 ,i pray ,god that ,i may not give this world the credit of my joys1 and comforts1 and confidence4 ,that were to put ,christ out of ,his office4 ,nay1 ,i counsel you1 ,madam1 from a little experience1 let ,christ keep the great seal1 and intrust ,him so as to hing your vessels1 great and small1 and pin your burdens1 upon the ,nail fastened in ,david's house 7,isa4 xxii4 #bc74 ,let me not be well1 if ever they get the tutoring of my comforts4 ,away1 away with irresponsal tutors that would play me a slip1 and then ,christ would laugh at me1 and say1 ,well-wared6 try again ere you trust4 ,now woe is me1 for my whorish mother1 the ,kirk of ,scotland6 ,oh1 who will bewail her6 ,now the presence of the great ,angel of the ,covenant be with you and that sweet child4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #g1 #afcg4 ,,cv4--,to a ,gentlewoman1 upon the death of her husband4 7,,resignation ,,under ,,bereavement--,,his ,,own ,,enjoyment ,,of ,,christ',s ,,love47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i cannot but rejoice1 and withal be grieved1 at your case4 ,it hath pleased the ,lord to remove your husband 7my friend1 and this kirk's faithful professor#bja7 soon to his rest2 but shall we be sorry that our loss is his gain1 seeing his ,lord would want his company no longer8 ,think not much of short summons2 for1 seeing he walked with his ,lord in his life1 and desired that ,christ should be magnified in him at his death1 ye ought to be silent and satisfied4 ,when ,christ cometh for ,his own1 ,he runneth fast3 mercy1 mercy to the saints goeth not at leisure4 ,love1 love in our ,redeemer is not slow2 and withal ,he is homely with you1 who cometh at ,his own hand to your house1 and intromitteth1 as a friend1 with anything that is yours4 ,i think ,he would fain borrow and lend with you4 ,now he shall meet with the solacious company1 the fair flock1 and blessed bairn-teme of the first-born1 banqueting at the marriage supper of the ,lamb4 ,it is a mercy that the poor wandering sheep get a dyke-side in this stormy day1 and a leaking ship a safe harbour1 and a sea-sick passenger a sound and soft bed ashore4 ,wrath1 wrath1 wrath from the ,lord is coming upon this land that he hath left behind him4 ,know1 therefore1 that the wounds of your ,lord ,jesus are the wounds of a lover1 and that ,he will have compassion upon a sad-hearted servant2 and that ,christ hath said1 ,he will have the husband's room in your heart4 ,he loved you in your first husband's time1 and ,he is but wooing you still4 ,give ,him heart and chair1 house and all4 ,he will not be made companion with any other4 ,love is full of jealousies3 ,he will have all your love2 and who should get it but ,he8 ,i know that ye allow it upon ,him4 ,there are comforts both sweet and satisfying laid up for you3 wait on4 ,first ,christ2 ,he is an honest debtor4 #bja ,confessor4 ,now for mine own case4 ,i think some poor body would be glad of a dawted prisoner's leavings4 ,i have no scarcity of ,christ's love3 ,he hath wasted more comforts upon ,his poor banished servant than would have refreshed many souls4 ,my burden was once so heavy1 that one ounce weight would have casten the balance1 and broken my back2 but ,christ said1 ,hold1 hold6 to my sorrow1 and hath wiped a bluthered face1 which was foul with weeping4 ,i may joyfully go my ,lord's errands1 with wages in my hands4 ,deferred hopes need not make me dead-sweir 7as we used to say73 my cross is both my cross and my reward4 ,o that men would sound ,his high praise6 ,i love ,christ's worst reproaches1 ,his glooms1 ,his cross1 better than all the world's plastered glory4 ,my heart is not longing to be back again from ,christ's country2 it is a sweet soil ,i am come to4 ,i1 if any in the world1 have good cause to speak much good of ,him4 ,oh1 hell were a good-cheap price to buy ,him at6 ,oh1 if all the three kingdoms were witnesses to my pained1 pained soul1 overcome with ,christ's love6 ,i thank you most kindly1 my dear sister1 for your love to1 and tender care of1 my brother4 ,i shall think myself obliged to you if ye continue his friend4 ,he is more to me than a brother now1 being engaged to suffer for so honourable a ,master and cause4 ,pray for ,christ's prisoner2 and grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #g1 #afcg4 ,,cvi4--,to the ,right ,honourable and ,christian ,lady1 my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,weak ,,assurance--,,grace ,,different ,,from ,,learning--,,self-,,accusations47 ,,madam1--,upon the offered opportunity of this worthy bearer1 ,i could not omit to answer the heads of your letter4 #astly1 ,i think not much to set down on paper some good things anent ,christ 7that sealed and holy thing71#bjb and to feed my soul with raw wishes to be one with ,christ2 for a wish is but broken and half love4 ,but verily to obey this1 ,come and see1 is a harder matter6 ,oh1 ,i have smoke rather than fire1 and guessings rather than real assurances of ,him4 ,i have little or nothing to say1 that ,i am as one who hath found favour in ,his eyes2 but there is some pining and mismannered hunger1 that maketh me miscall and nickname ,christ as a changed ,lord4 ,but alas6 it is ill-flitten4 ,i cannot believe without a pledge4 ,i cannot take ,god's word without a caution1 as if ,christ had lost and sold ,his credit1 and were not in my books responsal1 and law-biding4 ,but this is my way2 for ,his way is1 ,after that ye believed1 ye were sealed with that ,holy ,spirit of promise 7,eph4 i4 #ac74 #bjb ,luke i4 #ce4 #bndly1 ,ye write1 that ,i am filled with knowledge1 and stand not in need of these warnings4 ,but certainly my light is dim when it cometh to handy-grips4 ,and how many have full coffers1 and yet empty bellies6 ,light1 and the saving use of light1 are far different4 ,oh1 what need then have ,i to have the ashes blown away from my dying-out fire6 ,i may be a book-man1 and 7yet7 be an idiot and stark fool in ,christ's way6 ,learning will not beguile ,christ4 ,the ,bible beguiled the ,pharisees1 and so may ,i be misled4 ,therefore1 as night-watchers hold one another waking by speaking to one another1 so have we need to hold one another on foot3 sleep stealeth away the light of watching1 even the light that reproveth sleeping4 ,i doubt not but more would fetch heaven1 if they believed not heaven to be at the next door4 ,the world's negative holiness--no adulterer1 no murderer1 no thief1 no cozener--maketh men believe they are already glorified saints4 ,but the sixth chapter to the ,hebrews may affright us all1 when we hear that men may take 7a taste7 of the gifts and common graces of the ,holy ,spirit1 and a taste of the powers of the life to come1 to hell with them4 ,here is reprobate silver1 which yet seemeth to have the ,king's image and superscription upon it6 #crdly1 ,i find you complaining of yourself4 ,and it becometh a sinner so to do4 ,i am not against you in that4 ,sense of death is a sib friend1 and of kin and blood to life2 the more sense1 the more life2 the more sense of sin1 the less sin4 ,i would love my pain1 and soreness1 and my wounds1 howbeit these should bereave me of my night's sleep1 better than my wounds without pain4 ,oh1 how sweet a thing it is to give ,christ ,his handful of broken arms and legs1 and disjointed bones6 #dthly1 ,be not afraid for little grace4 ,christ soweth ,his living seed1 and ,he will not lose ,his seed4 ,if ,he have the guiding of my flock and state1 it shall not miscarry4 ,our spilled works1 losses1 deadness1 coldness1 wretchedness1 are the ground upon which the ,good ,husbandman laboureth4 #ethly1 ,ye write1 that ,his compassions fail not1 notwithstanding that your service to ,christ miscarrieth4 ,to which ,i answer3 ,god forbid that there were buying and selling1 and blocking for as good again1 betwixt ,christ and us2 for then free grace might go to play1 and a ,saviour sing dumb1 and ,christ go to sleep4 ,but we go to heaven with light shoulders2 and all the bairn-teme1 and the vessels great and small that we have1 are fastened upon the sure ,nail 7,isa4 xxii4 #bc1 #bd74 ,the only danger is1 that we give grace more to do than ,god giveth it2 that is1 by turning ,his grace into wantonness4 #fthly1 ,ye write1 that few see your guiltiness1 and that ye cannot be free with many1 as with me4 ,i answer3 ,blessed be ,god1 that ,christ and we are not heard before men's courts4 ,it is at home1 betwixt ,him and us1 that pleas are taken away4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 ,,cvii4--,to the ,right ,honourable and ,christian ,lady1 my ,,lady ,,boyd4 7,,consciousness ,,of ,,defects ,,no ,,argument ,,of ,,christ ,,being ,,unknown--,,his ,,experience ,,in ,,exile47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you1 from ,god our ,father1 and from our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,i cannot but thank your ,ladyship for your letter1 that hath refreshed my soul4 ,i think myself many ways obliged to your ,ladyship for your love to my afflicted brother1 now embarked with me in that same cause4 ,his ,lord hath been pleased to put him on truth's side4 ,i hope that your ,ladyship will befriend him with your counsel and countenance in that country1 where he is a stranger4 ,and your ,ladyship needeth not fear but your kindness to ,his own will be put up into ,christ's accounts4 ,now1 ,madam1 for your ,ladyship's case4 ,i rejoice exceedingly that the ,father of lights hath made you see that there is a nick in ,christianity1 which ye contend to be at2 and that is1 to quit the right eye1 and the right hand1 and to keep the ,son of ,god4 ,i hope your desire is to make ,him your garland1 and that your eye looketh up the mount1 which certainly is nothing but the new creature4 ,fear not1 ,christ will not cast water upon your smoking coal2 and then who else dare do it if ,he say nay8 ,be sorry at corruption1 and be not secure4 ,that companion lay with you in your mother's womb1 and was as early friends with you as the breath of life4 ,and ,christ will not have it otherwise2 for ,he delighteth to take up fallen bairns1 and to mend broken brows4 ,binding up of wounds is ,his office 7,isa4 lxi4 #a74 ,first1 ,i am glad that ,christ will get employment of ,his calling in you4 ,many a whole soul is in heaven which was sickerer than ye are4 ,he is content that ye lay broken arms and legs on ,his knee1 that ,he may spelk them4 ,secondly1 hiding of ,his face is wise love4 ,his love is not fond1 doting1 and reasonless1 to give your head no other pillow whill ye be in at heaven's gates1 but to lie between ,his breasts1 and lean upon ,his bosom4 ,nay1 ,his bairns must often have the frosty cold side of the hill1 and set down both their bare feet among thorns4 ,his love hath eyes1 and1 in the meantime1 is looking on4 ,our pride must have winter weather to rot it4 ,but ,i know that ,christ and ye will not be heard2#bjc ye will whisper it over betwixt yourselves1 and agree again4 ,for the anchor-tow abideth fast within the vail2 the end of it is in ,christ's ten fingers3 who dare pull1 if ,he hold8 ,i1 the ,lord thy ,god1 will hold thy right hand1 saying1 ,fear not1 ,i will help thee4 ,fear not1 ,jacob 7,isa4 xli4 #ac1 #ad74 ,the sea-sick passenger shall come to land2 ,christ will be the first to meet you on the shore4 ,i hope that your ladyship will keep the ,king's highway4 ,go on 7in the strength of the ,lord71 in haste1 as if ye had not leisure to speak to the innkeepers by the way4 ,he is over beyond time1 on the other side of the water1 who thinketh long for you4 #bjc ,no one will ever hear the chiding4 ,see ,note1 ,letter ,,lxx4 ,for my unfaithful self1 ,madam1 ,i must say a word4 ,at my first coming hither1 the devil made many a black lie of my ,lord ,jesus1 and said the court was changed1 and ,he was angry1 and would give an evil servant his leave at mid-term4#bjd ,but ,he gave me grace not to take my leave4 ,i resolved to bide summons1 and sit1 howbeit it was suggested and said1 ,what should be done with a withered tree1 but over the dyke with it8 ,but now1 now 7,i dare not1 ,i dow not keep it up671 who is feasted as ,his poor exiled prisoner4 ,i think shame of the board-head and the first mess1 and the royal ,king's dining-hall1 and that my black hand should come upon such a ,ruler's table4 ,but ,i cannot mend it2 ,christ must have ,his will3 only ,he paineth my soul so sometimes with ,his love1 that ,i have been nigh to pass modesty1 and to cry out4 ,he hath left a smoking1 burning coal in my heart1 and gone to the door ,himself1 and left me and it together4 ,yet it is not desertion2 ,i know not what it is1 but ,i was never so sick for ,him as now4 ,i durst not challenge my ,lord1 if ,i got no more for heaven2 it is a dawting cross4 ,i know ,he hath other things to do than to play with me1 and to trindle an apple with me1 and that this feast will end4 ,o for instruments in ,god's name1 that this is ,he6 and that ,i may make use of it1 when1 it may be1 a near friend within me will say1 and when it will be said by a challenging devil1 ,where is thy ,god8 ,since ,i know that it will not last1 ,i desire but to keep broken meat4 ,but let no man after me slander ,christ for ,his cross4 #bjd ,discharge ,his servant before the term4 ,the great ,lord of the ,covenant1 who brought from the dead the great ,shepherd of ,his sheep1 by the blood of the eternal covenant establish you1 and keep you and yours to ,his appearance4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #g1 #afcg4 ,,cviii4--,to the ,,lady ,,kaskeberry4 ,this lady was wife to ,james ,schoneir of ,kaskeberrie1 or ,kaskeberrian1 in ,fife4 ,his name occurs as elder to the ,general ,assembly in #afdg1 and he was ruling elder in the ,presbytery of ,kirkcaldy4 7,lamont's ,diary1 #afej47 ,his lady died in #afee1 and was buried in ,kinglassie church4 7,,gratitude ,,for ,,kindness--,,christ',s ,,presence ,,felt47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i long to hear how your ,ladyship is4 ,i know not how to requite your ,ladyship's kindness2 but your love to the saints1 ,madam1 is laid up in heaven4 ,i know it is for your well-beloved ,christ's sake that ye make ,his friends so dear to you1 and concern yourself so much in them4 ,i am1 in this house of pilgrimage1 every way in good case3 ,christ is most kind and loving to my soul4 ,it pleaseth ,him to feast1 with ,his unseen consolations1 a stranger and an exiled prisoner2 and ,i would not exchange my ,lord ,jesus with all the comfort out of heaven4 ,his yoke is easy1 and ,his burden is light4 ,this is ,his truth which ,i now suffer for2 for ,he hath sealed it with ,his blessed presence4 ,i know that ,christ shall yet win the day1 and gain the battle in ,scotland4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #g1 #afcg4 ,,cix4--,to the ,,lady ,,earlston4 ,this was probably ,lady ,earlston1 senior1 as may be inferred from ,rutherford's reminding her that her afternoon sun will soon go down4 ,her maiden name was ,elizabeth ,gordon1 she being the daughter of ,john ,gordon of ,muirfad1 near ,creeton1 in the north extremity of ,kirkmabreck1 next parish to ,anwoth 7the same who was afterwards designed of ,penningham71 the second son of ,sir ,john ,gordon of ,lochinvar1 and brother to ,sir ,john ,gordon of ,lochinvar1 father of first ,lord ,kenmure4 7,nisbet's ,heraldry1 vol4 i47 ,muirfad is now a little croft1--a plain1 one-storeyed house1 with a clump of willows and oaks round it1 near ,palnure ,station4 7,,following ,,christ ,,not ,,easy--,,children ,,not ,,to ,,be ,,over-,,loved--,,joy ,,in ,,the ,,lord47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i long to hear how your soul prospereth4 ,i exhort you to go on in your journey2 your day is short1 and your afternoon sun will soon go down4 ,make an end of your accounts with your ,lord2 for death and judgment are tides that bide no man4 ,salvation is supposed to be at the door1 and ,christianity is thought an easy task2 but ,i find it hard1 and the way strait and narrow1 were it not that my ,guide is content to wait on me1 and to care for a tired traveller4 ,hurt not your conscience with any known sin4 ,let your children be as so many flowers borrowed from ,god3 if the flower die or wither1 thank ,god for a summer loan of them1 and keep good neighbourhood1 to borrow and lend#bje with ,him4 ,set your heart upon heaven1 and trouble not your spirit with this clay-idol of the world1 which is but vanity1 and hath but the lustre of the rainbow in the air1 which cometh and goeth with a flying ,march-shower4 ,clay is the idol of bastards1 not the inheritance of the children4 #bje ,to be on good terms with4 ,my ,lord hath been pleased to make many unknown faces laugh upon me1 and hath made me well content of a borrowed fireside1 and a borrowed bed4 ,i am feasted with the joys of the ,holy ,ghost1 and my royal ,king beareth my charges honourably4 ,i love the smell of ,christ's sweet breath better than the world's gold4 ,i would ,i had help to praise ,him4 ,the great ,messenger of the ,covenant1 the ,son of ,god1 establish you on your ,rock1 and keep you to the day of ,his coming4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #g1 #afcg4 ,illustration3 ,,irvine4 ,,cx4--,to his ,reverend and ,dear ,brother1 ,,mr4 ,,david ,,dickson4 ,,david ,,dickson 7sometimes shortened into ,,dick71 born in #aehc1 was the only son of ,mr4 ,john ,dickson1 a pious and wealthy merchant in ,glasgow4 ,after finishing his studies at the ,university of ,glasgow1 he was admitted ,professor of ,philosophy in that ,university1 which office he held for eight years4 ,in #afah he was ordained minister of ,irvine1 where he laboured with much acceptance and success4 ,in #afbb1 refusing to practise the ceremonies then imposed upon the ,church by the ,perth ,articles1 he was summoned by ,james ,law1 ,archbishop of ,glasgow1 to appear before the ,high ,commission ,court4 ,he appeared1 but declined the authority of the ,court in ecclesiastical matters4 ,the result was1 that he was deprived of his charge at ,irvine1 and banished to ,turriff1 in ,aberdeenshire4 ,there1 however1 he was employed every ,sabbath by the incumbent of the parish4 ,yielding to the solicitations of the ,earl of ,eglinton and the town of ,irvine1 the ,bishop granted him liberty to return to his old charge about the end of ,july #afbc4 ,he resumed his pastoral duties with increased ardour2 and in addition to his ,sabbath labours1 preached every ,monday 7the market-day of ,irvine71 for the benefit of the rural population4 ,great numbers1 particularly from the neighbouring parish of ,stewarton1 attending these meetings1 the result was the famous ,stewarton ,revival1 which lasted from #afbc to #afcj4 ,after the renewal of the ,national ,covenant1 in #afch1 ,dickson1 who was then distinguished as a leader1 in conjunction with ,alexander ,henderson and ,andrew ,cant1 was sent on a mission to ,aberdeen1 to explain the ,covenant to the inhabitants who were hostile to it1 when the celebrated controversy between the three commissioners and the doctors of ,aberdeen1 on the subject1 took place4 ,in #afdb he was appointed ,professor of ,divinity in the ,university of ,glasgow1 in which office he was associated with the celebrated ,robert ,baillie4 ,he was afterwards translated to the same office in the ,university of ,edinburgh4 ,in the differences between the ,resolutioners and ,protesters1 he took the side of the former2 but1 on seeing how matters went upon the restoration of ,charles ,,ii41 is reported to have said to one who visited him on his deathbed1 that the ,protesters were the truest prophets4 ,he died in ,december #affb4 ,dickson was a man of more than ordinary talents1 of extensive theological acquirements1 of a very intrepid spirit1 and a popular preacher4 ,he was the author of various works1 which have been highly esteemed4 7,,god',s ,,dealings--,,the ,,bitter ,,sweetened--,,notes ,,on ,,scripture47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dearest ,,brother1--,what joy have ,i out of heaven's gates1 but that my ,lord ,jesus be glorified in my bonds8 ,blessed be ye of the ,lord who contribute anything to my obliged and indebted praises4 ,dear brother1 help me1 a poor dyvour1 to pay the interest2 for ,i cannot come nigh to render the principal4 ,it is not jest nor sport which maketh me to speak and write as ,i do3 ,i never before came to that nick or pitch of communion with ,christ that ,i have now attained to4 ,for my confirmation1 ,i have been these two ,sabbaths or three in private1 taking instruments in the name of ,god1 that my ,lord ,jesus and ,i have kissed each other in ,aberdeen1 the house of my pilgrimage4 ,i seek not an apple to play me with 7,he knoweth1 whom ,i serve in the spirit671 but a seal4 ,i but beg earnest1 and am content to suspend and frist glory whill supper-time4 ,i know that this world will not last with me2 for my moonlight is noonday light1 and my four hours above my feasts when ,i was a preacher2 at which time1 also1 ,i was embraced very often in ,his arms4 ,but who can blame ,christ to take me on behind ,him 7if ,i may say so71 on ,his white horse1 or in ,his chariot1 paved with love1 through a water8 ,will not a father take his little dawted ,davie in his arms1 and carry him over a ditch or a mire8 ,my short legs could not step over this lair1 or sinking mire2 and1 therefore1 my ,lord ,jesus will bear me through4 ,if a change come1 and a dark day 7so being that ,he will keep my faith without flaw or crack71 ,i dare not blame ,him1 howbeit ,i get no more whill ,i come to heaven4 ,but ye know that the physic behoved to have sugar3 my faith was fallen aswoon1 and ,christ but held up a swooning man's head4 ,indeed1 ,i pray not for a dawted bairn's diet3 ,he knoweth that ,i would have ,christ1 sour or sweet1--any way1 so being it be ,christ indeed4 ,i stand not now upon pared apples1 or sugared dishes1 but ,i cannot blame ,him to give1 and ,i must gape and make a wide mouth4 ,since ,christ will not pantry up joys1 ,he must be welcome who will not bide away4 ,i seek no other fruit than that ,he may be glorified4 ,he knoweth that ,i would take hard fare to have ,his name set on high4 ,i bless you for your counsel4 ,i hope to live by faith1 and swim without a mass or bundle of joyful sense under my chin2 at least to venture1 albeit ,i should be ducked4 ,now for my case3 ,i think that the council should be essayed1 and the event referred to ,god2--duties are ours1 and events are ,god's4 ,i shall go through yours upon the ,covenant at leisure1 and write to you my mind thereanent2 and anent the ,arminian contract betwixt the ,father and the ,son4 ,i beseech you1 set to1 to go through ,scripture4#bjf ,yours on the ,hebrews is in great request with all who would be acquainted with ,christ's ,testament4 ,i purpose1 ,god willing1 to set about ,hosea1 and to try if ,i can get it to the press here4 #bjf ,rutherford seems here to allude to a plan of furnishing short commentaries on the whole ,bible1 which was suggested and set on foot by ,dickson at the beginning of the seventeenth century4 ,the ,hebrews1 as is mentioned in this letter1 together with ,the ,psalms and ,matthew1 were undertaken by ,dickson2 and ,hosea1 which ,rutherford here intimates his intention to undertake1 but never accomplished1 was contributed by ,hutchison in his stead4 ,in the ,preface to one of the earliest editions of the ,letters1 a complaint is made that some one was secreting a ,,ms4 commentary of ,rutherford's upon ,isaiah4 ,it refresheth me much that ye are so kind to my brother4 ,i hope your counsel will do him good4 ,i recommend him to you1 since ,i am so far from him4 ,i am glad that the dying servant of ,god1 famous and faithful ,mr4 ,cunningham1 sealed your ministry before he fell asleep4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #g1 #afcg4 ,,cxi4--,to ,,jean ,,brown4 7,,christ',s ,,untold ,,preciousness--,a ,,word ,,to ,,her ,,boy47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,and ,,dear ,,sister1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i received your letter1 which ,i esteem an evidence of your ,christian affection to me1 and of your love to my honourable ,lord and ,master4 ,my desire is1 that your communion with ,christ may grow1 and that your reckonings may be put by-hand with your ,lord ere you come to the water-side4 ,oh1 who knoweth how sweet ,christ's kisses are6 ,who hath been more kindly embraced and kissed than ,i1 ,his banished prisoner8 ,if the comparison could stand1 ,i would not exchange ,christ with heaven itself4 ,he hath left a dart and arrow of love in my soul1 and it paineth me till ,he come and take it out4 ,i find pain of those wounds1 because ,i would have possession4 ,i know now that this worm-eaten apple1 the plastered1 rotten world1 which the silly children of this world are beating1 and buffeting1 and pulling each other's ears for1 is a portion for bastards1 good enough2 and that it is all they have to look for4 ,i am not offended that my adversaries stay at home at their own fireside1 with more yearly rent than ,i4 ,should ,i be angry that the ,goodman of this house of the world casteth a dog a bone to hurt his teeth8 ,he hath taught me to be content with a borrowed fireside1 and an unco bed2 and ,i think ,i have lost nothing1 the income is so great4 ,oh1 what telling is in ,christ6 ,oh1 how weighty is my fair garland1 my crown1 my fair supping-hall in glory1 where ,i shall be above the blows and buffetings of prelates6 ,let this be your desire1 and let your thoughts dwell much upon that blessedness that abideth you in the other world4 ,the fair side of the world will be turned to you quickly1 when ye shall see the crown4 ,i hope that ye are near your lodging4 ,oh1 but ,i would think myself blessed1 for my part1 to win to the house before the shower come on2 for ,god hath a quiver full of arrows to shoot at and shower down upon ,scotland4 ,ye have the prayers of a prisoner of ,christ4 ,i desire ,patrick to give ,christ his young love1 even the flower of it2 and to put it by all others4 ,it were good to start soon to the way2 he should thereby have a great advantage in the evil day4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours only in his ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #g1 #afcg4 ,,cxii4--,to ,,mr4 ,,john ,,fergushill4 ,,mr4 ,,john ,,fergushill',s mother was ,janet ,kennedy1 sister or near relative to ,hugh ,kennedy of ,ayr4 ,he was at this time minister of ,ochiltree1 a parish in the centre of ,ayrshire1 in the district of ,kyle4 ,when ,mr4 ,robert ,blair was translated from ,ayr to ,st4 ,andrews by the ,general ,assembly1 #afci1 ,fergushill was1 by the same ,assembly1 appointed his successor4 ,he died in #afdd4 ,he is mentioned by ,livingstone1 as one of the many of the godly and able ministers in ,scotland4 ,he was a member of the famous ,glasgow ,assembly1 #afch4 ,lady ,gaitgirth's mansion was near ,ochiltree2 see ,letter ,,clxxxvii4 7,,the ,,rod ,,upon ,,god',s ,,children--,,pain ,,from ,a ,,sense ,,of ,,christ',s ,,love--,,his ,,presence ,a ,,support ,,under ,,trials--,,contentedness ,,with ,,him ,,alone47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,well-,,beloved ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,i was refreshed with your letter4 ,i am sorry for that lingering and longsome visitation that is upon your wife2 but ,i know that ye take it as the mark of a lawfully begotten child1 and not of a bastard1 to be under your ,father's rod4 ,till ye be in heaven1 it will be but foul weather2 one shower up and another down4 ,the lintel-stone and pillars of the ,new ,jerusalem suffer more knocks of ,god's hammer and tool than the common side-wall stones4 ,and if twenty crosses be written for you in ,god's book1 they will come to nineteen1 and then at last to one1 and after that to nothing1 but your head shall lie betwixt ,christ's breasts for evermore and ,his own soft hand shall dry your face1 and wipe away your tears4 ,as for public sufferings for ,his truth1 your ,master also will see to these4 ,let us put ,him into ,his own office1 to comfort and deliver4 ,the gloom of ,christ's cross is worse than itself4 ,i cannot keep up what ,he hath done to my soul4 ,my dear brother1 will ,i not get help of you to praise1 and to lift ,christ up on high8 ,he hath pained me with ,his love1 and hath left a love-arrow in my heart1 that hath made a wound1 and swelled me up with desires1 so that ,i am to be pitied for want of real possession4 ,love would have the company of the party loved2 and my greatest pain is the want of ,him1 not of ,his joys and comforts1 but of a near union and communion4 ,this is ,his truth1 ,i am fully persuaded1 which ,i now suffer for2 for ,christ hath taken upon ,him to be witness to it by ,his sweet comforts to my soul2 and shall ,i think ,him a false witness8 or that ,he would subscribe blank paper8 ,i thank ,his high and dreadful name for what ,he hath given4 ,i hope to keep ,his seal and ,his pawn till ,he come and loose it ,himself4 ,i defy hell to put me off it4 ,but ,he is ,christ1 and ,he hath met with ,his prisoner2 and ,i took instruments in ,his own hand1 that it was ,he1 and none other for ,him4 ,when the devil fenceth a bastard-court#bjg in my ,lord's ground1 and giveth me forged summons1 it will be my shame to misbelieve1 after such a fair broad seal4 ,and yet ,satan and my apprehension sometimes make a lie of ,christ1 as if ,he hated me4 ,but ,i dare believe no evil of ,christ4 ,if ,he would cool my love-fever for ,himself with real presence and possession1 ,i would be rich2 but ,i dare not be mislearned and seek more in that kind1 howbeit it be no shame to beg at ,christ's door4 ,i pity my adversaries4 ,i grudge not that my ,lord keepeth them at their own fireside1 and hath given me a borrowed fireside3 let the ,goodman of the house cast the dog a bone1 why should ,i take offence8 ,i rejoice that the broken bark shall come to land1 and that ,christ will1 on the shore1 welcome the sea-sick passenger4 ,we have need of a great stock against this day of trial that is coming4 ,there is neither chaff nor corn in ,scotland1 but it shall once#bjh pass through ,god's sieve4 ,praise1 praise1 and pray for me2 for ,i cannot forget you4 ,i know that ye will be friendly to my afflicted brother1 who is now embarked in the same cause with me4 ,let him have your counsel and comforts4 #bjg ,opens and constitutes an unauthorized court4 #bjh ,sooner or later4 ,remember my love in ,christ to your wife2 her health is coming1 and her salvation sleepeth not4 ,ye have the prayers and blessing of a prisoner of ,christ4 ,sow fast1 deal bread plentifully4 ,the pantry-door will be locked on the bairns1 in appearance1 ere long4 ,grace1 grace1 be with you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #g1 #afcg4 ,,cxiii4--,to his ,reverend and ,dear ,brother1 ,,mr4 ,,robert ,,douglas4 ,,robert ,,douglas1 one of the ablest and most respected ministers of the ,church of ,scotland in his day1 was the illegitimate son of ,mr4 ,douglas1 who was the son of ,sir ,g4 ,douglas1 ,governor of ,lochleven ,castle4 7,wodrow's ,analecta1 iv4 #bbf47 ,having finished his preparations for the ministry1 he was ordained to be chaplain for the forces that served under the celebrated ,gustavus of ,sweden4 ,it is said that1 in one of ,gustavus' engagements1 surveying the battle from an eminence1 and observing something wrong in the left wing of the army which threatened to prove disastrous1 he either personally or by a messenger acquainted the commanding officer with the circumstance1 and that this information led to victory4 ,when he left the army1 the ,swedish monarch parted with him reluctantly1 saying1 ,there is a man who1 for wisdom and prudence1 might be a counsellor to any king in ,europe4 ,he might be a moderator to any assembly in the world2 and he might be a general to conduct any army1 for his skill in military affairs4 7,ibid4 iv4 #bba47 ,during this period1 he committed to memory the greater part of the ,bible1 having almost no other book to read4 ,returning to his own country1 he was admitted colleague to ,mr4 ,james ,simson1 minister of ,kirkcaldy1 in #afcj4 ,thence he was translated to ,edinburgh in #afda4 ,for a time he was deceived by the duplicity of ,james ,sharp1 but at last he detected his real character2 and when the traitor 7shortly before he went up to ,london to be consecrated ,archbishop7 happened to meet with him1 and addressed him as ,brother1 ,mr4 ,douglas1 disgusted at his hypocrisy1 exclaimed1 ,brother6 no more brother4 ,james1 if my conscience had been of the make of yours1 ,i could have been ,bishop of ,st4 ,andrews sooner than you4 ,in #affi he was admitted indulged minister at ,pencaitland1 where he died at an advanced age in #afgd1 and was buried in ,edinburgh4 7,wodrow's ,history and ,analecta47 7,,greatness ,,of ,,christ',s ,,love ,,revealed ,,to ,,those ,,who ,,suffer ,,for ,,him47 ,,my ,,very ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i long to see you on paper4 ,i cannot but write you1 that this which ,i now suffer for is ,christ's truth2 because ,he hath been pleased to seal my sufferings with joy unspeakable and glorious4 ,i know that ,he will not put ,his seal upon blank paper2 ,christ hath not dumb seals1 neither will ,he be a witness to a lie4 ,i beseech you1 my dear brother1 to help me to praise1 and to lift ,christ up on ,his throne above the shields of the earth4 ,i am astonished and confounded at the greatness of ,his kindness to such a sinner4 ,i know that ,christ and ,i shall never be even2 ,i shall die in ,his debt4 ,he hath left an arrow in my heart that paineth me for want of real possession2 and hell cannot quench this coal of ,god's kindling4 ,i wish no man to slander ,christ or ,his cross for my cause2 for ,i have much cause to speak much good of ,him4 ,he hath brought me to a nick and degree of communion with ,himself that ,i knew not before4 ,the din and gloom of our ,lord's cross is more fearful and hard than the cross itself4 ,he taketh the bairns in ,his arms when they come to a deep water2 at least1 when they lose ground1 and are put to swim1 then ,his hand is under their chin4 ,let me be helped by your prayers2 and remember my love to your kind wife4 ,grace be with you4 ,your brother1 and ,christ's prisoner1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #g1 #afcg4 ,,cxiv4--,to the much ,honoured ,,william ,,rigg1 of ,athernie1 in ,fife1 near ,leven4 ,,william ,,rigg of ,athernie1 in the capacity of one of the bailies of ,edinburgh1 gave great evidence 7says ,livingstone7 that he had the spirit of a magistrate beyond many1 being a terror to all evil-doers4 ,he took an active part against all attempts to introduce ,prelacy1 and contributed liberally to the printing of such books as crossed the course of ,conformity4 ,in ,march #afbd1 a committee of the ,privy ,council1 by the authority of the ,king1 deprived ,rigg of his office1 fined him in fifty thousand pounds ,scots1 and ordered him to be warded in ,blackness ,castle till the sum was paid1 and afterwards to be confined in ,orkney4 ,this sentence1 however1 was afterwards mitigated4 ,he was distinguished above most for devoting a large portion of his income to religious purposes4 ,such was his liberality1 that one said1 ,to my certain knowledge1 he spends yearly more on pious uses than all my estate is worth2 and mine will be towards #h or #ijjj merks 7about #cej7 in the year4 ,he was a man of much prayer1 and generally commenced with deep and bitter complaints and confession of sin1 but ended with unspeakable assurance1 and joy and thanksgiving4 ,his death took place on the #bnd of ,january #afdd1 and is thus recorded by ,sir ,thomas ,hope1 in his ,diary 7p4 #bja73 ,this day1 my worthy cousin1 ,william ,rigg of ,athernie1 departed1 at his house of ,athernie1 having taken bed on ,sunday of before1 and died on the third day4 ,the ,lord prepare me2 for this1 next to my dearest son1 is a heavy stroke4 ,the old house of ,athernie stood a little inland from the present mansion2 only a gable of the old house remains4 ,it overlooked a pretty glen through which runs a burn that falls into the sea near the churchyard of ,scoonie4 7,,sustaining ,,power ,,of ,,christ',s ,,love--,,satan',s ,,opposition--,,yearnings ,,for ,,christ ,,himself--,,fears ,,for ,,the ,,church47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i received your long-looked-for and short letter4 ,i would that ye had spoken more to me1 who stand in need4 ,i find ,christ1 as ye write1 aye the longer the better2 and therefore cannot but rejoice in ,his salvation1 who hath made my chains my wings1 and hath made me a king over my crosses1 and over my adversaries4 ,glory1 glory1 glory to ,his high1 high and holy name6 ,not one ounce1 not one grain-weight more is laid on me than ,he hath enabled me to bear2 and ,i am not so much wearied to suffer as ,zion's haters are to persecute4 ,oh1 if ,i could find a way1 in any measure1 to strive to be even with ,christ's love6 ,but that ,i must give over4 ,oh1 who would help a dyvour to pay praises to the ,king of saints1 who triumpheth in ,his weak servants6 ,i see that if ,christ but ride upon a worm or feather1 ,his horse will neither stumble nor fall4 ,the worm ,jacob is made by ,him a new1 sharp threshing instrument1 having teeth1 to thresh the mountains1 and beat them small1 and to make the hills as chaff1 and to fan them so as the wind shall carry them away1 and the whirlwind shall scatter them 7,isa4 xli4 #ad-af74 ,christ's enemies are but breaking their own heads in pieces1 upon the ,rock laid in ,zion2 and the stone is not removed out of its place4 ,faith hath cause to take courage from our very afflictions2 the devil is but a whetstone to sharpen the faith and patience of the saints4 ,i know that he but heweth and polisheth stones1 all this time1 for the new ,jerusalem4 ,but in all this1 three things have much moved me1 since it hath pleased my ,lord to turn my moon-light into day-light4 ,first1 ,he hath yoked me to work1 to wrestle with ,christ's love2 of longing wherewith ,i am sick1 pained1 fainting1 and like to die because ,i cannot get ,himself2 which ,i think a strange sort of desertion4 ,for ,i have not ,himself1 whom if ,i had1 my love-sickness would cool1 and my fever go away2 at least1 ,i should know the heat of the fire of complacency1 which would cool the scorching heat of the fire of desire4 7,and yet ,i have no penury of ,his love67 ,and so ,i dwine1 ,i die1 and ,he seemeth not to rue on me4 ,i take instruments in ,his hand1 that ,i would have ,him1 but ,i cannot get ,him2 and my best cheer is black hunger4 ,i bless ,him for that feast4 ,secondly1 ,old challenges now and then revive1 and cast all down4 ,i go halting and sighing1 fearing there be an unseen process yet coming out1 and that heavier than ,i can answer4 ,i cannot read distinctly my surety's act of cautionary for me in particular1 and my discharge2 and sense1 rather than faith1 assureth me of what ,i have2 so unable am ,i to go but by a hold4#bji ,i could1 with reverence of my ,lord1 forgive ,christ1 if ,he would give me as much faith as ,i have hunger for ,him4 ,i hope the pardon is now obtained1 but the peace is not so sure to me as ,i would wish4 ,yet1 one thing ,i know1 there is not a way to heaven but the way which ,he hath graced me to profess and suffer for4 #bji ,ps4 lxxiii4 #bc4 ,thirdly1 ,wo1 wo is me for the virgin-daughter of ,scotland1 and for the fearful desolation and wrath appointed for this land6 ,and yet all are sleeping1 eating and drinking1 laughing and sporting1 as if all were well4 ,oh1 our dim gold6 our dumb1 blind pastors6 ,the sun is gone down upon them1 and our nobles bid ,christ fend for ,himself1 if ,he be ,christ4 ,it were good that we should learn in time the way to our stronghold4 ,sir1 howbeit not acquainted1 remember my love to your wife4 ,i pray ,god to establish you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #i1 #afcg4 ,,cxv4--,to ,,mr4 ,,alexander ,,henderson4 ,,alexander ,,henderson1 the well-known hero of the ,second ,reformation1 was born in the year #aehc1 and received his education at the ,university of ,st4 ,andrews4 ,after having taught for several years a class of philosophy and rhetoric in that ,university1 he obtained a presentation to the parish of ,leuchars1 in #afab4 ,being at that time unimpressed with spiritual truth1 he was a defender of the principles and measures of the prelatic party in the ,church4 ,his settlement was on these accounts so unpopular1 that on the day of his ordination the church-doors were secured by the people1 and the members of ,presbytery1 together with the presentee1 were obliged to break in by the window4 ,but his soul was soon after visited by the ,holy ,spirit1 and underwent an entire change4 ,he became leader in effecting that revolution in the ecclesiastical affairs of ,scotland which commenced about the year #afcg4 ,he was ,moderator of the famous ,assembly which met at ,glasgow in #afch1 and by that ,assembly was translated to ,edinburgh4 ,in the civil war1 ,henderson was appointed by the ,covenanters to act as one of their commissioners in treating with his ,majesty ,charles ,i4 ,in #afdb he was delegated by the ,commission of the ,general ,assembly to sit as one of their commissioners in the ,westminster ,assembly of ,divines1 which kept him in ,london for several years4 ,he died on the #abth of ,august #afdf1 in the #fcrd year of his age1 shortly after his return from ,england4 ,baillie1 in his speech to the ,general ,assembly in the following year1 pronounced him1 the fairest ornament after ,mr4 ,john ,knox1 of incomparable memory1 that ever the ,church of ,scotland did enjoy4 7,,sadness ,,because ,,christ',s ,,headship ,,not ,,set ,,forth--,,his ,,cause ,,attended ,,with ,,crosses--,,the ,,believer ,,seen ,,of ,,all47 ,,my ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i received your letters4 ,they are as apples of gold to me2 for with my sweet feasts 7and they are above the deserving of such a sinner1 high and out of measure71 ,i have sadness to ballast me1 and weight me a little4 ,it is but ,his boundless wisdom which hath taken the tutoring of ,his witless child2 and ,he knoweth that to be drunken with comforts is not safest for our stomachs4 ,however it be1 the din and noise and glooms of ,christ's cross are weightier than itself4 ,i protest to you 7my witness is in heaven71 that ,i could wish many pound weights added to my cross1 to know that by my sufferings ,christ were set forward in ,his kingly office in this land4 ,oh1 what is my skin to ,his glory2 or my losses1 or my sad heart1 to the apple of the eye of our ,lord and ,his beloved ,spouse1 ,his precious truth1 ,his royal privileges1 the glory of manifested justice in giving of ,his foes a dash1 the testimony of ,his faithful servants who do glorify ,him1 when ,he rideth upon poor1 weak worms1 and triumpheth in them6 ,i desire you to pray1 that ,i may come out of this furnace with honesty1 and that ,i may leave ,christ's truth no worse than ,i found it2 and that this most honourable cause may neither be stained nor weakened4 ,as for your cause1 my reverend and dearest brother1 ye are the talk of the north and south2 and looked to1 so as if ye were all crystal glass4 ,your motes and dust would soon be proclaimed and trumpets blown at your slips4 ,but ,i know that ye have laid help upon ,one that is mighty4 ,intrust not your comforts to men's airy and frothy applause1 neither lay your down-castings on the tongues of salt mockers and reproachers of godliness4 ,as deceivers1 and yet true2 as unknown1 and yet well known 7#b ,cor4 vi4 #h1 #i74 ,god hath called you to ,christ's side1 and the wind is now in ,christ's face in this land2 and seeing ye are with ,him1 ye cannot expect the lee-side1 or the sunny side of the brae4 ,but ,i know that ye have resolved to take ,christ upon any terms whatsoever4 ,i hope that ye do not rue1 though your cause be hated1 and prejudices are taken up against it4 ,the shields of the world think our ,master cumbersome wares1 and that ,he maketh too great din1 and that ,his cords and yokes make blains1 and deep scores in their neck4 ,therefore they kick4 ,they say1 ,this man shall not reign over us4 ,let us pray one for another4 ,he who hath made you a chosen arrow in ,his quiver1 hide you in the hollow of ,his hand6 ,i am yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #i1 #afcg4 ,illustration3 ,,loudon ,,castle4 ,,cxvi4--,to the ,right ,honourable my ,,lord ,,loudon4 ,,john ,,campbell1 first ,earl of ,loudon1 and the son of ,sir ,james ,campbell of ,lawers1 was a man of distinguished talents1 and of a very decided character4 ,in the history of his country he makes no small figure as a strenuous opponent of the attempts made by ,charles ,i4 to impose ,prelacy and arbitrary power on ,scotland4 ,he was a member of the ,general ,assembly which met at ,glasgow in #afch1 in the business of which he took an active part4 ,when the ,king1 dissatisfied with the proceedings of this ,assembly1 put himself at the head of an army to reduce his ,scottish subjects to submission1 ,loudon had a leading hand in the measures then adopted for preserving the religion and liberties of ,scotland1 as secured by the ecclesiastical and civil laws of the kingdom4 ,in the skirmish at ,newburn1 where the ,king's forces were defeated by the ,scottish army1 he commanded a brigade of horse4 ,in #afda1 when peace was restored between the ,king and his ,scottish subjects1 ,loudon was made ,lord ,chancellor of ,scotland1 a situation which he held till after the execution of ,charles ,i41 and the calling home of ,charles ,,ii4 by the ,scots in #afej4 ,malignants being again brought into places of power and trust1 he demitted his office4 ,he continued1 however1 strongly to adhere to the cause of ,charles1 in consequence of which he was excepted from ,cromwell's act of indemnity1 and his estates forfeited4 ,but all that he had suffered for the royal cause did not recommend him to the favour of the unprincipled government of ,charles ,,ii4 ,his name is in the list of ,middleton's fines 7imposed upon the gentlemen of ,ayrshire in #affb7 for #ab1jjj4 ,he felt convinced that1 should his life be spared1 he would fall an early victim to the vengeance of his enemies1 and often exhorted his pious lady to beseech the ,lord that he might not live to the next session of ,parliament1 else he would share the same fate with the ,marquis of ,argyle4 ,his wish was granted2 for he died at ,edinburgh1 ,march #ae1 #affb4 ,rutherford's ,divine ,right of ,church ,government and ,excommunication1 printed at ,london in #afdf1 is dedicated to this nobleman1 who was then ,chancellor of the ,university of ,st ,andrews4 ,his son ,james1 second ,earl of ,loudon1 was subjected to no small persecution under the dominancy of ,prelacy2 and1 seeking refuge in ,holland1 took up his residence at ,leyden1 where he died on the #bith of ,october #afhd4 7,,blessedness ,,of ,,acting ,,for ,,christ--,,his ,,love ,,to ,,his ,,prisoner47 ,,my ,,very ,,noble ,,and ,,honourable ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i make bold to write to your ,lordship1 that you may know the honourable cause which ye are graced to profess is ,christ's own truth4 ,ye are many ways blessed of ,god1 who have taken upon you to come out to the streets with ,christ on your forehead1 when so many are ashamed of ,him1 and hide ,him 7as it were7 under their cloak1 as if ,he were a stolen ,christ4 ,if this faithless generation1 and especially the nobles of this kingdom1 thought not ,christ dear wares1 and religion expensive1 hazardous1 and dangerous1 they would not slip from ,his cause as they do1 and stand looking on with their hands folded behind their back when louns are running with the spoil of ,zion on their back1 and the boards of the ,son of ,god's tabernacle4 ,law and justice are to be had by any1 especially for money and moyen2 but ,christ can get no law1 good-cheap or dear4 ,it were the glory and honour of you1 who are the nobles of this land1 to plead for your wronged ,bridegroom and ,his oppressed spouse1 as far as zeal and standing law will go with you4 ,your ordinary logic from the event1 that it will do no good to the cause1 and1 therefore1 silence is best till the ,lord put to ,his own hand1 is not 7with reverence to your ,lordship's learning7 worth a straw4 ,events are ,god's4 ,let us do1#baj and not plead against ,god's office4 ,let ,him sit at ,his own helm1 who moderateth all events4 ,it is not a good course to complain that we cannot get a providence of gold1 when our laziness1 cold zeal1 temporizing1 and faithless fearfulness spilleth good providence4 #baj ,act4 ,your ,lordship will pardon me3 ,i am not of that mind1 that tumults or arms is the way to put ,christ on ,his throne2 or that ,christ will be served and truth vindicated1 only with the arm of flesh and blood4 ,nay1 ,christ doth ,his turn with less din1 than with garments rolled in blood4 ,but ,i would that the zeal of ,god were in the nobles to do their part for ,christ2 and ,i must be pardoned to write to your ,lordship thus4 ,i dow not1 ,i dare not1 but speak to others what ,god hath done to the soul of ,his poor1 afflicted exile-prisoner4 ,his comfort is more than ,i ever knew before4 ,he hath sealed the honourable cause which ,i now suffer for1 and ,i shall not believe that ,christ will put ,his amen and ring#baa upon an imagination4 ,he hath made all ,his promises good to me1 and hath filled up all the blanks with ,his own hand4 ,i would not exchange my bonds with the plastered joy of this whole world4 ,it hath pleased ,him to make a sinner the like of me an ordinary banqueter in ,his house-of-wine1 with that royal1 princely ,one1 ,christ ,jesus4 ,oh1 what weighing1 oh1 what telling is in ,his love6 ,how sweet must ,he be1 when that black and burdensome tree1 ,his own cross1 is so perfumed with joy and gladness6 ,o for help to lift ,him up by praises on ,his royal throne6 ,i seek no more than that ,his name may be spread abroad in me1 that meikle good may be spoken of ,christ on my behalf2 and this being done1 my losses1 place1 stipend1 credit1 ease1 and liberty1 shall all be made up to my full contentment and joy of heart4 #baa ,as if sealing it by ,his ring as in marriage1 or as ,esth4 iii4 #aj4 ,i shall be confident that your ,lordship will go on in the strength of the ,lord1 and keep ,christ1 and avouch ,him1 that ,he may read your name publicly before men and angels4 ,i shall entreat your ,lordship to exhort and encourage that nobleman1 your chief1#bab to do the same4 ,but ,i am wo#bac that many of you find a new wisdom1 which deserveth not such a name4 ,it were better that men would see that their wisdom be holy1 and their holiness wise4 #bab ,the ,earl of ,argyle4 #bac ,sorrowful4 ,i must be bold to desire your ,lordship to add to your former favours to me 7for the which your ,lordship hath a prisoner's blessing and prayers7 this1 that ye would be pleased to befriend my brother1 now suffering for the same cause2 for as he is to dwell nigh your ,lordship's bounds1 your ,lordship's word and countenance may help him4 ,thus recommending your ,lordship to the saving grace and tender mercy of ,christ ,jesus our ,lord1 ,i rest1 your ,lordship's obliged servant in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #i1 #afcg4 ,,cxvii4--,to ,,mr4 ,,william ,,dalgleish1 ,minister of the ,gospel4 ,,mr4 ,,william ,,dalgleish was minister of the conjunct parishes of ,anwoth1 ,kirkdale1 and ,kirkmabreck4 ,he preached at ,anwoth only every alternate week2 but so abundantly blessed were his labours to the people1 that when he surrendered 7quoad sacra7 the charge of ,anwoth to ,rutherford1 upon its being formed into a distinct parochial charge1 not only many of the humbler class of the parishioners1 but the proprietors too1 had embraced the doctrines of the ,gospel4 ,dalgleish strictly adhered to ,presbyterian principles1 and on that account was subjected to trouble4 ,in #afce he was deprived of his charge as minister of the united parishes of ,kirkdale and ,kirkmabreck4 ,in #afcg1 when ,episcopacy began to be the losing cause1 he returned to his flock4 ,his name appears on the roll of the members of the famous ,assembly which met at ,glasgow in #afch2 and in #afci he was translated to ,cramond1 as successor to ,mr4 ,william ,colville1 afterwards ,principal of the ,university of ,edinburgh2 to whom he appears to have been related1 as the name of his wife was ,elizabeth ,colville4 ,he was the intimate friend of the well-known ,alexander ,henderson1 who by his latter will ordained his executor to deliver to my dear acquaintance ,mr4 ,john ,duncan1 at ,culross1 and ,mr4 ,william ,dalgleish1 minister at ,cramond1 all my manuscripts and papers which are in my study1 and that belong to me any where else2 and after they have received them1 to destroy or preserve and keep them1 as they shall judge convenient for their own private or the public good4 ,in #affb ,dalgleish was ejected for nonconformity1 and died before the ,revolution4 ,kirkmabreck was a pendicle of the ,abbey of ,dundrennan1 which is seven miles from ,kirkcudbright4 ,the farms and cottages that bear this name are about two miles from the shore1 a little way up on the high ground1 but the church and churchyard lie in a hollow1 between the ,larg and the ,cairnharrow hills4 ,part of the old ivy-covered walls1 and the gable of the church1 still remain4 ,one modern tomb in the churchyard is marked by a granite pillar1 #bj feet high4 ,it is the grave of ,dr4 ,thomas ,brown4 ,the inscription on the west side reads thus3--,thomas1 ,m4,d41 ,professor of ,moral ,philosophy in the ,university of ,edinburgh1 who died #bnd ,august #ahbj1 aged #dc years4 ,janet1 who died #eth ,august #ahbd1 aged #ea4 ,the ,statistical ,account speaks of ,old ,mortality having renovated some of the grave-stones1 but all traces of his work have disappeared4 ,in that old church ,samuel ,rutherford preached his sermons on ,zech4 xiii4 #g1 #i1 at a ,communion in #afcj4 ,in #afcd he preached on ,luke xiv4 #af1 at the preparation before the ,communion2 and on another occasion1 on ,isaiah xlix4 #a-d4 ,the parish extends along the shore1 to the village of ,creetown in one direction1 and in the other1 to the old castle and farm of ,carsluth4 ,the old tower and ruined walls of this castle1 built of granite from the neighbouring quarries1 stand embosomed in trees1 on a spot commanding a fine view of the bay4 ,barholm ,castle also is in this parish1 and was the spot where ,john ,knox was secreted previous to his escape to the ,continent4 ,his signature was long shown on the wall of one of the rooms4 ,the old towers1 overgrown with ivy1 peep out from the thick woods on the right of the road from ,kirkdale to ,creetown4 ,the modern mansion stands on a wooded eminence1 on the other side of ,creetown4 ,not more than a mile from this old castle1 is the ruined church of ,kirkdale1 on the edge of a wood1 and considerably above the house4 ,it resembles the churches of ,kirkmabreck and ,anwoth in shape1 having been long and narrow4 ,the inscriptions on the old tombstones are so worn as to be illegible4 ,the churchyard has been enclosed1 and at the gate the eye is sure to rest on a small tablet in the side wall1 with these words3-- ,but go thou thy way till the end be3 for thou shalt rest1 and stand in thy lot at the end of the days 7,dan4 xii4 #ac47 7,,christ',s ,,kindness--,,dependence ,,on ,,providence--,,controversies47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i am well4 ,my ,lord ,jesus is kinder to me than ever ,he was4 ,it pleaseth ,him to dine and sup with ,his afflicted prisoner4 ,a ,king feasteth me1 and ,his spikenard casteth a sweet smell4 ,put ,christ's love to the trial1 and put upon it our burdens1 and then it will appear love indeed4 ,we employ not ,his love1 and therefore we know it not4 ,i verily count the sufferings of my ,lord more than this world's lustred and over-gilded glory4 ,i dare not say but my ,lord ,jesus hath fully recompensed my sadness with ,his joys1 my losses with ,his own presence4 ,i find it a sweet and rich thing to exchange my sorrows with ,christ's joys1 my afflictions with that sweet peace ,i have with ,himself4 ,brother1 this is ,his own truth ,i now suffer for4 ,he hath sealed my sufferings with ,his own comforts1 and ,i know that ,he will not put ,his seal upon blank paper4 ,his seals are not dumb nor delusive1 to confirm imaginations and lies4 ,go on1 my dear brother1 in the strength of the ,lord1 not fearing man who is a worm1 nor the son of man that shall die4 ,providence hath a thousand keys1 to open a thousand sundry doors for the deliverance of ,his own1 when it is even come to a conclamatum est4#bad ,let us be faithful1 and care for our own part1 which is to do and suffer for ,him1 and lay ,christ's part on ,himself1 and leave it there4 ,duties are ours1 events are the ,lord's4 ,when our faith goeth to meddle with events1 and to hold a court 7if ,i may so speak7 upon ,god's providence1 and beginneth to say1 ,how wilt ,thou do this and that8 we lose ground4 ,we have nothing to do there4 ,it is our part to let the ,almighty exercise ,his own office1 and steer ,his own helm4 ,there is nothing left to us1 but to see how we may be approved of ,him1 and how we may roll the weight of our weak souls in well-doing upon ,him who is ,god ,omnipotent3 and when that we thus essay miscarrieth1 it will be neither our sin nor cross4 #bad ,all is over4 ,brother1 remember the ,lord's word to ,peter2 ,simon1 lovest thou me8--,feed my sheep4 ,no greater testimony of our love to ,christ can be1 than to feed carefully and faithfully ,his lambs4 ,i am in no better neighbourhood with the ministers here than before3 they cannot endure that any speak of me1 or to me4 ,thus ,i am1 in the mean time1 silent1 which is my greatest grief4 ,dr4 ,barron#bae hath often disputed with me1 especially about ,arminian controversies1 and for the ceremonies4 ,three yokings laid him by2 and ,i have not been troubled with him since4 ,now he hath appointed a dispute before witnesses2 ,i trust that ,christ and truth will do for themselves4 #bae ,barron was of the family of ,kinnaird in ,fifeshire4 ,he became minister of the parish of ,keith2 in #afbd was appointed to a charge in ,aberdeen4 ,in #afbe he was nominated ,professor of ,divinity in ,marischal ,college there4 ,he was a determined opponent of such men as ,rutherford and ,dickson1 and at length resigned his chair and retired to ,berwick1 where he died in #afci4 ,i hope1 brother1 that ye will help my people2 and write to me what ye hear the ,bishop is to do with them4 ,grace be with you4 ,your brother in bonds1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 ,,cxviii4--,to ,,mr4 ,,hugh ,,mackail1 ,minister of the ,gospel at ,irvine4 7,,christ',s ,,bountiful ,,dealings--,,joy ,,in ,,christ ,,through ,,the ,,cross47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i bless you for your letter4 ,he is come down as rain upon the mown grass2 ,he hath revived my withered root2 and ,he is the dew of herbs4 ,i am most secure in this prison3 salvation is for walls in it2 and what think ye of these walls8 ,he maketh the dry plant to bud as the lily1 and to blossom as ,lebanon3--the great ,husbandman's blessing cometh down upon the plants of righteousness4 ,who may say this1 my dear brother1 if ,i1 ,his poor exiled stranger and prisoner1 may not say it8 ,howbeit all the world should be silent1 ,i cannot hold my peace4 ,oh1 how many black accounts have ,christ and ,i rounded over together in the house of my pilgrimage6 and how fat a portion ,he hath given to a hungry soul6 ,i had rather have ,christ's four-hours1 than have dinner and supper both in one from any other4 ,his dealing1 and the way of ,his judgments1 are past finding out4 ,no preaching1 no book1 no learning1 could give me that which it behoved me to come and get in this town4 ,but what of all this1 if ,i were not misted1 and confounded1 and astonished how to be thankful1 and how to get ,him praised for evermore6 ,and1 what is more1 ,he hath been pleased to pain me with ,his love1 and my pain groweth through want of real possession4 ,some have written to me1 that ,i am possibly too joyful of the cross2 but my joy overleapeth the cross1 it is bounded and terminated upon ,christ4 ,i know that the sun will overcloud and eclipse1 and that ,i shall again be put to walk in the shadow3 but ,christ must be welcome to come and go1 as ,he thinketh meet4 ,yet ,he would be more welcome to me1 ,i trow1 to come than to go4 ,and ,i hope ,he pitieth and pardoneth me1 in casting apples to me at such a fainting time as this4 ,holy and blessed is ,his name6 ,it was not my flattering of ,christ that drew a kiss from ,his mouth4 ,but ,he would send me as a spy into this wilderness of suffering1 to see the land and try the ford2 and ,i cannot make a lie of ,christ's cross4 ,i can report nothing but good both of ,him and it1 lest others should faint4 ,i hope1 when a change cometh1 to cast anchor at midnight upon the ,rock which ,he hath taught me to know in this daylight2 whither ,i may run1 when ,i must say my lesson without book1 and believe in the dark4 ,i am sure it is sin to tarrow at ,christ's good meat1 and not to eat when ,he saith1 ,eat1 ,o well-beloved1 and drink abundantly4 ,if ,he bear me on ,his back1 or carry me in ,his arms over this water1 ,i hope for grace to set down my feet on dry ground1 when the way is better4 ,but this is slippery ground3 my ,lord thought good ,i should go by a hold1 and lean on my ,well-beloved's shoulder4 ,it is good to be ever taking from ,him4 ,i desire that ,he may get the fruit of praises1 for dawting and thus dandling me on ,his knee3 and ,i may give my bond of thankfulness1 so being ,i have ,christ's back-bond again for my relief1 that ,i shall be strengthened by ,his powerful grace to pay my vows to ,him4 ,but1 truly1 ,i find that we have the advantage of the brae upon our enemies3 we are more than conquerors through ,him who loved us2 and they know not wherein our strength lieth4 ,pray for me4 ,grace be with you4 ,your brother in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 ,,cxix4--,to ,,mr4 ,,david ,,dickson4 7,,joyful ,,experience--,,cup ,,overflowing ,,in ,,exile47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be unto you4--,i find that great men1 especially old friends1 scaur to speak for me4 ,but my kingly and royal ,master biddeth me to try ,his moyen to the uttermost1 and ,i shall find a friend at hand4 ,i still depend upon ,him2 ,his court is still as before2 the prisoner is welcome to ,him4 ,the black1 crabbed tree of my ,lord's cross hath made ,christ and my soul very entire4 ,he is my song in the night4 ,i am often laid in the dust with challenges1 and apprehensions of ,his anger2 and then1 if a mountain of iron were laid upon me1 ,i cannot be heavier2 and with much wrestling ,i win into the ,king's house of wine4 ,and yet1 for the most part1 my life is joy2 and such joy through ,his comforts1 as ,i have been afraid lest ,i should shame myself and cry out1 for ,i can scarce bear what ,i get4 ,christ giveth me a measure heaped up1 pressed down1 and running over2 and1 believe it1 ,his love paineth more than prison and banishment4 ,i cannot get the way of ,christ's love4 ,had ,i known what ,he was keeping for me1 ,i should never have been so faint-hearted4 ,in my heaviest times1 when all is lost1 the memory of ,his love maketh me think ,christ's glooms are but for the fashion4#baf ,i seek no more than a vent to my wine2#bag ,i am smothered and ready to burst for want of vent4 ,think not much of persecution4 ,it is before you2 but it is not as men conceive of it4 ,my sugared cross forceth me to say this to you1 ye shall have waled meat4 ,the sick bairn is ofttime the spilled bairn2 he shall command all the house4 ,i hope that ye help a tired prisoner to praise and pray4 ,had ,i but the annual of annual#bah to give to my ,lord ,jesus1 it would ease my pain4 ,but1 alas6 ,i have nothing to pay1 ,he will get nothing of poor me2 but ,i am wo that ,i have not room enough in my heart for such a stranger4 ,i am not cast down to go farther north4 ,i have good cause to work for my ,master1 for ,i am well paid beforehand2 ,i am not behind1 howbeit ,i should not get one smile more till my feet be up within the ,king's dining-hall4 #baf ,frowns for form's sake4 #bag ,alluding to ,job xxxii4 #ai4 #bah ,the smallest return1 the quit-rent of a quit-rent4 ,i have gone through yours upon the ,covenant2#bai it hath edified my soul1 and refreshed a hungry man4 ,i judge it sharp1 sweet1 quick1 and profound4 ,take me at my word1 ,i fear that it get no lodging in ,scotland4 #bai ,therapeutica ,sacra2 seu de curandis casibus conscienti circa regenerationem per ,fderum ,divinorum applicationem1 is the title of the book4 ,the brethren of ,ireland write not to me2 chide with them for that4 ,i am sure that ,i may give you and them a commission 7and ,i will abide by it71 that you tell my ,beloved that ,i am sick of love4 ,i hope in ,god to leave some of my rust and superfluities in ,aberdeen4 ,i cannot get a house in this town wherein to leave drink-silver in my ,master's name1 save one only4 ,there is no sale for ,christ in the north2 ,he is like to lie long on my hand1 ere any accept ,him4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 ,,cxx4--,to ,,mr4 ,,matthew ,,mowat4 ,,matthew ,,mowat1 son to the ,laird of ,busbie 7,letter ,,cxxxiii471 was minister of ,kilmarnock4 ,he was one of the seven leading ministers in the west whom the ,parliament1 after the restoration of ,charles ,,ii41 brought before them with the view of extorting their acquiescence in the establishment of ,prelacy2 which1 if effected1 it was apprehended would have an influence in leading others to comply4 ,they were all put in prison1 and refusing 7though several times brought before the ,parliament71 to take the oath of allegiance without explanation1 inasmuch as it involved the oath of supremacy1 they were more severely treated4 ,livingstone describes ,mowat as one of a meek1 sweet disposition1 straight and zealous for the truth4 ,rutherford1 who highly valued him1 says in one of his letters1 ,i cannot speak to a man so sick of love to ,christ as ,mr4 ,matthew ,mowat2 and in another1 ,i am greatly in love with ,mr4 ,matthew ,mowat1 for ,i see him really stampt with the image of ,god4 ,the time of his death is unknown4 ,some additional notices of him are to be found in ,wodrow's ,analecta1 vol4 iii4 7,,plenitude ,,of ,,christ',s ,,love--,,need ,,to ,,use ,,grace ,,aright--,,christ ,,the ,,ransomer--,,desire ,,to ,,proclaim ,,his ,,gospel--,,shortcomings ,,and ,,sufferings47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i am a very far mistaken man4 ,if others knew how poor my stock was1 they would not think upon the like of me1 but with compassion4 ,for ,i am as one kept under a strict tutor2 ,i would have more than my tutor alloweth me4 ,but it is good that a bairn's wit is not the rule which regulateth my ,lord ,jesus4 ,let ,him give what ,he will1 it shall aye be above merit1 and my ability to gain therewith4 ,i would not wish a better stock1 whill heaven be my stock1 than to live upon credit at ,christ's hands1 daily borrowing4 ,surely1 running-over love 7that vast1 huge1 boundless love of ,christ that there is telling#bbj in for man and angels67 is the only thing ,i most fain would be in hands with4 ,he knoweth that ,i have little but the love of that love2 and that ,i shall be happy1 suppose ,i never get another heaven but only an eternal1 lasting feast of that love4 ,but suppose my wishes were poor1 ,he is not poor3 ,christ1 all the seasons of the year1 is dropping sweetness4 ,if ,i had vessels1 ,i might fill them2 but my old1 riven1 and running-out dish1 even when ,i am at the ,well1 can bring little away4 ,nothing but glory will make tight and fast our leaking and rifty vessels4 ,alas6 ,i have skailed more of ,christ's grace1 love1 faith1 humility1 and godly sorrow1 than ,i have brought with me4 ,how little of the sea can a child carry in his hand6 ,as little dow ,i take away of my great ,sea1 my boundless and running-over ,christ ,jesus4 #bbj ,which will try the skill of men and angels to estimate4 ,i have not lighted upon the right gate of putting ,christ to the bank1 and making myself rich with ,him4 ,my misguiding and childish trafficking with that matchless ,pearl1 that heaven's ,jewel1 the ,jewel of the ,father's delights1 hath put me to a great loss4 ,o that ,he would take a loan of me1 and my stock1 and put ,his name in all my bonds1 and serve ,himself heir to the poor1 mean portion which ,i have1 and be accountable for the talent ,himself6 ,gladly would ,i put ,christ into my room to guide all2 and let me be but a servant to run errands1 and act by ,his direction4 ,let me be ,his interdicted heir4 ,lord ,jesus1 work upon my minority1 and let ,him win a pupil's blessing6 ,oh1 how would ,i rejoice to have this work of my salvation legally fastened upon ,christ6 ,a back-bond of my ,lord ,jesus that it should be forthcoming to the orphan1 would be my happiness4 ,dependency on ,christ were my surest way2 if ,christ were my foundation1 ,i were sure enough4 ,i thought the guiding of grace had been no art2#bba ,i thought it would come of will2 but ,i would spill my own heaven yet1 if ,i had not burdened ,christ with all4 ,i but lend my bare name to the sweet covenant2 ,christ1 behind and before1 and on either side1 maketh all sure4 ,god will not take an ,arminian cautioner4 ,freewill is a weather-cock1 turning at a serpent's tongue1 a tutor that cowped our ,father ,adam1 unto us2 and brought down the house1 and sold the land1 and sent the father1 and mother1 and all the bairns through the earth to beg their bread4 ,nature in the ,gospel hath but a cracked credit4 ,oh1 well to my poor soul for evermore1 that my ,lord called grace to the council1 and put ,christ ,jesus1 with free merits and the blood of ,god1 foremost in the chase to draw sinners after a ,ransomer6 ,oh1 what a sweet block was it by way of buying and selling1 to give and tell down a ransom for grace and glory to dyvours6 ,oh1 would to my ,lord that ,i could cause paper and ink to speak the worth and excellency1 the high and loud praises of a ,brother-ransomer6 ,the ,ransomer needeth not my report1 but1 oh1 if ,he would take it1 and make use of it6 ,i should be happy if ,i had an errand to this world1 but for some few years1 to spread proclamations1 and outcries1 and love-letters of the highness1 the highness for evermore1 the glory1 the glory for evermore1 of the ,ransomer1 whose clothes were wet and dyed in blood6 albeit1 after ,i had done that1 my soul and body should go back to their mother ,nothing that their ,creator brought them once out from1 as from their beginning4 ,but why should ,i pine away1 and pain myself with wishes8 and not believe1 rather1 that ,christ will hire such an outcast as ,i am1 a masterless body1 put out of the house by the sons of my mother1 and give me employment and a calling1 one way or other1 to set out ,christ and ,his wares to country buyers1 and propose ,christ unto1 and press ,him upon some poor souls1 that fainer than their life would receive ,him8 #bba ,required no skill1 but would come as ,i chose4 ,you complain heavily of your shortcoming in practice1 and venturing on suffering for ,christ4 ,you have many marrows4 ,for the first1 ,i would put you off a sense of wretchedness4 ,hold on6 ,christ never yet slew a sighing1 groaning child3 more of that would make you won goods1 and a meet prey for ,christ4 ,alas6 ,i have too little of it1 for venturing on suffering4 ,i had not so much free gear when ,i came to ,christ's camp as to buy a sword4 ,i wonder#bbb that ,christ should not laugh at such a soldier4 ,i am no better yet2 but faith liveth and spendeth upon our ,captain's charges1 who is able to pay for all4 ,we need not pity ,him1 ,he is rich enough4 #bbb ,in most editions1 it is a wonder1 as if in way of exclamation4 ,ye desire me also ,not to mistake ,christ under a mask4 ,i bless you1 and thank ,god for it4 ,but alas6 masked or bare-faced1 kissing or glooming1 ,i mistake ,him3 yea1 ,i mistake ,him the farthest when the mask is off2 for then ,i play me with ,his sweetness4 ,i am like a child that hath a gilded book1 that playeth with the ribbons and the gilding1 and the picture on the first page1 but readeth not the contents of it4 ,certainly1 if my desires to my ,well-beloved were fulfilled1 ,i could provoke devils1 and crosses1 and the world1 and temptations to the field2 but oh6 my poor weakness maketh me lie behind the bush and hide me4 ,remember my service and my blessing to my ,lord4 ,i am mindful of him as ,i am able4 ,desire him from a prisoner1 to come and visit my good ,master1 and feel but the smell of ,his love4 ,it setteth him well1 howbeit he be young1 to make ,christ his garland4 ,i could not wish him in a better case1 than in a fever of love-sickness for ,christ4 ,remember my bonds4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cxxi4--,to ,,william ,,halliday4 ,the name ,halliday occurs on the tombstones of the old churchyard of ,anwoth4 ,no doubt this correspondent was one of his flock at ,anwoth4 ,one of the name lies buried in the old churchyard1 with the following inscription on her tombstone3-- ,margat 7i4e4 ,margaret7 ,halliday1 spouse of ,john ,bell in ,archland1 who departed this life anno #afca1 ,jan4 #bg1 tat4 su #gf4 ,o death1 ,i will be thy death6 ,now is ,christ risen from the dead1 and is the first froot 7i4e4 fruits7 of them that 444 7broken off47 ,archland is the same place as ,henton1 in the parish of ,anwoth1 a notice of which is given at ,letter ,,ccxix41 addressed to this ,john ,bell4 7,,diligence ,,in ,,securing ,,salvation47 ,,loving ,,friend1--,i received your letter4--,i wish that ye take pains for salvation4 ,mistaken grace1 and somewhat like conversion which is not conversion1 is the saddest and most doleful thing in the world4 ,make sure of salvation1 and lay the foundation sure1 for many are beguiled4 ,put a low price upon the world's clay2 but a high price upon ,christ4 ,temptations will come1 but if they be not made welcome by you1 ye have the best of it4 ,be jealous over yourself and your own heart1 and keep touches with ,god4 ,let ,him not have a faint and feeble soldier of you4 ,fear not to back ,christ1 for ,he will conquer and overcome4 ,let no man scaur at ,christ1 for ,i have no quarrels at ,his cross2 ,he and ,his cross are two good guests1 and worth the lodging4 ,men would fain have ,christ good-cheap2 but the market will not come down4 ,acquaint yourself with prayer4 ,make ,christ your ,captain and your armour4 ,make conscience of sinning#bbc when no eye seeth you4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in ,christ ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 #bbc ,be conscientious as to sinning when out of sight of men4 ,,cxxii4--,to a ,gentlewoman1 after the death of her ,husband4 7,,vanity ,,of ,,earthly ,,possessions--,,christ ,a ,,sufficient ,,portion--,,design ,,of ,,affliction47 ,,dear ,,and ,,loving ,,sister1--,i know that ye are minding your sweet country1 and not taking your inn1 the place of your banishment1 for your home4 ,this life is not worthy to be the thatch1 or outer wall1 of the paradise of your ,lord ,jesus1 that ,he did sweat for to you1 and that ,he keepeth for you4 ,short1 and silly1 and sand-blind were our hope1 if it could not look over the water to our best heritage1 and if it stayed only at home about the doors of our clay house4 ,i marvel not1 my dear sister1 that ye complain that ye come short of your old wrestlings which ye had for a blessing2 and that now you find it not so4 ,bairns are but hired to learn their lesson when they first go to school4 ,and it is enough that those who run a race see the gold only1 at the starting-place2 and possibly they see little more of it1 or nothing at all till they win to the rinks-end1 and get the gold in the loof of their hand4 ,our ,lord maketh delicates and dainties of ,his sweet presents and love-visits to ,his own3 but ,christ's love1 under a veil1 is love4 ,if ye get ,christ1 howbeit not the sweet and pleasant way ye would have ,him1 it is enough2 for the ,well-beloved cometh not our way2 ,he must wale ,his own gate ,himself4 ,for worldly things1 seeing there are meadows and fair flowers in your way to heaven1 a smell in the bygoing is sufficient4 ,he that would reckon and tell all the stones in his way1 in a journey of three or four hundred miles1 and write up in his count-book all the herbs and the flowers growing in his way1 might come short of his journey4 ,you cannot stay1 in your inch of time1 to lose your day 7seeing that you are in haste1 and the night and your afternoon will not bide you71 in setting your heart on this vain world4 ,it were your wisdom to read your account-book1 and to have in readiness your business1 against the time you come to death's water-side4 ,i know that your lodging is taken2 your forerunner1 ,christ1 hath not forgotten that2 and therefore you must set yourself to your one thing1 which you cannot well want4 ,in that our ,lord took your husband to ,himself1 ,i know it was that ,he might make room for ,himself4 ,he cutteth off your love to the creature1 that ye might learn that ,god only is the right owner of your love4 ,sorrow1 loss1 sadness1 death1 are the worst of things that are1 except sin4 ,but ,christ knoweth well what to make of them1 and can put ,his own in the cross's common1 so that we shall be obliged to affliction1 and thank ,god who taught us to make our acquaintance with such a rough companion1 who can hale us to ,christ4 ,you must learn to make your evils your great good2 and to spin comforts1 peace1 joy1 communion with ,christ1 out of your troubles1 which are ,christ's wooers1 sent to speak for you#bbd to ,himself4 ,it is easy to get good words1 and a comfortable message from our ,lord1 even from such rough serjeants as divers temptations4 ,thanks to ,god for crosses6 ,when we count and reckon our losses in seeking ,god1 we find that godliness is great gain4 ,great partners of a shipful of gold are glad to see the ship come to the harbour2--surely we1 and our ,lord ,jesus together1 have a shipful of gold coming home1 and our gold is in that ship4 ,some are so in love1 or1 rather1 in lust1 with this life1 that they sell their part of the ship for a little thing4 ,i would counsel you to buy hope1 but sell it not1 and give not away your crosses for nothing4 ,the inside of ,christ's cross is white and joyful1 and the far-end of the black cross is a fair and glorious heaven of ease4 ,and seeing ,christ hath fastened heaven to the far-end of the cross1 and ,he will not loose the knot ,himself1 and none else can 7for when ,christ casteth a knot1 all the world cannot loose it71 let us then count it exceeding joy when we fall into divers temptations4 #bbd ,see #a ,kings ii4 #ah4 ,thus recommending you to the tender mercy and grace of our ,lord1 ,i rest1 your loving brother1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 ,,cxxiii4--,to ,,john ,,gordon of ,cardoness1 ,younger4 ,,john ,,gordon of ,cardoness1 younger1 like his father1 previously noticed 7,letter ,,lxxxii471 was naturally a man of strong passions4 ,judging from this letter1 he appears not only to have been neglectful of religion1 but to have freely indulged in the follies and vices of youth4 ,rutherford warns him of his sin and danger with much freedom and affectionate earnestness2 and these warnings1 it is to be hoped1 were not in vain4 ,he was in the ,covenanters' army1 in ,england1 in #afdd1 as appears from a letter of his preserved among the ,wodrow ,,mss4 ,it is dated ,sunderland1 #bhth ,march #afdd1 and is addressed to ,mr4 ,thomas ,wylie4 ,it is written in a religious strain4 ,after referring to the success of the army1 and to the account of this drawn up by ,mr4 ,robert ,douglas1 it contains in the close the following passage3--,i entreat you be kind to my wife1 and deal with her neither to take my absence1 nor the form of coming from her1 in evil part2 for1 in ,god's presence1 public duties and nothing else removed me1 or marred the form of my removal4 ,be earnest with her that she seek a nearer acquaintance with ,christ3 and fail not to pray for her and her family1 and me4 7,wodrow ,,mss41 vol4 xxix47 7,,reasons ,,for ,,being ,,earnest ,,about ,,the ,,soul1 ,,and ,,for ,,resignation47 ,,honoured ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i wrote of late to you3 multitudes of letters burden me now4 ,i am refreshed with your letter4 ,i exhort you in the bowels of ,christ1 set to work for your soul4 ,and let these bear weight with you1 and ponder them seriously3 #ast1 ,weeping and gnashing of teeth in utter darkness1 or heaven's joy4 #bndly1 ,think what ye would give for an hour1 when ye shall lie like dead1 cold1 blackened clay4 #crdly1 ,there is sand in your glass yet1 and your sun is not gone down4 #dthly1 ,consider what joy and peace are in ,christ's service4 #ethly1 ,think what advantage it will be to have angels1 the world1 life and death1 crosses1 yea1 and devils1 all for you1 as the ,king's serjeants and servants1 to do your business4 #fthly1 ,to have mercy on your seed1 and a blessing on your house4 #gthly1 ,to have true honour1 and a name on earth that casteth a sweet smell4 #hthly1 ,how ye will rejoice when ,christ layeth down your head under ,his chin1 and betwixt ,his breasts1 and drieth your face1 and welcometh you to glory and happiness4 #ithly1 ,imagine what pain and torture is a guilty conscience2 what slavery to carry the devil's dishonest loads4 #ajthly1 ,sin's joys are but night-dreams1 thoughts1 vapours1 imaginations1 and shadows4 #aathly1 ,what dignity it is to be a son of ,god4 #abthly1 ,dominion and mastery over temptations1 over the world and sin4 #acthly1 ,that your enemies should be the tail1 and you the head4 ,for your bairns1 now at rest 7,i speak to you and your wife1 and cause her read this74 #ast1 ,i am a witness for ,barbara's glory in heaven4 #bndly1 ,for the rest1 ,i write it under my hand1 there are days coming on ,scotland when barren wombs1 and dry breasts1 and childless parents shall be pronounced blessed4 ,they are1 then1 in the lee of the harbour ere the storm come on4 #crdly1 ,they are not lost to you that are laid up in ,christ's treasury in heaven4 #dthly1 ,at the ,resurrection1 ye shall meet with them2 thither they are sent before1 but not sent away4#bbe #ethly1 ,your ,lord loveth you1 who is homely to take and give1 borrow and lend4 #fthly1 ,let not bairns be your idols2 for ,god will be jealous1 and take away the idol1 because ,he is greedy of your love wholly4 #bbe ,he alludes to the almost classical saying1 ,prmissi1 non amissi4 ,see ,letter ,,iv4 ,i bless you1 your wife1 and children4 ,grace for evermore be with you4 ,your loving pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 ,,cxxiv4--,to ,,john ,,gordon of ,cardoness1 ,elder4 7,,call ,,to ,,earnestness ,,about ,,salvation--,,intrusion ,,of ,,ministers47 ,,honourable1 ,,and ,,dearest ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,your letter hath refreshed my soul4 ,my joy is fulfilled if ,christ and ye be fast together4 ,ye are my joy and my crown4 ,ye know that ,i have recommended ,his love to you4 ,i defy the world1 ,satan1 and sin4 ,his love hath neither brim nor bottom in it4 ,my dearest in ,christ1 ,i write my soul's desire to you4 ,heaven is not at the next door4 ,i find ,christianity to be a hard task2 set to in your evening4 ,we would all keep both ,christ and our right eye1 our right hand and foot2 but it will not do with us4 ,i beseech you1 by the mercies of ,god1 and your compearance before ,christ1 look ,christ's account-book and your own together1 and collate them4 ,give the remnant of your time to your soul4 ,this great idol-god1 the world1 will be lying in white ashes on the day of your compearance2 and why should night-dreams1 and day-shadows1 and water-froth1 and ,may-flowers run away with your heart8 ,when we win to the water-side1 and black death's river-brink1 and put our foot into the boat1 we shall laugh at our folly4 ,sir1 ,i recommend unto you the thoughts of death1 and how ye would wish your soul to be when ye shall lie cold1 blue1 ill-smelling clay4 ,for any hireling to be intruded1 ,i1 being the ,king's prisoner1 cannot say much2 but1 as ,god's minister1 ,i desire you to read ,acts i4 #ae1 #af1 to the end1 and ,acts vi4 #b-e1 and ye shall find that ,god's people should have a voice in choosing church-rulers and teachers4 ,i shall be sorry if1 willingly1 ye shall give way to his unlawful intrusion upon my labours4 ,the only wise ,god direct you4 ,god's grace be with you4 ,your loving pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 ,,cxxv4--,to the ,,lady ,,forret4 ,,lady ,,forret was1 we suppose1 a saint in ,csar's household2 for ,lord ,forret 7originally ,mr4 ,david ,balfour7 was one of ,lauderdale's friends1 appointed to watch the outed ministers in ,fife4 ,see ,blair's ,life1 by ,row4 7,,sickness ,a ,,kindness--,,christ',s ,,glooms ,,better ,,than ,,the ,,world',s ,,joys47 ,,worthy ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i long to hear from you4 ,i hear ,christ hath been that kind as to visit you with sickness1 and to bring you to the door of the grave3 but ye found the door shut 7blessed be ,his glorious name67 whill ye be riper for eternity4 ,he will have more service of you2 and1 therefore1 ,he seeketh of you that henceforth ye be honest to your new husband1 the ,son of ,god4 ,we have idol-love1 and are whorishly inclined to love other things beside our ,lord2 and1 therefore1 our ,lord hunteth for our love more ways than one or two4 ,o that ,christ had ,his own of us6 ,i know ,he will not want you1 and that is a sweet wilfulness in ,his love3 and ye have as good cause1 on the other part1 to be headstrong and peremptory in your love to ,christ1 and not to part1 nor divide your love betwixt ,him and the world4 ,if it were more1 it is little enough1 yea1 too little for ,christ4 ,i am now1 every way1 in good terms with ,christ4 ,he hath set a banished prisoner as a seal on ,his heart1 and as a bracelet on ,his arm4 ,that crabbed and black tree of the cross laugheth upon me now2 the alarming noise of the cross is worse than itself4 ,i love ,christ's glooms better than the world's worm-eaten joys4 ,oh1 if all the kingdom were as ,i am1 except these bonds6 ,my loss is gain2 my sadness joyful2 my bonds1 liberty2 my tears comfortable4 ,this world is not worth a drink of cold water4 ,oh1 but ,christ's love casteth a great heat6 ,hell1 and all the salt sea1 and the rivers of the earth1 cannot quench it4 ,i remember you to ,god2 ye have the prayers of a prisoner of ,christ4 ,grace1 grace1 be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #i1 #afcg4 ,,cxxvi4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,adherence ,,to ,,duty ,,amidst ,,opposition--,,power ,,of ,,christ',s ,,love47 ,,loving ,,and ,,dear ,,sister1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,your letter hath refreshed my soul4 ,you shall not have my advice to make haste to go out of that town2 for if you remove out of ,kirkcudbright1 they will easily undo all4 ,you are at ,god's work1 and in ,his way there4 ,be strong in the ,lord2 the devil is weaker than you are1 because stronger is ,he that is in you than he that is in the world4 ,your care of and love showed towards me1 now a prisoner of ,christ1 is laid up for you in heaven1 and you shall know that it is come up in remembrance before ,god4 ,pray1 pray for my desolate flock2 and give them your counsel1 when ye meet with any of them4 ,it shall be my grief to hear that a wolf enter in upon my labours2 but if the ,lord permit it1 ,i am silent4 ,my sky shall clear1 for ,christ layeth my head in ,his bosom1 and admitteth me to lean there4 ,i never knew before what ,his love was in such a measure4 ,if ,he leave me1 ,he leaveth me in pain1 and sick of love2 and yet my sickness is my life and health4 ,i have a fire within me2 ,i defy all the devils in hell1 and all the prelates in ,scotland1 to cast water on it4 ,i rejoice at your courage and faith4 ,pray still1 as if ,i were on my journey to come and be your pastor4 ,what iron gates or bars are able to stand it out against ,christ8 for when ,he bloweth1 they open to ,him4 ,i remember your husband4 ,grace1 grace1 be with you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #aa1 #afcg4 ,,cxxvii4--,to ,,john ,,carsen4 ,john ,carsen was the son of ,andrew ,carsen1 merchant and burgess of ,kirkcudbright4 ,he was retoured heir of his father #acth ,may #afce4--;,inquir4 ,gener4 ,no4 #baba4 ,there are still several of the name in ,kirkcudbright1 and it is found often in the churchyard4 ,there is ,bailie ,john ,carsen in the ,minute-book of ,comm4 of ,covenanters1 along with ,bailie ,ewart2 and is called ,carsen of ,senwick4 7,,nothing ,,worth ,,the ,,finding1 ,,but ,,christ47 ,,my ,,well-,,beloved ,,and ,,dear ,,friend1--,every one seeketh not ,god1 and far fewer find ,him2 because they seek amiss4 ,he is to be sought for above all things1 if men would find what they seek4 ,let feathers and shadows alone to children1 and go seek your ,well-beloved4 ,your only errand to the world1 is to woo ,christ2 therefore1 put other lovers from about the house1 and let ,christ have all your love1 without minching or dividing it4 ,it is little enough1 if there were more of it4 ,the serving of the world and sin hath but a base reward and smoke instead of pleasures1 and but a night-dream for true ease to the soul4 ,go where you will1 your soul shall not sleep sound but in ,christ's bosom4 ,come in to ,him1 and lie down1 and rest you on the slain ,son of ,god1 and inquire for ,him4 ,i sought ,him2 and now1 a fig for all the worm-eaten pleasures1 and moth-eaten glory out of heaven1 since ,i have found ,him1 and in ,him all ,i can want or wish6 ,he hath made me a king over the world4 ,princes cannot overcome me4 ,christ hath given me the marriage kiss1 and ,he hath my marriage-love3 we have made up a full bargain1 that shall not go back on either side4 ,oh1 if ye1 and all in that country1 knew what sweet terms of mercy are betwixt ,him and me6 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #aa1 #afcg4 ,,cxxviii4--,to the ,,earl ,,of ,,cassillis4 ,,john ,,kennedy1 sixth ,,earl ,,of ,,cassillis1 was the son of ,gilbert ,kennedy1 master of ,cassillis1 which is six miles from ,ayr4 ,he was served heir to his uncle1 ,john1 fifth ,earl of ,cassillis1 in #afaf4 ,his ,lordship was a person of considerable talents1 of great virtue1 and a zealous ,covenanter4 ,having studied under ,dr4 ,cameron1 ,principal of the ,college of ,glasgow1 a great defender of absolute government1 he could not yield to some clauses in the first draught of the ,covenant1 which seemed to vindicate the use of defensive arms against the ,king2 but he agreed to the ,covenant as it now stands4 ,he sat in the ,glasgow ,assembly1 #afch1 as elder from the ,presbytery of ,ayr2 and was one of the three ruling elders sent to the ,assembly of ,divines at ,westminster in #afdc4 ,he was one of the commissioners who1 in ,march #afej1 went from ,scotland to ,breda1 to treat with ,charles ,,ii4 ,he attended at the crowning of ,charles at ,scone1 ,january #a1 #afea4 ,so strongly attached was he to the royal family1 that when on one occasion ,cromwell summoned him to a meeting1 instead of attending it1 he1 along with some ministers and his chaplain1 kept a day of fasting and prayer in his family4 ,on the other hand1 such was his hostility to the measures of the court1 in establishing ,prelacy and in ejecting the ,presbyterian ministers from their charges1 that he seldom paid stipend to any of the curates intruded into their places till compelled by a charge of horning4 ,wodrow designates him the great and worthy ,earl of ,cassillis4 ,i have this account1 says he1 of the ,earl of ,cassillis1 that he was singularly pious1 and a man of a very high spirit1 who carried with a great state and majesty4 ,his carriage in his family was most exemplary and religious4 ,he was very much in secret duty1 and had his hours wherein none had access to him4 ,upon the ,sabbath his carriage was singular4 ,he usually wrote the sermon1 and at night caused his chaplain to examine all his servants and his children1 even after they were pretty big1 upon the sermon2 and every one behoved to give their notes2 and after all1 many times he took out his own papers and read to them4 ,when at ,edinburgh1 ,lauderdale sent a servant to him upon a ,sabbath night1 telling him he was coming to wait on him4 ,presently he called ,mr4 ,violant1 his chaplain1 and ordered him to go out and meet ,lauderdale1 and tell him that if he designed a ,sabbath day's visit he was very welcome1 but he would discourse upon no other thing with him but what was suitable to the day4 ,lauderdale came up1 and discoursed with him1--as he could very well do1--only upon points of divinity 7,wodrow's ,analecta74 ,his ,lordship died at his own house in the ,west in #affh4 ,the mansion is near ,dalrymple4 ,it is on the banks of the ,doon1 and embosomed in wood1 with the hill called ,the ,dounans facing the house4 ,it is a confused pile of building4 ,a long avenue of fine old trees leads up to it4 7,,honour ,,of ,,testifying ,,for ,,christ47 ,,my ,,very ,,noble ,,and ,,honourable ,,lord1--,i make bold 7out of the honourable and ,christian report ,i hear of your ,lordship1 having no other thing to say but that which concerneth the honourable cause which the ,lord hath enabled your ,lordship to profess7 to write this1 that it is your ,lordship's crown1 your glory1 and your honour1 to set your shoulder under the ,lord's glory1 now falling to the ground1 and to back ,christ now1 when so many think it wisdom to let ,him fend for ,himself4 ,the shields of the earth ever did1 and do still believe that ,christ is a cumbersome neighbour1 and that it is a pain to hold up ,his yeas and nays4 ,they fear that ,he take their chariots1 and their crowns1 and their honour from them2 but my ,lord standeth in need of none of them all4 ,but it is your glory to own ,christ and ,his buried truth2 for1 let men say what they please1 the plea with ,zion's enemies in this day of ,jacob's trouble is1 if ,christ should be ,king1 and no mouth speak laws but ,his8 ,it concerneth the apple of ,christ's eye1 and ,his royal privileges1 what is now debated2 and ,christ's kingly honour is come to yea and nay4 ,but let me be pardoned1 my dear and noble ,lord1 when ,i beseech you by the mercies of ,god1 by the comfort of the ,spirit1 by the wounds of our dear ,saviour1 by your compearance before the ,judge of quick and dead1 to stand for ,christ1 and to back ,him4 ,oh1 if the nobles had done their part1 and been zealous for the ,lord6 it had not been as it is now4 ,but men think it wisdom to stand beside ,christ till ,his head be broken1 and sing dumb4 ,there is a time coming when ,christ will have a thick court1 and ,he will be the glory of ,scotland2 and ,he will make a diadem1 a garland1 a seal upon ,his heart1 and a ring upon ,his finger1 of those who have avouched ,him before this faithless generation4 ,howbeit1 ere that come1 wrath from the ,lord is ordained for this land4 ,my ,lord1 ,i have cause to write this to your ,lordship2 for ,i dare not conceal ,his kindness to the soul of an afflicted1 exiled prisoner4 ,who hath more cause to boast in the ,lord than such a sinner as ,i1 who am feasted with the consolations of ,christ1 and have no pain in my sufferings1 but the pain of soul-sickness of love for ,christ1 and sorrow that ,i cannot help to sound aloud the praises of ,him who hath heard the sighing of the prisoner1 and is content to lay the head of ,his oppressed servant in ,his bosom1 under ,his chin1 and let ,him feel the smell of ,his garments8 ,it behoved me to write this1 that your ,lordship might know that ,christ is as good as ,he is called2 and to testify to your ,lordship1 that the cause1 which your ,lordship now professeth before the faithless world1 is ,christ's1 and that your ,lordship shall have no shame of it4 ,grace be with you4 ,your ,lordship's obliged servant1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ac1 #afcg4 ,,cxxix4--,to ,,mr4 ,,robert ,,gordon1 ,bailie of ,ayr4 ,,robert ,,gordon was a merchant in ,ayr4 ,in ,paterson's ,history of the ,county of ,ayr1 he and his partner merchants are mentioned as having1 in #afdd1 supplied the ,scots army in ,ireland1 at a certain price1 with a large quantity of meal and beans4 ,he was cousin to ,john1 ,viscount of ,kenmure1 whose ,last and ,heavenly ,speeches and ,glorious ,departure were published by ,rutherford1 and to which there is a reference in the beginning of this letter4 ,it was to him that ,kenmure said1 ,robert1 ,i know you have light and understanding2 and though you have no need to be instructed by me1 yet have you need to be incited 7p4 #id74 ,gordon was frequently a member of the ,town ,council of ,ayr2 in #afca as ,dean of ,guild1 and in #afcb as ,bailie4 ,in #afch and #afdg he held the office of ,provost4 ,he was a man of piety1 and a zealous supporter of the ,presbyterian cause4 ,in an old parchment copy of the ,national ,covenant #afch 7in the possession of ,hugh ,cowan1 ,esquire1 ,ayr71 ,gordon's signature appears1 as well as the signatures of the other members of the ,town ,council1 some of whom were ,rutherford's correspondents1 as ,john ,kennedy1 ,john ,osborne1 and ,john ,stewart4 ,the above copy of the ,national ,covenant is signed by ,rothes1 ,montrose1 and other men of rank1 being one of the copies sent at that time by the ,covenanters from ,edinburgh to the various burghs throughout the country to be subscribed4 7,,christ ,,above ,,all47 ,,worthy ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i long to hear from you on paper4 ,remember your chief's speeches#bbf on his death-bed4 ,i pray you1 sir1 sell all1 and buy the ,pearl4 ,time will cut you from this world's glory2 look what will do you good1 when your glass shall be run out4 ,and let ,christ's love bear most court in your soul1 and that court will bear down the love of other things4 ,christ seeketh your help in your place2 give ,him your hand4 ,who hath more cause to encourage others to own ,christ than ,i have8 for ,he hath made me sick of love1 and left me in pain to wrestle with ,his love4 ,and love is like to fall aswoon through ,his absence4 ,i mean not that ,he deserteth me1 or that ,i am ebb of comforts2 but this is an unco pain4--,o that ,i had a heart and a love to render to ,him back again6 ,oh1 if principalities and powers1 thrones and dominions1 and all the world would help me to praise6 ,praise ,him in my behalf4 #bbf ,the words of ,lord ,kenmure4 ,remember my love to your wife4 ,i thank you most kindly for your love to my brother4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ac1 #afcg4 ,,cxxx4--,to ,,john ,,kennedy1 ,bailie of ,ayr4 7,,christ',s ,,love--,,the ,,three ,,wonders--,,desires ,,for ,,his ,,second ,,coming47 ,,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,your not writing to me cannot bind me up from remembering you now and then1 that at least ye may be a witness1 and a third man1 to behold on paper what is betwixt ,christ and me4 ,i was in his eyes like a young orphan1 wanting known parents1 casten out in the open fields2 either ,christ behoved to take me up1 and to bring me home to ,his house and fireside1 else ,i had died in the fields4 ,and now ,i am homely with ,christ's love1 so that ,i think the house mine own1 and the ,master of the house mine also4 ,christ inquired not1 when ,he began to love me1 whether ,i was fair1 or black1 or sun-burnt2 love taketh what it may have4 ,he loved me before this time1 ,i know2 but now ,i have the flower of ,his love2 ,his love is come to a fair bloom1 like a young rose opened up out of the green leaves2 and it casteth a strong and fragrant smell4 ,i want nothing but ways of expressing ,christ's love4 ,a full vessel would have a vent4 ,oh1 if ,i could smoke out1 and cast out coals1 to make a fire in many breasts of this land6 ,oh6 it is a pity that there were not many imprisoned for ,christ1 were it for no other purpose than to write books and love-songs of the love of ,christ4 ,this love would keep all created tongues of men and angels in exercise1 and busy night and day1 to speak of it4 ,alas6 ,i can speak nothing of it1 but wonder at three things in ,his love3--,first1 freedom4 ,o that lumps of sin should get such love for nothing6 ,secondly1 the sweetness of ,his love4 ,i give over either to speak or write of it2 but those that feel it1 may better bear witness what it is4 ,but it is so sweet1 that1 next to ,christ ,himself1 nothing can match it4 ,nay1 ,i think that a soul could live eternally blessed only on ,christ's love1 and feed upon no other thing4 ,yea1 when ,christ in love giveth a blow1 it doeth a soul good2 and it is a kind of comfort and joy to it to get a cuff with the lovely1 sweet1 and soft hand of ,jesus4 ,and1 thirdly1 what power and strength are in ,his love6 ,i am persuaded it can climb a steep hill1 with hell upon its back2 and swim through water and not drown2 and sing in the fire1 and find no pain2 and triumph in losses1 prisons1 sorrows1 exile1 disgrace1 and laugh and rejoice in death4 ,o for a year's lease of the sense of ,his love without a cloud1 to try what ,christ is6 ,o for the coming of the ,bridegroom6 ,oh1 when shall ,i see the ,bridegroom and the ,bride meet in the clouds1 and kiss each other6 ,oh1 when will we get our day1 and our heart's fill of that love6 ,oh1 if it were lawful to complain of the famine of that love1 and want of the immediate vision of ,god6 ,o time1 time6 how dost thou torment the souls of those that would be swallowed up of ,christ's love1 because thou movest so slowly6 ,oh1 if ,he would pity a poor prisoner1 and blow love upon me1 and give a prisoner a taste or draught of that sweetness1 which is glory as it were begun1 to be a confirmation that ,christ and ,i shall have our fill of each other for ever6 ,come hither1 ,o love of ,christ1 that ,i may once kiss thee before ,i die6 ,what would ,i not give to have time1 that lieth betwixt ,christ and me1 taken out of the way1 that we might once meet6 ,i cannot think but that1 at the first sight ,i shall see of that most lovely and fairest face1 love will come out of ,his two eyes1 and fill me with astonishment4 ,i would but desire to stand at the outer side of the gates of the ,new ,jerusalem1 and look through a hole of the door1 and see ,christ's face4 ,a borrowed vision in this life would be my borrowed and begun heaven1 whill the long1 long-looked-for day dawn4 ,it is not for nothing that it is said1 ,christ in you the hope of glory 7,col4 i4 #bg74 ,i will be content of no pawn of heaven but ,christ ,himself2 for ,christ1 possessed by faith here1 is young heaven1 and glory in the bud4 ,if ,i had that pawn1 ,i would bide horning and hell both1 ere ,i gave it again4 ,all that we have here is scarce the picture of glory4 ,should not we young bairns long and look for the expiring of our minority8 ,it were good to be daily begging propines and love-gifts1 and the ,bridegroom's favours2 and1 if we can do no more1 to seek crumbs1 and hungry dinners of ,christ's love1 to keep the taste of heaven in our mouth whill supper-time4 ,i know it is far after noon1 and nigh the marriage-supper of the ,lamb2 the table is covered already4 ,o ,well-beloved1 run1 run fast6 ,o fair day1 when wilt thou dawn6 ,o shadows1 flee away6 ,i think hope and love1 woven through other1 make our absence from ,christ spiritual torment4 ,it is a pain to wait on2 but hope that maketh not ashamed swalloweth up that pain4 ,it is not unkindness that keepeth ,christ and us so long asunder4 ,what can ,i say to ,christ's love8 ,i think more than ,i can say4 ,to consider1 that when my ,lord ,jesus may take the air 7if ,i may so speak71 and go abroad1 yet ,he will be confined and keep the prison with me6 ,but1 in all this sweet communion with ,him1 what am ,i to be thanked for8 ,i am but a sufferer4 ,whether ,i will or not1 ,he will be kind to me2 as if ,he had defied my guiltiness to make ,him unkind1 ,he so beareth ,his love in on me4 ,here ,i die with wondering1 that justice hindereth not love2 for there are none in hell1 nor out of hell1 more unworthy of ,christ's love4 ,shame may confound and scaur me once to hold up my black mouth to receive one of ,christ's undeserved kisses4 ,if my innerside were turned out1 and all men saw my vileness1 they would say to me1 ,it is a shame for thee to stand still whill ,christ kiss thee and embrace thee4 ,it would seem to become me rather to run away from ,his love1 as ashamed at my own unworthiness2 nay1 ,i may think shame to take heaven1 who have so highly provoked my ,lord ,jesus4 ,but seeing ,christ's love will shame me1 ,i am content to be shamed4 ,my desire is1 that my ,lord would give me broader and deeper thoughts1 to feed myself with wondering at ,his love4 ,i would ,i could weigh it1 but ,i have no balance for it4 ,when ,i have worn my tongue to the stump1 in praising of ,christ1 ,i have done nothing to ,him4 ,i must let ,him alone1 for my withered arms will not go about ,his high1 wide1 long1 and broad love4 ,what remaineth1 then1 but that my debt to the love of ,christ lie unpaid for all eternity8 ,all that are in heaven are black-shamed with ,his love as well as ,i4 ,we must all be dyvours together2 and the blessing of that houseful1 or heavenful1 of dyvours shall rest for ever upon ,him4 ,oh1 if this land and nation would come and stand beside ,his inconceivable and glorious perfections1 and look in1 and love1 and adore6 ,would to ,god ,i could bring in many lovers to ,christ's house6 ,but this nation hath forsaken the ,fountain of living waters4 ,lord1 cast not water on ,scotland's coal4 ,wo1 wo will be to this land1 because of the day of the ,lord's fierce anger that is so fast coming4 ,grace be with you4 ,your affectionate brother1 in our ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 ,,cxxxi4--,to ,,jean ,,brown4 7,,his ,,wisdom ,,in ,,our ,,trials--,,rejoice ,,in ,,tribulation47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i am glad that ye go on at ,christ's back1 in this dark and cloudy time4 ,it were good to sell other things for ,him2 for when all these days are over1 we shall find it our advantage that we have taken part with ,christ4 ,i confidently believe that ,his enemies shall be ,his footstool1 and that ,he will make green flowers dead1 withered hay1 when the honour and glory shall fall off them1 like the bloom or flower of a green herb shaken with the wind4 ,it were not wisdom for us to think that ,christ and the ,gospel would come and sit down at our fireside2 nay1 but we must go out of our own warm houses1 and seek ,christ and ,his ,gospel4 ,it is not the sunny side of ,christ that we must look to1 and we must not forsake ,him for want of that2 but must set our face against what may befall us in following on1 till ,he and we be through the briers and bushes1 on the dry ground4 ,our soft nature would be borne through the troubles of this miserable life in ,christ's arms2 and it is ,his wisdom1 who knoweth our mould1 that ,his bairns go wet-shod and cold-footed to heaven4 ,oh1 how sweet a thing were it for us to learn to make our burdens light1 by framing our hearts to the burden1 and making our ,lord's will a law6 ,i find ,christ and ,his cross not so ill to please1 nor yet such troublesome guests1 as men call them2 nay1 ,i think patience should make the water which ,christ giveth us good wine1 and ,his dross good metal4 ,and we have cause to wait on2 for1 ere it be long1 our ,master will be at us1 and bring this whole world out1 before the sun and daylight1 in their blacks and whites4 ,happy are they who are found watching4 ,our sand-glass is not so long as we need to weary2 time will eat away and root out our woes and sorrow4 ,our heaven is in the bud1 and growing up to an harvest4 ,why then should we not follow on1 seeing our span-length of time will come to an inch8 ,therefore ,i commend ,christ to you1 as your last-living1 and longest-living ,husband1 and the staff of your old age4 ,let ,him now have the rest of your days4 ,and think not much of a storm upon the ship that ,christ saileth in3 there shall no passenger fall overboard1 but the crazed ship and the sea-sick passenger shall come to land safe4 ,i am in as sweet communion with ,christ as a poor sinner can be2 and am only pained that ,he hath much beauty and fairness1 and ,i little love2 ,he great power and mercy1 and ,i little faith2 ,he much light1 and ,i bleared eyes4 ,o that ,i saw ,him in the sweetness of ,his love1 and in ,his marriage-clothes1 and were over head and ears in love with that princely one1 ,christ ,jesus my ,lord6 ,alas1 my riven dish1 and the running-out vessel1 can hold little of ,christ ,jesus6 ,i have joy in this1 that ,i would not refuse death before#bbg ,i put ,christ's lawful heritage in men's trysting2 and what know ,i1 if they would have pleased both ,christ and me8 ,alas1 that this land hath put ,christ to open rouping1 and to an ,any man bids more8 ,blessed are they who would hold the crown on ,his head1 and buy ,christ's honour with their own losses4 #bbg ,i would die1 ere ever ,i would put ,christ's property at the disposal of men who may choose to appoint their own times4 ,i rejoice to hear that your son ,john#bbh is coming to visit ,christ1 and taste of ,his love4 ,i hope that he will not lose his pains1 nor rue of that choice4 ,i had always 7as ,i said often to you7 a great love to dear ,mr4 ,john ,brown1 because ,i thought ,i saw ,christ in him more than in his brethren4 ,fain would ,i write to him1 to stand by my sweet ,master2 and ,i wish ye would let him read my letter1 and the joy ,i shall have if he will appear for1 and side with1 my ,lord ,jesus4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ac1 #afcg4 #bbh ,the same who was afterwards so well known as minister of ,wamphray4 ,,cxxxii4--,to ,,jean ,,macmillan4 ,there were ,macmillans at ,dalshangan1 near ,carsphairn1 noted as ,covenanters4 ,but the name is a common one1 and this correspondent was probably an ,anwoth parishioner4 7,,strive ,,to ,,enter ,,in47 ,,loving ,,sister1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i cannot come to you to give you my counsel2 and howbeit ,i would come1 ,i cannot stay with you4 ,but ,i beseech you to keep ,christ1 for ,i did what ,i could to put you within grips of ,him4 ,i told you ,christ's testament and latter-will plainly1 and ,i kept nothing back that my ,lord gave me2 and ,i gave ,christ to you with good will4 ,i pray you to make ,him your own1 and go not from that truth which ,i taught you1 in one hair-breadth4 ,that truth will save you if you follow it4 ,salvation is not an easy thing1 and soon gotten4 ,i often told you that few are saved1 and many damned3 ,i pray you to make your poor soul sure of salvation1 and the seeking of heaven your daily task4 ,if ye never had a sick night and a pained soul for sin1 ye have not yet lighted upon ,christ4 ,look to the right marks of having closed with ,christ4 ,if ye love ,him better than the world1 and would quit all the world for ,him1 then that saith the work is sound4 ,oh1 if ye saw the beauty of ,jesus1 and smelled the fragrance of ,his love1 you would run through fire and water to be at ,him8 ,god send you ,him4 ,pray for me1 for ,i cannot forget you4 ,grace be with you4 ,your loving pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cxxxiii4--,to the ,,lady ,,busbie4 ,,lady ,,busbie is probably the mother-in-law of ,r4 ,blair1 ,rutherford's intimate friend4 ,r4 ,blair married ,catherine1 daughter of ,hugh ,montgomery1 ,laird of ,busbie1 in ,ayrshire1 in #afce4 ,in ,welsh's ,life mention is made of ,mouat of ,bushby1 eight miles from ,ayr4 ,he was father of ,matthew ,mouat of ,kilmarnock4 7,,complete ,,surrender ,,to ,,christ--,,no ,,idols--,,trials ,,discover ,,sins--,a ,,free ,,salvation--,,the ,,marriage ,,supper47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i am glad to hear that ,christ and ye are one1 and that ye have made ,him your one thing1 whereas many are painfully toiled in seeking many things1 and their many things are nothing4 ,it is only best that ye set yourself apart1 as a thing laid up and out of the gate1 for ,christ alone2 for ye are good for no other thing than ,christ2 and ,he hath been going about you these many years1 by afflictions1 to engage you to ,himself4 ,it were a pity and a loss to say ,him nay4 ,verily ,i could wish that ,i could swim through hell1 and all the ill weather in the world1 and ,christ in my arms4 ,but it is my evil and folly1 that except ,christ come unsent for1 ,i dow not go to seek ,him3 when ,he and ,i fall a-reckoning1 we are both behind1 ,he in payment1 and ,i in counting2 and so marches lie still unredd1 and accounts uncleared betwixt us4 ,o that ,he would take ,his own blood for counts and miscounts1 that ,i might be a free man1 and none had any claim to me but only1 only ,jesus4 ,i will think it no bondage to be rouped1 comprised1 and possessed by ,christ as ,his bondman4 ,think well of the visitation of your ,lord2 for ,i find one thing1 which ,i saw not well before1 that when the saints are under trials1 and well humbled1 little sins raise great cries and war-shouts in the conscience2 and in prosperity1 conscience is a pope1 to give dispensations1 and let out and in1 and give latitude and elbow-room to our heart4 ,oh1 how little care we for pardon at ,christ's hand1 when we make dispensations6 ,and all is but bairns' play1 till a cross without beget a heavier cross within1 and then we play no longer with our idols4 ,it is good still to be severe against ourselves2 for we but transform ,god's mercy into an idol1 and an idol that hath a dispensation to give1 for the turning of the grace of ,god into wantonness4 ,happy are they who take up ,god1 wrath1 justice1 and sin1 as they are in themselves1 for we have miscarrying light1 that parteth with the child1 when we have good resolutions only4 ,but1 ,god be thanked1 that salvation is not rolled upon our wheels4 ,oh1 but ,christ hath a saving eye6 salvation is in ,his eyelids6 ,when ,he first looked on me1 ,i was saved2 it cost ,him but a look to make hell quit of me6 ,oh1 but merits1 free merits1 and the dear blood of ,god1 were the best gate that ever we could have gotten out of hell6 ,oh1 what a sweet1 oh1 what a safe and sure way is it1 to come out of hell leaning on a ,saviour6 ,that ,christ and a sinner should be one1 and have heaven betwixt them1 and be halvers of salvation1 is the wonder of salvation4 ,what more humble could love be8 ,and what an excellent smell doth ,christ cast on ,his lower garden1 where there grow but wild flowers1 if we speak by way of comparison4 ,but there is nothing but perfect garden flowers in heaven1 and the best plenishing that is there is ,christ4 ,we are all obliged to love heaven for ,christ's sake4 ,he graceth heaven1 and all ,his ,father's house1 with ,his presence4 ,he is a ,rose that beautifieth all the upper garden of ,god2 a leaf of that ,rose of ,god for smell is worth a world4 ,o that ,he would blow ,his smell upon a withered and dead soul6 ,let us1 then1 go on to meet with ,him1 and to be filled with the sweetness of ,his love4 ,nothing will hold ,him from us4 ,he hath decreed to put time1 sin1 hell1 devils1 men1 and death out of the way1 and to rid the rough way betwixt us and ,him1 that we may enjoy one another4 ,it is strange and wonderful1 that ,he would think long in heaven without us2 and that ,he would have the company of sinners to solace and delight ,himself withal in heaven4 ,and now the supper is abiding us4 ,christ1 the ,bridegroom1 with desire is waiting on1 till the bride1 the ,lamb's wife1 be busked for the marriage1 and the great hall be redd for the meeting of that joyful couple4 ,oh1 fools6 what do we here8 and why sit we still8 ,why sleep we in the prison8 ,were it not best to make us wings1 to flee up to our blessed ,match1 our ,marrow1 and our fellow ,friend4 ,i think1 ,mistress1 that ye are looking thereaway1 and that this is your second or third thought4 ,make forward2 your ,guide waiteth on you4 ,i cannot but bless you for your care and kindness to the saints4 ,god give you to find mercy1 in that day of our ,lord ,jesus2 to whose saving grace ,i recommend you4 ,yours1 in our ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cxxxiv4--,to ,,john ,,ewart1 ,bailie of ,kirkcudbright4 ,,john ,,ewart's name often occurs in the ,minute ,book of ,comm4 of ,covenanters1 as residing in ,kirkcudbright4 ,he is understood to be the father of the ,john ,ewart who was sentenced to banishment1 #affc1 for refusing to take part in quelling a tumult raised at the intrusion of a curate in room of the ejected minister of ,kirkcudbright4 7,wodrow's ,hist47 ,a descendant of his at ,stranraer has a small silver cup1 which has been handed down from his ancestors4 7,,the ,,cross ,,no ,,burden--,,need ,,of ,,sure ,,foundation47 ,,my ,,very ,,worthy ,,and ,,dear ,,friend1--,i cannot but most kindly thank you for the expressions of your love4 ,your love and respect to me is a great comfort to me4 ,i bless ,his high and glorious name1 that the terrors of great men have not affrighted me from openly avouching the ,son of ,god4 ,nay1 ,his cross is the sweetest burden that ever ,i bare2 it is such a burden as wings are to a bird1 or sails are to a ship1 to carry me forward to my harbour4 ,i have not much cause to fall in love with the world2 but rather to wish that ,he who sitteth upon the floods would bring my broken ship to land1 and keep my conscience safe in these dangerous times2 for wrath from the ,lord is coming on this sinful land4 ,it were good that we prisoners of hope know of our stronghold to run to1 before the storm come on2 therefore1 ,sir1 ,i beseech you by the mercies of ,god1 and comforts of ,his spirit1 by the blood of your ,saviour1 and by your compearance before the sin-revenging ,judge of the world1 keep your garments clean1 and stand for the truth of ,christ1 which ye profess4 ,when the time shall come that your eye-strings shall break1 your face wax pale1 your breath grow cold1 and this house of clay shall totter1 and your one foot shall be over the march1 in eternity1 it will be your comfort and joy that ye gave your name to ,christ4 ,the greatest part of the world think heaven at the next door1 and that ,christianity is an easy task2 but they will be beguiled4 ,worthy ,sir1 ,i beseech you1 make sure work of salvation4 ,i have found my experience1 that all ,i could do hath had much ado in the day of my trial2 and1 therefore1 lay up a sure foundation for the time to come4 ,i cannot requite you for your undeserved favours to me and my now afflicted brother4 ,but ,i trust to remember you to ,god4 ,remember me heartily to your kind wife4 ,yours1 in his only ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ac1 #afcg4 ,,cxxxv4--,to ,,william ,,fullerton1 ,provost of ,kirkcudbright4 7,,fear ,,not ,,them ,,who ,,kill ,,the ,,body--,,unexpected ,,favour47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i am much obliged to your love in ,god4 ,i beseech you1 ,sir1 let nothing be so dear to you as ,christ's truth1 for salvation is worth all the world1 and1 therefore1 be not afraid of men that shall die4 ,the ,lord will do for you in your suffering for ,him1 and will bless your house and seed2 and ye have ,god's promise1 that ye shall have ,his presence in fire1 water1 and in seven tribulations4 ,your day shall wear to an end1 and your sun go down4 ,in death it will be your joy that ye have ventured all ye have for ,christ2 and there is not a promise of heaven made but to such as are willing to suffer for it4 ,it is a castle taken by force4 ,this earth is but the clay portion of bastards2 and1 therefore1 no wonder that the world smile on its own2 but better things are laid up for ,his lawfully-begotten bairns1 whom the world hateth4 ,i have experience to speak this2 for ,i would not exchange my prison and sad nights with the court1 honour1 and ease of my adversaries4 ,my ,lord is pleased to make many unknown faces to laugh upon me1 and to provide a lodging for me2 and ,he ,himself visiteth my soul with feasts of spiritual comforts4 ,oh1 how sweet a ,master is ,christ6 ,blessed are they who lay down all for ,him4 ,i thank you kindly for your love to my distressed brother4 ,ye have the blessing and prayers of the prisoner of ,christ to you1 your wife and your children4 ,remember my love and blessing to ,william and ,samuel4 ,i desire them in their youth to seek the ,lord1 and to fear ,his great name2 to pray twice a-day1 at least1 to ,god1 and to read ,god's word2 to keep themselves from cursing1 lying1 and filthy talking4 ,now the only wise ,god1 and the presence of the ,son of ,god1 be with you all4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ac1 #afcg4 ,,cxxxvi4--,to ,,robert ,,glendinning1 ,minister of ,kirkcudbright4 7,,prepare ,,to ,,meet ,,thy ,,god--,,christ ,,his ,,joy47 ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i thank you most kindly for your care of me1 and your love and respective#bbi kindness to my brother in his distress4 ,i pray the ,lord that ye may find mercy in the day of ,christ2 and ,i entreat you1 ,sir1 to consider the times which ye live in1 and that your soul is more worth to you than the whole world1 which1 in the day of the blowing of the ,last ,trumpet1 shall lie in white ashes1 as an old castle burned to nothing4 ,and remember that judgment and eternity is before you4 ,my dear and worthy friend1 let me entreat you in ,christ's name1 and by the salvation of your soul1 and by your compearance before the dreadful and sin-revenging ,judge of the world1 to make your accounts ready4 ,redd them ere ye come to the water-side2 for your afternoon will wear short1 and your sun fall low and go down2 and ye know that this long time your ,lord hath waited on you4 ,oh1 how comfortable a thing it will be to you1 when time shall be no more1 and your soul shall depart out of the house of clay to vast and endless eternity1 to have your soul dressed up1 and prepared for your ,bridegroom6 ,no loss is comparable to the loss of the soul2 there is no hope of regaining that loss4 ,oh1 how joyful would my soul be to hear that ye would start to the gate1 and contend for the crown1 and leave all vanities and make ,christ your garland6 ,let your soul put away your old lovers1 and let ,christ have your whole love4 #bbi ,perhaps this word means kindness that had respect to his special needs4 ,i have some experience to write of this to you4 ,my witness is in heaven1 that ,i would not exchange my chains and bonds for ,christ1 and my sighs1 for ten worlds' glory4 ,i judge this clay-idol1 which ,adam's sons are rouping1 and selling their souls for1 not worth a drink of cold water4 ,oh1 if your soul were in my soul's stead1 how sick would ye be of love for that fairest ,one1 that ,fairest among the sons of men6 ,may-flowers1 and morning vapour1 and summer mist1 posteth not so fast away as these worm-eaten pleasures which we follow4 ,we build castles in the air1 and night-dreams are our daily idols that we doat on4 ,salvation1 salvation is our only necessary thing4 ,sir1 call home your thoughts to this work1 to inquire for your ,well-beloved4 ,this earth is the portion of bastards3 seek the ,son's inheritance1 and let ,christ's truth be dear to you4 ,i pawn my salvation on it1 that this is the honour of ,christ's kingdom which ,i now suffer for 7and this world1 ,i hope1 shall not come between me and my garland72 and that this is the way to life4 ,when ye and ,i shall lie lumps of pale clay upon the ground1 our pleasures1 that we now naturally love1 shall be less than nothing in that day4 ,dear brother1 fulfil my joy1 and betake you to ,christ without further delay4 ,ye will be fain at length to seek ,him1 or do infinitely worse4 ,remember my love to your wife4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ac1 #afcg4 ,,cxxxvii4--,to ,,william ,,glendinning4 ,,william ,,glendinning was the son of ,mr4 ,robert ,glendinning1 minister of ,kirkcudbright4 ,a short time before this letter was written1 he was ordered to be imprisoned in ,kirkcudbright by ,bishop ,sydserff1 for refusing to incarcerate his father1 whom that intolerant prelate had suspended from his office1 and had ordered to be imprisoned1 because he would neither conform to ,episcopacy1 nor admit as his assistant a creature of the ,bishop4 ,he was a member of the ,general ,assembly of ,glasgow #afch1 being returned by the burgh of ,kirkcudbright1 of which he was then ,provost4 ,during the subsequent years1 he was frequently a member of the ,general ,assembly2 and his name appears as a member of ,parliament for the burgh of ,kirkcudbright1 and sent by the ,committee of ,estates1 in #afdd1 #afde1 and #afdf4 7,,perseverance ,,against ,,opposition47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i thank you most kindly for your care and love to me1 and in particular to my brother1 in his distress in ,edinburgh4#bcj ,go on through your waters without wearying2 your ,guide knoweth the way2 follow ,him1 and cast your cares and temptations upon ,him4 ,and let not worms1 the sons of men1 affright you2 they shall die1 and the moth shall eat them4 ,keep your garland2 there is no less at the stake1 in this game betwixt us and the world1 than our conscience and salvation4 ,we have need to take heed to the game1 and not to yield to them4 ,let them take other things from us2 but here1 in matters of conscience1 we must hold and draw with kings1 and set ourselves in terms of opposition with the shields of the earth4 ,oh1 the sweet communion1 for evermore1 that hath been between ,christ and ,his prisoner6 ,he wearieth not to be kind4 ,he is the fairest sight ,i see in ,aberdeen1 or in any part that ever my feet were in4 #bcj ,rutherford here refers to the trial of his brother ,george1 schoolmaster and reader in ,kirkcudbright1 before the ,high ,commission1 at ,edinburgh1 in ,november the preceding year1 for his nonconformity and zealous support of ,mr4 ,robert ,glendinning1 the persecuted minister of ,kirkcudbright4 ,as previously noticed 7,letter ,,lxvii471 he was condemned to resign his office1 and to remove from ,kirkcudbright before the ensuing term of ,whitsunday4 ,when at ,edinburgh1 and on his trial1 he experienced much kindness from several of the correspondents of our author1 who1 in his letters to them1 makes the most heartfelt grateful acknowledgments4 ,after his ejection1 he seems1 says ,murray1 to have taken refuge in ,ayrshire2 for in a letter to ,lord ,loudon1 ,rutherford speaks of his brother as being nigh his ,lordship's bounds2 and every individual whom he addressed on his behalf 7after his removal from ,kirkcudbright7 was connected with that county4 ,the kindness and the frequency with which1 in his letters1 he speaks of him1 do honour to his heart 7,life of ,rutherford1 p4 #ic74 ,remember my hearty kindness to your wife4 ,i desire her to believe1 and lay her cares on ,god1 and make fast work of salvation4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours in his only ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ac1 #afcg4 ,,cxxxviii4--,to ,,mr4 ,,hugh ,,henderson4 ,,hugh ,,henderson was first minister of ,dalry1 a parish in the district of ,cunningham1 ,ayrshire2 and afterwards of ,dumfries4 ,we meet with his name as minister of ,dalry in #afdc1 when he was nominated as one of the eight ministers whom the ,general ,assembly appointed to visit ,ireland by pairs1 each pair for three months successively1 to instruct1 comfort1 and encourage the ,presbyterians in that country1 who had been deprived of their ministers through the tyranny of the prelates4 ,in #afde he was appointed by the ,general ,assembly chaplain to ,colonel ,stuart's regiment2 and in #afdh translated to ,dumfries4 ,shortly after the restoration of ,charles ,,ii41 he1 and all the ministers of the ,presbytery of ,dumfries1 were1 by the order of the ,king's ,commissioner1 carried prisoners to ,edinburgh1 for refusing to observe the #bith day of ,may as a religious anniversary1 in commemoration of the ,king's birth and restoration4 ,but he and the rest 7with the exception of two7 at last yielded so far as to engage simply to preach on that day1 knowing it would be the day of their ordinary weekly sermon2 a promise hardly compatible with straightforwardness1 being something like a disingenuous attempt to make it appear that they were complying with the statute of ,parliament1 when they were merely discharging a professional duty4 ,henderson exhibited more consistency and stedfastness the subsequent year1 when he preferred being expelled from his charge to conforming to ,prelacy4 ,he was ejected in the close of the year #affb1 by the ,earl of ,middleton4 ,after this1 ,henderson frequently preached in his own house in ,galloway4 7,,trials ,,selected ,,by ,,god--,,patience--,,looking ,,for ,,the ,,judge47 ,,my ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i hear that you bear the marks of ,christ's dying about with you1 and that your brethren have cast you out for your ,master's sake4 ,let us wait on till the evening1 and till our reckoning in black and white come before our ,master4 ,brother1 since we must have a devil to trouble us1 ,i love a raging devil best4 ,our ,lord knoweth what sort of devil we have need of3 it is best that ,satan be in his own skin1 and look like himself4 ,christ weeping looketh like ,himself also1 with whom ,scribes and ,pharisees were at yea and nay1 and sharp contradiction4 ,ye have heard of the patience of ,job4 ,when he lay in the ashes1 ,god was with him1 clawing and curing his scabs1 and letting out his boils1 comforting his soul2 and ,he took him up at last4 ,that ,god is not dead yet2 ,he will stoop and take up fallen bairns4 ,many broken legs since ,adam's days hath ,he spelked1 and many weary hearts hath ,he refreshed4 ,bless ,him for comfort4 ,why8 ,none cometh dry from ,david's well4 ,let us go among the rest1 and cast down our toom buckets into ,christ's ocean1 and suck consolations out of ,him4 ,we are not so sore stricken1 but we may fill ,christ's hall with weeping4 ,we have not gotten our answer from ,him yet4 ,let us lay up our broken pleas to a full sea1 and keep them till the day of ,christ's ,coming4 ,we and this world will not be even till then3 they would take our garment from us2 but let us hold and them draw4 ,brother1 it is a strange world if we laugh not4 ,i never saw the like of it1 if there be not paiks the man1 for this contempt done to the ,son of ,god4 ,we must do as those who keep the bloody napkin to the ,bailie1 and let him see blood2 we must keep our wrongs to our ,judge1 and let ,him see our bluddered and foul faces4 ,prisoners of hope must run to ,christ1 with the gutters that tears have made on their cheeks4 ,brother1 for myself1 ,i am ,christ's dawted one for the present2 and ,i live upon no deaf nuts1 as we use to speak4 ,he hath opened fountains to me in the wilderness4 ,go1 look to my ,lord ,jesus3 ,his love to me is such1 that ,i defy the world to find either brim or bottom to it4 ,grace be with you4 ,your brother1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ac1 #afcg4 ,,cxxxix4--,to my ,,lord ,,balmerinoch4 ,,john ,,elphinston1 second ,,lord ,,balmerinoch1 was the only son by the first marriage of the ,honourable ,sir ,james ,elphinston1 first ,lord ,balmerinoch4 ,he distinguished himself in #afcc for his opposition to the measures of the ,court in favour of ,prelacy1 and particularly for opposing in ,parliament the ,act concerning the ,king's prerogative in imposing ,apparel on ,churchmen1 and also the ,act ratifying the ,acts previously made for settling the estate of ,bishops4 ,soon after he was libelled and condemned to death as guilty of treason4 ,however1 after a long and severe imprisonment1 he obtained from his ,majesty a free though reluctant pardon4 ,true to his former principles1 he still continued to oppose the measures then pursued by ,government1 and particularly the attempts to introduce the ,service ,book into ,scotland4 ,he was a member of the ,glasgow ,assembly #afch1 being returned as elder for the ,presbytery of ,edinburgh4 ,his ,lordship1 says ,wood1 was1 without exception1 the best friend the ,covenanters had1 as he not only assisted that party with his advice on all occasions1 but also supplied them with large sums of money1 by which he irreparably injured the very ample fortune he inherited from his father4 ,he lived in habits of strict friendship with the chief leaders of the ,presbyterians1 and was particularly intimate with ,sir ,archibald ,johnston of ,warriston4 ,he had so strong a sense of justice1 that1 having reason to suspect his father had made too advantageous a purchase of the lands of ,balumby1 in the county of ,forfar1 he1 of his own accord1 gave #aj1jjj merks to the heir of that estate1 by way of compensation 7,wood's ,cramond74 ,he died suddenly in #afdi1 at the very time when commissioners 7of whom he was one7 were sent to treat with ,charles ,,ii4 in ,holland4 7,lamont's ,diary1 p4 #a47 7,,his ,,happy ,,obligations ,,to ,,christ--,,emptiness ,,of ,,the ,,world47 ,,my ,,very ,,noble ,,and ,,truly ,,honourable ,,lord1--,i make bold to write news to your ,lordship from my prison1 though your ,lordship have experience more than ,i can have4 ,at my first entry here1 ,i was not a little casten down with challenges1 for old1 unrepented-of sins2 and ,satan and my own apprehensions made a lie of ,christ1 that ,he hath casten a dry1 withered tree over the dyke of the vineyard4 ,but it was my folly 7blessed be ,his great name71 the fire cannot burn the dry tree4 ,he is pleased now to feast the exiled prisoner with ,his lovely presence2 for it suiteth ,christ well to be kind1 and ,he dineth and suppeth with such a sinner as ,i am4 ,i am in ,christ's tutoring here4 ,he hath made me content with a borrowed fireside1 and it casteth as much heat as mine own4 ,i want nothing but real possession of ,christ2 and ,he hath given me a pawn of that also1 which ,i hope to keep till ,he come ,himself to loose the pawn4 ,i cannot get help to praise ,his high name4 ,he hath made me king over my losses1 imprisonment1 banishment2 and only my dumb ,sabbaths stick in my throat4 ,but ,i forgive ,christ's wisdom in that4 ,i dare not say one word2 ,he hath done it1 and ,i will lay my hand upon my mouth4 ,if any other hand had done it to me1 ,i could not have borne it4 ,now1 my ,lord1 ,i must tell your ,lordship that ,i would not give a drink of cold water for this clay idol1 this plastered world4 ,i testify1 and give it under my own hand1 that ,christ is most worthy to be suffered for4 ,our lazy flesh1 which would have ,christ to cry down crosses by open proclamation1 hath but raised a slander upon the cross of ,christ4 ,my ,lord1 ,i hope that ye will not forget what ,he hath done for your soul4 ,i think that ye are in ,christ's count-book1 as ,his obliged debtor4 ,grace1 grace be with your spirit4 ,your ,lordship's obliged servant1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ac1 #afcg4 ,,cxl4--,to my ,,lady ,,mar1 ,younger4 ,,lady ,,mar1 younger1 whose maiden name was ,christian ,hay1 was the wife of ,john ,erskine1 eighth ,earl of ,mar4 ,she became a widow in #afed1 his ,lordship having died in that year4 ,her son1 ,john1 became ninth ,earl of ,mar1 and her daughter1 ,elizabeth1 was married to ,archibald1 ,lord ,napier4 ,lady ,mar1 senior1 was ,lady ,mary ,stewart1 daughter of ,esme1 ,duke of ,lennox1 second wife of ,john1 ,lord ,erskine1 seventh ,earl of ,mar4 ,she died in the house of ,sir ,thomas ,hope1 in the ,cowgate1 ,edinburgh1 and was buried at ,alloa1 #aath ,may #afdd4 7,sir ,thomas ,hope's ,diary1 p4 #bje47 ,it was for her that1 in #afbe1 the book of devotion1 called ,the ,countess of ,mar's ,sanctuary1 or ,arcadia1 was drawn up--a little work of which only two copies were known to be in existence1 till reprinted in #ahfb1 at ,edinburgh4 7,,no ,,exchange ,,for ,,christ47 ,,my ,,very ,,noble ,,and ,,dear ,,lady1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i received your ,ladyship's letter1 which hath comforted my soul4 ,god give you to find mercy in the day of ,christ4 ,i am in as good terms and court with ,christ as an exiled1 oppressed prisoner of ,christ can be4 ,i am still welcome to ,his house2 ,he knoweth my knock1 and letteth in a poor friend4 ,under this black1 rough tree of the cross of ,christ1 ,he hath ravished me with ,his love1 and taken my heart to heaven with ,him4 ,well and long may ,he brook it4 ,i would not niffer ,christ with all the joys that man or angel can devise beside ,him4 ,who hath such cause to speak honourably of ,christ as ,i have8 ,christ is ,king of all crosses1 and ,he hath made ,his saints little kings under ,him2 and ,he can ride and triumph upon weaker bodies than ,i am 7if any can be weaker71 and ,his horse will neither fall nor stumble4 ,madam1 your ,ladyship hath much ado with ,christ1 for your soul1 husband1 children1 and house4 ,let ,him find much employment for ,his calling with you2 for ,he is such a friend as delighteth to be burdened with suits and employments2 and the more ye lay on ,him1 and the more homely ye be with ,him1 the more welcome4 ,o the depth of ,christ's love6 ,it hath neither brim nor bottom4 ,oh1 if this blind world saw ,his beauty6 ,when ,i count with ,him for ,his mercies to me1 ,i must stand still and wonder1 and go away as a poor dyvour1 who hath nothing to pay4 ,free forgiveness is payment4 ,i would that ,i could get ,him set on high2 for ,his love hath made me sick1 and ,i die except ,i get real possession4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,your ,ladyship's1 at all obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ac1 #afcg4 ,,cxli4--,to ,,james ,,macadam4 ,john ,livingstone 7,histor4 ,relation71 along with ,marion ,m',naught and other such1 mentions ,john ,macadam and ,christian ,macadam of ,waterhead1 near ,carsphairn1 as eminent ,christians4 ,the person to whom this letter is addressed may have been one of that family4 ,the famous road engineer in our day1 ,macadam1 born at ,waterhead1 was descended from this ancient family4 ,it seems that the ,christian ,macadam mentioned above was afterwards ,lady ,cardoness2 and because of her connection with this correspondent of ,rutherford's1 we may give the inscription on her tomb4 ,the tomb is part of the enclosed pile close to the old ,anwoth church4 ,the inscription is on the north side of the pile3-- ,christian ,m',adam1 ,lady ,cardynes4 ,departed #afth ,june of #afbh4 tatis su1 #cc4 ,ye gazers on the trophy of a tomb1 ,send out one groan for want of her whose life1 ,twice born on earth1 now is in earth's womb4 ,lived long a virgin1 now a spotless wife4 ,church keeps her godly life1 the tomb her corpse1 ,and earth her precious name4 ,who then does lose8 ,her husband8 ,no1 since heaven her soul doth gain4 7,,the ,,kingdom ,,taken ,,by ,,force47 ,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,and ,,worthy ,,friend1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i long to hear of your growing in grace1 and of your advancing in your journey to heaven4 ,it will be the joy of my heart to hear that ye hold your face up the brae1 and wade through temptations without fearing what man can do4 ,christ shall1 when ,he ariseth1 mow down ,his enemies1 and lay bulks#bca 7as they use to speak7 on the green1 and fill the pits with dead bodies 7,ps4 cx4 #f2 the places74 ,they shall lie like handfuls of withered hay1 when ,he ariseth to the prey4 ,salvation1 salvation is the only necessary thing4 ,this clay idol1 the world1 is not to be sought2 it is a morsel not for you1 but for hunger-bitten bastards4 ,contend for salvation4 ,your ,master1 ,christ1 won heaven with strokes3 it is a besieged castle2 it must be taken with violence4 ,oh1 this world thinketh heaven but at the next door1 and that godliness may sleep in a bed of down till it come to heaven6 ,but that will not do it4 #bca ,carcases2 properly1 the trunk1 or bulk of the man4 ,in some editions it is written bouks2 but bulks is in all the old editions4 ,for myself1 ,i am as well as ,christ's prisoner can be2 for by ,him ,i am master and king of all my crosses4 ,i am above the prison1 and the lash of men's tongues2 ,christ triumpheth in me4 ,i have been casten down1 and heavy with fears1 and haunted with challenges4 ,i was swimming in the depths1 but ,christ had ,his hand under my chin all the time1 and took good heed that ,i should not lose breath2 and now ,i have gotten my feet again1 and there are love-feasts of joy1 and spring-tides of consolation betwixt ,christ and me4 ,we agree well2 ,i have court with ,him2 ,i am still welcome to ,his house4 ,oh1 my short arms cannot fathom ,his love6 ,i beseech you1 ,i charge you1 to help me to praise4 ,ye have a prisoner's prayers1 therefore forget me not4 ,i desire ,sibylla to remember me dearly to all in that parish who know ,christ1 as if ,i had named them4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ac1 #afcg4 ,,cxlii4--,to my very dear brother1 ,,william ,,livingstone4 ,probably one of his ,anwoth parishioners4 ,there are ,livingstones in that neighbourhood to this day4 7,,counsel ,,to ,a ,,youth47 ,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,brother1--,i rejoice to hear that ,christ hath run away with your young love1 and that ye are so early in the morning matched with such a ,lord2 for a young man is often a dressed lodging for the devil to dwell in4 ,be humble and thankful for grace2 and weigh it not so much by weight1 as if it be true4 ,christ will not cast water on your smoking coal2 ,he never yet put out a dim candle that was lighted at the ,sun of ,righteousness4 ,i recommend to you prayer and watching over the sins of your youth2 for ,i know that missive letters go between the devil and young blood4 ,satan hath a friend at court in the heart of youth2 and there pride1 luxury1 lust1 revenge1 forgetfulness of ,god1 are hired as his agents4 ,happy is your soul if ,christ man the house1 and take the keys ,himself1 and command all1 as it suiteth ,him full well to rule all wherever ,he is4 ,keep ,christ1 and entertain ,him well4 ,cherish ,his grace2 blow upon your own coal2 and let ,him tutor you4 ,now for myself3 know that ,i am fully agreed with my ,lord4 ,christ hath put the ,father and me into each other's arms4 ,many a sweet bargain ,he made before1 and ,he hath made this among the rest4 ,i reign as king over my crosses4 ,i will not flatter a temptation1 nor give the devil a good word3 ,i defy hell's iron gates4 ,god hath passed over my quarrelling of ,him at my entry here1 and now ,he feedeth and feasteth with me4 ,praise1 praise with me2 and let us exalt ,his name together4 ,your brother in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ac1 #afcg4 ,,cxliii4--,to ,,william ,,gordon of ,whitepark4 ,this may be a son of ,george ,gordon1 who is recorded as heir to the estate of ,whytpark1 ,march #bj1 #afbh4 ,it was not1 in the parish of ,anwoth1 but close to ,castle ,douglas4 7,,nothing ,,lost ,,by ,,trials--,,longing ,,for ,,christ ,,himself ,,because ,,of ,,his ,,love47 ,,worthy ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be unto you4 ,i long to hear from you4 ,i am here the ,lord's prisoner and patient1 handled as softly by my ,physician as if ,i were a sick man under a cure4 ,i was at hard terms with my ,lord1 and pleaded with ,him1 but ,i had the worst side4 ,it is a wonder that ,he should have suffered the like of me to have nicknamed the ,son of ,his love1 ,christ1 and to call ,him a changed ,lord1 who hath forsaken me4 ,but misbelief hath never a good word to speak of ,christ4 ,the dross of my cross gathered a scum of fears in the fire--doubtings1 impatience1 unbelief1 challenging of ,providence as sleeping1 and as not regarding my sorrow2 but my goldsmith1 ,christ1 was pleased to take off the scum1 and burn it in the fire4 ,and1 blessed be my ,refiner1 ,he hath made the metal better1 and furnished new supply of grace1 to cause me hold out weight2 and ,i hope that ,he hath not lost one grain-weight by burning ,his servant4 ,now ,his love in my heart casteth a mighty heat2 ,he knoweth that the desire ,i have to be at ,himself paineth me4 ,i have sick nights and frequent fits of love-fevers for my ,well-beloved4 ,nothing paineth me now but want of ,his presence4 ,i think it long till day4 ,i challenge time as too slow in its pace1 that holdeth my only fair one1 my love1 my ,well-beloved from me4 ,oh1 if we were together once6 ,i am like an old crazed ship that hath endured many storms1 and that would fain be in the lee of the shore1 and feareth new storms2 ,i would be that nigh heaven1 that the shadow of it might break the force of the storm1 and the crazed ship might win to land4 ,my ,lord's sun casteth a heat of love and beam of light on my soul4 ,my blessing thrice every day upon the sweet cross of ,christ6 ,i am not ashamed of my garland1 the banished minister1 which is the term of ,aberdeen4 ,love1 love defieth reproaches4 ,the love of ,christ hath a corslet of proof on it1 and arrows will not draw blood of it4 ,we are more than conquerors through the blood of ,him that loved us 7,rom4 viii4 #cg74 ,the devil and the world cannot wound the love of ,christ4 ,i am further from yielding to the course of defection than when ,i came hither4 ,sufferings blunt not the fiery edge of love4 ,cast love into the floods of hell1 it will swim above4 ,it careth not for the world's busked and plastered offers4 ,it hath pleased my ,lord so to line my heart with the love of my ,lord ,jesus1 that1 as if the field were already won1 and ,i on the other side of time1 ,i laugh at the world's golden pleasures1 and at this dirty idol which the sons of ,adam worship4 ,this worm-eaten god is that which my soul hath fallen out of love with4 ,sir1 ye were once my hearer3 ,i desire now to hear from you and your wife4 ,i salute her and your children with blessings4 ,i am glad that ye are still handfasted with ,christ4 ,go on in your journey1 and take the city by violence4 ,keep your garments clean4 ,be clean virgins to your husband the ,lamb4 ,the world shall follow you to heaven's gates3 and ye would not wish it to go in with you4 ,keep fast ,christ's love4 ,pray for me1 as ,i do for you4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ac1 #afcg4 ,,cxliv4--,to ,,mr4 ,,george ,,gillespie4 ,,george ,,gillespie was the son of ,mr4 ,john ,gillespie1 some time minister of the ,gospel at ,kirkcaldy4 ,he was licensed to preach the ,gospel some time prior to #afch3 and in ,april1 that year1 was ordained minister of ,wemyss4 ,in #afdb1 by the ,general ,assembly he was translated to one of the churches in ,edinburgh1 where he continued till his death4 ,gillespie possessed talents of the highest order2 and so much were these appreciated that1 young as he was1 he was one of the four ministers sent as commissioners from the ,church of ,scotland to the ,westminster ,assembly in #afdc4 ,there he attracted general notice1 by the cogency of argument1 and the rare learning which he showed in pleading the cause of ,presbytery and opposing ,erastianism4 ,at one of the meetings of that ,assembly1 when the learned ,selden had delivered a long and an elaborate discourse in favour of ,erastianism1 to which none seemed prepared to reply1 ,gillespie1 who was still a young man1 was observed to be writing4 ,a venerable friend went to his chair1 and asked if he had taken notes1 but found that he had written nothing except these words1 frequently repeated1 ,give light1 ,lord4 ,his friend urged him to answer4 ,gillespie at last rose1 and in an extempore speech refuted ,selden with a power of reasoning and an amount of learning which excited the admiration of all present4 ,selden himself is said to have observed1 after hearing this reply1 ,that young man1 by a single speech1 has swept away the labour and the learning of ten years of my life6 ,gillespie died in ,december #afdh1 in the #cfth year of his age4 ,during his last illness he enjoyed little comfort1 but was strong in the faith of adherence to the divine promises--a subject on which he insisted much in his sermons4 ,when asked if he had any comfort1 he said1 ,no2 but though the ,lord allow me no comfort1 yet ,i will believe that my ,beloved is mine1 and that ,i am ,his4 ,to two ministers1 who asked what advice he had to give them1 he answered3 ,i have little experience of the ministry1 having been in it only nine years2 but ,i can say that ,i have got more assistance in the work of preaching from prayer than study2 and much more help from the assistance of the ,spirit than from books4 ,and yet he was known to have been an indefatigable student4 ,he is the author of various works1 which are chiefly controversial1 such as ,the ,english ,popish ,ceremonies1 and ,aaron's ,rod ,blossoming4 7,,suspicions ,,of ,,christ',s ,,love ,,removed ,,three ,,desires47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i received your letter4 ,as for my case1 brother1 ,i bless ,his glorious name1 that my losses are my gain1 my prison a palace1 and my sadness joyfulness4 ,at my first entry1 my apprehensions so wrought upon my cross1 that ,i became jealous of the love of ,christ1 as being by ,him thrust out of the vineyard1 and ,i was under great challenges1 as ordinarily melted gold casteth forth a drossy scum1 and ,satan and our corruption form the first words that the heavy cross speaketh1 and say1 ,god is angry1 ,he loveth you not4 ,but our apprehensions are not canonical2#bcb they indite lies of ,god and ,christ's love4 ,but since my spirit was settled1 and the clay has fallen to the bottom of the well1 ,i see better what ,christ was doing4 ,and now my ,lord is returned with salvation under ,his wings4 ,now ,i want little of half a heaven1 and ,i find ,christ every day so sweet1 comfortable1 lovely1 and kind1 that three things only trouble me3 #ast1 ,i see not how to be thankful1 or how to get help to praise that ,royal ,king1 who raiseth up those that are bowed down4 #bnd1 ,his love paineth me1 and woundeth my soul1 so that ,i am in a fever for want of real presence4 #crd1 ,an excessive desire to take instruments in ,god's name1 that this is ,christ and ,his truth1 which ,i now suffer for2 yea1 the apple of the eye of ,christ's honour1 even the sovereignty and royal privileges of our ,king and ,lawgiver1 ,christ4 ,and1 therefore1 let no man scaur at ,christ's cross1 or raise an ill report upon ,him or it2 for ,he beareth the sufferer and it both4 #bcb ,authentic ,scripture4 ,i am here troubled with the disputes of the great doctors 7especially with ,dr4 ,b4#bcc7 in ,ceremonial and ,arminian controversies1 for all are corrupt here2 but1 ,i thank ,god1 with no detriment to the truth1 or discredit to my profession4 ,so1 then1 ,i see that ,christ can triumph in a weaker man nor ,i2 and who can be more weak8 ,but ,his grace is sufficient for me4 #bcc ,dr4 ,robert ,barron4 ,brother1 remember our old covenant1 and pray for me1 and write to me your case4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ac1 #afcg4 ,,cxlv4--,to ,,jean ,,gordon4 7,,god ,,the ,,satisfying ,,portion--,,adherence ,,to ,,christ47 ,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,and ,,loving ,,sister1--,grace mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i long to hear from you4 ,i exhort you to set up the brae to the ,king's city1 that must be taken by violence4 ,your afternoon's sun is wearing low4 ,time will eat up your frail life1 like a worm gnawing at the root of a ,may-flower4 ,lend ,christ your heart4 ,set ,him as a seal there4 ,take ,him in within1 and let the world and children stand at the door4 ,they are not yours2 make you and them#bcd for your proper owner1 ,christ4 ,it is good that ,he is your ,husband and their ,father4 ,what missing can there be of a dying man1 when ,god filleth ,his chair8 ,give hours of the day to prayer4 ,fash ,christ 7if ,i may speak so71 and importune ,him2 be often at ,his gate2 give ,his door no rest4 ,i can tell you that ,he will be found4 ,oh1 what sweet fellowship is betwixt ,him and me6 ,i am imprisoned1 but ,he is not imprisoned4 ,he hath shamed me with ,his kindness4 ,he hath come to my prison1 and run away with my heart and all my love4 ,well may ,he brook it6 ,i wish that my love get never an owner but ,christ4 ,fy1 fy upon old lovers1 that held us so long asunder6 ,we shall not part now4 ,he and ,i shall be heard1 before ,he win out of my grips4 ,i resolve to wrestle with ,christ1 ere ,i quit ,him4 ,but my love to ,him hath casten my soul into a fever1 and there is no cooling of my fever1 till ,i get real possession of ,christ4 ,o strong1 strong love of ,jesus1 thou hast wounded my heart with thine arrows6 ,oh pain6 ,oh pain of love for ,christ6 ,who will help me to praise8 ,let me have your prayers4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ac1 #afcg4 #bcd ,this seems to mean mould1 or fashion1 yourself and them4 ,,cxlvi4--,to ,,mr4 ,,james ,,bruce1 ,minister of the ,gospel4 ,,mr4 ,,james ,,bruce was minister of ,kingsbarns1 in the ,presbytery of ,st ,andrews2 admitted in #afcj4 ,prelacy and the ,english ceremonies had then1 for a considerable time1 been imposed upon the ,church of ,scotland4 ,but ,bruce1 like many other of her ministers1 being in principle decidedly favourable to ,presbytery1 refused to conform4 ,he was1 however1 permitted to continue in his charge1 the ,bishops at that time removing very few1 because the introduced ceremonies were so unpopular1 that it was judged dangerous and impolitic to enforce a rigid and universal compliance with them4 ,bruce made an early public appearance against the attempts of the ,court to impose the ,anglo-,popish liturgy1 or ,service ,book1 in #afcg4 ,he was a member of the ,glasgow ,assembly1 #afch4 ,he died at ,kingsbarns1 ,may #bf1 #affb1 when the storm of persecution was about to break upon the ,church of ,scotland1 being thus taken away from the evil to come4 7,,misjudging ,,of ,,christ',s ,,ways47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,well-,,beloved ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,upon the nearest acquaintance 7that we are ,father's children71 ,i thought good to write to you4 ,my case1 in my bonds for the honour of my royal ,prince and ,king1 ,jesus1 is as good as becometh the witness of such a sovereign ,king4 ,at my first coming hither1 ,i was in great heaviness1 wrestling with challenges2 being burdened in heart 7as ,i am yet71 for my silent ,sabbaths1 and for a bereaved people1 young ones new-born1 plucked from the breast1 and the children's table drawn4 ,i thought ,i was a dry tree cast over the dyke of the vineyard4 ,but my secret conceptions of ,christ's love1 at ,his sweet and long-desired return to my soul1 were found to be a lie of ,christ's love1 forged by the tempter and my own heart4 ,and ,i am persuaded it was so4 ,now there is greater peace and security within than before2 the court is raised and dismissed1 for it was not fenced in ,god's name4 ,i was far mistaken who should have summoned ,christ for unkindness2 misted faith1 and my fever1 conceived amiss of ,him4 ,now1 now1 ,he is pleased to feast a poor prisoner1 and to refresh me with joy unspeakable and glorious6 so as the ,holy ,spirit is witness that my sufferings are for ,christ's truth2 and ,god forbid that ,i should deny the testimony of the ,holy ,spirit and make ,him a false witness4 ,now1 ,i testify under my hand1 out of some small experience1 that ,christ's cause1 even with the cross1 is better than the king's crown2 and that ,his reproaches are sweet1 ,his cross perfumed1 the walls of my prison fair and large1 my losses gain4 ,i desire you1 my dear brother1 to help me to praise1 and to remember me in your prayer to ,god4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in our ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ad1 #afcg4 ,,cxlvii4--,to ,,john ,,gordon1 at ,rusco1 in the ,parish of ,anwoth1 ,galloway4 ,it is said that ,rusco means a boggy place1 referring to the original state of the place4 ,the old tower or castle still stands on a gentle slope1 three miles from ,gatehouse and two from ,anwoth1 but uninhabited4 ,the wooded height of ,castramont was part of the domain4 ,it was at this old mansion 7,rusco7 that ,robert ,campbell1 laird of ,kinzeancleugh1 the friend of ,john ,knox1 died of fever1 in #aegd1 when on a visit to ,gordon of ,lochinvar1 expressing his confidence of victory1 and his desire to depart and be with ,christ4 7,,pressing ,,into ,,heaven--,a ,,christian ,,no ,,easy ,,attainment--,,sins ,,to ,,be ,,avoided47 ,,my ,,worthy ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,misspend not your short sand-glass1 which runneth very fast2 seek your ,lord in time4 ,let me obtain of you a letter under your hand1 for a promise to ,god1 by ,his grace1 to take a new course of walking with ,god4 ,heaven is not at the next door2 ,i find it hard to be a ,christian4 ,there is no little thrusting and thringing to thrust in at heaven's gates2 it is a castle taken by force2--,many shall strive to enter in1 and shall not be able4 ,i beseech and obtest you in the ,lord1 to make conscience of rash and passionate oaths1 of raging and sudden avenging anger1 of night drinking1 of needless companionry1 of ,sabbath-breaking1 of hurting any under you by word or deed1 of hating your very enemies4 ,except ye receive the kingdom of ,god as a little child1 and be as meek and sober-minded as a babe1 ye cannot enter into the kingdom of ,god4 ,that is a word which should touch you near1 and make you stoop and cast yourself down1 and make your great spirit fall4 ,i know that this will not be easily done1 but ,i recommend it to you1 as you tender your part of the kingdom of heaven4 ,brother1 ,i may1 from new experience1 speak of ,christ to you4 ,oh1 if ye saw in ,him what ,i see6 ,a river of ,god's unseen joys has flowed from bank to brae over my soul since ,i parted with you4 ,i wish that ,i wanted part1 so being ye might have2 that your soul might be sick of love for ,christ1 or rather satiated with ,him4 ,this clay-idol1 the world1 would seem to you then not worth a fig2 time will eat you out of possession of it4 ,when the eye-strings break1 and the breath groweth cold1 and the imprisoned soul looketh out of the windows of the clay-house1 ready to leap out into eternity1 what would you then give for a lamp full of oil8 ,oh seek it now4 ,i desire you to correct and curb banning1 swearing1 lying1 drinking1 ,sabbath-breaking1 and idle spending of the ,lord's day in absence from the kirk1 as far as your authority reacheth in that parish4 ,i hear that a man is to be thrust into that place1 to the which ,i have ,god's right4 ,i know that ye should have a voice by ,god's word in that 7,acts i4 #ae1 #af1 to the end2 vi4 #c-e74 ,ye would be loath that any prelate should put you out of your possession earthly2 and this is your right4 ,what ,i write to you1 ,i write to your wife4 ,grace be with you4 ,your loving ,pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ad1 #afcg4 ,,cxlviii4--,to the ,,lady ,,hallihill4 ,,lady ,,hallihill1 whose maiden name was ,learmonth1 was the wife of ,sir ,james ,melville of ,hallhill1 in ,fife1 the son of ,sir ,james ,melville of ,hallhill1 a privy councillor to ,king ,james ,,vi41 and an accomplished statesman and courtier in his day1 who died in #afag4 7,douglas' ,peerage1 vol4 ii47 ,consequently1 this lady was sister-in-law to ,lady ,culross1 formerly noticed4 ,livingstone1 who was personally acquainted with her1 describes her as eminent for grace and gifts2 and whose memory was very precious and refreshing to him4 7,,christ',s ,,crosses ,,better ,,than ,,egypt',s ,,treasures47 ,,dear ,,and ,,christian ,,lady1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i longed much to write to your ,ladyship2 but now1 the ,lord offering a fit occasion1 ,i would not omit to do it4 ,i cannot but acquaint your ,ladyship with the kind dealing of ,christ to my soul1 in this house of my pilgrimage1 that your ,ladyship may know that ,he is as good as ,he is called4 ,for at my first entry into this trial 7being casten down and troubled with challenges and jealousies of ,his love1 whose name and testimony ,i now bear in my bonds71 ,i feared nothing more than that ,i was casten over the dyke of the vineyard1 as a dry tree4 ,but1 blessed be ,his great name1 the dry tree was in the fire1 and was not burnt2 ,his dew came down and quickened the root of a withered plant4 ,and now ,he is come again with joy1 and hath been pleased to feast ,his exiled and afflicted prisoner with the joy of ,his consolations4 ,now ,i weep1 but am not sad2 ,i am chastened1 but ,i die not2 ,i have loss1 but ,i want nothing2 this water cannot drown me1 this fire cannot burn me1 because of the good-will of ,him that dwelt in ,the ,bush4 ,the worst things of ,christ1 ,his reproaches1 ,his cross1 are better than ,egypt's treasures4 ,he hath opened ,his door1 and taken into ,his house-of-wine a poor sinner1 and hath left me so sick of love for my ,lord ,jesus1 that if heaven were at my disposing1 ,i would give it for ,christ1 and would not be content to go to heaven1 except ,i were persuaded that ,christ were there4 ,i would not give1 nor exchange1 my bonds for the prelates' velvets2 nor my prison for their coaches2 nor my sighs for all the world's laughter4 ,this clay-idol1 the world1 hath no great court in my soul4 ,christ hath come and run away to heaven with my heart and my love1 so that neither heart nor love is mine3 ,i pray ,god1 that ,christ may keep both without reversion4 ,in my estimation1 as ,i am now disposed1 if my part of this world's clay were rouped and sold1 ,i would think it dear of a drink of water4 ,i see ,christ's love is so kingly1 that it will not abide a marrow2 it must have a throne all alone in the soul4 ,and ,i see that apples beguile bairns1 howbeit they be worm-eaten4 ,the moth-eaten pleasures of this present world make bairns believe ten is a hundred1 and yet all that are here are but shadows4 ,if they would draw by the curtain that is hung betwixt them and ,christ1 they should see themselves fools who have so long miskenned the ,son of ,god4 ,i seek no more1 next to heaven1 than that ,he may be glorified in a prisoner of ,christ2 and that in my behalf many would praise ,his high and glorious name who heareth the sighing of the prisoner4 ,remember my service to the laird1 your husband2 and to your son1 my acquaintance4 ,i wish that ,christ had his young love1 and that in the morning he would start to the gate1 to seek that which the world knoweth not1 and1 therefore1 doth not seek it4 ,the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ad1 #afcg4 ,,cxlix4--,to the much honoured ,,john ,,osburn1 ,provost of ,ayr4 ,,of ,,john ,,osburn1 merchant in ,ayr1 and at this time chief magistrate of that burgh1 little is now known4 ,he died about the close of the year #afec1 or beginning of the following year1 as appears from his son ,david being retoured his heir on #agth ,january #afed4 ,he appears on the list of the gentlemen in ,ayrshire whom ,middleton fined in #affb4 7,,adherence ,,to ,,christ--,,his ,,approbation ,,worth ,,all ,,worlds47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,upon our small acquaintance1 and the good report ,i hear of you1 ,i could not but write to you4 ,i have nothing to say1 but that ,christ1 in that honourable place ,he hath put you in1 hath intrusted you with a dear pledge1 which is ,his own glory2 and hath armed you with ,his sword to keep the pledge1 and make a good account of it to ,god4 ,be not afraid of men4 ,your ,master can mow down ,his enemies1 and make withered hay of fair flowers4 ,your time will not be long2 after your afternoon will come your evening1 and after evening1 night4 ,serve ,christ4 ,back ,him2 let ,his cause be your cause2 give not an hair-breadth of truth away2 for it is not yours1 but ,god's4 ,then1 since ye are going1 take ,christ's testificate with you out of this life--,well done1 good and faithful servant6 ,his well done is worth a shipful of good-days and earthly honours4 ,i have cause to say this1 because ,i find ,him truth itself4 ,in my sad days1 ,christ laugheth cheerfully1 and saith1 ,all will be well6 ,would to ,god that all this kingdom1 and all that know ,god1 knew what is betwixt ,christ and me in this prison--what kisses1 embracements1 and love communion6 ,i take ,his cross in my arms with joy2 ,i bless it1 ,i rejoice in it4 ,suffering for ,christ is my garland4 ,i would not exchange ,christ for ten thousand worlds6 nay1 if the comparison could stand1 ,i would not exchange ,christ with heaven4 ,sir1 pray for me1 and the prayers and blessing of a prisoner of ,christ meet you in all your straits4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in ,christ ,jesus1 his ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ad1 #afcg4 ,,cl4--,to his loving ,friend1 ,,john ,,henderson4 ,see ,letter ,,ccvii4 7,,continuing ,,in ,,christ--,,preparedness ,,for ,,death47 ,,loving ,,friend1--,continue in the love of ,christ1 and the doctrine which ,i taught you faithfully and painfully1 according to my measure4 ,i am free of your blood4 ,fear the dreadful name of ,god4 ,keep in mind the examinations#bce which ,i taught you1 and love the truth of ,god4 ,death1 as fast as time fleeth1 chaseth you out of this life2 it is possible that ye may make your reckoning with your ,judge before ,i see you4 ,let salvation be your care1 night and day1 and set aside hours and times of the day for prayer4 ,i rejoice to hear that there is prayer in your house4 ,see that your servants keep the ,lord's day4 ,this dirt and god of clay 7,i mean the vain world7 is not worth the seeking4 #bce ,perhaps 7see in ,letter ,,clxvi47 his instructions on the ,catechism are meant4 ,an hireling pastor is to be thrust in upon you1 in the room to which ,i have ,christ's warrant and right4 ,stand to your liberties1 for the word of ,god alloweth you a vote in choosing your pastor4 ,what ,i write to you1 ,i write to your wife4 ,commend me heartily to her4 ,the grace of ,god be with you4 ,your loving ,friend and ,pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ad1 #afcg4 ,,cli4--,to ,,john ,,meine1 ,senior4 ,,john ,,meine1 merchant in ,edinburgh1 was a man of enlightened piety1 and a decided ,presbyterian4 ,his zeal and stedfastness in maintaining ,presbyterian principles exposed him to the resentment of the court and prelates4 ,having1 with other citizens of ,edinburgh1 encouraged ,nonconforming ministers1 by accompanying them to the court when they were dragged before the ,high ,commission1 he was1 without citation or trial1 banished to ,wigtown by the ,privy ,council1 according to the orders of the king4 ,but the execution of the sentence was suspended4 ,in regard to the ,perth ,articles1 he would make no compromise4 ,in #afbd1 when the ,town ,council1 ,session1 and citizens of ,edinburgh1 convened1 according to an ancient custom observed among them from the time of the ,reformation1 to remove such grounds of difference as might have arisen1 before uniting in the celebration of the ,lord's ,supper1 ,meine strongly pleaded that the ordinance should be solemnised without kneeling1 a ceremony with which 7he said7 he could not comply4 ,on account of his zeal in this matter1 he was summoned before the ,privy ,council4 ,the result was1 that in ,june that year1 he was sentenced to be banished to the north and confined within the town of ,elgin4 ,about the beginning of ,january next year1 he obtained liberty for a few days to visit his family1 but on the understanding that he should afterwards return to his place of confinement4 ,however1 the death of ,james ,,vi4 on the #bgth of ,march that year1 put an end to his trouble for a time4 ,livingstone1 describing him in his ,memorable ,characteristics1 says1 ,he used1 summer and winter1 to rise about three in the morning1 and always sing some psalm as he put on his clothes4 ,he spent till six o'clock alone in religious exercises1 and at six worshipped ,god with his family1 and then went to his shop4 ,meine was married to ,barbara ,hamilton1 sister to the first wife of the famous ,robert ,blair4 7,,enjoyment ,,of ,,god',s ,,love--,,need ,,of ,,help--,,burdens47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i wonder that ye sent me not an answer to my last letter1 for ,i stand in need of it4 ,i am in some piece of court1 with our great ,king1 whose love would cause a dead man to speak1 and live4 ,whether my court will continue or not1 ,i cannot well say2 but ,i have ,his ear frequently1 and 7to ,his glory only ,i speak it7 no penury of the love-kisses of the ,son of ,god4 ,he thinketh good to cast apples to me in my prison to play withal1 lest ,i should think long and faint4 ,i must give over all attempts to fathom the depth of ,his love4 ,all ,i can do is1 but to stand beside ,his great love1 and look and wonder4 ,my debts of thankfulness affright me2 ,i fear that my creditor get a dyvour-bill and ragged account4 ,i would be much the better of help4 ,oh for help6 and that ye would take notice of my case4 ,your not writing to me maketh me think ye suppose that ,i am not to be bemoaned1 because ,he sendeth comfort4 ,but ,i have pain in my unthankfulness1 and pain in the feeling of ,his love1 whill ,i am sick again for real presence and real possession of ,christ4 ,yet there is no gowked 7if ,i may so speak71 nor fond love in ,christ4 ,he casteth me down sometimes for old faults2 and ,i know that ,he knoweth well that sweet comforts are swelling1 and therefore sorrow must take a vent to the wind4 ,my dumb ,sabbaths are undercoating wounds4 ,the condition of this oppressed kirk1 and my brother's case 7,i thank you and your wife for your kindness to him71 hold my sore smarting1 and keep my wounds bleeding4 ,but the groundwork standeth sure4 ,pray for me4 ,grace be with you4 ,remember me to your wife4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ad1 #afcg4 ,,clii4--,to ,,mr4 ,,thomas ,,garven4 ,this correspondent was one of the ministers of ,edinburgh4 ,letters ,,clxv4 and ,,ccxlvii4 also are addressed to him4 ,brodie1 in his ,diary1 ,june #affb1 speaks of hearing him preach4 7,a ,,prisoner',s ,,joys--,,love ,,of ,,christ--,,the ,,good ,,part--,,heaven ,,in ,,sight47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i bless you for your letter2 it was a shower to the new-mown grass4 ,the ,lord hath given you the tongue of the learned4 ,be fruitful and humble4 ,it is possible that ye may come to my case1 or the like2 but the water is neither so deep1 nor the stream so strong1 as it is called4 ,i think my fire is not so hot2 my water is dry land1 my loss rich loss4 ,oh1 if#bcf the walls of my prison be high1 wide1 and large1 and the place sweet6 ,no man knoweth it1 no man1 ,i say1 knoweth it1 my dear brother1 so well as ,he and ,i2 no man can put it down in black and white as my ,lord hath sealed it in my heart4 ,my poor stock hath grown since ,i came to ,aberdeen2 and if any had known the wrong ,i did1 in being jealous of such an honest lover as ,christ1 who withheld not ,his love from me1 they would think the more of it4 ,but ,i see1 ,he must be above me in mercy4 ,i will never strive with ,him2 to think to recompense ,him is folly4 ,if ,i had as many angels' tongues1 as there have fallen drops of rain since the creation1 or as there are leaves of trees in all the forests of the earth1 or stars in the heaven1 to praise1 yet my ,lord ,jesus would ever be behind with me4#bcg ,we will never get our accounts fitted4 ,a pardon must close the reckoning2 for ,his comforts to me in this honourable cause have almost put me beyond the bounds of modesty2 howbeit ,i will not let every one know what is betwixt us4 ,love1 love 7,i mean ,christ's love71 is the hottest coal that ever ,i felt4 ,oh1 but the smoke of it be hot6 ,cast all the salt sea on it1 it will flame2 hell cannot quench it2 many many waters will not quench love4 ,christ is turned over to ,his poor prisoner in a mass and globe of love4 ,i wonder that ,he should waste so much love upon such a waster as ,i am2 but ,he is no waster1 but abundant in mercy4 ,he hath no niggard's alms1 when ,he is pleased to give4 ,oh that ,i could invite all the nation to love ,him6 ,free grace is an unknown thing4 ,this world hath heard but a bare name of ,christ1 and no more4 ,there are infinite plies in ,his love that the saints will never win to unfold2 ,i would it were better known1 and that ,christ got more of ,his own due than ,he doth4 #bcf ,oh if2 q4d41 ,what will you say if ,i tell you that the walls of my prison are1 etc4 #bcg ,never have got ,his due from me4 ,brother1 ye have chosen the good part1 who have taken part with ,christ4 ,ye will see ,him win the field1 and shall get part of the spoil when ,he divideth it4 ,they are but fools who laugh at us2 for they see but the backside of the moon1 yet our moonlight is better than their twelve-hours' sun4 ,we have gotten the ,new ,heavens1 and1 as a pledge of that1 the ,bridegroom's love-ring4 ,the children of the wedding-chamber have cause to skip and leap for joy2 for the marriage-supper is drawing nigh1 and we find the four-hours sweet and comfortable4 ,o time1 be not slow6 ,o sun1 move speedily1 and hasten our banquet6 ,o ,bridegroom1 be like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains6 ,o ,well-beloved1 run fast1 that we may once meet6 ,brother1 ,i restrain myself for want of time4 ,pray for me2 ,i hope to remember you4 ,the good-will of ,him who dwelt in the bush1 the tender mercies of ,god in ,christ1 enrich you4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ad1 #afcg4 ,,cliii4--,to ,,bethaia ,,aird4 ,the name ,aird is not uncommon in the history of the ,church4 ,mr4 ,wm4 ,aird was a noted minister in ,edinburgh in ,livingstone's days4 ,wodrow's ,history mentions ,aird of ,muirkirk1 and also ,john ,aird of ,milton4 ,in the memoir of ,walter ,pringle of ,greenknow1 we find ,james ,aird was his intimate friend4 ,but whether this correspondent was related to any of them1 we know not4 ,she may have been simply an ,anwoth parishioner4 7,,unbelief ,,under ,,trial--,,christ',s ,,sympathy ,,and ,,love47 ,,worthy ,,sister1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be unto you4 ,i know that ye desire news from my prison1 and ,i shall show you news4 ,at my first entry hither1 ,christ and ,i agreed not well upon it4 ,the devil made a plea in the house1 and ,i laid the blame upon ,christ2 for my heart was fraughted with challenges1 and ,i feared that ,i was an outcast1 and that ,i was but a withered tree in the vineyard1 and but held the sun off the good plants with my idle shadow1 and that1 therefore1 my ,master had given the evil servant the fields1 to send him4 ,old guiltiness 7as witness7 said1 ,all is true4 ,my apprehensions were with child of faithless fears1 and unbelief put a seal and amen to all4 ,i thought myself in a hard case4 ,some said ,i had cause to rejoice that ,christ had honoured me to be a witness for ,him2 and ,i said in my heart1 ,these are words of men1 who see but mine outside1 and cannot tell if ,i be a false witness or not4 ,if ,christ had in this matter been as wilful and short as ,i was1 my faith had gone over the brae1 and broken its neck4 ,but we were well met1--a hasty fool1 and a wise1 patient1 and meek ,saviour4 ,he took no law-advantage of my folly1 but waited on till my ill-blood was fallen1 and my drumbled and troubled well began to clear4 ,he was never a whit angry at the fever-ravings of a poor tempted sinner2 but ,he mercifully forgave1 and came 7as it well becometh ,him71 with grace and new comfort1 to a sinner who deserved the contrary1 ,and now ,he is content to kiss my black mouth1 to put ,his hand into mine1 and to feed me with as many consolations as would feed ten hungry souls4 ,yet ,i dare not say that ,he is a waster of comforts1 for no less would have borne me up2 one grain-weight less would have casten the balance4 ,now1 who is like to that royal ,king1 crowned in ,zion6 ,where shall ,i get a seat for real ,majesty to set ,him on8 ,if ,i could set ,him as far above the heaven as thousand thousands of heights devised by men and angels1 ,i should think ,him but too low4 ,i pray you1 for ,god's sake1 my dear sister1 to help me to praise4 ,his love hath neither brim nor bottom2 ,his love is like ,himself1 it passeth all natural understanding4 ,i go to fathom it with my arms2 but it is as if a child would take the globe of sea and land in his two short arms4 ,blessed and holy is ,his name6 ,this must be ,his truth which ,i now suffer for2 for ,he would not laugh upon a lie1 nor be witness with ,his comforts to a night-dream4 ,i entreat for your prayers2 and the prayer and blessing of a prisoner of ,christ be upon you4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ad1 #afcg4 ,,cliv4--,to ,,alexander ,,gordon of ,knockgray1 near ,carsphairn4 7,,prospective ,,trials47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,i have not leisure to write to you4 ,christ's ways were known to you long before ,i1 who am but a child1 knew anything of ,him4 ,what wrong and violence the prelates may1 by ,god's permission1 do unto you1 for your trial1 ,i know not2 but this ,i know1 that your ten days' tribulation will end4 ,contend to the last breath for ,christ4 ,banishment out of these kingdoms is determined against me1 as ,i hear2 this land dow not bear me4 ,i pray you1 to recommend my case and bonds to my brethren and sisters with you4 ,i intrust more of my spiritual comfort to you and them that way1 my dear brother1 than to many in this kingdom besides4 ,i hope that ye will not be wanting to ,christ's prisoner4 ,fear nothing2 for ,i assure you that ,alexander ,gordon of ,knockgray shall win away and get his soul for a prey4 ,and what can he then want that is worth the having8 ,your friends are cold 7as ye write72 and so are those in whom ,i trusted much4 ,our ,husband doth well in breaking our idols in pieces4 ,dry wells send us to the fountain4 ,my life is not dear to me1 so being ,i may fulfil my course with joy4 ,i fear that ye must remove2 your new hireling will not bear your discountenancing of him1 for the prelate is afraid that ,christ get you2 and that he hath no will to4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord and ,master1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,clv4--,to ,,grizzel ,,fullerton4 ,,grizzel ,,fullerton was the daughter of ,william ,fullerton1 ,provost of ,kirkcudbright1 and ,marion ,m',naught4 ,see ,letter ,,vi4 7,,the ,,one ,,thing ,,needful--,,christ',s ,,love47 ,,dear ,,sister1--,i exhort you in the ,lord1 to seek your one thing1 ,mary's good part1 that shall not be taken from you4 ,set your heart and soul on the children's inheritance4 ,this clay-idol1 the world1 is but for bastards1 and ye are ,his lawfully-begotten child4 ,learn the way 7as your dear mother hath done before you7 to knock at ,christ's door4 ,many an alms of mercy hath ,christ given to her1 and hath abundance behind to give to you4 ,ye are the seed of the faithful1 and born within the covenant2 claim your right4 ,i would not exchange ,christ ,jesus for ten worlds of glory4 ,i know now 7blessed be my ,teacher67 how to shute the lock1 and unbolt my ,well-beloved's door2 and ,he maketh a poor stranger welcome when ,he cometh to ,his house4 ,i am swelled up and satisfied with the love of ,christ1 that is better than wine4 ,it is a fire in my soul2 let hell and the world cast water on it1 they will not mend themselves4 ,i have now gotten the right gate of ,christ4 ,i recommend ,him to you above all things4 ,come and find the smell of ,his breath2 see if ,his kisses be not sweet4 ,he desireth no better than to be much made of2 be homely with ,him1 and ye shall be the more welcome2 ye know not how fain ,christ would have all your love4 ,think not this is imagination and bairns' play1 which we make din for4 ,i would not suffer for it1 if it were so4 ,i dare pawn my heaven for it1 that it is the way to glory4 ,think much of truth1 and abhor these ways devised by men in ,god's worship4 ,the grace of ,christ be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ad1 #afcg4 ,,clvi4--,to ,,patrick ,,carsen4 ,this was1 perhaps1 the son of ,john ,carsen1 formerly noticed4 ,see ,letter ,,cxxvii4 7,,early ,,devotedness ,,to ,,christ47 ,,dear ,,and ,,loving ,,friend1--,i cannot but1 upon the opportunity of a bearer1 exhort you to resign the love of your youth to ,christ2 and in this day1 while your sun is high and your youth serveth you1 to seek the ,lord and ,his face4 ,for there is nothing out of heaven so necessary for you as ,christ4 ,and ye cannot be ignorant but your day will end1 and the night of death shall call you from the pleasures of this life3 and a doom given out in death standeth for ever--as long as ,god liveth6 ,youth1 ordinarily1 is a post and ready servant for ,satan1 to run errands2 for it is a nest for lust1 cursing1 drunkenness1 blaspheming of ,god1 lying1 pride1 and vanity4 ,oh1 that there were such an heart in you as to fear the ,lord1 and to dedicate your soul and body to ,his service6 ,when the time cometh that your eye-strings shall break1 and your face wax pale1 and legs and arms tremble1 and your breath shall grow cold1 and your poor soul look out at your prison house of clay1 to be set at liberty2 then a good conscience1 and your ,lord's favour1 shall be worth all the world's glory4 ,seek it as your garland and crown4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ad1 #afcg4 ,,clvii4--,to ,,carleton4 ,livingstone1 in his ,characteristics1 mentions two persons of this name3 ,fullerton of ,carleton1 in ,galloway1 a grave and cheerful ,christian2 and ,cathcart of ,carleton1 in ,carrick1 an old1 experienced ,christian1 in much repute among the religious of his day1 for his skill in solving cases of conscience1 and dealing with persons under spiritual affliction4 ,but it seems clear that ,rutherford's correspondent was ,john ,fullerton of ,carleton1 in the parish of ,borgue4 ,for1 in ,letter ,,xv4 he is spoken of as in ,galloway4 ,in the ,minutes of ,comm4 of ,covenanters1 we find the following estates put side by side1 all of them a few miles from ,anwoth1 viz4 ,roberton and ,carleton1 ,caillie and ,rusco1 ,carsluth and ,cassincarrie4 ,his lady's name appears prefixed to ,letter ,,cclvi4 ,this1 too1 was the ,carleton that wrote the ,acrostic on ,marion ,m',naught 7see note on ,letter ,v474 ,he was the author of a poem--,the ,turtle ,dove1 under the absence and presence of her only ,choice4 #affd1--;dedicated by the author to ,lady ,jane ,campbell1 ,viscountess ,kenmure1 with whom he was connected4 ,he also wrote ,a ,manifesto of the ,kingdom of ,scotland in favour of the ,league and ,covenant1 in verse4 7,see ,minutes of ,comm4 of ,covenanters47 7,,increasing ,,sense ,,of ,,christ',s ,,love--,,resignation--,,deadness ,,to ,,earth--,,temptations--,,infirmities47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,i will not impute your not writing to me to forgetfulness4 ,however1 ,i have ,one above who forgetteth me not--nay1 ,he groweth in ,his kindness4 ,it hath pleased ,his holy ,majesty to take me from the pulpit1 and teach me many things1 in my exile and prison1 that were mysteries to me before4 ,i see ,his bottomless and boundless love and kindness1 and my jealousies and ravings1 which1 at my first entry into this furnace1 were so foolish and bold1 as to say to ,christ1 who is truth itself1 in ,his face1 ,thou liest4 ,i had well nigh lost my grips4 ,i wondered if it was ,christ or not2 for the mist and smoke of my perturbed heart made me mistake my ,master1 ,jesus4 ,my faith was dim1 and hope frozen and cold2 and my love1 which caused jealousies1 had some warmness1 and heat1 and smoke1 but no flame at all4 ,yet ,i was looking for some good of ,christ's old claim to me1 though#bch ,i had forfeited all my rights4 ,but the tempter was too much upon my counsels1 and was still blowing the coal4 ,alas6 ,i knew not well before how good skill my ,intercessor and ,advocate1 ,christ1 hath of pleading1 and of pardoning me such follies4 ,now ,he is returned to my soul with healing under ,his wings2 and ,i am nothing behind with ,christ#bci now2 for ,he hath overpaid me1 by ,his presence1 the pain ,i was put to by on-waiting1 and any little loss that ,i sustained by my witnessing against the wrongs done to ,him4 ,i trow it was a pain to my ,lord to hide ,himself any longer4 ,in a manner1 ,he was challenging ,his own unkindness1 and repented ,him of ,his glooms4 ,and now1 what want ,i on earth that ,christ can give to a poor prisoner8 ,oh1 how sweet and lovely is ,he now6 ,alas6 that ,i can get none to help me to lift up my ,lord ,jesus upon ,his throne1 above all the earth4 #bch ,i thought is the old reading1 but it has no meaning4 #bci ,christ has paid me all my claim4 #bndly1 ,i am now brought to some measure of submission1 and ,i resolve to wait till ,i see what my ,lord ,jesus will do with me4 ,i dare not now nickname1 or speak one word against1 the all-seeing and over-watching providence of my ,lord4 ,i see that providence runneth not on broken wheels4 ,but ,i1 like a fool1 carved a providence for my own ease1 to die in my nest1 and to sleep still till my grey hairs1 and to lie on the sunny side of the mountain1 in my ministry at ,anwoth4 ,but now ,i have nothing to say against a borrowed fireside1 and another man's house1 nor ,kedar's tents1 where ,i live1 being removed far from my acquaintance1 my lovers1 and my friends4 ,i see that ,god hath the world on ,his wheels1 and casteth it as a potter doth a vessel on the wheel4 ,i dare not say that there is any inordinate or irregular motion in providence4 ,the ,lord hath done it4 ,i will not go to law with ,christ1 for ,i would gain nothing of that4 #crdly1 ,i have learned some greater mortification2 and not to mourn after1 or seek to suck1 the world's dry breasts4 ,nay1 my ,lord hath filled me with such dainties1 that ,i am like to a full banqueter1 who is not for common cheer4 ,what have ,i to do to fall down upon my knees1 and worship mankind's great idol1 the world8 ,i have a better ,god than any claygod3 nay1 at present1 as ,i am now disposed1 ,i care not much to give this world a discharge of my life-rent of it1 for bread and water4 ,i know that it is not my home1 nor my ,father's house2 it is but ,his foot-stool1 the outer close of ,his house1 ,his out-fields and muir-ground4 ,let bastards take it4 ,i hope never to think myself in its common1 for honour or riches4 ,nay1 now ,i say to laughter1 ,thou art madness4 #dthly1 ,i find it to be most true1 that the greatest temptation out of hell is to live without temptations4 ,if my waters should stand1 they would rot4 ,faith is the better of the free air1 and of the sharp winter storm in its face4 ,grace withereth without adversity4 ,the devil is but ,god's master fencer1 to teach us to handle our weapons4 #ethly1 ,i never knew how weak ,i was1 till now when ,he hideth ,himself1 and when ,i have ,him to seek1 seven times a day4 ,i am a dry and withered branch1 and a piece of dead carcass1 dry bones1 and not able to step over a straw4 ,the thoughts of my old sins are as the summons of death to me1 and my late brother's case hath stricken me to the heart4 ,when my wounds are closing1 a little ruffle#bdj causeth them to bleed afresh2 so thin-skinned is my soul1 that ,i think it is like a tender man's skin that may touch nothing4 ,ye see how short ,i would shoot of the prize1 if ,his grace were not sufficient for me4 #bdj ,it is written rifle in old editions4 ,wo is me for the day of ,scotland6 ,wo1 wo is me for my harlot-mother2 for the decree is gone forth6 ,women of this land shall call the childless and miscarrying wombs blessed4 ,the anger of the ,lord is gone forth1 and shall not return1 till ,he perform the purpose of ,his heart against ,scotland4 ,yet ,he shall make ,scotland a new1 sharp instrument1 having teeth to thresh the mountains1 and fan the hills as chaff4 ,the prisoner's blessing be upon you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ad1 #afcg4 ,,clviii4--,to the ,,lady ,,busbie4 ,see ,letter ,,cxxxiii4 7,,christ ,,allworthy ,,and ,,best ,,at ,,our ,,lowest--,,sinfulness ,,of ,,the ,,land--,,prayers47 ,,mistress1--,i know that ye are thinking sometimes what ,christ is doing in ,zion1 and that the haters of ,zion may get the bottom of our cup1 and the burning coals of our furnace that we have been tried in1 those many years bygone4 ,oh1 that this nation would be awakened to cry mightily unto ,god1 for the setting up of a new tabernacle to ,christ in ,scotland4 ,oh1 if this kingdom knew how worthy ,christ were of ,his room6 ,his worth was ever above man's estimation of ,him4 ,and for myself ,i am pained at the heart1 that ,i cannot find myself disposed to leave myself and go wholly into ,christ4 ,alas6 that there should be one bit of me out of ,him1 and that we leave too much liberty and latitude for ourselves1 and our own ease1 and credit1 and pleasures1 and so little room for all-love-worthy ,christ4 ,oh1 what pains and charges it costeth ,christ ere ,he get us6 and when all is done1 we are not worth the having4 ,it is a wonder that ,he should seek the like of us4 ,but love overlooketh blackness and fecklessness2 for if it had not been so1 ,christ would never have made so fair and blessed a bargain with us as the covenant of grace is4 ,i find that in all our sufferings ,christ is but redding marches1 that every one of us may say1 ,mine1 and thine2 and that men may know by their crosses1 how weak a bottom nature is to stand upon in trial2 that the end which our ,lord intendeth1 in all our sufferings1 is to bring grace into court and request amongst us4 ,i should succumb and come short of heaven1 if ,i had no more than my own strength to support me2 and if ,christ should say to me1 ,either do or die1 it were easy to determine what should become of me4 ,the choice were easy1 for ,i behoved to die if ,christ should pass by with straitened bowels2 and who then would take us up in our straits8 ,i know we may say that ,christ is kindest in ,his love1 when we are at our weakest2 and that if ,christ had not been to the fore1 in our sad days1 the waters had gone over our soul4 ,his mercy hath a set period1 and appointed place1 how far and no farther the sea of affliction shall flow1 and where the waves thereof shall be stayed4 ,he prescribeth how much pain and sorrow1 both for weight and measure1 we must have4 ,ye have1 then1 good cause to recall your love from all lovers1 and give it to ,christ4 ,he who is afflicted in all your afflictions1 looketh not on you in your sad hours with an insensible heart or dry eyes4 ,all the ,lord's saints may see that it is lost love which is bestowed upon this perishing world4 ,death and judgment will make men lament that ever their miscarrying hearts carried them to lay and lavish out their love upon false appearances and night-dreams4 ,alas6 that ,christ should fare the worse1 because of ,his own goodness in making peace and the ,gospel to ride together2 and that we have never yet weighed the worth of ,christ in ,his ordinances1 and that we are like to be deprived of the well1 ere we have tasted the sweetness of the water4 ,it may be that with watery eyes1 and a wet face1 and wearied feet1 we seek ,christ1 and shall not find ,him4 ,oh1 that this land were humbled in time1 and by prayers1 cries1 and humiliation1 would bring ,christ in at the church-door again1 now when ,his back is turned towards us1 and ,he is gone to the threshold1 and ,his one foot1 as it were1 is out of the door6 ,i am sure that ,his departure is our deserving2 we have bought it with our iniquities2 for even the ,lord's own children are fallen asleep1 and1 alas6 professors are made all of shows and fashions1 and are not at pains to recover themselves again4 ,every one hath his set measure of faith and holiness1 and contenteth himself with but a stinted measure of godliness1 as if that were enough to bring him to heaven4 ,we forget that as our gifts and light grow1 so ,god's gain and the interest of ,his talents1 should grow also2 and that we cannot pay ,god with the old use and wont 7as we use to speak7 which we gave ,him seven years ago2 for this were to mock the ,lord1 and to make price with ,him as we list4 ,oh1 what difficulty is there in our ,christian journey1 and how often come we short of many thousand things that are ,christ's due6 and we consider not how far our dear ,lord is behind with us4 ,mistress1 ,i cannot render you thanks1 as ,i would1 for your kindness to my brother1 an oppressed stranger2 but ,i remember you unto the ,lord as ,i am able4 ,i entreat you to think upon me1 ,his prisoner1 and pray that the ,lord would be pleased to give me room to speak to ,his people in ,his name4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord and ,master1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,clix4--,to ,,john ,,fleming1 ,bailie of ,leith4 ,letter ,,lxviii4 7,,directions ,,for ,,christian ,,conduct47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,dearly ,,beloved ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be unto you4 ,i received your letter4 ,i wish that ,i could satisfy your desire in drawing up1 and framing for you1 a ,christian directory4 ,but the learned have done it before me1 more judiciously than ,i can2 especially ,mr4 ,rogers1#bda ,greenham1#bdb and ,perkins4#bdc ,notwithstanding1 ,i shall show you what ,i would have been at myself2 howbeit ,i came always short of my purpose4 #bda ,dr4 ,daniel ,rogers1 a ,puritan divine1 author of a treatise called ,david's ,cost2 or1 ,what it will cost to serve ,god aright1 ,naaman the ,syrian1 and others4 ,he was born in #aegc1 educated at ,cambridge1 suffered from the persecution of ,laud1 and died in #afeb at the age of eighty4 ,he was a man of great talents1 deep humility and devotion1 but of a temper so bold that a friend said of him1 ,he had grace enough for two men1 but not enough for himself4 #bdb ,richard ,greenham1 a ,puritan1 who was born in #aeca1 and died of the plague #aeia4 ,he was the author of several sermons and practical treatises4 7,see ,brooke's ,lives of the ,puritans1 vol4 ii47 #bdc ,dr4 ,wm4 ,perkins1 an ,english divine1 who lived in the end of the sixteenth century1 and was the author of several practical and doctrinal treatises2 among others1 the one here referred to1 ,a ,case of ,conscience1 and ,thirteen ,principles of ,religion1 published after his death4 ,he was a strict ,calvinist1 and took part in the controversy against ,arminianism4 ,he used so to apply the terrors of the law to the conscience1 that oftentimes his hearers fell down before him4 ,it was also said that he pronounced the word ,damnation with such an emphasis and pathos as left a doleful echo in the ear long after4 ,he wrote on all his books1 ,thou art a minister of the ,word3 mind thy business4 #a4 ,that hours of the day1 less or more time1 for the word and prayer1 be given to ,god2 not sparing the twelfth hour1 or mid-day1 howbeit it should then be the shorter time4 #b4 ,in the midst of worldly employments1 there should be some thoughts of sin1 death1 judgment1 and eternity1 with at least a word or two of ejaculatory prayer to ,god4 #c4 ,to beware of wandering of heart in private prayers4 #d4 ,not to grudge1 howbeit ye come from prayer without sense of joy4 ,down-casting1 sense of guiltiness1 and hunger1 are often best for us4 #e4 ,that the ,lord's-day1 from morning to night1 be spent always either in private or public worship4 #f4 ,that words be observed1 wandering and idle thoughts be avoided1 sudden anger and desire of revenge1 even of such as persecute the truth1 be guarded against2 for we often mix our zeal with our wild-fire4 #g4 ,that known1 discovered1 and revealed sins1 that are against the conscience1 be eschewed1 as most dangerous preparatives to hardness of heart4 #h4 ,that in dealing with men1 faith and truth in covenants and trafficking be regarded1 that we deal with all men in sincerity2 that conscience be made of idle and lying words2 and that our carriage be such1 as that they who see it may speak honourably of our sweet ,master and profession4 #i4 ,i have been much challenged--#a4 ,for not referring all to ,god as the last end2 that ,i do not eat1 drink1 sleep1 journey1 speak1 and think for ,god4 #b4 ,that ,i have not benefited by good company2 and that ,i left not some word of conviction1 even upon natural and wicked men1 as by reproving swearing in them2 or because of being a silent witness to their loose carriage2 and because ,i intended not in all companies to do good4 #c4 ,that the woes and calamities of the kirk1 and of particular professors1 have not moved me4 #d4 ,that at the reading of the life of ,david1 ,paul1 and the like1 when it humbled me1 ,i 7coming so far short of their holiness7 laboured not to imitate them1 afar off at least1 according to the measure of ,god's grace4 #e4 ,that unrepented sins of youth were not looked to1 and lamented for4 #f4 ,that sudden stirrings of pride1 lust1 revenge1 love of honours1 were not resisted and mourned for4 #g4 ,that my charity was cold4 #h4 ,that the experiences ,i had of ,god's hearing me1 in this and the other particular1 being gathered1 yet in a new trouble ,i had always 7once at least7 my faith to seek1 as if ,i were to begin at ,a1 ,b1 ,c again4 #i4 ,that ,i have not more boldly contradicted the enemies speaking against the truth1 either in public church meetings1 or at tables1 or ordinary conference4 #aj4 ,that in great troubles ,i have received false reports of ,christ's love1 and misbelieved ,him in ,his chastening2 whereas the event hath said1 ,all was in mercy4 #aa4 ,nothing more moveth me1 and weighteth my soul1 than that ,i could never from#bdd my heart1 in my prosperity1 so wrestle in prayer with ,god1 nor be so dead to the world1 so hungry and sick of love for ,christ1 so heavenly-minded1 as when ten stone-weight of a heavy cross was upon me4 #ab4 ,that the cross extorted vows of new obedience1 which ease hath blown away1 as chaff before the wind4 #ac4 ,that practice was so short and narrow1 and light so long and broad4 #ad4 ,that death hath not been often meditated upon4 #ae4 ,that ,i have not been careful of gaining others to ,christ4 #af4 ,that my grace and gifts bring forth little or no thankfulness4 #bdd ,should probably be from2 though it is for in other editions4 ,there are some things1 also1 whereby ,i have been helped1 as--#a4 ,i have been benefited by riding alone a long journey1 in giving that time to prayer4 #b4 ,by abstinence1 and giving days to ,god4 #c4 ,by praying for others2 for by making an errand to ,god for them1 ,i have gotten something for myself4 #d4 ,i have been really confirmed1 in many particulars1 that ,god heareth prayers2 and1 therefore1 ,i used to pray for anything1 of how little importance soever4 #e4 ,he enabled me to make no question1 that this mocked way1 which is nicknamed1 is the only way to heaven4 ,sir1 these and many more occurrences in your life1 should be looked into2 and1 #a4 ,thoughts of ,atheism should be watched over1 as1 ,if there be a ,god in heaven8 which will trouble and assault the best at some times4 #b4 ,growth in grace should be cared for above all things2 and falling from our first love mourned for4 #c4 ,conscience made of praying for the enemies1 who are blinded4 ,sir1 ,i thank you most kindly for the care of my brother1 and of me also4 ,i hope it is laid up for you1 and remembered in heaven4 ,i am still ashamed with ,christ's kindness to such a sinner as ,i am4 ,he hath left a fire in my heart1 that hell cannot cast water on1 to quench or extinguish it4 ,help me to praise1 and pray for me1 for ye have a prisoner's blessing and prayers4 ,remember my love to your wife4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours in ,christ ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,march #ae1 #afcg4 ,,clx4--,to ,,alexander ,,gordon of ,earlston4 7,,hungering ,,after ,,christ ,,himself ,,rather ,,than ,,his ,,love47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,worthy ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be unto you4--,i long to hear from you4 ,i have received few letters since ,i came hither2 ,i am in need of a word4 ,a dry plant should have some watering4 ,my case betwixt ,christ my ,lord1 and me1 standeth between love and jealousy1 faith and suspicion of ,his love2 it is a marvel ,he keepeth house with me4 ,i make many pleas with ,christ1 but ,he maketh as many agreements with me4 ,i think ,his unchangeable love hath said1 ,i defy thee to break ,me and change ,me4 ,if ,christ had such changeable and new thoughts of my salvation as ,i have of it1 ,i think ,i should then be at a sad loss4 ,he humoureth not a fool like me in my unbelief1 but rebuketh me1 and fathereth kindness upon me4 ,christ is more like the poor friend and needy prisoner begging love1 than ,i am4 ,i cannot1 for shame1 get ,christ said nay of my whole love1 for ,he will not want ,his errand for the seeking4 ,god be thanked that my ,bridegroom tireth not of wooing4 ,honour to ,him6 ,he is a wilful#bde suitor of my soul4 ,but as love is ,his1 pain is mine1 that ,i have nothing to give ,him4 ,his account-book is full of my debts of mercy1 kindness1 and free love towards me4 ,oh that ,i might read with watery eyes6 ,oh that ,he would give me the interest of interest to pay back6 ,or rather1 my soul's desire is1 that ,he would comprise my person1 soul and body1 love1 joy1 confidence1 fear1 sorrow1 and desire1 and drive the poind1 and let me be rouped1 and sold to ,christ1 and taken home to my creditor's house and fireside4 #bde ,in the sense of not to be turned from ,his purpose4 ,the ,lord knoweth that1 if ,i could1 ,i would sell myself without reversion to ,christ4 ,o sweet ,lord ,jesus1 make a market1 and overbid all my buyers6 ,i dare swear that there is a mystery in ,christ which ,i never saw2 a mystery of love4 ,oh1 if ,he would lay by the lap of the covering that is over it1 and let my greening soul see it6 ,i would break the door1 and be in upon ,him1 to get a wombful of love2 for ,i am an hungered and famished soul4 ,oh1 sir1 if you1 or any other1 would tell ,him how sick my soul is1 dying for want of a hearty draught of ,christ's love6 ,oh1 if ,i could dote 7if ,i may make use of that word in this case7 as much upon ,himself as ,i do upon ,his love6 ,it is a pity that ,christ ,himself should not rather be my heart's choice1 than ,christ's manifested love4 ,it would satisfy me1 in some measure1 if ,i had any bud to give for ,his love4 ,shall ,i offer ,him my praises8 ,alas6 ,he is more than praises4 ,i give it over to get ,him exalted according to ,his worth1 which is above what can be known4 ,yet all this time ,i am tempting ,him1 to see if there be both love and anger in ,him against me4 ,i am plucked from ,his flock 7dear to me671 and from feeding ,his lambs2 ,i go1 therefore1 in sackcloth1 as one who hath lost the wife of his youth4 ,grief and sorrow are suspicious1 and spew out against ,him the smoke of jealousies2 and ,i say often1 ,show me wherefore ,thou contendest with me4 ,tell me1 ,o ,lord3 read the process against me4 ,but ,i know that ,i cannot answer ,his allegations2 ,i shall lose the cause when it cometh to open pleading4 ,oh1 if ,i could force my heart to believe dreams to be dreams6 ,yet when ,christ giveth my fears the lie1 and saith to me1 ,thou art a liar1 then ,i am glad4 ,i resolve to hope to be quiet1 and to lie on the brink on my side1 till the water fall and the ford be ridable4 ,and1 howbeit there be pain upon me1 in longing for deliverance that ,i may speak of ,him in the great congregation1 yet ,i think there is joy in that pain and on-waiting2 and ,i even rejoice that ,he putteth me off for a time1 and shifteth me4 ,oh1 if ,i could wait on for all eternity1 howbeit ,i should never get my soul's desire1 so being ,he were glorified6 ,i would wish my pain and my ministry could live long to serve ,him2 for ,i know that ,i am a clay vessel1 and made for ,his use4 ,oh1 if my very broken sherds could serve to glorify ,him6 ,i desire ,christ's grace to be willingly content1 that my hell 7excepting ,his hatred and displeasure1 which ,i put out of all play1 for submission to this is not called for7 were a preaching of ,his glory to men and angels for ever and ever6 ,when all is done1 what can ,i add to ,him8 or what can such a clay-shadow as ,i do8 ,i know that ,he needeth not me4 ,i have cause to be grieved1 and to melt away in tears1 if ,i had grace to do it 7,lord1 grant it to me671 to see my ,well-beloved's fair face spitted upon by dogs1 to see loons pulling the crown off my royal ,king's head2 to see my harlot-mother and my sweet ,father agree so ill1 that they are going to skail and give up house4 ,my ,lord's palace is now a nest of unclean birds4 ,oh1 if harlot1 harlot ,scotland would rue upon her provoked ,lord1 and pity her good ,husband1 who is broken with her whorish heart6 ,but these things are hid from her eyes4 ,i have heard of late of your new trial by the ,bishop of ,galloway4#bdf ,fear not clay1 worms' meat4 ,let truth and ,christ get no wrong in your hand4 ,it is your gain if ,christ be glorified2 and your glory to be ,christ's witness4 ,i persuade you1 that your sufferings are ,christ's advantage and victory2 for ,he is pleased to reckon them so4 ,let me hear from you4 ,christ is but winning a clean kirk out of the fire2 ,he will win this play4 ,he will not be in your common for any charges ye are at in ,his service4 ,he is not poor1 to sit in your debt2 ,he will repay an hundred-fold more1 it may be1 even in this life4 ,the prayers and blessings of ,christ's prisoner be with you4 ,your brother1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 #bdf ,the ,bishop of ,galloway held this year a ,high ,commission ,court in ,galloway1 in which1 besides fining some gentlemen1 and confining the magistrates of ,kirkcudbright to ,wigtown1 for matters of nonconformity1 he fined ,gordon of ,earlston for his absence1 five hundred merks1 and banished him to ,montrose4 7,baillie's ,letters and ,journals47 ,this1 no doubt1 is the new trial by the ,bishop of ,galloway1 to which ,rutherford refers4 ,see ,letter ,,lix4 ,,clxi4--,to ,,john ,,stuart1 ,provost of ,ayr4 ,,john ,,stuart1 ,provost of ,ayr1 is described by ,livingstone as a godly and zealous ,christian of a long standing1 and from his earliest years4 ,inheriting1 after the death of his father1 considerable property1 he largely applied it to benevolent purposes4 ,such was his disinterested love to those who were the friends of ,christ and ,his truth1 that he called a number of them whose straitened condition he knew1 to meet with him in ,edinburgh2 and after some time spent in prayer1 told them he had brought a little money to lend to each of them1 which they were not to offer to pay back till he required it1 at the same time requiring them to promise not to make this known during his life4 ,not long after 7the plague raging with severity in ,ayr1 and trade becoming1 in consequence1 much depressed7 he himself fell into pecuniary difficulties1 which made him at that time remove from the country4 ,borrowing a little money1 he went over to ,france1 and coming to ,rochelle1 loaded a ship with salt and other commodities1 which he purchased at a very cheap rate4 ,he then returned the nearest way to ,england1 and thence to ,ayr1 in expectation of the ship's return4 ,after waiting long1 he was informed that it was taken by the ,turks1 which1 considering the loss which others in that case would sustain1 much afflicted him4 ,but it at last arrived in the ,road4 ,it was on this occasion that his friend ,john ,kennedy1 going out to the vessel in a small boat1 was driven away by a storm4 7,see notice of ,kennedy1 ,letter ,,lxxv47 ,stuart having sold the commodities which he brought from ,france1 not only was enabled by the profits to pay all his debts1 but cleared twenty thousand merks4 7,fleming's ,fulfilling of the ,scriptures47 ,he joined with ,mr4 ,blair1 ,mr4 ,livingstone1 and others1 in their plan of emigrating to ,new ,england1 though they were forced to give it up4 ,this good man was much afflicted on his death-bed1 so that one day he said1 ,i testify1 that except when ,i slept1 or was in business1 ,i was not these ten years without thoughts of ,god1 so long as ,i would be in going from my own house to the cross2 and yet ,i doubt myself1 and am in great agony1 yea1 at the brink of despair4 ,but a day or two before he died1 all his doubts were dispelled2 and to ,mr4 ,ferguson1 the pious minister of ,ayr1 he said1 referring to his struggle with temptations at that time1 ,i have been fighting and working out my salvation with fear and trembling1 and now ,i bless ,god it is perfected1 sealed1 confirmed1 and all fears are gone4 7,,commercial ,,misfortunes--,,service-,,book--,,bless edness ,,of ,,trial47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be unto you4 ,i long to hear from you1 being now removed from my flock1 and the prisoner of ,christ at ,aberdeen4 ,i would not have you to think it strange that your journey to ,new ,england hath gotten such a dash4#bdg ,it indeed hath made my heart heavy2 yet ,i know it is no dumb providence1 but a speaking one1 whereby our ,lord speaketh ,his mind to you1 though for the present ye do not well understand what ,he saith4 ,however it be1 ,he who sitteth upon the floods hath shown you ,his marvellous kindness in the great depths4 ,i know that your loss is great1 and your hope is gone far against you2 but ,i entreat you1 sir1 expound aright our ,lord's laying all hindrances in the way4 ,i persuade myself that your heart aimeth at the footsteps of the flock1 to feed beside the shepherds' tents1 and to dwell beside ,him whom your soul loveth2 and that it is your desire to remain in the wilderness1 where the ,woman is kept from the ,dragon4 7,rev4 xii4 #ad47 ,and this being your desire1 remember that a poor prisoner of ,christ said it to you1 that that miscarried journey is with child to you of mercy and consolation2 and shall bring forth a fair birth on which the ,lord will attend4 ,wait on2 ,he that believeth maketh not haste 7,isa4 xxviii4 #af74 #bdg ,see note at ,letter ,,lxiii4 ,i hope that ye have been asking what the ,lord meaneth1 and what further may be ,his will1 in reference to your return4 ,my dear brother1 let ,god make of you what ,he will1 ,he will end all with consolation1 and will make glory out of your sufferings2 and would you wish better work8 ,this water was in your way to heaven1 and written in your ,lord's book2 ye behoved to cross it1 and1 therefore1 kiss ,his wise and unerring providence4 ,let not the censures of men1 who see but the outside of things1 and scarce well that1 abate your courage and rejoicing in the ,lord4 ,howbeit your faith seeth but the black side of providence2 yet it hath a better side1 and ,god will let you see it4 ,learn to believe ,christ better than ,his strokes1 ,himself and ,his promises better than ,his glooms4 ,dashes and disappointments are not canonical ,scripture2 fighting for the promised land seemed to cry to ,god's promise1 ,thou liest4 ,if our ,lord ride upon a straw1 ,his horse shall neither stumble nor fall4 ,for we know that all things work together for good to them that love ,god 7,rom4 viii4 #bh72 ergo1 shipwreck1 losses1 etc41 work together for the good of them that love ,god4 ,hence ,i infer1 that losses1 disappointments1 ill-tongues1 loss of friends1 houses1 or country1 are ,god's workmen1 set on work to work out good to you1 out of everything that befalleth you4 ,let not the ,lord's dealing seem harsh1 rough1 or unfatherly1 because it is unpleasant4 ,when the ,lord's blessed will bloweth across your desires1 it is best1 in humility1 to strike sail to ,him1 and to be willing to be led any way our ,lord pleaseth4 ,it is a point of denial of yourself1 to be as if ye had not a will1 but had made a free disposition of it to ,god1 and had sold it over to ,him2 and to make use of ,his will for your own is both true holiness1 and your ease and peace4 ,ye know not what the ,lord is working out of this1 but ye shall know it hereafter4 ,and what ,i write to you1 ,i write to your wife4 ,i compassionate her case1 but entreat her not to fear nor faint4 ,this journey is a part of her wilderness to heaven and the promised land1 and there are fewer miles behind4 ,it is nearer the dawning of the day to her than when she went out of ,scotland4 ,i should be glad to hear that ye and she have comfort and courage in the ,lord4 ,now1 as concerning our kirk2 our ,service-,book is ordained1 by open proclamation and sound of trumpet1 to be read in all the kirks of the kingdom4#bdh ,our prelates are to meet this month about our ,canons1#bdi and for a reconciliation betwixt us and the ,lutherans4 ,the ,professors of ,aberdeen ,university are charged to draw up the ,articles of an uniform ,confession2 but reconciliation with ,popery is intended4 ,this is the day of ,jacob's visitation2 the ways of ,zion mourn1 our gold is become dim1 the sun is gone down upon our prophets4 ,a dry wind1 but neither to fan nor to cleanse1 is coming upon this land2 and all our ill is coming from the multiplied transgressions of this land1 and from the friends and lovers of ,babel among us4 ,the violence done to me and to my flesh be upon thee1 ,babylon1 shall the inhabitant of ,zion say2 and1 ,my blood upon the inhabitants of ,chaldea1 shall ,jerusalem say4#bej #bdh ,the ,service-,book1 or ,liturgy1 at this time imposed upon ,scotland1 was that of ,england1 but with numerous alterations4 ,the ,act of ,privy ,council1 enjoining the use of the ,service-,book1 is dated #bjth ,december #afcf2 and it was next day proclaimed at the cross of ,edinburgh3 but it was not published till towards the end of ,may #afcg4 ,its title is1 ,the ,booke of ,common ,prayer and ,administration of the ,sacraments and other parts of ,divine ,service1 for the use of the ,church of ,scotland4 ,edinburgh1 #afcg4 ,this book was extremely obnoxious to the great body of the ministers and people of ,scotland1 both from the manner of its introduction1 which was by the sole authority of the ,king1 without the ,church having been even consulted in the matter1 and from the doctrines which it contained1 in which it approached nearer to the ,roman ,missal than the ,english liturgy4 ,it was drawn up by ,james ,wedderburn1 ,bishop of ,dunblane1 and ,john ,maxwell1 ,bishop of ,ross1 with the assistance of ,sydserff1 ,bishop of ,galloway1 and ,ballenden1 ,bishop of ,aberdeen4 ,it was revised by ,archbishop ,laud1 and ,wren1 ,bishop of ,norwich4 ,kirkton mentions that he saw the original copy corrected by ,laud's own hands1 and that all his corrections approached towards ,popery and the ,roman ,missal4 7,kirkton's ,history1 p4 #cj47 #bdi ,the ,book of ,canons was1 in obedience to the ,king's orders1 drawn up by four of the ,scottish bishops1--,sydserff of ,galloway1 ,maxwell of ,ross1 ,ballenden of ,aberdeen1 and ,whiteford of ,dunblane4 ,it received the ,royal sanction1 and became law in #afce4 ,this book1 like the ,service-,book which followed it1 was extremely obnoxious to the people of ,scotland1 because it was imposed solely by ,royal authority1 and from the nature of the canons themselves1 which prescribed a variety of ceremonial and superstitious rites in the observance of baptism and the ,lord's ,supper2 invested bishops with uncontrollable power2 inculcated the doctrine of the ,king's supremacy in matters ecclesiastical as well as civil1--affirming that no meeting of ,general ,assembly could be held unless called by the ,king's authority2 with other unscriptural innovations4 #bej ,jer4 li4 #ce4 ,now for myself3 ,i was three days before the ,high ,commission1 and accused of treason preached against our ,king4 7,a minister being witness1 went well nigh to swear it47 ,god hath saved me from their malice4 #astly1 ,they have deprived me of my ministry2 #bndly1 ,silenced me1 that ,i exercise no part of the ministerial function within this kingdom1 under the pain of rebellion2 #crdly1 ,confined my person within the town of ,aberdeen1 where ,i find the ministers working for my confinement in ,caithness or ,orkney1 far from them1 because some people here 7willing to be edified7 resort to me4 ,at my first entry1 ,i had heavy challenges within me1 and a court fenced 7but ,i hope not in ,christ's name71 wherein it was asserted that my ,lord would have no more of my services1 and was tired of me2 and1 like a fool1 ,i summoned ,christ also for unkindness4 ,my soul fainted1 and ,i refused comfort1 and said1 ,what ailed ,christ at me8 for ,i desired to be faithful in ,his house4 ,thus1 in my rovings and mistakings1 my ,lord ,jesus bestowed mercy on me1 who am less than the least of all saints4 ,i lay upon the dust1 and bought a plea from ,satan against ,christ1 and ,he was content to sell it4 ,but at length ,christ did show ,himself friends with me1 and in mercy pardoned and passed my part of it1 and only complained that a court should be holden in ,his bounds without ,his allowance4 ,now ,i pass from my compearance2 and1 as if ,christ had done the fault1 ,he hath made the mends1 and returned to my soul2 so that now ,his poor prisoner feedeth on the feasts of love4 ,my adversaries know not what a courtier ,i am now with my ,royal ,king1 for whose crown ,i now suffer4 ,it is but our soft and lazy flesh that hath raised an ill report of the cross of ,christ4 ,o sweet1 sweet is ,his yoke6 ,christ's chains are of pure gold2 sufferings for ,him are perfumed4 ,i would not give my weeping for the laughing of all the fourteen prelates2 ,i would not exchange my sadness with the world's joy4 ,o lovely1 lovely ,jesus1 how sweet must ,thy kisses be1 when ,thy cross smelleth so sweetly6 ,oh1 if all the three kingdoms had part of my love-feast1 and of the comfort of a dawted prisoner6 ,dear ,brother1 ,i charge you to praise for me1 and to seek help of our acquaintance there to help me to praise4 ,why should ,i smother ,christ's honesty to me8 ,my heart is taken up with this1 that my silence and sufferings may preach4 ,i beseech you in the bowels of ,christ1 to help me to praise4 ,remember my love to your wife1 to ,mr4 ,blair1 and ,mr4 ,livingstone1 and ,mr4 ,cunningham4 ,let me hear from you1 for ,i am anxious what to do4 ,if ,i saw a call for ,new ,england1 ,i would follow it4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours in our ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,clxii4--,to ,,john ,,stuart1 ,provost of ,ayr4 7,,the ,,burden ,,of ,a ,,silenced ,,minister--,,spiritual ,,shortcomings47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,dearest ,,in ,,christ1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace from ,god our ,father1 and from our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 be upon you4 ,i expected the comfort of a letter to a prisoner from you1 ere now4 ,i am here1 ,sir1 putting off a part of my inch of time2 and when ,i awake first in the morning 7which is always with great heaviness and sadness71 this question is brought to my mind1 ,am ,i serving ,god or not8 ,not that ,i doubt of the truth of this honourable cause wherein ,i am engaged2 ,i dare venture into eternity1 and before my ,judge1 that ,i now suffer for the truth--because that ,i cannot endure that my ,master1 who is a freeborn ,king1 should pay tribute to any of the shields or potsherds of the earth4 ,oh that ,i could hold the crown upon my princely ,king's head with my sinful arm1 howbeit it should be struck from me in that service1 from the shoulder-blade4 ,but my closed mouth1 my dumb ,sabbaths1 the memory of my communion with ,christ1 in many fair1 fair days in ,anwoth1 whereas now my ,master getteth no service of my tongue as then1 hath almost broken my faith in two halves4 ,yet in my deepest apprehensions of ,his anger1 ,i see through a cloud that ,i am wrong2 and ,he1 in love to my soul1 hath taken up the controversy betwixt faith and apprehensions1 and a decreet is passed on ,christ's side of it1 and ,i subscribe the decreet4 ,the ,lord is equal in ,his ways1 but my guiltiness often overmastereth my believing4 ,i have not been well known3 for except as to open outbreakings1 ,i want nothing of what ,judas and ,cain had2 only ,he hath been pleased to prevent me in mercy1 and to cast me into a fever of love for ,himself1 and ,his absence maketh my fever most painful4 ,and beside1 ,he hath visited my soul and watered it with ,his comforts4 ,but yet ,i have not what ,i would4 ,the want of real and felt possession is my only death4 ,i know that ,christ pitieth me in this4 ,the great men1 my friends that did#bea for me1 are dried up like winter-brooks of water4 ,all say1 ,no dealing for that man2 his best will be to be gone out of the kingdom4 ,so ,i see they tire of me4 ,but1 believe me1 ,i am most gladly content that ,christ breaketh all my idols in pieces4 ,it hath put a new edge upon my blunted love to ,christ2 ,i see that ,he is jealous of my love1 and will have all to ,himself4 ,in a word1 these six things are my burden3 #a4 ,i am not in the vineyard as others are2 it may be1 because ,christ thinketh me a withered tree1 not worth its room4 ,but ,god forbid6 #b4 ,woe1 woe1 woe is coming upon my harlot-mother1 this apostate kirk6 ,the time is coming when we shall wish for doves' wings to flee and hide us4 ,oh1 for the desolation of this land6 #c4 ,i see my dear ,master ,christ going ,his lone 7as it were71 mourning in sackcloth4 ,his fainting friends fear that ,king ,jesus shall lose the field4 ,but ,he must carry the day4 #d4 ,my guiltiness and the sins of youth are come up against me1 and they would come into the plea in my sufferings1 as deserving causes in ,god's justice2 but ,i pray ,god1 for ,christ's sake1 that he may never give them that room4 #e4 ,woe is me1 that ,i cannot get my royal1 dreadful1 mighty1 and glorious ,prince of the kings of the earth set on high4 ,sir1 ye may help me and pity me in this2 and bow your knee1 and bless ,his name1 and desire others to do it1 that ,he hath been pleased1 in my sufferings1 to make ,atheists1 ,papists1 and enemies about me say1 ,it is like that ,god is with this prisoner4 ,let hell and the powers of hell 7,i care not7 be let loose against me to do their worst1 so being that ,christ1 and my ,father1 and ,his ,father1 be magnified in my sufferings4 #f4 ,christ's love hath pained me3 for howbeit ,his presence hath shamed me1 and drowned me in debt1 yet ,he often goeth away when my love to ,him is burning4 ,he seemeth to look like a proud wooer1 who will not look upon a poor match that is dying of love4 ,i will not say ,he is lordly4 ,but ,i know ,he is wise in hiding ,himself from a child and a fool1 who maketh an idol and a god of one of ,christ's kisses1 which is idolatry4 ,i fear that ,i adore ,his comforts more than ,himself1 and that ,i love the apples of life better than the tree of life4 #bea ,acted for me2 as ,ps4 cix4 #ba4 ,sir1 write to me4 ,commend me to your wife4 ,mercy be her portion4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his dearest ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,clxiii4--,to ,,john ,,stuart1 ,provost of ,ayr4 7,,view ,,of ,,trials ,,past--,,hard ,,thoughts ,,of ,,christ--,,crosses--,,hope47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,dearly ,,beloved ,,in ,,our ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i was refreshed and comforted with your letter4 ,what ,i wrote to you1 for your comfort1 ,i do not remember2 but ,i believe that love will prophesy homeward1#beb as it would have it4 ,i wish that ,i could help you to praise ,his great and holy name who keepeth the feet of ,his saints1 and hath numbered all your goings4 ,i know that our dearest ,lord will pardon and pass by our honest errors and mistakes1 when we mind ,his honour2 yet ,i know that none of you have seen the other half1 and the hidden side1 of your wonderful return home to us again4 ,i am confident ye shall yet say1 that ,god's mercy blew your sails back to ,ireland again4 #beb ,the ministers1 after their return to this country1 were settled in various parishes2 ,messrs4 ,blair at ,ayr1 ,livingstone at ,stranraer1 ,m',clelland at ,kirkcudbright1 and ,hamilton at ,dumfries4 ,they were zealous promoters of all the measures by which the triumph of the ,presbyterian ,church in ,scotland was ultimately secured2 and all of them were members of the celebrated ,assembly held at ,glasgow in #afch4 ,speaking of their return1 ,row of ,ceres says3 ,neither the prelates and conformists1 nor they themselves1 knew that within a year the ,lord would not only root out the prelates in ,scotland1 and1 after that1 out of ,england and ,ireland1 but make some of them1 especially ,messrs4 ,blair1 ,livingstone1 and ,m',clelland1 to be very instrumental in the work of reformation 7,life of ,robert ,blair1 ,wodrow ,society74 ,worthy and dear ,sir1 ,i cannot but give you an account of my present estate1 that ye may go an errand for me to my high and royal ,master1 of whom ,i boast all the day4 ,i am as proud of ,his love 7nay1 ,i bless myself1 and boast more of my present lot7 as any poor man can be of an earthly king's court1 or of a kingdom4 ,first1 ,i am very often turning both the sides of my cross1 especially my dumb and silent ,sabbaths2 not because ,i desire to find a crook or defect in my ,lord's love1 but because my love is sick with fancies and fear4 ,whether or not the ,lord hath a process leading against my guiltiness1 that ,i have not yet well seen1 ,i know not4 ,my desire is to ride fair1 and not to spark dirt 7if1 with reverence to ,him1 ,i may be permitted to make use of such a word7 in the face of my only1 only ,well-beloved2 but fear of guiltiness is a talebearer betwixt me and ,christ1 and is still whispering ill tales of my ,lord1 to weaken my faith4 ,i had rather that a cloud went over my comforts by these messages1 than that my faith should be hurt2 for1 if my ,lord get no wrong by me1 verily ,i desire grace not to care what become of me4 ,i desire to give no faith nor credit to my sorrow1 that can make a lie of my best friend ,christ4 ,woe1 woe be to them all who speak ill of ,christ6 ,hence these thoughts awake with me in the morning1 and go to bed with me4 ,oh1 what service can a dumb body do in ,christ's house6 ,oh1 ,i think the word of ,god is imprisoned also6 ,oh1 ,i am a dry tree6 ,alas1 ,i can neither plant nor water6 ,oh1 if my ,lord would make but dung of me1 to fatten and make fertile ,his own corn-ridges in ,mount ,zion6 ,oh1 if ,i might but speak to three or four herdboys#bec of my worthy ,master1 ,i would be satisfied to be the meanest and most obscure of all the pastors in this land1 and to live in any place1 in any of ,christ's basest outhouses6 ,but ,he saith1 ,sirrah1 ,i will not send you2 ,i have no errands for you thereaway4 ,my desire to serve ,him is sick of jealousy1 lest ,he be unwilling to employ me4 ,secondly1 ,this is seconded by another4 ,oh6 all that ,i have done in ,anwoth1 the fair work that my ,master began there1 is like a bird dying in the shell2 and what will ,i then have to show of all my labour1 in the day of my compearance before ,him1 when the ,master of the vineyard calleth the labourers1 and giveth them their hire8 ,thirdly1 ,but truly1 when ,christ's sweet wind is in the right airth1 ,i repent1 and ,i pray ,christ to take law-burrows of my quarrelous unbelieving sadness and sorrow4 ,lord1 rebuke them that put ill betwixt a poor servant like me and his good ,master4 ,then ,i say1 whether the black cross will or not1 ,i must climb on hands and feet up to my ,lord4 ,i am now ruing from my heart that ,i pleasured the law 7my old dead husband7 so far as to apprehend wrath in my sweet ,lord ,jesus4 ,i had far rather take a hire to plead for the grace of ,god1 for ,i think myself ,christ's sworn debtor2 and the truth is 7to speak of my ,lord what ,i cannot deny71 ,i am over head and ears1 drowned in many obligations to ,his love and mercy4 #bec ,boys1 like ,david1 keeping the sheep or cattle4 ,he handleth me some time so1 that ,i am ashamed almost to seek more for a four-hours1 but to live content 7till the marriage-supper of the ,lamb7 with that which ,he giveth4 ,but ,i know not how greedy and how ill to please love is4 ,for either my ,lord ,jesus hath taught me ill manners1 not to be content with a seat1 except my head lie in ,his bosom1 and except ,i be fed with the fatness of ,his house2 or else ,i am grown impatiently dainty1 and ill to please1 as if ,christ were obliged1 under this cross1 to do no other thing but bear me in ,his arms1 and as if ,i had claim by merit for my suffering for ,him4 ,but ,i wish ,he would give me grace to learn to go on my own feet1 and to learn to do without ,his comforts1 and to give thanks and believe1 when the sun is not in my firmament1 and when my ,well-beloved is from home1 and gone another errand4 ,oh1 what sweet peace have ,i1 when ,i find that ,christ holdeth and ,i draw2 when ,i climb up and ,he shuteth me down2 when ,i grips ,him and embrace ,him1 and ,he seemeth to loose the grips and flee away from me6 ,i think there is even a sweet joy of faith1 and contentedness1 and peace1 in ,his very tempting unkindness1 because my faith saith1 ,christ is not in sad earnest with me1 but trying if ,i can be kind to ,his mask and cloud that covereth ,him1 as well as to ,his fair face4 ,i bless ,his great name that ,i love ,his vail which goeth over ,his face1 whill ,god send better2 for faith can kiss ,god's tempting reproaches when ,he nicknameth a sinner1 ,a dog1 not worthy to eat bread with the bairns 7,mark vii4 #bg1 #bh74 ,i think it an honour that ,christ miscalleth me1 and reproacheth me4 ,i will take that well of ,him1 howbeit ,i would not bear it well if another should be that homely2 but because ,i am ,his own 7,god be thanked71 ,he may use me as ,he pleaseth4 ,i must say1 the saints have a sweet life between them and ,christ4 ,there is much sweet solace of love between ,him and them1 when ,he feedeth among the lilies1 and cometh into ,his garden1 and maketh a feast of honeycombs1 and drinketh ,his wine and ,his milk1 and crieth1 ,eat1 ,o friends3 drink1 yea1 drink abundantly1 ,o well-beloved4 ,one hour of this labour is worth a shipful of the world's drunken and muddy joy2 nay1 even the gate#bed to heaven is the sunny side of the brae1 and the very garden of the world4 ,for the men of this world have their own unchristened and profane crosses2 and woe be to them and their cursed crosses both2 for their ills are salted with ,god's vengeance1 and our ills seasoned with our ,father's blessing4 ,so that they are no fools who choose ,christ1 and sell all things for ,him4 ,it is no bairns' market1 nor a blind block2 we know well what we get1 and what we give4 #bed ,before we come to heaven1 the very way 7gate7 to heaven is pleasant4 ,now1 for any resolution to go to any other kingdom1 ,i dare not speak one word4#bee ,my hopes of enlargement are cold1 my hopes of re-entry to my ,master's ill-dressed vineyard again are far colder4 ,i have no seat for my faith to sit on1 but bare omnipotency1 and ,god's holy arm and good-will4 ,here ,i desire to stay1 and ride at anchor1 and winter1 whill ,god send fair weather again1 and be pleased to take home to ,his house my harlot-mother4 ,oh1 if her husband would be that kind1 as to go and fetch her out of the brothel-house1 and chase her lovers to the hills6 ,but there will be sad days ere it come to that4 ,remember my bonds4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in our ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 #bee ,rutherford appears sometimes to have entertained the idea of removing abroad1 should he succeed in obtaining his liberty4 ,in a preceding letter to ,stuart1 he names ,new ,england2 and some of his friends thought that he might be honourably and usefully employed abroad4 ,robert ,baillie1 in a letter to ,mr4 ,william ,spang1 minister at ,campvere1 dated ,january #bi1 #afcg1 says3 ,alwayes ,i take the man ,rutherford to be among the most learned and best ingynes of our nation4 ,i think he were verie able for some profession in your colledges of ,utrecht1 ,groningen1 or ,rotterdam2 for our ,king's dominions1 there is no appearance he will ever gett living into them4 ,if you could quietly procure him a calling1 ,i think it were a good service to ,god to relieve one of his troubled ministers2 a good to the place he came to1 for he is both godlie and learned2 yea1 ,i think by time he might be ane ornament to our natione 7,bailie's ,letters and ,journals1 vol4 i4 p4 #i74 ,,clxiv4--,to ,,ninian ,,mure see ,letter ,,cxci41 one of the family of ,cassincarrie4 ,we do not know more of ,ninian ,mure than that he was a parishioner of ,anwoth4 ,the name ,mure is found on several tombs in the old churchyard1 of which the oldest and most interesting is the following1 on the east side of the enclosed pile3-- ,walking with ,god in purity of life1 ,in ,christ ,i died1 and endit all my strife4 ,for in my saul ,christ here did dwell by grace2 ,now dwells my saul in glory of ,his face4 ,therefore my body shall not here remain1 ,but to full glory surely rise again4 ,marion ,mure1 goodwife of ,cullindock1 ,departed this life1 anno #afab4 7,a ,,youth ,,admonished47 ,,loving ,,friend1--,i received your letter4 ,i entreat you now1 in the morning of your life1 to seek the ,lord and ,his face4 ,beware of the follies of dangerous youth1 a perilous time for your soul4 ,love not the world4 ,keep faith and truth with all men in your covenants and bargains4 ,walk with ,god1 for ,he seeth you4 ,do nothing but that which ye may and would do if your eye-strings were breaking1 and your breath growing cold4 ,ye heard the truth of ,god from me1 my dear heart1 follow it1 and forsake it not4 ,prize ,christ and salvation above all the world4 ,to live after the guise and course of the rest of the world will not bring you to heaven2 without faith in ,christ1 and repentance1 ye cannot see ,god4 ,take pains for salvation2 press forward toward the mark for the prize of the high calling4 ,if ye watch not against evils night and day1 which beset you1 ye will come behind4 ,beware of lying1 swearing1 uncleanness1 and the rest of the works of the flesh2 because for these things the wrath of ,god cometh upon the children of disobedience4 ,how sweet soever they may seem for the present1 yet the end of these courses is the eternal wrath of ,god1 and utter darkness1 where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth4 ,grace be with you4 ,your loving pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,clxv4--,to ,,mr4 ,,thomas ,,garven4 ,,thomas ,,garven1 one of the ministers of ,edinburgh4 ,r4 ,blair's ,life1 by ,row1 tells of his being banished from the town by the ,king in #affb1 for his adherence to ,presbytery4 7,,personal ,,insufficiency--,,grace ,,from ,,christ ,,alone--,,longings ,,after ,,him47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i am sorry that what joy and sorrow drew from my imprisoned pen in my love-fits hath made you and many of ,god's children believe that there is something in a broken reed the like of me4 ,except that ,christ's grace hath bought such a sold body1 ,i know not what else any may think of me1 or expect from me4 ,my stock is less 7my ,lord knoweth that ,i speak truth7 than many believe4 ,my empty sounds have promised too much4 ,i should be glad to lie under ,christ's feet1 and kep and receive the off-fallings1 or the old pieces of any grace1 that fall from ,his sweet fingers to forlorn sinners4 ,i lie often1 unco-like1 looking at the ,king's windows4 ,surely ,i am unworthy of a seat in the ,king's hall-floor2 ,i but often look afar off1 both feared and fremmed-like1 to that fairest face1 fearing ,he bid me look away from ,him4 ,my guiltiness riseth up upon me1 and ,i have no answer for it4 ,i offered my tongue to ,christ1 and my pains in ,his house3 and what know ,i what it meaneth1 when ,christ will not receive my poor propine8 ,when love will not take1 we expone that it will neither take nor give1 borrow nor lend4 ,yet ,christ hath another sea-compass which ,he saileth by1 than my short and raw thoughts4 ,i leave ,his part of it to ,himself4 ,i dare not expound ,his dealing as sorrow and misbelief often dictate to me4 ,i look often with bleared and blind eyes to my ,lord's cross2 and when ,i look to the wrong side of ,his cross1 ,i know that ,i miss a step and slide4 ,surely1 ,i see that ,i have not legs of my own for carrying me to heaven3 ,i must go in at heaven's gates1 borrowing strength from ,christ4 ,i am often thinking1 ,oh1 if ,he would but give me leave to love ,him1 and if ,christ would but open up ,his wares1 and the infinite plies1 and windings1 and corners of ,his soul-delighting love1 and let me see it1 backside and foreside2 and give me leave but to stand beside it1 like a hungry man beside meat1 to get my fill of wondering1 as a preface to my fill of enjoying6 ,but1 verily1 ,i think that my foul eyes would defile ,his fair love to look to it4 ,either my hunger is over humble 7if that may be said71 or else ,i consider not what honour it is to get leave to love ,christ4 ,oh1 that ,he would pity a prisoner1 and let out a flood upon the dry ground6 ,it is nothing to ,him to fill the like of me2 one of ,his looks would do me meikle world's good1 and ,him no ill4 ,i know that ,i am not at a point yet with ,christ's love3 ,i am not yet fitted for so much as ,i would have of it4 ,my hope sitteth neighbour with meikle black hunger3 and certainly ,i dow not but think that there is more of that love ordained for me than ,i yet comprehend1 and that ,i know not the weight of the pension which the ,king will give me4 ,i shall be glad if my hungry bill get leave to lie beside ,christ1 waiting on an answer4 ,now ,i should be full and rejoice1 if ,i got a poor man's alms of that sweetest love2 but ,i confidently believe that there is a bed made for ,christ and me1 and that we shall take our fill of love in it4 ,and ,i often think1 when my joy is run out1 and at the lowest ebb1 that ,i would seek no more than my rights passed the ,king's great seal1 and that these eyes of mine could see ,christ's hand at the pen4 ,if your ,lord call you to suffering1 be not dismayed2 there shall be a new allowance of the ,king for you when you come to it4 ,one of the softest pillows ,christ hath is laid under ,his witnesses' head1 though often they must set down their bare feet among thorns4 ,he hath brought my poor soul to desire and wish1 ,oh that my ashes1 and the powder ,i shall be dissolved into1 had well-tuned tongues to praise ,him6 ,thus in haste1 desiring your prayers and praises1 ,i recommend you to my sweet1 sweet ,master1 my honourable ,lord1 of whom ,i hold all4 ,grace be with you4 ,your own1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,clxvi4--,to ,,cardoness1 the ,elder4 7,a ,,good ,,conscience--,,christ ,,kind ,,to ,,sufferers--,,responsibility--,,youth47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,i long to hear how your soul prospereth4 ,i wonder that ye write not to me2 for the ,holy ,ghost beareth me witness1 that ,i cannot1 ,i dare not1 ,i dow not1#bef forget you1 nor the souls of those with you1 who are redeemed by the blood of the great ,shepherd4 ,ye are in my heart in the night-watches2 ye are my joy and crown in the day of ,christ4 ,o ,lord1 bear me witness1 if my soul thirsteth for anything out of heaven1 more than for your salvation4 ,let ,god lay me in an even-balance1 and try me in this4 #bef ,letter ,,civ4 might suggest do not to be the right word4 ,love heaven2 let your heart be on it4 ,up1 up1 and visit the new ,land and view the fair ,city1 and the white ,throne1 and the ,lamb1 the bride's ,husband in ,his ,bridegroom's clothes1 sitting on it4 ,it were time that your soul cast itself1 and all your burdens1 upon ,christ4 ,i beseech you by the wounds of your ,redeemer1 and by your compearance before ,him1 and by the salvation of your soul1 lose no more time2 run fast1 for it is late4 ,god hath sworn by ,himself1 who made the world and time1 that time shall be no more 7,rev4 x4 #f74 ,ye are now upon the very border of the other life4 ,your ,lord cannot be blamed for not giving you warning4 ,i have taught the truth of ,christ to you1 and delivered unto you the whole counsel of ,god2 and ,i have stood before the ,lord for you1 and ,i will yet still stand4 ,awake1 awake to do righteously4 ,think not to be eased of the burdens and debts that are on your house by oppressing any1 or being rigorous to those that are under you4 ,remember how ,i endeavoured to walk before you in this matter1 as an example4 ,behold1 here am ,i1 witness against me1 before the ,lord and ,his ,anointed3 whose ox or whose ass have ,i taken8 ,whom have ,i defrauded8 ,whom have ,i oppressed8 7#a ,sam4 xii4 #c74 ,who knoweth how my soul feedeth upon a good conscience1 when ,i remember how ,i spent this body in feeding the lambs of ,christ8 ,at my first entry hither1 ,i grant1 ,i took a stomach against my ,lord1 because ,he had casten me over the dyke of the vineyard1 as a dry tree1 and would have no more of my service4 ,my dumb ,sabbaths broke my heart1 and ,i would not be comforted4 ,but now ,he whom my soul loveth is come again1 and it pleaseth ,him to feast me with the kisses of ,his love4 ,a ,king dineth with me1 and ,his spikenard casteth a sweet smell4 ,the ,lord is my witness above1 that ,i write my heart to you4 ,i never knew1 by my nine years' preaching1 so much of ,christ's love1 as ,he has taught me in ,aberdeen1 by six months' imprisonment4 ,i charge you in ,christ's name to help me to praise2 and show that people and country the loving-kindness of the ,lord to my soul1 that so my sufferings may someway preach to them when ,i am silent4 ,he hath made me to know now better than before1 what it is to be crucified to the world4 ,i would not now give a drink of cold water for all the world's kindness4 ,i owe no service to it3 ,i am not the flesh's debtor4 ,my ,lord ,jesus hath dawted ,his prisoner1 and hath thoughts of love concerning me4 ,i would not exchange my sighs with the laughing of adversaries4 ,sir1 ,i write this to inform you1 that ye may know that it is the truth of ,christ ,i now suffer for1 and that ,he hath sealed my suffering with the comforts of ,his ,spirit on my soul2 and ,i know that ,he putteth not ,his seal upon blank paper4 ,now1 sir1 ,i have no comfort earthly1 but to know that ,i have espoused1 and shall present a bride to ,christ in that congregation4 ,the ,lord hath given you much1 and therefore ,he will require much of you again4 ,number your talents1 and see what you have to render back4 ,ye cannot be enough persuaded of the shortness of your time4 ,i charge you to write to me1 and in the fear of ,god to be plain with me1 whether or not ye have made your salvation sure4 ,i am confident1 and hope the best2 but ,i know that your reckonings with your ,judge are many and deep4 ,sir1 be not beguiled1 neglect not your one thing 7,phil4 iii4 #ac71 your one necessary thing 7,luke x4 #db71 the good part that shall not be taken from you4 ,look beyond time3 things here are but moonshine4 ,they have but children's wit who are delighted with shadows1 and deluded with feathers flying in the air4 ,desire your children1 in the morning of their life1 to begin and seek the ,lord1 and to remember their ,creator in the days of their youth 7,eccles4 xii4 #a71 to cleanse their way1 by taking heed thereto1 according to ,god's word 7,ps4 cxix4 #i74 ,youth is a glassy age4 ,satan finds a swept chamber1 for the most part1 in youthhood1 and a garnished lodging for himself and his train4 ,let the ,lord have the flower of their age2 the best sacrifice is due to ,him4 ,instruct them in this1 that they have a soul1 and that this life is nothing in comparison of eternity4 ,they will have much need of ,god's conduct in this world1 to guide them by#beg those rocks upon which most men split2 but far more need when it cometh to the hour of death1 and their compearance before ,christ4 ,oh that there were such an heart in them1 to fear the name of the great and dreadful ,god1 who hath laid up great things for those that love and fear ,him6 ,i pray that ,god may be their portion4 ,show others of my parishioners1 that ,i write to them my best wishes1 and the blessings of their lawful pastor4 ,say to them from me1 that ,i beseech them1 by the bowels of ,christ1 to keep in mind the doctrine of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 which ,i taught them2 that so they may lay hold on eternal life1 striving together for the faith of the ,gospel1 and making sure salvation to themselves4 ,walk in love1 and do righteousness2 seek peace2 love one another4 ,wait for the coming of our ,master and ,judge4 ,receive no doctrine contrary to that which ,i delivered to you4 ,if ye fall away1 and forget it1 and that ,catechism which ,i taught you1 and so forsake your own mercy1 the ,lord be ,judge betwixt you and me4 ,i take heaven and earth to witness1 that such shall eternally perish4 ,but if they serve the ,lord1 great will their reward be when they and ,i shall stand before our ,judge4 ,set forward up the mountain1 to meet with ,god2 climb up1 for your ,saviour calleth on you4 ,it may be that ,god will call you to your rest1 when ,i am far from you2 but ye have my love1 and the desires of my heart for your soul's welfare4 ,he that is holy1 keep you from falling1 and establish you1 till ,his own glorious appearance4 ,your affectionate and lawful pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 #beg ,guide them past4 ,,clxvii4--,to my ,,lady ,,boyd4 ,letter ,,cvii4 7,,lessons ,,learned ,,in ,,the ,,school ,,of ,,adversity47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace from ,god our ,father1 and from our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 be multiplied upon you4 ,i have reasoned with your son#beh at large2 ,i rejoice to see him set his face in the right airth1 now when the nobles love the sunny side of the ,gospel best1 and are afraid that ,christ want soldiers1 and shall not be able to do for ,himself4 #beh ,lord ,boyd4 ,see ,letter ,,lxxviii4 ,madam1 our debts of obligation to ,christ are not small2 the freedom of grace and of salvation is the wonder of men and angels4 ,but mercy in our ,lord scorneth hire4 ,ye are bound to lift ,christ on high1 who hath given you eyes to discern the devil now coming out in his whites1 and the idolatry and apostasy of the time1 well washen with fair pretences2 but the skin is black and the water foul4 ,it were art1 ,i confess1 to wash a black devil1 and make him white4 ,i am in strange ups and downs1 and seven times a day ,i lose ground4 ,i am put often to swimming2 and again my feet are set on the ,rock that is higher than myself4 ,he hath now let me see four things which ,i never saw before3 #ast1 ,that the ,supper shall be great cheer1 that is up in the great hall with the ,royal ,king of glory1 when the four-hours1 the standing drink1#bei in this dreary wilderness1 is so sweet4 ,when ,he bloweth a kiss afar off to ,his poor heart-broken mourners in ,zion1 and sendeth me but ,his hearty commendations till we meet1 ,i am confounded with wonder to think what it shall be1 when the ,fairest among the sons of men shall lay a ,king's sweet soft cheek to the sinful cheeks of poor sinners4 ,o time1 time1 go swiftly1 and hasten that day6 ,sweet ,lord ,jesus1 post6 come1 flying like a young hart or a roe upon the mountains of separation4 ,i think that we should tell the hours carefully1 and look often how low the sun is4 ,for love hath no ,ho6 it is pained1 pained in itself1 till it come into grips with the party beloved4 #bei ,when even the slight afternoon meal and the cup handed to one at the door is so sweet4 #bndly4 ,i find ,christ's absence to be love's sickness and love's death4 ,the wind that bloweth out of the airth where my ,lord ,jesus reigneth is sweet-smelled1 soft1 joyful1 and heartsome to a soul burnt with absence4 ,it is a painful battle for a soul sick of love to fight with absence and delays4 ,christ's ,not yet is a stounding of all the joints and liths#bfj of the soul4 ,a nod of ,his head1 when ,he is under a mask1 would be half a pawn4 ,to say1 ,fool1 what aileth thee8 ,he is coming1 would be life to a dead man4 ,i am often in my dumb ,sabbaths seeking a new plea with my ,lord ,jesus 7,god forgive me671 and ,i care not if there be not two or three ounce-weight of black wrath in my cup4 #bfj ,joist was in some old editions4 #crdly4 ,for the third thing1 ,i have seen my abominable vileness2 if ,i were well known1 there would none in this kingdom ask how ,i do4 ,many take my ten to be a hundred1 but ,i am a deeper hypocrite1 and shallower professor1 than every one believeth4 ,god knoweth ,i feign not4 ,but ,i think my reckonings on the one page written in great letters1 and ,his mercy to such a forlorn and wretched dyvour on the other1 to be more than a miracle4 ,if ,i could get my finger-ends upon a full assurance1 ,i trow that ,i would grip fast2 but my cup wanteth not gall4 ,and1 upon my part1 despair might be almost excused1 if every one in this land saw my inner side4 ,but ,i know that ,i am one of them who have made great sale1 and a free market1 to free grace4 ,if ,i could be saved1 as ,i would fain believe1 sure ,i am that ,i have given ,christ's blood1 ,his free grace1 and the bowels of ,his mercy1 a large field to work upon2 and ,christ hath manifested ,his art1 ,i dare not say to the uttermost 7for ,he can1 if ,he would1 forgive all the devils and damned reprobates1 in respect of the wideness of ,his mercy71 but ,i say to an admirable degree4 #dthly4 ,i am stricken with fear of unthankfulness4 ,this apostate kirk hath played the harlot with many lovers4 ,they are spitting in the face of my lovely ,king1 and mocking ,him1 and ,i dow not mend it2 and they are running away from ,christ in troops1 and ,i dow not mourn and be grieved for it4 ,i think ,christ lieth like an old forcasten#bfa castle1 forsaken of the inhabitants2 all men run away now from ,him4 ,truth1 innocent truth1 goeth mourning and wringing her hands in sackcloth and ashes4 ,woe1 woe1 woe is me1 for the virgin daughter of ,scotland6 ,woe1 woe to the inhabitants of this land6 for they are gone back with a perpetual backsliding4 #bfa ,not used2 cast off4 ,these things take me so up1 that a borrowed bed1 another man's fireside1 the wind upon my face 7,i being driven from my lovers and dear acquaintance1 and my poor flock71 find no room in my sorrow4 ,i have no spare or odd sorrow for these2 only ,i think the sparrows and swallows that build their nests in the kirk of ,anwoth1 blessed birds4 ,nothing hath given my faith a harder back-set#bfb till it crack again1 than my closed mouth4 ,but let me be miserable myself alone2 ,god keep my dear brethren from it4 ,but still ,i keep breath2 and when my royal1 and never1 never-enough-praised ,king returneth to ,his sinful prisoner1 ,i ride upon the high places of ,jacob4 ,i divide ,shechem 7,ps4 lx4 #f71 ,i triumph in ,his strength4 ,if this kingdom would glorify the ,lord in my behalf6 ,i desire to be weighed in ,god's even balance in this point1 if ,i think not my wages paid to the full4 ,i shall crave no more hire of ,christ4 #bfb ,a thrust back4 ,in a sermon at ,anwoth1 #afcj1 on ,zech4 xiii4 #g1 he says1 ,god gives a back-set and fall under temptation4 ,madam1 pity me in this1 and help me to praise ,him2 for whatever ,i be1 the chief of sinners1 a devil1 and a most guilty devil1 yet it is the apple of ,christ's eye1 ,his honour and glory1 as the ,head of the ,church1 that ,i suffer for now1 and that ,i will go to eternity with4 ,i am greatly in love with ,mr4 ,m4 ,m42#bfc ,i see him stamped with the image of ,god4 ,i hope well of your son1 my ,lord ,boyd4 #bfc ,mr4 ,matthew ,mowat1 minister of ,kilmarnock4 ,see notice of him1 ,letter ,,cxx4 ,your ,ladyship and your children have a prisoner's prayers4 ,grace be with you4 ,your ,ladyship's1 at all obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,may #a1 #afcg4 ,,clxviii4--,to his reverend and dear ,brother1 ,,mr4 ,,david ,,dickson4 7,,christ',s ,,infinite ,,fulness47 ,,my ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i fear that ye have never known me well4 ,if ye saw my inner side1 it is possible that ye would pity me1 but you would hardly give me either love or respect3 men mistake me the whole length of the heavens4 ,my sins prevail over me1 and the terrors of their guiltiness4 ,i am put often to ask1 if ,christ and ,i did ever shake hands together in earnest4 ,i mean not that my feast-days are quite gone1 but ,i am made of extremes4 ,i pray ,god that ye never have the woful and dreary experience of a closed mouth2 for then ye shall judge the sparrows1 that may sing on#bfd the church of ,irvine1 blessed birds4 ,but my soul hath been refreshed and watered1 when ,i hear of your courage and zeal for your never-enough-praised1 praised ,master1 in that ye put the men of ,god1 chased out of ,ireland1 to work4#bfe ,oh1 if ,i could confirm you6 ,i dare say1 in ,god's presence1 ,that this shall never hasten your suffering1 but will be ,david ,dickson's feast and speaking joy 7viz471 that while he had time and leisure1 he put many to work1 to lift up ,jesus1 his sweet ,master1 high in the skies4 ,o man of ,god1 go on1 go on2 be valiant for that ,plant of renown1 for that ,chief among ten thousands1 for that ,prince of the kings of the earth4 ,it is but little that ,i know of ,god2 yet this ,i dare write1 that ,christ will be glorified in ,david ,dickson1 howbeit ,scotland be not gathered4 #bfd ,on1 not in1 as in old editions4 #bfe ,when ,mr4 ,robert ,blair and ,mr4 ,john ,livingstone1 who had been deposed in ,ireland by the ,bishop of ,down1 were obliged to leave that country1 they came over to ,irvine in #afcg1 to ,mr4 ,dickson4 ,dickson had been advised by some respectable gentlemen not to ask them to preach1 lest the bishops should thereby take occasion to remove him from his ministry4 ,but his reply was3 ,i dare not be of their opinion1 nor follow their counsel1 so far as to discountenance these worthies1 now when they are suffering for holding fast the name of ,christ1 and every letter of that blessed name1 as not to employ them as in former times4 ,yea1 ,i would think my so doing would provoke the ,lord1 so that ,i might upon another account be deposed1 and not have so good a conscience 7,life of ,robert ,blair74 ,i am pained1 pained1 that ,i have not more to give my sweet ,bridegroom4 ,his comforts to me are not dealt with a niggard's hand2 but ,i would fain learn not to idolise comfort1 sense1 joy1 and sweet1 felt presence4 ,all these are but creatures1 and nothing but the kingly robe1 the gold ring1 and the bracelets of the ,bridegroom2 the ,bridegroom ,himself is better than all the ornaments that are about ,him4 ,now1 ,i would not so much have these as ,god ,himself1 and to be swallowed up of love to ,christ4 ,i see that in delighting in a communion with ,christ1 we may make more gods than one4 ,but1 however1 all was but bairns' play between ,christ and me till now4 ,if one would have sworn unto me1 ,i would not have believed what may be found in ,christ4 ,i hope that ye pity my pain that much1 in my prison1 as to help me yourself1 and to cause others help me1 a dyvour1 a sinful wretched dyvour1 to pay some of my debts of praise to my great ,king4 ,let my ,god be judge and witness1 if my soul would not have sweet ease and comfort1 to have many hearts confirmed in ,christ1 and enlarged with ,his love1 and many tongues set on work to set on high my royal and princely ,well-beloved4 ,oh that my sufferings could pay tribute to such a king6 ,i have given over wondering at ,his love2 for ,christ hath manifested a piece of art upon me1 that ,i never revealed to any living4 ,he hath gotten fair and rich employment1 and sweet sale1 and a goodly market for ,his honourable calling of showing mercy1 on me the chief of sinners4 ,every one knoweth not so well as ,i do1 my wofully-often broken covenants4 ,my sins against light1 working#bff in the very act of sinning1 have been met with admirable mercy3 but1 alas6 ,he will get nothing back again but wretched unthankfulness4 ,i am sure1 that if ,christ pity anything in me next to my sin1 it is pain of love for an armful and soulful of ,himself1 in faith1 love1 and begun fruition4 ,my sorrow is1 that ,i cannot get ,christ lifted off the dust in ,scotland1 and set on high1 above all the skies1 and heaven of heavens4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,may #a1 #afcg4 #bff ,the sense may be1 ,my sins against light which was at work even when ,i was in the act of sinning4 ,,clxix4--,to the ,,laird ,,of ,,carleton4 7,,god',s ,,working ,,incomprehensible--,,longing ,,after ,,any ,,drop ,,of ,,christ',s ,,fulness47 ,,worthy ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i received your letter1 and am heartily glad that our ,lord hath begun to work for the apparent delivery of this poor oppressed kirk4 ,oh that salvation would come for ,zion6 ,i am for the present hanging by hope1 waiting what my ,lord will do with me1 and if it will please my sweet ,master to send me amongst you again1 and keep out a hireling from my poor people and flock4 ,it were my heaven till ,i come home1 even to spend this life in gathering in some to ,christ4 ,i have still great heaviness for my silence1 and my forced standing idle in the market1 when this land hath such a plentiful1 thick harvest4 ,but ,i know that ,his judgments1 who hath done it1 pass finding out4 ,i have no knowledge to take up the ,lord in all ,his strange ways1 and passages of deep and unsearchable providences4 ,for the ,lord is before me1 and ,i am so bemisted that ,i cannot follow ,him2 ,he is behind me1 and following at the heels1 and ,i am not aware of ,him2 ,he is above me1 but ,his glory so dazzleth my twilight of short knowledge1 that ,i cannot look up to ,him4 ,he is upon my right hand1 and ,i see ,him not2 ,he is upon my left hand1 and within me1 and goeth and cometh1 and ,his going and coming are a dream to me2 ,he is round about me1 and compasseth all my goings1 and still ,i have ,him to seek4 ,he is every way higher1 and deeper1 and broader than the shallow and ebb handbreadth of my short and dim light can take up2 and1 therefore1 ,i would that my heart could be silent1 and sit down in the learnedly-ignorant wondering at the ,lord1 whom men and angels cannot comprehend4 ,i know that the noon-day light of the highest angels1 who see ,him face to face1 seeth not the borders of ,his infiniteness4 ,they apprehend ,god near hand2 but they cannot comprehend ,him4 ,and1 therefore1 it is my happiness to look afar off1 and to come near to the ,lord's back parts1 and to light my dark candle at ,his brightness1 and to have leave to sit and content myself with a traveller's light1 without the clear vision of an enjoyer4 ,i would seek no more till ,i were in my country1 than a little watering and sprinkling of a withered soul1 with some half out-breakings and half out-lookings of the beams1 and small ravishing smiles of the fairest face of a revealed and believed-on ,godhead4 ,a little of ,god would make my soul bank-full4 ,oh that ,i had but ,christ's odd off-fallings2 that ,he would let but the meanest of ,his love-rays and love-beams fall from ,him1 so as ,i might gather and carry then with me6 ,i would not be ill to please with ,christ1 and vailed visions of ,christ2 neither would ,i be dainty in seeing and enjoying of ,him3 a kiss of ,christ blown over ,his shoulder1 the parings and crumbs of glory that fall under ,his table in heaven1 a shower like a thin ,may-mist of ,his love1 would make me green1 and sappy1 and joyful1 till the summer-sun of an eternal glory break up 7,song ii4 #ag74 ,oh that ,i had anything of ,christ6 ,oh that ,i had a sip1 or half a drop1 out of the hollow of ,christ's hand1 of the sweetness and excellency of that lovely ,one6 ,oh that my ,lord ,jesus would rue upon me1 and give me but the meanest alms of felt and believed salvation6 ,oh1 how little were it for that infinite sea1 that infinite fountain of love and joy1 to fill as many thousand thousand little vessels 7the like of me7 as there are minutes of hours since the creation of ,god6 ,i find it true that a poor soul1 finding half a smell of the ,godhead of ,christ1 hath desires 7paining and wounding the poor hearts so with longings to be up at ,him7 that make it sometimes think1 ,were it not better never to have felt anything of ,christ1 than thus to lie dying twenty deaths1 under these felt wounds1 for the want of ,him8 ,oh1 where is ,he8 ,o ,fairest1 where dwellest ,thou8 ,o never-enough admired ,godhead1 how can clay win up to ,thee8 how can creatures of yesterday be able to enjoy ,thee8 ,oh1 what pain is it1 that time and sin should be so many thousand miles betwixt a loved and longed-for ,lord and a dwining and love-sick soul1 who would rather than all the world have lodging with ,christ6 ,oh1 let this bit of love of ours1 this inch and half-span length of heavenly longing1 meet with ,thy infinite love6 ,oh1 if the little ,i have were swallowed up with the infiniteness of that excellency which is in ,christ6 ,oh that we little ones were in at the greatest ,lord ,jesus6 ,our wants should soon be swallowed up with ,his fulness4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,may #aj1 #afcg4 ,,clxx4--,to ,,robert ,,gordon of ,knockbrex4 7,,longing ,,for ,,christ',s ,,glory--,,felt ,,guiltiness--,,longing ,,for ,,christ',s ,,love--,,sanctification47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i received your letter from ,edinburgh4 ,i would not wish to see another heaven1 whill ,i get mine own heaven1 but a new moon like the light of the sun1 and a new sun like the light of seven days shining upon my poor self1 and the ,church of ,jews and ,gentiles1 and upon my withered and sunburnt mother1 the ,church of ,scotland1 and upon her sister ,churches1 ,england and ,ireland2 and to have this done1 to the setting on high of our great ,king6 ,it mattereth#bfg not1 howbeit ,i were separate from ,christ1 and had a sense of ten thousand years' pain in hell1 if this were4 ,o blessed nobility6 ,o glorious1 renowned gentry6 ,oh1 blessed were the tribes in this land to wipe my ,lord ,jesus' weeping face1 and to take the sackcloth off ,christ's loins1 and to put ,his kingly robes upon ,him6 ,oh1 if the ,almighty would take no less wager of me than my heaven to have it done6 ,but my fears are still for wrath once upon ,scotland4 ,but ,i know that her day will clear up1 and that glory shall be upon the top of the mountains1 and joy at the voice#bfh of the married wife1 once again4 ,oh that our ,lord would make us to contend1 and plead1 and wrestle by prayers and tears1 for our ,husband's restoring of ,his forfeited heritage in ,scotland4 #bfg ,mattereth8 ,in other editions it is maketh4 #bfh ,noise1 in old editions4 ,dear brother1 ,i am for the present in no small battle1 betwixt felt guiltiness1 and pining longings and high fevers for my ,well-beloved's love6 ,alas6 ,i think that ,christ's love playeth the niggard to me1 and ,i know it is not for scarcity of love4 ,there is enough in ,him1 but my hunger prophesieth of in-holding and sparingness in ,christ2 for ,i have but little of ,him1 and little of ,his sweetness4 ,it is a dear summer with me2 yet there is such joy in the eagerness and working of hunger for ,christ1 that ,i am often at this1 that if ,i had no other heaven than a continual hunger for ,christ1 such a heaven of ever-working hunger were still a heaven to me4 ,i am sure that ,christ's love cannot be cruel2 it must be a ruing1 a pitying1 a melting-hearted love2 but suspension of that love ,i think half a hell1 and the want of it more than a whole hell4 ,when ,i look to my guiltiness1 ,i see that my salvation is one of our ,saviour's greatest miracles1 either in heaven or earth4 ,i am sure ,i may defy any man to show me a greater wonder4 ,but1 seeing ,i have no wares1 no hire1 no money for ,christ1 ,he must either take me with want1 misery1 corruption1 or then want me4 ,oh1 if ,he would be pleased to be compassionate and pitiful-hearted to my pining fevers of longing for ,him2 or then give me a real pawn to keep1 out of ,his own hand1 till ,god send a meeting betwixt ,him and me6 ,but ,i find neither as yet4 ,howbeit ,he who is absent be not cruel nor unkind1 yet ,his absence is cruel and unkind4 ,his love is like itself2 ,his love is ,his love2 but the covering and the cloud1 the vail and the mask of ,his love1 is more wise than kind1 if ,i durst speak my apprehensions4 ,i lead no process now against the suspension and delay of ,god's love2 ,i would with all my heart frist till a day ten heavens1 and the sweet manifestations of ,his love4 ,certainly ,i think that ,i could give ,christ much on ,his word2 but my whole pleading is about intimated and borne-in assurance of ,his love4 ,oh1 if ,he would persuade me of#bfi my heart's desire of ,his love at all1 ,he should have the term-day of payment at ,his own cowing4#bgj ,but ,i know that raving unbelief speaketh its pleasure1 while it looketh upon guiltiness and this body of corruption4 ,oh how loathsome and burdensome is it to carry about a dead corpse1 this old carrion of corruption6 ,oh how steadable a thing is a ,saviour1 to make a sinner rid of his chains and fetters6 #bfi ,convince me that ,he intends to gratify my heart's desire4 #bgj ,carving4 ,i have now made a new question1 whether ,christ be more to be loved1 for giving ,sanctification or for free ,justification4 ,and ,i hold that ,he is more and most to be loved for sanctification4 ,it is in some respect greater love in ,him to sanctify1 than to justify2 for ,he maketh us most like ,himself in ,his own essential portraiture and image1 in sanctifying us4 ,justification doth but make us happy1 which is to be like angels only4 ,neither is it such a misery to lie a condemned man1 and under unforgiven guiltiness1 as to serve sin1 and work the works of the devil2 and1 therefore1 ,i think sanctification cannot be bought3 it is above price4 ,god be thanked for ever1 that ,christ was a told-down price for sanctification4 ,let a sinner1 if possible1 lie in hell for ever1 if ,he make him truly holy2 and let him lie there burning in love to ,god1 rejoicing in the ,holy ,ghost1 hanging upon ,christ by faith and hope1--that is heaven in the heart and bottom of hell6 ,alas6 ,i find a very thin harvest here1 and few to be saved4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his lovely and longed-for ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,clxxi4--,to the ,,laird ,,of ,,moncrieff4 ,,sir ,,john ,,moncrieff1 of that ilk1 was the eldest son of ,william ,moncrieff of that ilk1 by his wife ,anne1 daughter of ,robert ,murray of ,abercarnie1 who was his second wife4 ,he was a zealous ,covenanter1 and a ruling elder in the parish of ,carnbee1 in which he resided4 ,his name appears in the list of the ,general ,assembly's ,commission for the public affairs of the ,church1 in the years #afdf and #afdh2 and he was an active member of the ,presbytery of ,st4 ,andrews4 ,he died about the close of the year #afej4 ,lady ,leyes1 to whom reference is made in this letter1 was his third sister ,jean1 married to ,hay of ,leyes1 in ,aberdeenshire 7,douglas' ,baronage of ,scotland1 p4 #df74 7,,concert ,,in ,,prayer--,,stedfastness ,,to ,,christ--,,grief ,,misrepresents ,,christ',s ,,glory47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,although not acquainted1 yet at the desire of your worthy sister1 the ,lady ,leys1 and upon the report of your kindness to ,christ and ,his oppressed truth1 ,i am bold to write to you1 earnestly desiring you to join with us 7so many as in these bounds profess ,christ71 to wrestle with ,god1 one day of the week1 especially the ,wednesday1 for mercy to this fallen and decayed kirk1 and to such as suffer for ,christ's name2 and for your own necessities1 and the necessities of others who are by covenant engaged in that business4 ,for we have no other armour in these evil times but prayer1 now when wrath from the ,lord is gone out against this backsliding land4 ,for ye know we can have no true public fasts1 neither are the true causes of our humiliation ever laid before the people4 ,now1 very worthy ,sir1 ,i am glad in the ,lord1 that the ,lord reserveth any of your place1 or of note1 in this time of common apostasy1 to come forth in public to hear ,christ's name before men1 when the great men think ,christ a cumbersome neighbour1 and that religion carrieth hazards1 trials1 and persecutions with it4 ,i persuade myself that it is your glory and your garland1 and shall be your joy in the day of ,christ1 and the standing of your house and seed1 to inherit the earth1 that you truly and sincerely profess ,christ4 ,neither is our ,king1 whom the ,father hath crowned in ,mount ,zion1 so weak1 that ,he cannot do for ,himself and ,his own cause4 ,i verily believe that they are blessed who can hold the crown upon ,his head1 and carry up the train of ,his robe royal1 and that ,he shall be victorious1 and triumph in this land4 ,it is our part to back our royal ,king1 howbeit there was not six in all the land to follow ,him4 ,it is our wisdom now to take up1 and discern1 the devil and the antichrist coming out in their whites1 and the apostasy and idolatry of this land washen with foul waters4 ,i confess that it is art to wash the devil till his skin be white4 ,for myself1 ,sir1 ,i have bought a plea against ,christ1 since ,i came hither1 in judging my princely ,master angry at me1 because ,i was cast out of the vineyard as a withered tree1 my dumb ,sabbaths working me much sorrow4 ,but ,i see now that sorrow hath not eyes to read love written upon the cross of ,christ2 and1 therefore1 ,i pass from my rash plea4 ,woe1 woe is me1 that ,i should have received a slander of ,christ's love to my soul6 ,and for all this1 my ,lord ,jesus hath forgiven all1 as not willing to be heard#bga with such a fool2 and is content to be1 as it were1 confined with me1 and to bear me company1 and to feast a poor oppressed prisoner4 ,and now ,i write it under my hand1 worthy ,sir1 that ,i think well and honourably of this cross of ,christ4 ,i wonder that ,he will take any glory from the like of me4 ,i find when ,he but sendeth ,his hearty commendations to me1 and but bloweth a kiss afar off1 ,i am confounded with wondering what the supper of the ,lamb will be1 up in our ,father's dining-palace of glory1 since the four-hours in this dismal wilderness1 and 7when in prisons and in our sad days71 a kiss of ,christ1 are so comfortable4 ,oh1 how sweet and glorious shall our case be1 when that ,fairest among the sons of men will lay ,his fair face to our now sinful faces1 and wipe away all tears from our eyes6 ,o time1 time1 run swiftly and hasten this day6 ,o sweet ,lord ,jesus1 come flying like a roe or a young hart6 ,alas6 that we1 blind fools1 are fallen in love with moonshine and shadows4 ,how sweet is the wind that bloweth out of the airth where ,christ is6 ,every day we may see some new thing in ,christ2 ,his love hath neither brim nor bottom4 ,oh1 if ,i had help to praise ,him6 ,he knoweth that if my sufferings glorify ,his name1 and encourage others to stand fast for the honour of our supreme ,lawgiver1 ,christ1 my wages then are paid to the full4 ,sir1 help me to love that never-enough-praised ,lord4 ,i find now1 that the faith of the saints1 under suffering for ,christ1 is fair before the wind1 and with full sails carried upon ,christ4 ,and ,i hope to lose nothing in this furnace but dross2 for ,christ can triumph in a weaker man than ,i am1 if there be any such4 ,and when all is done1 ,his love paineth me1 and leaveth me under such debt to ,christ1 as ,i can neither pay principal nor interest4 ,oh1 if ,he would comprise myself1 and if ,i were sold to ,him as a bondman1 and that ,he would take me home to ,his house and fireside2 for ,i have nothing to render to ,him6 ,then1 after me1 let no man think hard of ,christ's sweet cross2 for ,i would not exchange my sighs with the painted laughter of all my adversaries4 ,i desire grace and patience to wait on1 and to lie upon the brink1 till the water fill and flow4 ,i know that ,he is fast coming4 #bga ,not willing to be heard disputing with such a fool4 ,sir1 ye will excuse my boldness3 and1 till it please ,god that ,i see you1 ye have the prayers of a prisoner of ,christ2 to whom ,i recommend you1 and in whom ,i rest4 ,yours1 at all obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,may #ad1 #afcg4 ,,clxxii4--,to ,,john ,,clark 7supposed to be one of his ,parishioners at ,anwoth74 7,,marks ,,of ,,difference ,,betwixt ,,christians ,,and ,,reprobates47 ,,loving ,,brother1--,hold fast ,christ without wavering1 and contend for the faith1 because ,christ is not easily gotten nor kept4 ,the lazy professor hath put heaven as it were at the very next door1 and thinketh to fly up to heaven in his bed1 and in a night-dream2 but1 truly1 that is not so easy a thing as most men believe4 ,christ ,himself did sweat ere ,he wan this city1 howbeit ,he was the freeborn heir4 ,it is ,christianity1 my ,heart1 to be sincere1 unfeigned honest1 and upright-hearted before ,god1 and to live and serve ,god1 suppose there was not one man nor woman in all the world dwelling beside you1 to eye you4 ,any little grace that ye have1 see that it be sound and true4 ,ye may put a difference betwixt you and reprobates1 if ye have these marks3--#a4 ,if ye prize ,christ and ,his truth so as ye will sell all and buy ,him2 and suffer for it4 #b4 ,if the love of ,christ keepeth you back from sinning1 more than the law1 or fear of hell4 #c4 ,if ye be humble1 and deny your own will1 wit1 credit1 ease1 honour1 the world1 and the vanity and glory of it4 #d4 ,your profession must not be barren1 and void of good works4 #e4 ,ye must in all things aim at ,god's honour2 ye must eat1 drink1 sleep1 buy1 sell1 sit1 stand1 speak1 pray1 read1 and hear the word1 with a heart-purpose that ,god may be honoured4 #f4 ,ye must show yourself an enemy to sin1 and reprove the works of darkness1 such as drunkenness1 swearing1 and lying1 albeit the company should hate you for so doing4 #g4 ,keep in mind the truth of ,god1 that ye heard me teach1 and have nothing to do with the corruptions and new guises entered into the house of ,god4 #h4 ,make conscience of your calling1 in covenants1 in buying and selling4 #i4 ,acquaint yourself with daily praying2 commit all your ways and actions to ,god1 by prayer1 supplication1 and thanksgiving2 and count not much of being mocked2 for ,christ ,jesus was mocked before you4 ,persuade yourself1 that this is the way of peace and comfort which ,i now suffer for4 ,i dare go to death and into eternity with it1 though men may possibly see another way4 ,remember me in your prayers1 and the state of this oppressed church4 ,grace be with you4 ,your soul's well-wisher1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 ,,clxxiii4--,to ,,cardoness1 the ,younger4 ,letter ,,cxxiii4 7,,warning ,,and ,,advice ,,as ,,to ,,things ,,of ,,salvation47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,i long to hear whether or not your soul be hand-fasted with ,christ4 ,lose your time no longer3 flee the follies of youth3 gird up the loins of your mind1 and make you ready for meeting the ,lord4 ,i have often summoned you1 and now ,i summon you again1 to compear before your ,judge1 to make a reckoning of your life4 ,while ye have time1 look upon your papers1 and consider your ways4 ,oh that there were such an heart in you1 as to think what an ill conscience will be to you1 when ye are upon the border of eternity1 and your one foot out of time6 ,oh then1 ten thousand thousand floods of tears cannot extinguish these flames1 or purchase to you one hour's release from that pain6 ,oh1 how sweet a day have ye had6 ,but this is a fair-day that runneth fast away4 ,see how ye have spent it1 and consider the necessity of salvation6 and tell me1 in the fear of ,god1 if ye have made it sure4 ,i am persuaded that ye have a conscience that will be speaking somewhat to you4 ,why will ye die1 and destroy yourself8 ,i charge you in ,christ's name1 to rouse up your conscience1 and begin to indent and contract with ,christ in time1 while salvation is in your offer4 ,this is the accepted time1 this is the day of salvation4 ,play the merchant2 for ye cannot expect another market-day when this is done4 ,therefore1 let me again beseech you to consider1 in this your day1 the things that belong to your peace1 before they be hid from your eyes4 ,dear brother1 fulfil my joy1 and begin to seek the ,lord while ,he may be found4 ,forsake the follies of deceiving and vain youth3 lay hold upon eternal life4 ,whoring1 night-drinking1 and the misspending of the ,sabbath1 and neglecting of prayer in your house1 and refusing of an offered salvation1 will burn up your soul with the terrors of the ,almighty1 when your awakened conscience shall flee in your face4 ,be kind and loving to your wife3 make conscience of cherishing her1 and not being rigidly austere4 ,sir1 ,i have not a tongue to express the glory that is laid up for you in your ,father's house1 if ye reform your doings1 and frame your heart to return to the ,lord4 ,ye know that this world is but a shadow1 a short-living creature1 under the law of time4 ,within less than fifty years1 when ye look back to it1 ye shall laugh at the evanishing vanities thereof1 as feathers flying in the air1 and as the houses of sand within the sea-mark1 which the children of men are building4 ,give up with courting of this vain world3 seek not the bastard's moveables1 but the son's heritage in heaven4 ,take a trial of ,christ4 ,look unto ,him1 and ,his love will so change you1 that ye shall be taken with ,him1 and never choose to go from ,him4 ,i have experience of ,his sweetness1 in this house of my pilgrimage here4 ,my ,witness1 who is above1 knoweth that ,i would not exchange my sighs and tears with the laughing of the ,fourteen ,prelates4#bgb ,there is nothing that will make you a ,christian indeed1 but a taste of the sweetness of ,christ4 ,come and see1 will speak best to your soul4 ,i would fain hope good of you4 ,be not discouraged at broken and spilled resolutions2 but to it1 and to it again6 ,woo about ,christ1 till ye get your soul espoused as a chaste virgin to ,him4 ,use the means of profiting with your conscience2 pray in your family1 and read the word4 ,remember how our ,lord's day was spent when ,i was among you4 ,it will be a great challenge to you before ,god1 if ye forget the good that was done within the walls of your house on the ,lord's day2 and if ye turn aside after the fashions of this world1 and if ye go not in time to the kirk1 to wait on the public worship of ,god1 and if ye tarry not at it1 till all the exercises of religion be ended4 ,give ,god some of your time both morning and evening1 and afternoon2 and in so doing1 rejoice the heart of a poor oppressed prisoner4 ,rue upon your own soul1 and from your heart fear the ,lord4 #bgb ,the ,bishops whom the ,king sought to thrust on ,scotland4 ,now ,he that brought again from the dead the great ,shepherd of ,his sheep1 by the blood of the eternal covenant1 establish your heart with ,his grace1 and present you before ,his presence with joy4 ,your affectionate and loving pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,clxxiv4--,to my ,,lord ,,craighall4 ,letter ,,lxxxvi4 7,,idolatry ,,condemned47 ,,my ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i am not only content1 but ,i exceedingly rejoice1 that ,i find any of the rulers of this land1 and especially your ,lordship so to affect ,christ and ,his truth1 as that ye dare1 for ,his name1 come to yea and nay with monarchs in their face4 ,i hope that ,he who hath enabled you for that1 will give more1 if ye show yourself courageous1 and 7as ,his word speaketh71 a man in the streets1 for the ,lord 7,jer4 v4 #a74 ,but ,i pray your ,lordship1 give me leave to be plain with you1 as one who loveth both your honour and your soul4 ,i verily believe that there was never idolatry at ,rome1 never idolatry condemned in ,god's word by the prophets1 if religious kneeling before a consecrated creature1 standing in room of ,christ crucified1 in that very act1 and that for reverence of the elements 7as our ,act cleareth71 be not idolatry4#bgc ,neither will your intention help1 which is not of the essence of worship2 for then1 ,aaron saying1 ,to-morrow shall be a feast for ,jehovah1 that is1 for the golden calf1 should not have been guilty of idolatry3 for he intended only to decline the lash of the people's fury1 not to honour the calf4 ,your intention to honour ,christ is nothing1 seeing that religious kneeling1 by ,god's institution1 doth necessarily import religious and divine adoration1 suppose that our intention were both dead and sleeping2 otherwise1 kneeling before the image of ,god and directing prayer to ,god were lawful1 if our intention go right4 ,my ,lord1 ,i cannot in these bounds dispute2 but if ,cambridge and ,oxford1 and the learning of ,britain1 will answer this argument1 and the argument from active scandal1 which your ,lordship seemeth to stand upon1 ,i will turn a formalist1 and call myself an arrant fool 7by doing what ,i have done7 in my suffering for this truth4 ,i do much reverence ,mr4 ,l4's#bgd learning2 but1 my ,lord1 ,i will answer what he writeth in that1 to pervert you from the truth2 else repute me1 beside an hypocrite1 an ass also4 ,i hope ye shall see something upon that subject 7if the ,lord permit71 that no sophistry in ,britain shall answer4 ,courtiers' arguments1 for the most part1 are drawn from their own skin1 and are not worth a straw for your conscience4 ,a ,marquis' or a ,king's word1 when ye stand before ,christ's tribunal1 shall be lighter than the wind4 ,the ,lord knoweth that ,i love your true honour1 and the standing of your house2 but ,i would not that your honour or house were established upon sand1 and hay1 and stubble4 #bgc ,see ,letter ,,xcii4 #bgd ,probably ,mr4 ,loudian4 ,letter ,,lxxxvi41 note4 ,but let me1 my very dear and worthy ,lord1 most humbly beseech you1 by the mercies of ,god1 by the consolations of ,his ,spirit1 by the dear blood and wounds of your lovely ,redeemer1 by the salvation of your soul1 by your compearance before the awful face of a sin-revenging and dreadful ,judge1 not to set in comparison together your soul's peace1 ,christ's love1 and ,his kingly honour now called in question1 with your place1 honour1 house1 or ease1 that an inch of time will make out of the way4 ,i verily believe that ,christ is now begging a testimony of you1 and is saying1 ,and will ye also leave ,me8 ,it is possible that the wind shall not blow so fair for you all your life1 for coming out and appearing before others to back and countenance ,christ1 the fairest among the sons of men1 the ,prince of the kings of the earth4 ,fear ye not the reproach of men1 neither be afraid of their revilings3 for the moth shall eat them up like a garment1 and the worm shall eat them like wool 7,isa4 li4 #g1 #h74 ,when the ,lord will begin1 ,he will make an end1 and mow down ,his adversaries2 and they shall lie before ,him like withered hay1 and their bloom be shaken off them4 ,consider how many thousands in this kingdom ye shall cause to fall and stumble1 if ye go with them2 and that ye shall be out of the prayers of many who do now stand before the ,lord for you and your house4 ,and further2 when the time of your accounts cometh1 and your one foot shall be within the border of eternity1 and the eyestrings shall break1 and the face wax pale1 and the poor soul shall look out at the windows of the house of clay1 longing to be out1 and ye shall find yourself arraigned before the ,judge of quick and dead1 to answer for your putting to your hand1 with the rest confederated against ,christ1 to the overturning of ,his ark1 and the loosing of the pins of ,christ's tabernacle in this land1 and shall certainly see yourself mired in a course of apostasy--then1 then1 a king's favour and your worm-eaten honour shall be miserable comforters to you6 ,the ,lord hath enlightened you with the knowledge of ,his will2 and as the ,lord liveth1 they lead you and others to a communion with great ,babel1 the mother of fornications4 ,god said of old1 and continueth to say the same to you1 ,come out of her1 ,my people1 lest ye be partakers of her plagues4 ,will ye1 then1 go with them1 and set your lip to the whore's golden cup1 and drink of the wine of the wrath of ,god ,almighty with them8 ,oh1 poor hungry honour6 ,oh1 cursed pleasure6 and1 oh1 damnable ease1 bought with the loss of ,god6 ,how many will pray for you6 what a sweet presence shall ye find of ,christ under your sufferings1 if ye will lay down your honours and place at the feet of ,christ4 ,what a fair recompense of reward6 ,i avouch before the ,lord that ,i am now showing you a way how the house of ,craighall may stand on sure pillars4 ,if ye will set it on rotten pillars1 ye cruelly wrong your posterity4 ,ye have the word of a ,king for an hundred-fold more in this life 7if it be good for you71 and for life everlasting also4 ,make not ,christ a liar1 in distrusting ,his promise4 ,kings of clay cannot back you when you stand before ,him4 ,a straw for them and their hungry heaven1 that standeth on this side of time6 ,a fig for the day's-smile of a worm6 ,consider who have gone before you to eternity1 and would have given a world for a new occasion of avouching that truth4 ,it is true they call it not substantial1 and we are made a scorn to those that are at ease1 for suffering these things for it4 ,but it is not time to judge of our losses by the morning2 stay till the evening1 and we will count with the best of them4 ,i have found by experience1 since the time of my imprisonment 7my witness is above71 that ,christ is sealing this honourable cause with another and a nearer fellowship than ever ,i knew before2 and let ,god weigh me in an even balance in this1 if ,i would exchange the cross of ,christ or ,his truth1 with the fourteen prelacies1 or what else a ,king can give4 ,my dear ,lord1 venture to take the wind on your face for ,christ4 ,i believe that if ,he should come from heaven in ,his own person1 and seek the charters of ,craighall from you1 and a demission of your place1 and ye saw ,his face1 ye would fall down at ,his feet and say1 ,lord ,jesus1 it is too little for ,thee4 ,if any man think it not a truth to die for1 ,i am against him4 ,i dare go to eternity with it1 that this day the honour of our ,lawgiver and ,king1 in the government of ,his own free kingdom 7who should pay tribute to no dying king71 is the true state of the question4#bge ,my ,lord1 be ye upon ,christ's side of it1 and take the word of a poor prisoner 7nay1 the ,lord ,jesus be surety for it71 that ye have incomparably made the wisest choice4 ,for my own part1 ,i have so been in this prison1 that ,i would be half-ashamed to seek more till ,i be up at the ,well-head4 ,few know in this world the sweetness of ,christ's breath1 the excellency of ,his love1 which hath neither brim nor bottom4 ,the world hath raised a slander upon the cross of ,christ1 because they love to go to heaven by dry land1 and love not sea-storms4 ,but ,i write it under my hand 7and would say more1 if possibly a reader would not deem it hypocrisy71 that my obligation to ,christ for the smell of ,his garments1 for ,his love-kisses these thirty weeks1 standeth so great1 that ,i should 7and ,i desire also to choose to7 suspend my salvation1 to have many tongues loosed in my behalf to praise ,him4 ,and1 suppose in person ,i never entered within the gates of the ,new ,jerusalem1 yet so being ,christ may be set on high1 and ,i had the liberty to cast my love and praises for ever over the wall to ,christ1 ,i would be silent and content4 ,but oh1 ,he is more than my narrow praises6 ,o time1 time1 flee swiftly1 that our communion with ,jesus may be perfected6 #bge ,status qustionis1 a phrase in logical works--the way of stating a matter to be discussed4 ,i wish that your ,lordship would urge ,mr4 ,l4 to give his mind in the ceremonies2 and be pleased to let me see it as quickly as can be1 and it shall be answered4 ,to ,his rich grace ,i recommend your ,lordship1 and shall remain1 ,yours1 at all respectful obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,june #h1 #afcg4 ,,clxxv4--,to ,,john ,,laurie 7probably some one at a distance1 like ,lady ,robertland in ,stewarton74 7,,christ',s ,,love--,a ,,right ,,estimate ,,of ,,him--,,his ,,grace47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,i am sorry that ye1 or so many in this kingdom1 should expect so much of me1 an empty reed4 ,verily ,i am a noughty#bgf and poor body2 but if the tinkling of the iron chains of my ,lord ,jesus on legs and arms could sound the high praises of my royal ,king1 whose prisoner ,i am1 oh1 how would my joy run over6 ,if my ,lord would bring edification to one soul by my bonds1 ,i am satisfied4 ,but ,i know not what ,i can do to such a princely and beautiful ,well-beloved2 ,he is far behind with me4#bgg ,little thanks to me1 to say to others that ,his wind bloweth on me1 who am but withered and dry bones2 but1 since ye desire me to write to you1 either help me to set ,christ on high1 for ,his running-over love1 in that the heat of ,his sweet breath hath melted a frozen heart2 else ,i think that ye do nothing for a prisoner4 #bgf ,worthless2 good for nothing4 ,it is1 however1 written naughty1 evil1 in old editions4 #bgg ,he has so fully paid me4 ,i am fully confirmed1 that it is the honour of our ,lawgiver which ,i suffer for now4 ,i am not ashamed to give our letters of recommendation of ,christ's love to as many as will extol the ,lord ,jesus and ,his ,cross4 ,if ,i had not sailed this sea-way to heaven1 but had taken the land-way1 as many do1 ,i should not have known ,christ's sweetness in such a measure4 ,but the truth is1 let no man thank me1 for ,i caused not ,christ's wind to blow upon me4 ,his love came upon a withered creature1 whether ,i would or not2 and yet by coming it procured from me a welcome4 ,a heart of iron1 and iron doors1 will not hold ,christ out4 ,i give ,him leave to break iron locks and come in1 and that is all4 ,and now ,i know not whether pain of love for want of possession1 or sorrow that ,i dow not thank ,him1 paineth me the most2 but both work upon me4 ,for the first3 oh that ,he would come and satisfy the longing soul1 and fill the hungry soul with these good things6 ,i know indeed that my guiltiness may be a bar in ,his way2 but ,he is ,god1 and ready to forgive4 ,and for the other3 woe1 woe is me1 that ,i cannot find a heart to give back again my unworthy little love for ,his great sea-full of love to me6 ,oh that ,he would learn me this piece of gratitude6 ,oh that ,i could have leave to look in through the hole of the door1 to see ,his face and sing ,his praises6 or could break up one of ,his chamber-windows1 to look in upon ,his delighting beauty1 till my ,lord send more6 ,any little communion with ,him1 one of ,his love-looks1 should be my begun heaven4 ,i know that ,he is not lordly1 neither is the ,bridegroom's love proud1 though ,i be black1 and unlovely1 and unworthy of ,him4 ,i would seek but leave1 and withal grace1 to spend my love upon ,him4 ,i counsel you to think highly of ,christ1 and of free1 free grace1 more than ye did before2 for ,i know that ,christ is not known amongst us4 ,i think that ,i see more of ,christ than ever ,i saw2 and yet ,i see but little of what may be seen4 ,oh that ,he would draw by the curtains1 and that the ,king would come out of ,his gallery and ,his palace1 that ,i might see ,him6 ,christ's love is young glory and young heaven2 it would soften hell's pain to be filled with it4 ,what would ,i refuse to suffer1 if ,i could get but a draught of love at my heart's desire6 ,oh1 what price can be given for ,him4 ,angels cannot weigh ,him4 ,oh1 ,his weight1 ,his worth1 ,his sweetness1 ,his overpassing beauty6 ,if men and angels would come and look to that great and princely ,one1 their ebbness could never take up ,his depth1 their narrowness could never comprehend ,his breadth1 height1 and length4 ,if ten thousand thousand worlds of angels were created1 they might all tire themselves in wondering at ,his beauty1 and begin again to wonder of new4 ,oh that ,i could win nigh ,him1 to kiss ,his feet1 to hear ,his voice1 to feel the smell of ,his ointments6 ,but oh1 alas6 ,i have little1 little of ,him4 ,yet ,i long for more4 ,remember my bonds1 and help me with your prayers2 for ,i would not niffer or exchange my sad hours with the joy of my velvet adversaries4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours in ,his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,june #aj1 #afcg4 ,,clxxvi4--,to ,,carleton4 7,a ,,christian',s ,,confession ,,of ,,unworthiness--,,desire ,,for ,,christ',s ,,honour--,,present ,,circumstances47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,much ,,honoured1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i received your letter from my brother1 to which ,i now answer particularly4 ,i confess two things of myself3 #ast1 ,woe1 woe is me1 that men should think there is anything in me6 ,he is my witness1 before whom ,i am as crystal1 that the secret house-devils that bear me too often company1 and that this sink of corruption which ,i find within1 make me go with low sails4 ,and if others saw what ,i see1 they would look by#bgh me1 but not to me4 #bgh ,look past me4 #bndly1 ,i know that this shower of ,his free grace behoved to be on me1 otherwise ,i should have withered4 ,i know1 also1 that ,i have need of a buffeting tempter1 that grace may be put to exercise1 and ,i kept low4 ,worthy and dear brother in the ,lord ,jesus1 ,i write that from my heart which ye now read4 #ast1 ,i avouch that ,christ1 and sweating and sighing under ,his cross1 is sweeter to me by far1 than all the kingdoms in the world could possibly be4 #bndly1 ,if you1 and my dearest acquaintance in ,christ1 reap any fruit by my suffering1 let me be weighed in ,god's even balance1 if my joy be not fulfilled4 ,what am ,i1 to carry the marks of such a great ,king6 ,but1 howbeit ,i am a sink and sinful mass1 a wretched captive of sin1 my ,lord ,jesus can hew heaven out of worse timber than ,i am2 if worse can be4 #crdly1 ,i now rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorious1 that ,i never purposed to bring ,christ1 or the least hoof or hair-breadth of truth1 under trysting4#bgi ,i desired to have and keep ,christ all alone2 and that ,he should never rub clothes with that black-skinned harlot of ,rome4 ,i am now fully paid home1 so that nothing aileth me for the present1 but love-sickness for a real possession of my fairest ,well-beloved4 ,i would give ,him my bond under my faith and hand1 to frist heaven an hundred years longer1 so being ,he would lay ,his holy face to my sometimes wet cheeks4 ,oh1 who would not pity me1 to know how fain ,i would have the ,king shaking the tree of life upon me1 or letting me into the well of life with my old dish1 that ,i might be drunken with the fountain here in the house of my pilgrimage6 ,i cannot1 nay1 ,i would not1 be quit of ,christ's love4 ,he hath left the mark behind where ,he gripped4 ,he goeth away and leaveth me and ,his burning love to wrestle together1 and ,i can scarce win my meat of ,his love1 because of ,his absence4 ,my ,lord giveth me but hungry half-kisses1 which serve to feed pain and increase hunger1 but do not satisfy my desires2 ,his dieting of my soul for this race maketh me lean4 ,i have gotten the wale and choice of ,christ's crosses1 even the tithe and the flower of the gold of all crosses1 to bear witness to the truth2 and herein find ,i liberty1 joy1 access1 life1 comfort1 love1 faith1 submission1 patience1 and resolution to take delight in on-waiting4 ,and withal1 in my race1 ,he hath come near me1 and let me see the gold and crown4 ,what1 then1 want ,i but fruition and real enjoyment1 which is reserved to my country8#bhj ,let no man think he shall lose at ,christ's hands in suffering for ,him4 #dthly1 ,as for these present trials1 they are most dangerous2 for people are stolen off their feet with well-washen and white-skinned pretences of indifferency4 ,but it is the power of the great antichrist working in this land4 ,woe1 woe1 woe be to apostate ,scotland6 ,there is wrath1 and a cup of the red wine of the wrath of ,god ,almighty in the ,lord's hand1 that they shall drink and spue1 and fall and not rise again4 ,the star called ,wormwood and gall is fallen into the fountains and rivers1 and hath made them bitter4 ,the sword of the ,lord is furbished against the idol-shepherds of the land4 ,women shall bless the barren womb and miscarrying breast2 all hearts shall be faint1 and all knees shall tremble4 ,an end is coming2 the leopard and the lion shall watch over our cities2 houses great and fair shall be desolate without an inhabitant4 ,the ,lord hath said1 ,pray not for this people1 for ,i have taken ,my peace from them4 ,yet the ,lord's third part shall come through the fire1 as refined gold for the treasure of the ,lord1 and the outcasts of ,scotland shall be gathered together again1 and the wilderness shall blossom as the flower1 and bud1 and grow as the rose of ,sharon2 and great shall be the glory of the ,lord upon ,scotland4 #ethly1 ,i am here assaulted with the learned and pregnant wits of this kingdom4 ,but1 all honour be to my ,lord1 truth but laughs at bemisted and blind scribes1 and disputers of this world2 and ,god's wisdom confoundeth them1 and ,christ triumpheth in ,his own strong truth1 that speaketh for itself4 #fthly1 ,i doubt not but my ,lord is preparing me for heavier trials4 ,i am most ready at the good pleasure of my ,lord1 in the strength of ,his grace1 for anything ,he will be pleased to call me to2 neither shall the black-faced messenger1 ,death1 be holden at the door1 when it shall knock4 ,if my ,lord will take honour of the like of me1 how glad and joyful will my soul be6 ,let ,christ come out with me to a hotter battle than this1 and ,i will fear no flesh4 ,i know that my ,master shall win the day1 and that ,he hath taken the ordering of my sufferings into ,his own hand4 #gthly1 ,as for my deliverance that miscarrieth2 ,i am here1 by my ,lord's grace1 to lay my hand on my mouth1 to be silent1 and wait on4 ,my ,lord ,jesus is on ,his journey for my deliverance2 ,i will not grudge that ,he runneth not so fast as ,i would have ,him4 ,on-waiting till the swelling rivers fall1 and till my ,lord arise as a mighty man after strong wine1 will be my best4 ,i have not yet resisted to blood4 #hthly1 ,oh1 how often am ,i laid in the dust1 and urged by the tempter 7who can ride his own errands upon our lying apprehensions7 to sin against the unchangeable love of my ,lord6 ,when ,i think upon the sparrows and swallows that build their nests in the kirk of ,anwoth1 and of my dumb ,sabbaths1 my sorrowful1 bleared eyes look asquint upon ,christ1 and present ,him as angry4 ,but in this trial 7all honour to our princely and royal ,king67 faith saileth fair before the wind1 with topsail up1 and carrieth the passenger through4 ,i lay inhibitions upon my thoughts1 that they receive no slanders of my only1 only ,beloved4 ,let ,him even say out of ,his own mouth1 ,there is no hope2 yet ,i will die in that sweet beguile1 ,it is not so1 ,i shall see the salvation of ,god4 ,let me be deceived really1 and never win to dry land2 it is my joy to believe under the water1 and to die with faith in my hand1 gripping ,christ4 ,let my conceptions of ,christ's love go to the grave with me1 and to hell with me2 ,i may not1 ,i dare not quit them4 ,i hope to keep ,christ's pawn3 if ,he never come to loose it1 let ,him see to ,his own promise4 ,i know that presumption1 howbeit it be made of stoutness1 will not thus be wilful in heavy trials4 #bgi ,to bring under man's appointment the smallest part of ,christ's truth4 #bhj ,till ,i reach the heavenly country8 ,now my dearest in ,christ1 the great ,messenger of the ,covenant1 the only wise and all-sufficient ,jehovah1 establish you to the end4 ,i hear that the ,lord hath been at your house1 and hath called home your wife to her rest4 ,i know1 ,sir1 that ye see the ,lord loosing the pins of your tabernacle1 and wooing your love from this plastered and over-gilded world1 and calling upon you to be making yourself ready to go to your ,father's country1 which shall be a sweet fruit of that visitation4 ,ye know1 to send the ,comforter1 was the ,king's word when ,he ascended on high4 ,ye have claim to1 and interest in1 that promise4 ,remember my love in ,christ to your father4 ,show him that it is late and black night with him4 ,his long lying at the water-side is that he may look his papers ere he take shipping1 and be at a point for his last answer before his ,judge and ,lord4 ,all love1 all mercy1 all grace and peace1 all multiplied saving consolations1 all joy and faith in ,christ1 all stability and confirming strength of grace1 and the good-will of ,him that dwelt in ,the ,bush1 be with you4 ,your unworthy brother1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,june #ae1 #afcg4 ,,clxxvii4--,to ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,christ ,,suffering ,,in ,,his ,,church--,,his ,,coming--,,outpourings ,,of ,,love ,,from ,,him47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,dearest ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,i ever loved 7since ,i knew you7 that little vineyard of the ,lord's planting in ,galloway2 but now much more1 since ,i have heard that ,he who hath ,his fire in ,zion1 and ,his furnace in ,jerusalem1 hath been pleased to set up a furnace amongst you with the first in this kingdom4 ,he who maketh old things new1 seeing ,scotland an old1 drossy1 and rusted kirk1 is beginning to make a new1 clean bride of her1 and to bring a young1 chaste wife to ,himself out of the fire4 ,this fire shall be quenched1 so soon as ,christ has brought a clean spouse through the fire6 ,therefore1 my dearly beloved in the ,lord1 fear not a worm4 ,fear not1 worm ,jacob 7,isa4 xli4 #ae74 ,christ is in that plea1 and shall win the plea4 ,charge an unbelieving heart1 under the pain of treason against our great and royal ,king ,jesus1 to dependence by faith1 and quiet on-waiting on our ,lord4 ,get you into your chambers1 and shut the doors about you4 ,in1 in with speed to your stronghold1 ye prisoners of hope4 ,ye doves1 fly into ,christ's windows till the indignation be over1 and the storm be past4 ,glorify the ,lord in your sufferings1 and take ,his banner of love1 and spread it over you4 ,others will follow you1 if they see you strong in the ,lord4 ,their courage will take life from your ,christian carriage4 ,look up and see who is coming6 ,lift up your head1 ,he is coming to save1 in garments dyed in blood1 and travelling in the greatness of ,his strength4 ,i laugh1 ,i smile1 ,i leap for joy1 to see ,christ coming to save you so quickly4 ,oh1 such wide steps ,christ taketh6 ,three or four hills are but a step to ,him2 ,he skippeth over the mountains4 ,christ hath set a battle betwixt ,his poor weak saints and ,his enemies4 ,he waleth the weapons for both parties1 and saith to the enemies1 ,take you a sword#bha of steel1 law1 authority1 parliaments1 and kings upon your side2 that is your armour4 ,and ,he saith to ,his saints1 ,i give you a feckless tree-sword in your hand1 and that is suffering1 receiving of strokes1 spoiling of your goods2 and with your tree-sword ye shall get and gain the victory4 ,was not ,christ dragged through the ditches of deep distresses and great straits8 ,and yet ,christ1 who is your ,head1 hath won through with ,his life1 howbeit not with a whole skin4 ,ye are ,christ's members1 and ,he is drawing ,his members through the thorny hedge up to heaven after ,him4 ,christ one day will not have so much as a pained toe4 ,but there are great pieces and portions of ,christ's mystical body not yet within the gates of the great high city1 the ,new ,jerusalem2 and the dragon will strike at ,christ1 so long as there is one bit or member of ,christ's body out of heaven4 ,i tell you1 ,christ will make new work out of old1 forcasten ,scotland1 and gather the old broken boards of ,his tabernacle1 and pin them and nail them together4 ,our bills and supplications are up in heaven2 ,christ hath coffers full of them4 ,there is mercy on the other side of this ,his cross2 a good answer to all our bills is agreed upon4 #bha ,in old editions1 word2 but the contrast1 tree-sword 7sword of wood1 instead of steel71 shows the true reading4 ,i must tell you what lovely ,jesus1 fair ,jesus1 ,king ,jesus hath done to my soul4 ,sometimes ,he sendeth me out a standing drink1#bhb and whispereth a word through the wall2 and ,i am well content of kindness at the second hand3 ,his bode#bhc is ever welcome to me1 be what it will4 ,but at other times ,he will be messenger ,himself1 and ,i get the cup of salvation out of ,his own hand 7,he drinking to me71 and we cannot rest till we be in other's arms4 ,and oh1 how sweet is a fresh kiss from ,his holy mouth6 ,his breathing that goeth before a kiss upon my poor soul is sweet1 and hath no fault but that it is too short4 ,i am careless1 and stand not much on this1 howbeit loins1 and back1 and shoulders1 and head should rive in pieces in stepping up to my ,father's house4 ,i know that my ,lord can make long1 and broad1 and high1 and deep glory to ,his name1 out of this bit feckless body2 for ,christ looketh not what stuff ,he maketh glory out of4 #bhb ,it is like the stirrup-cup4 #bhc ,offer made in order to bargain4 ,my dearly beloved1 ye have often refreshed me4 ,but this is put up in my ,master's account2 ye have ,him debtor for me4 ,but if ye will do anything for me 7as ,i know ye will7 now in my extremity1 tell all my dear friends that a prisoner is fettered and chained in ,christ's love 7,lord1 never loose the fetters672 and ye and they together take my heartiest commendations to my ,lord ,jesus1 and thank ,him for a poor friend4 ,i desire your husband to read this letter4 ,i send him a prisoner's blessing4 ,i will be obliged to him1 if he will be willing to suffer for my dear ,master4 ,suffering is the professor's golden garment2 there shall be no losses on ,christ's side of it4 ,ye have been witnesses of much joy betwixt ,christ and me at communion feasts1 the remembrance whereof 7howbeit ,i be feasted in secret7 holeth my heart2 for ,i am put from the board-head and the ,king's first mess to ,his by-board4 ,and ,his broken meat is sweet unto me2 ,i thank my ,lord for borrowed crumbs1 no less than when ,i feasted at the communion table at ,anwoth and ,kirkcudbright4 ,pray that ,i may get one day of ,christ in public1 such as ,i have had long since1 before my eyes be closed4 ,oh that my ,master would take up house again1 and lend me the keys of ,his wine-cellar again1 and ,god send me borrowed drink till then6 ,remember my love to ,christ's kinsmen with you4 ,i pray for ,christ's ,father's blessing to them all4 ,grace be with you2 a prisoner's blessing be with you4 ,i write it and abide by it1 ,god will be glorious in ,marion ,m',naught1 when this stormy blast shall be over4 ,o woman beloved of ,god1 believe1 rejoice1 be strong in the ,lord6 ,grace is thy portion4 ,your brother1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,june #ae1 #afcg4 ,,clxxviii4--,to ,,lady ,,culross4 ,letter ,,lxxiv4 7,,christ',s ,,management ,,of ,,trials--,,what ,,faith ,,can ,,do--,,christ ,,not ,,experience--,,prayers47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i dare not say that ,i wonder that ye have never written to me in my bonds1 because ,i am not ignorant of the cause2 yet ,i could not but write to you4 ,i know not whether joy or heaviness in my soul carrieth it away4 ,sorrow1 without any mixture of sweetness1 hath not often love-thoughts of ,christ2 but ,i see that the devil can insinuate himself1 and ride his errands upon the thoughts of a poor distressed prisoner4 ,i am woe#bhd that ,i am making ,christ my unfriend1 by seeking pleas against ,him1 because ,i am the first in the kingdom put to utter silence1 and because ,i cannot preach my ,lord's righteousness in the great congregation4 ,i am1 notwithstanding1 the less solicitous how it go1 if there be not wrath in my cup4 ,but ,i know that ,i but claw my wounds when my ,physician hath forbidden me4 ,i would believe in the dark upon luck's head1 and take my hazard of ,christ's good-will1 and rest on this1 that in my fever my ,physician is at my bedside1 and that ,he sympathizeth with me when ,i sigh4 ,my borrowed house1 and another man's bed and fireside1 and other losses1 have no room in my sorrow2 a greater heat to eat out a less fire1 is a good remedy for some burning4 ,i believe that when ,christ draweth blood1 ,he hath skill to cut the right vein2 and that ,he hath taken the whole ordering and disposing of my sufferings4 ,let ,him tutor me1 and tutor my crosses1 as ,he thinketh good4 ,there is no danger nor hazard in following such a guide1 howbeit ,he should lead me through hell1 if ,i could put faith foremost1 and fill the field with a quiet on-waiting1 and believing to see the salvation of ,god4 ,i know that ,christ is not obliged to let me see both the sides of my cross1 and turn it over and over that ,i may see all4 ,my faith is richer to live upon credit1 and ,christ's borrowed money1 than to have much on hand4 ,alas6 ,i have forgotten that faith in times past hath stopped a leak in my crazed bark1 and half filled my sails with a fair wind4 ,i see it a work of ,god that experiences are all lost1 when summons of improbation1 to prove our charters of ,christ to be counterfeits1 are raised against poor souls in their heavy trials4 #bhd ,sad4 ,but let me be a sinner1 and worse than the chief of sinners1 yea1 a guilty devil1 ,i am sure that my ,well-beloved is ,god4 ,and when ,i say that ,christ is ,god1 and that my ,christ is ,god1 ,i have said all things1 ,i can say no more4 ,i would that ,i could build as much on this1 ,my ,christ is ,god1 as it would bear4 ,i might lay all the world upon it4 ,i am sure1 that ,christ untried1 and untaken-up in the power of ,his love1 kindness1 mercies1 goodness1 wisdom1 long-suffering1 and greatness1 is the rock that dim-sighted travellers dash their foot against1 and so stumble fearfully4 ,but my wounds are sorest1 and pain me most1 when ,i sin against ,his love and mercy4 ,and if ,he would set me and my conscience by the ears together1 and resolve not to red the plea1 but let us deal it betwixt us1 my spitting upon the fair face of ,christ's love and mercies by my jealousies1 unbelief1 and doubting1 would be enough to sink me4 ,oh1 oh1 ,i am convinced6 ,o ,lord1 ,i stand dumb before ,thee for this6 ,let me be mine own judge in this1 and ,i take a dreadful doom upon me for it4 ,for ,i still misbelieve1 though ,i have seen that my ,lord hath made my cross as if it were all crystal1 so as ,i can see through it ,christ's fair face and heaven2 and that ,god hath honoured a lump of sinful flesh and blood the like of me1 to be ,christ's honourable lord-prisoner4 ,i ought to esteem the walls of the thieves' hole 7if ,i were shut up in it71 or any stinking dungeon1 all hung with tapestry1 and most beautiful1 for my ,lord ,jesus2 and yet1 ,i am not so shut up but that the sun shineth upon my prison1 and the fair wide heaven is the covering of it4 ,but my ,lord1 in ,his sweet visits1 hath done more2 for ,he maketh me to find that ,he will be a confined prisoner with me4 ,he lieth down and riseth up with me2 when ,i sigh1 ,he sigheth2 when ,i weep1 ,he suffereth with me2 and ,i confess that here is the blessed issue of my sufferings already begun1 that my heart is filled with hunger and desire to have ,him glorified in my sufferings4 ,blessed be ye of the ,lord1 ,madam1 if ye would help a poor dyvour1 and cause others of your acquaintance in ,christ to help me to pay my debt of love1 even real praises to ,christ my ,lord4 ,madam1 let me charge you in the ,lord1 as ye shall answer to ,him1 to help me in this duty 7which ,he hath tied about my neck with a chain of such singular expressions of ,his loving-kindness71 to set on high ,christ2 to hold in my honesty at ,his hands#bhe2 for ,i have nothing to give to ,him4 ,oh that ,he would arrest and comprise my love and my heart for all6 ,i am a dyvour1 who have no more free goods in the world for ,christ save that2 it is both the whole heritage ,i have1 and all my moveables besides4 ,lord1 give the thirsty man a drink4 ,oh1 to be over the ears in the well6 ,oh1 to be swattering and swimming over head and ears in ,christ's love6 ,i would not have ,christ's love entering into me1 but ,i would enter into it1 and be swallowed up of that love4 ,but ,i see not myself here2 for ,i fear ,i make more of ,his love than of ,himself2 whereas ,himself is far beyond and much better than ,his love4 ,oh1 if ,i had my sinful arms filled with that lovely one ,christ6 ,blessed be my rich ,lord ,jesus1 who sendeth not away beggars from ,his house with a toom dish4 ,he filleth the vessels of such as will come and seek4 ,we might beg ourselves rich 7if we were wise7 if we could hold out our withered hands to ,christ1 and learn to suit and seek1 ask and knock4 ,i owe my salvation for ,christ's glory1 ,i owe it to ,christ2 and desire that my hell1 yea1 a new hell1 seven times hotter than the old hell1 might buy praises before men and angels to my ,lord ,jesus2 providing always that ,i were free of ,christ's hatred and displeasure4 ,what am ,i1 to be forfeited and sold in soul and body1 to have my great and royal ,king set on high and extolled above all8 ,oh1 if ,i knew how high to have ,him set1 and all the world far1 far beneath the soles of ,his feet8 ,nay1 ,i deserve not to be the matter of ,his praises1 far less to be an agent in praising of ,him4 ,but ,he can win ,his own glory out of me1 and out of worse than ,i 7if any such be71 if it please ,his holy majesty so to do4 ,he knoweth that ,i am not now flattering ,him4 #bhe ,to keep up my character with ,him4 ,madam1 let me have your prayers1 as ye have the prayers and blessing of him that is separated from his brethren4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,your own1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,june #ae1 #afcg4 ,,clxxix4--,to his reverend and loving ,brother1 ,,mr4 ,,john ,,nevay4 ,,mr4 ,,john ,,nevay1 or ,,neave1 was minister of ,newmills1 in the parish of ,loudon1 and chaplain to the ,earl of ,loudon4 ,in all the questions which divided the ,covenanters in his day1 he adhered to what may be called the strict party1 being opposed to the ,public ,resolutions4 ,after the restoration of ,charles ,,ii41 ,nevay1 in #affb1 was obliged to subscribe an engagement to remove forth of the king's dominions before the #ast of ,february1 and not to return under pain of death4 ,he reached ,holland1 and lived for some time in ,rotterdam4 ,on the #bfth of ,july #afgj1 a letter of ,charles ,,ii4 was laid before the assembled ,states of ,holland1 accusing ,nevay and other two ministers1 ,mr4 ,robert ,trail and ,mr4 ,robert ,m',ward 7who was secretary to ,rutherford at the ,westminster ,assembly1 and who first edited his ,letters71 all residing within the jurisdiction of the ,states1 of writing and publishing pasquils against his ,majesty's ,government4 ,however1 it would appear that he still continued at ,rotterdam1 and died there4 ,wodrow describes him as a person of very considerable parts1 and bright piety4 ,robert ,m',ward1 in #afgg1 thus writes3 ,oh6 when ,i remember that burning and shining light1 worthy and warm ,mr4 ,livingstone1 who used to preach as within the sight of ,christ1 and the glory to be revealed2 acute and distinct ,nevay2 judicious and neat ,simson2 fervent1 serious1 and zealous ,trail2--when ,i remember1 ,i say1 that all these great luminaries are now set and removed by death from our people1 and out of our pulpit1 in so short a time1 what matter of sorrow presents itself to my eye6 ,nevay cultivated the art of poetry1 and is the author of a paraphrase 7called by ,wodrow a handsome paraphrase7 of the ,song of ,solomon in ,latin verse4 ,the ,general ,assembly entertained so high an opinion of his poetical talents1 that they appointed him1 in ,august #afdg1 along with three other ministers1 to revise ,rons' metrical version of the ,psalms4 ,the portion assigned to him for revisal was the last thirty psalms of that version4 ,after his death1 a volume of sermons1 preached by him on the ,covenant of ,grace1 was published at ,glasgow in #agdh1 #abmo4 ,his son married ,sarah ,van ,brakel1 whose poetical compositions are favourably exhibited in her elegy upon a popular preacher1 and who was a kind friend to the ,british refugees4 7,,christ',s ,,love ,,sharpened ,,in ,,suffering--,,kneeling ,,at ,,the ,,communion--,,postures ,,at ,,ordinances47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i received yours of ,april #aa1 as ,i did another of ,march #be1 and a letter for ,mr4 ,andrew ,cant4#bhf #bhf ,mr4 ,andrew ,cant was at this time minister of ,pitsligo1 in ,buchan1 ,aberdeenshire4 ,he had been previously minister of ,alford4 ,in #afci he was removed from ,pitsligo to ,newbottle1 and in #afdj to the ,new ,town of ,aberdeen1 where he became ,professor of ,theology in ,marischal ,college4 ,in this situation he continued till the year after the restoration of ,charles ,,ii4 ,rutherford's ,lex ,rex having then1 by the orders of the ,state1 been publicly burnt1 and the author himself summoned before ,parliament to answer an accusation of high treason1 ,cant1 indignant at such ungenerous treatment of a great and good man1 condemned it in one of his sermons4 ,for this he was accused of treason before the magistrates4 ,whereupon he demitted his charge1 and came to dwell with his son at ,liberton4 ,in #affc he was formally deposed by the ,bishop and ,synod of ,aberdeen1 and died not long after1 aged seventy-nine4 ,he is the author of a treatise on ,the ,titles of our ,blessed ,saviour4 ,i am not a little grieved that our mother church is running so quickly to the brothel-house1 and that we are hiring lovers1 and giving gifts to the ,great ,mother of ,fornications 7,rev4 xvii4 #e74 ,alas1 that our ,husband is like to quit us so shortly6 ,it were my part 7if ,i were able7 when our ,husband is departing1 to stir up myself to take hold of ,him1 and keep ,him in this land2 for ,i know ,him to be a sweet second1#bhg and a lovely companion to a poor prisoner4 #bhg ,helper4 ,i find that my extremity hath sharpened the edge of ,his love and kindness1 so that ,he seemeth to divise new ways of expressing the sweetness of ,his love to my soul4 ,suffering for ,christ is the very element wherein ,christ's love liveth1 and exerciseth itself1 in casting out flames of fire1 and sparks of heat1 to warm such a frozen heart as ,i have4 ,and if ,christ weeping in sackcloth be so sweet1 ,i cannot find any imaginable thoughts to think what ,he will be1 when we clay-bodies 7having put off mortality7 shall come up to the marriage-hall and great palace1 and behold the ,king clothed in his robes royal1 sitting on ,his throne4 ,i would desire no more for my heaven beneath the moon1 while ,i am sighing in this house of clay1 but daily renewed feasts of love with ,christ1 and liberty now and then to feed my hunger with a kiss of that fairest face1 that is like the sun in his strength at noon-day4 ,i would willingly subscribe an ample resignation to ,christ of the fourteen prelacies of this land1 and of all the most delightful pleasures on earth1 and forfeit my part of this clay god1 this earth1 which ,adam's foolish children worship1 to have no other exercise than to lie on a love-bed with ,christ1 and fill this hungered and famished soul with kissing1 embracing1 and real enjoying of the ,son of ,god2 and ,i think that then ,i might write to my friends1 that ,i had found the ,golden ,world1 and look out and laugh at the poor bodies who are slaying one another for feathers4 ,for verily1 brother1 since ,i came to this prison1 ,i have conceived a new and extraordinary opinion of ,christ which ,i had not before4 ,for1 ,i perceive1 we frist all our joys to ,christ till ,he and we be in our own house above1 as married parties1 thinking that there is nothing of it here to be sought or found1 but only hope and fair promises2 and that ,christ will give us nothing here but tears1 sadness1 and crosses2 and that we shall never feel the smell of the flowers of that high garden of paradise above1 till we come there4 ,nay1 but ,i find that it is possible to find young glory1 and a young green paradise of joy1 even here4 ,i know that ,christ's kisses will cast a more strong and refreshful smell of incomparable glory and joy in heaven than they do here2 because a drink of the well of life1 up at the well's head1 is more sweet and fresh by far than that which we get in our borrowed1 old1 running-out vessels1 and our wooden dishes here4 ,yet ,i am now persuaded it is our folly to frist all till the term-day1 seeing abundance of earnest will not diminish anything of our principal sum4 ,we dream of hunger in ,christ's house while we are here1 although ,he alloweth feasts to all the bairns within ,god's household4 ,it were good1 then1 to store ourselves with more borrowed kisses of ,christ1 and with more borrowed visits1 till we enter heirs to our new inheritance1 and our ,tutor put us in possession of our own when we are past minority4 ,oh that all the young heirs would seek more1 and a greater1 and a nearer communion with my ,lord ,tutor1 the prime heir of all1 ,christ6 ,i wish that1 for my part1 ,i could send you1 and that gentleman who wrote his commendations to me1 into the ,king's innermost cellar and house of wine1 to be filled with love4 ,a drink of this love is worth the having indeed4 ,we carry ourselves but too nicely with ,christ our ,lord2 and our ,lord loveth not niceness1 and dryness1 and unconess in friends4 ,since needforce that we must be in ,christ's common1 then let us be in ,his common2 for it will be no otherwise4 ,now1 for my present case in my imprisonment3 deliverance 7for any appearance that ,i see7 looketh cold-like4 ,my hope1 if it looked to or leaned upon men1 would wither soon at the root1 like a ,may flower4 ,yet ,i resolve to ease myself with on-waiting on my ,lord1 and to let my faith swim where it loseth ground4 ,i am under a necessity either of fainting 7which ,i hope my ,master1 of whom ,i boast all the day1 will avert71 or then to lay my faith upon ,omnipotency1 and to wink and stick by my grip4 ,and ,i hope that my ship shall ride it out1 seeing ,christ is willing to blow ,his sweet wind in my sails1 and mendeth and closeth the leaks in my ship1 and ruleth all4 ,it will be strange if a believing passenger be casten overboard4 ,as for your master1 my lord and my lady1#bhh ,i shall be loath to forget them4 ,i think my prayers 7such as they are7 are debt due to him2 and ,i shall be far more engaged to his ,lordship1 if he be fast for ,christ 7as ,i hope he will7 now when so many of his coat and quality slip from ,christ's back1 and leave ,him to fend for ,himself4 #bhh ,john ,campbell1 first ,earl of ,loudon1 and his lady1 ,margaret ,campbell1 ,baroness of ,loudon1 daughter of ,george ,campbell1 master of ,loudon4 ,i entreat you to remember my love to that worthy gentleman1 ,a4 ,c41 who saluted me in your letter3 ,i have heard that he is one of my ,master's friends1 for the which cause ,i am tied to him4 ,i wish that he may more and more fall in love with ,christ4 ,now for your question3--,as far as ,i rawly conceive1 ,i think that ,god is praised two ways3 #ast4 ,by a concional#bhi profession of ,his highness before men1 such as is the very hearing of the word1 and receiving of either of the sacraments2 in which acts by profession1 we give out to men1 that ,he is our ,god with whom we are in covenant1 and our ,lawgiver4 ,thus eating and drinking in the ,lord's ,supper1 is an annunciation and profession before men1 that ,christ is our slain ,redeemer4 ,here1 because ,god speaketh to us1 not we to ,him1 it is not a formal thanksgiving1 but an annunciation or predication of ,christ's death--concional1 not adorative--neither hath it ,god for the immediate object1 and therefore no kneeling can be here4 #bhi ,an act in which we address men1 not ,god4 #bndly4 ,there is another praising of ,god1 formal1 when we are either formally blessing ,god1 or speaking ,his praises4 ,and this ,i take to be twofold3--#a4 ,when we directly and formally direct praises and thanksgiving to ,god4 ,this may well be done kneeling1 in token of our recognizance of ,his ,highness2 yet not so but that it may be done standing or sitting1 especially seeing joyful elevation 7which should be in praising7 is not formally signified by kneeling4 #b4 ,when we speak good of ,god1 and declare ,his glorious nature and attributes1 extolling ,him before men1 to excite men to conceive highly of ,him4 ,the former ,i hold to be worship every way immediate1 else ,i know not any immediate worship at all2 the latter hath ,god for the subject1 not properly the object1 seeing the predication is directed to men immediately1 rather than to ,god2 for here we speak of ,god by way of praising1 rather than to ,god4 ,and1 for my own part1 as ,i am for the present minded1 ,i see not how this can be done kneeling1 seeing it is prdicatio ,dei et ,christi1 non laudatio aut benedictio ,dei4 ,a preaching of ,god and ,christ1 and not a praising or blessing of ,god4 ,but observe1 that it is formal praising of ,god1 and not merely concional1 as ,i distinguished in the first member2 for1 in the first member1 any speaking of ,god1 or of ,his works of creation1 providence1 and redemption1 is indirect and concional praising of ,him1 and formally preaching1 or an act of teaching1 not an act of predication of ,his praises4 ,for there is a difference betwixt the simple relation of the virtues of a thing 7which is formally teaching71 and the extolling of the worth of a thing by way of commendation1 to cause others to praise with us4 ,thus recommending you to ,god's grace1#bij ,i rest1 yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,june #ae1 #afcg4 #bij ,in some editions it is sweet grace2 but not so in the earliest4 ,,clxxx4--,to the much ,honoured ,,john ,,gordon of ,cardoness1 the ,elder4 7,,longings ,,for ,,those ,,under ,,his ,,former ,,ministry--,,delight ,,in ,,christ ,,and ,,his ,,appearing--,,pleading ,,with ,,his ,,flock47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,dearest ,,in ,,my ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,my soul longeth exceedingly to hear how matters go betwixt you and ,christ2 and whether or not there be any work of ,christ in that parish1 that will bide the trial of fire and water4 ,let me be weighed of my ,lord in a just balance1 if your souls lie not weighty upon me4 ,ye go to bed and ye rise with me3 thoughts of your soul1 my dearest in our ,lord1 depart not from me in my sleep4 ,ye have a great part of my tears1 sighs1 supplications1 and prayers4 ,oh1 if ,i could buy your soul's salvation with any suffering whatsoever1 and that ye and ,i might meet with joy up in the rainbow1 when we shall stand before our ,judge6 ,oh1 my ,lord1 forbid that ,i have any hard thing to depone against you in that day6 ,oh that ,he who quickeneth the dead would give life to my sowing among you6 ,what joy is there 7next to ,christ7 that standeth on this side of death1 which would comfort me more1 than that the souls of that poor people were in safety1 and beyond all hazard of being lost6 ,sir1 show the people this2 for when ,i write to you1 ,i think ,i write to you all1 old and young4 ,fulfil my joy1 and seek the ,lord4 ,sure ,i am1 that once ,i discovered my lovely1 royal1 princely ,lord ,jesus to you all4 ,woe1 woe1 woe shall be your part of it for evermore1 if the ,gospel be not the savour of life to you4 ,as many sermons as ,i preached1 as many sentences as ,i uttered1 as many points of dittay shall there be1 when the ,lord shall plead with the world1 for the evil of their doings4 ,believe me1 ,i find heaven a city hard to be won4 ,the righteous shall scarcely be saved4 ,oh1 what violence of thronging will heaven take6 ,alas6 ,i see many deceiving themselves2 for we will#bia all to heaven now6 ,every foul dog1 with his foul feet1 will in at the nearest1 to the new and clean ,jerusalem4 ,all say they have faith2 and the greatest part in the world know not1 and will not consider1 that a slip in the matter of their salvation is the most pitiable slip that can be2 and that no loss is comparable to this loss4 ,oh1 then1 see that there be not a loose pin in the work of your salvation2 for ye will not believe how quickly the ,judge will come4 ,and for yourself1 ,i know that death is waiting1 and hovering1 and lingering at ,god's command4 ,that ye may be prepared1 then1 ye had need to stir your time1 and to take eternity and death to your riper advisement4 ,a wrong step1 or a wrong stot1 in going out of this life1 in one property is like the sin against the ,holy ,ghost1 and can never be forgiven1 because ye cannot come back again through the last water to mourn for it4 ,i know your accounts are many1 and will take telling and laying1 and reckoning betwixt you and your ,lord4 ,fit your accounts1 and order them4 ,lose not the last play1 whatever ye do1 for in that play with death your precious soul is the prize3 for the ,lord's sake spill not the play1 and lose not such a treasure4 ,ye know that1 out of love which ,i had to your soul1 and out of desire which ,i had to make an honest account of you1 ,i testified my displeasure and disliking of your ways very often1 both in private and public4 ,i am not now a witness of your doings1 but your ,judge is always your witness4 ,i beseech you by the mercies of ,god1 by the salvation of your soul1 by your comfort when your eye-strings shall break1 and the face wax pale1 and the soul shall tremble to be out of the lodging of clay1 and by your compearance before your awful ,judge1 after the sight of this letter to take a new course with your ways1 and now1 in the end of your day1 make sure of heaven4 ,examine yourself if ye be in good earnest in ,christ2 for some are partakers of the ,holy ,ghost1 and taste of the good word of ,god1 and of the powers of the life to come1 and yet have no part in ,christ at all4 ,many think they believe1 but never tremble3 the devils are farther on than these 7,james ii4 #ai74 ,make sure to yourself that ye are above ordinary professors4 ,the sixth part of your span-length and hand-breadth of days is scarcely before you4 ,haste1 haste1 for the tide will not bide4 ,put ,christ upon all your accounts and your secrets4 ,better it is that you give ,him your accounts in this life1 out of your own hand1 than that1 after this life1 ,he take them from you4 ,i never knew so well what sin was as since ,i came to ,aberdeen1 howbeit ,i was preaching of it to you4 ,to feel the smoke of hell's fire in the throat for half an hour2 to stand beside a river of fire and brimstone broader than the earth2 and to think to be bound hand and foot1 and casten into the midst of it quick1 and then to have ,god locking the prison door1 never to be opened for all eternity6 ,oh how it will shake a conscience that hath any life in it6 ,i find the fruits of my pains to have ,christ and that people once fairly met1 now meet my soul in my sad hours4 ,and ,i rejoice that ,i gave fair warning of all the corruptions now entering into ,christ's house2 and now many a sweet1 sweet1 soft kiss1 many perfumed1 well-smelled kisses1 and embracements have ,i received of my royal ,master4 ,he and ,i have had much love together4 ,i have for the present a sick dwining life1 with much pain1 and much love-sickness for ,christ4 ,oh1 what would ,i give to have a bed made to my wearied soul in ,his bosom6 ,i would frist heaven for many years1 to have my fill of ,jesus in this life1 and to have occasion to offer ,christ to my people1 and to woo many people to ,christ4 ,i cannot tell you what sweet pain and delightsome torments are in ,christ's love2 ,i often challenge time1 that holdeth us sundry4 ,i profess to you1 ,i have no rest1 ,i have no ease1 whill ,i be over head and ears in love's ocean4 ,if ,christ's love 7that fountain of delight7 were laid as open to me as ,i would wish1 oh1 how ,i would drink1 and drink abundantly6 oh1 how drunken would this my soul be6 ,i half call ,his absence cruel2 and the mask and vail on ,christ's face a cruel covering1 that hideth such a fair1 fair face from a sick soul4 ,i dare not challenge ,himself1 but ,his absence is a mountain of iron upon my heavy heart4 ,oh1 when shall we meet8 ,oh1 how long it is to the dawning of the marriage-day6 ,o sweet ,lord ,jesus1 take wide steps6 ,o my ,lord1 come over mountains at one stride6 ,o my ,beloved1 be like a roe or a young hart on the mountains of ,separation 7,song ii4 #ag74 ,oh1 if ,he would fold the heavens together like an old cloak1 and shovel time and days out of the way1 and make ready in haste the ,lamb's wife for her ,husband6 ,since ,he looked upon me1 my heart is not mine own2 ,he hath run away to heaven with it4 ,i know that it was not for nothing that ,i spake so meikle good of ,christ to you in public4 ,oh1 if the heaven1 and the heaven of heavens1 were paper1 and the sea ink1 and the multitude of mountains pens of brass1 and ,i able to write that paper1 within and without1 full of the praises of my fairest1 my dearest1 my loveliest1 my sweetest1 my matchless1 and my most marrowless and marvellous ,well-beloved6 ,woe is me1 ,i cannot set ,him out to men and angels6 ,oh1 there are few tongues to sing love-songs of ,his incomparable excellence6 ,what can ,i1 poor prisoner1 do to exalt ,him8 or what course can ,i take to extol my lofty and lovely ,lord ,jesus8 ,i am put to my wits' end1 how to get ,his name made great4 ,blessed they who would help me in this6 ,how sweet are ,christ's back parts8 ,oh1 what then is ,his face8 ,those that see ,his face1 how dow they get their eye plucked off ,him again6 ,look up to ,him and love ,him4 ,oh1 love and live6 ,it were life to me if you would read this letter to that people1 and if they did profit by it4 ,oh1 if ,i could cause them to die of love for ,jesus6 ,charge them1 by the salvation of their souls1 to hang about ,christ's neck1 and take their fill of ,his love1 and follow ,him as ,i taught them4 ,part by no means with ,christ4 ,hold fast what ye have received4 ,keep the truth once delivered4 ,if ye or that people quit it in an hair1 or in a hoof1 ye break your conscience in twain2 and who then can mend it1 and cast a knot on it8 ,my dearest in the ,lord1 stand fast in ,christ2 keep the faith2 contend for ,christ4 ,wrestle for ,him1 and take men's feud for ,god's favour2 there is no comparison betwixt these4 ,oh that the ,lord would fulfil my joy1 and keep the young bride that is at ,anwoth to ,christ6 #bia ,insist on being admitted to4 ,and now1 whoever they be that have returned to the old vomit since my departure1 ,i bind upon their back1 in my ,master's name and authority1 the long-lasting1 weighty vengeance and curse of ,god4 ,in my ,lord's name ,i give them a doom of black1 unmixed1 pure wrath1 which my ,master will ratify and make good1 when we stand together before ,him1 except they timeously repent and turn to the ,lord4 ,and ,i write to thee1 poor mourning and broken-hearted believer1 be thou who thou wilt1 of the free salvation1 ,christ's sweet balm for thy wounds1 ,o poor1 humble believer6 ,christ's kisses for thy watery cheeks6 ,christ's blood of atonement for thy guilty soul6 ,christ's heaven for thy poor soul1 though once banished out of paradise6 ,and my ,master will make good my word ere long4 ,oh that people were wise6 ,oh that people were wise6 ,oh that people would speer out ,christ1 and never rest whill they find ,him4 ,oh1 how my soul will mourn in secret1 if my nine years' pained head1 and sore breast1 and pained back1 and grieved heart1 and private and public prayers to ,god1 will all be for nothing among that people6 ,did my ,lord ,jesus send me but to summon you before your ,judge1 and to leave your summons at your houses8 ,was ,i sent as a witness only to gather your dittays8 ,oh1 may ,god forbid6 ,often did ,i tell you of a fan of ,god's word#bib to come among you1 for the contempt of it4 ,i told you often of wrath1 wrath from the ,lord1 to come upon ,scotland2 and yet ,i bide by my ,master's word4 ,it is quickly coming6 desolation for ,scotland1 because of the quarrel of a broken covenant4 #bib ,perhaps this should be wind1 not word2 alluding to ,jer4 iv4 #ab4 ,now1 worthy ,sir1 now my dear people1 my joy1 and my crown in the ,lord1 let ,him be your fear4 ,seek the ,lord1 and ,his face3 save your souls4 ,doves6 flee to ,christ's windows4 ,pray for me1 and praise for me4 ,the blessing of my ,god1 the prayers and blessing of a poor prisoner1 and your lawful pastor1 be upon you4 ,your lawful and loving pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,june #af1 #afcg4 ,,clxxxi4--,to ,,earlston1 the ,younger4 7,,dangers ,,of ,,youth--,,christ ,,the ,,best ,,physician--,,four ,,remedies ,,against ,,doubting--,,breathings ,,after ,,christ',s ,,honour47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,well-,,beloved ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,your letters give a dash to my laziness in writing4 ,i must first tell you1 that there is not such a glassy1 icy1 and slippery piece of way betwixt you and heaven1 as ,youth2 and ,i have experience to say with me here1 and to seal what ,i assert4 ,the old ashes of the sins of my youth are new fire of sorrow to me4 ,i have seen the devil1 as it were1 dead and buried1 and yet rise again1 and be a worse devil than ever he was2 therefore1 my brother1 beware of a green young devil1 that hath never been buried4 ,the devil in his flowers 7,i mean the hot1 fiery lusts and passions of youth7 is much to be feared3 better yoke with an old grey-haired1 withered1 dry devil4 ,for in youth he findeth dry sticks1 and dry coals1 and a hot hearth-stone2 and how soon can he with his flint cast fire1 and with his bellows blow it up1 and fire the house6 ,sanctified thoughts1 thoughts made conscience of1 and called in1 and kept in awe1 are green fuel that burn not1 and are a water for ,satan's coal4 ,yet ,i must tell you1 that the whole saints now triumphant in heaven1 and standing before the throne1 are nothing but ,christ's forlorn and beggarly dyvours4 ,what are they but a pack of redeemed sinners8 ,but their redemption is not only past the seals1 but completed2 and yours is on the wheels1 and in doing4 ,all ,christ's good bairns go to heaven with a broken brow1 and with a crooked leg4 ,christ hath an advantage of you1 and ,i pray you to let ,him have it2 ,he will find employment for ,his calling in you4 ,if it were not with you as ye write1 grace should find no sale nor market in you2 but ye must be content to give ,christ somewhat to do4 ,i am glad that ,he is employed that way4 ,let your bleeding soul and your sores be put in the hand of this expert ,physician2 let young and strong corruptions and ,his free grace be yoked together1 and let ,christ and your sins deal it betwixt them4 ,i shall be loath to put you off your fears1 and your sense of deadness3 ,i wish it were more4 ,there be some wounds of that nature1 that their bleeding should not be soon stopped4 ,ye must take a house beside the ,physician4 ,it will be a miracle if ye be the first sick man whom ,he put away uncured1 and worse than ,he found you4 ,nay1 nay1 ,christ is honest1 and in that is flyting-free with sinners4 ,him that cometh unto ,me ,i will in no wise cast out 7,john vi4 #cg74 ,take ye that4 ,it cannot be presumption to take that as your own1 when you find that your wounds stound you4 ,presumption is ever whole at the heart1 and hath but the truant sickness1 and groaneth only for the fashion4 ,faith hath sense of sickness1 and looketh1 like a friend1 to the promises2 and1 looking to ,christ therein1 is glad to see a known face4 ,christ is as full a feast as ye can have to hunger4 ,nay1 ,christ1 ,i say1 is not a full man's leavings4 ,his mercy sendeth always a letter of defiance to all your sins1 if there were ten thousand more of them4 ,i grant you that it is a hard matter for a poor hungry man to win his meat upon hidden ,christ3 for then the key of ,his pantry-door1 and of the house of wine1 is a-seeking and cannot be had4 ,but hunger must break through iron locks4 ,i bemoan them not who can make a din1 and all the fields ado1 for a lost ,saviour4 ,ye must let ,him hear it 7to say so7 upon both sides of ,his head1 when ,he hideth ,himself2 it is no time then to be bird-mouthed and patient4 ,christ is rare indeed1 and a delicacy to a sinner4 ,he is a miracle1 and a world's wonder1 to a seeking and a weeping sinner2 but yet such a miracle as shall be seen by them who will come and see4 ,the seeker and sigher1 is at last a singer and enjoyer2 nay1 ,i have seen a dumb man get alms from ,christ4 ,he that can tell his tale1 and send such a letter to heaven as he hath sent to ,aberdeen1 it is very like he will come speed with ,christ4 ,it bodeth ,god's mercy to complain heartily for sin4 ,let wrestling be with ,christ till ,he say1 ,how is it1 sir1 that ,i cannot be quit of your bills1 and your misleared cries8 and then hope for ,christ's blessing2 and ,his blessing is better than ten other blessings4 ,think not shame because of your guiltiness2 necessity must not blush to beg4 ,it standeth you hard to want ,christ2 and1 therefore1 that which idle on-waiting cannot do1 misnurtured crying and knocking will do4 ,and for doubtings1 because you are not as you were long since with your ,master3 consider three things4 #ast1 ,what if ,christ had such tottering thoughts of the bargain of the new covenant betwixt you and ,him1 as you have8 #bndly1 ,your heart is not the compass which ,christ saileth by4 ,he will give you leave to sing as you please1 but ,he will not dance to your daft spring4 ,it is not referred to you and your thoughts1 what ,christ will do with the charters betwixt you and ,him4 ,your own misbelief hath torn them2 but ,he hath the principal in heaven with ,himself4 ,your thoughts are no parts of the new covenant2 dreams change not ,christ4 #crdly1 ,doubtings are your sins2 but they are ,christ's drugs1 and ingredients that the ,physician maketh use of for the curing of your pride4 ,is it not suitable for a beggar to say at meat1 ,god reward the winners8#bic for then he saith that he knoweth who beareth the charges of the house4 ,it is also meet that ye should know1 by experience1 that faith is not nature's ill-gotten bastard1 but your ,lord's free gift1 that lay in the womb of ,god's free grace4 ,praised be the ,winner6 ,i may add a #dthly1 ,in the passing of your bill and your charters1 when they went through the ,mediator's great seal1 and were concluded1 faith's advice was not sought4 ,faith hath not a vote beside ,christ's merits3 blood1 blood1 dear blood1 that came from your ,cautioner's holy body1 maketh that sure work4 ,the use1 then1 which ye have of faith now 7having already closed with ,jesus ,christ for justification7 is1 to take out a copy of your pardon2 and so ye have peace with ,god upon the account of ,christ4 ,for1 since faith apprehendeth pardon1 but never payeth a penny for it1 no marvel that salvation doth not die and live1 ebb or flow1 with the working of faith4 ,but because it is your ,lord's honour to believe ,his mercy and ,his fidelity1 it is infinite goodness in our ,lord1 that misbelief giveth a dash to our ,lord's glory1 and not to our salvation4 ,and so1 whoever want 7yea1 howbeit ,god here bear with the want of what we are obliged to give ,him1 even the glory of ,his grace by believing71 yet a poor covenanted sinner wanteth not4 ,but if guiltiness were removed1 doubtings would find no friend1 nor life2 and yet faith is to believe the removal of guiltiness in ,christ4 ,a reason why ye get less now 7as ye think7 than before1 as ,i take it1 is1 because1 at our first conversion1 our ,lord putteth the meat in young bairns' mouths with ,his own hand2 but when we grow to some further perfection1 we must take heaven by violence1 and take by violence from ,christ what we get4 ,and ,he can1 and doth hold1 because ,he will have us to draw4 ,remember now that ye must live upon violent plucking4 ,laziness is a greater fault now than long since4 ,we love always to have the pap put in our mouth4 #bic ,those who got this meat for us4 ,now for myself2 alas6 ,i am not the man ,i go for in this nation2 men have not just weights to weigh me in4 ,oh1 but ,i am a silly1 feckless body1 and overgrown with weeds2 corruption is rank and fat in me4 ,oh1 if ,i were answerable to this holy cause1 and to that honourable ,prince's love for whom ,i now suffer6 ,if ,christ should refer the matter to me 7in ,his presence ,i speak it71 ,i might think shame to vote my own salvation4 ,i think ,christ might say1 ,thinkest thou not shame to claim heaven1 who doest so little for it8 ,i am very often so1 that ,i know not whether ,i sink or swim in the water4 ,i find myself a bag of light froth4 ,i would bear no weight 7but vanities and nothings weigh in ,christ's balance7 if my ,lord cast not in borrowed weight and metal1 even ,christ's righteousness1 to weigh for me4 ,the stock ,i have is not mine own2 ,i am but the merchant that trafficketh with other folks' goods4 ,if my creditor1 ,christ1 should take from me what ,he hath lent1 ,i should not long keep the causeway2 but ,christ hath made it mine and ,his4 ,i think it manhood to play the coward1 and jouk in the lee-side of ,christ2 and thus ,i am not only saved from my enemies1 but ,i obtain the victory4 ,i am so empty1 that ,i think it were an alms-deed in ,christ1 if ,he would win a poor prisoner's blessing for evermore1 and fill me with ,his love4 ,i complain that when ,christ cometh1 ,he cometh always to fetch fire2 ,he is ever in haste1 ,he may not tarry2 and poor ,i 7a beggarly dyvour7 get but a standing visit and a standing kiss1 and but1 ,how doest thou8 in the by-going4 ,i dare not say ,he is lordly1 because ,he is made a ,king now at the right hand of ,god2 or is grown miskenning and dry to ,his poor friends3 for ,he cannot make more of ,his kisses than they are worth4 ,but ,i think it my happiness to love the love of ,christ3 and when ,he goeth away1 the memory of ,his sweet presence is like a feast in a dear summer4 ,i have comfort in this1 that my soul desireth that every hour of my imprisonment were a company of heavenly tongues to praise ,him on my behalf1 howbeit my bonds were prolonged for many hundred years4 ,oh that ,i could be the man who could procure my ,lord's glory to flow like a full sea1 and blow like a mighty wind upon all the four airths of ,scotland1 ,england1 and ,ireland6 ,oh1 if ,i could write a book of ,his praises6 ,o ,fairest among the sons of men1 why stayest ,thou so long away8 ,o heavens1 move fast6 ,o time1 run1 run1 and hasten the marriage-day6 for love is tormented with delays4 ,o angels1 ,o seraphims1 who stand before ,him1 ,o blessed spirits who now see ,his face1 set ,him on high6 for when ye have worn your harps in ,his praises1 all is too little1 and is nothing1 to cast the smell of the praise of that fair ,flower1 the fragrant ,rose of ,sharon1 through many worlds6 ,sir1 take my hearty commendations to ,him1 and tell ,him that ,i am sick of love4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,june #af1 #afcg4 ,,clxxxii4--,to his honoured and dear ,brother1 ,,alexander ,,gordon of ,knockgray4 7,,joy ,,in ,,god--,,trials ,,work ,,out ,,glory ,,to ,,christ47 ,,dearest ,,and ,,truly ,,honoured ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i have seen no letter from you since ,i came to ,aberdeen4 ,i will not interpret it to be forgetfulness4 ,i am here in a fair prison3 ,christ is my sweet and honourable fellow-prisoner1 and ,i ,his sad and joyful lord-prisoner1#bid if ,i may speak so4 ,i think this cross becometh me well1 and is suitable to me in respect of my duty to suffer for ,christ1 howbeit not in regard of my deserving to be thus honoured4 ,however it be1 ,i see that ,christ is strong1 even lying in the dust1 in prison1 and in banishment4 ,losses and disgraces are the wheels of ,christ's triumphant chariot4 ,in the sufferings of ,his own saints1 as ,he intendeth their good1 so ,he intendeth ,his own glory1 and that is the butt ,his arrows shoot at4 ,and ,christ shooteth not at rovers1 ,he hitteth what ,he purposeth to hit2 therefore ,he doth make ,his own feckless and weak nothings1 and those who are the contempt of men1 a new sharp threshing instrument1 having teeth1 to thresh the mountains1 and beat them small1 and to make the hills as chaff1 and to fan them 7,isa4 xli4 #ae1 #af74 ,what harder stuff1 or harder grain for threshing out1 than high and rocky mountains8 ,but the saints are ,god's threshing instruments1 to beat them all into chaff4 ,are we not ,god's leem vessels8 and yet when they cast us over a house we are not broken into sherds4 ,we creep in under our ,lord's wings in the great shower1 and the water cannot come through those wings4 ,it is folly then for men to say1 ,this is not ,christ's plea1 ,he will lose the wad-set2 men are like to beguile ,him3 that were indeed a strange play4 ,nay1 ,i dare pledge my soul1 and lay it in pawn on ,christ's side of it1 and be half-tiner1 half-winner with my ,master6 ,let fools laugh the fool's laughter1 and scorn ,christ1 and bid the weeping captives in ,babylon sing us one of the songs of ,zion1 play a spring to cheer up your sad-hearted ,god6 ,we may sing upon luck's-head beforehand1 even in our winter-storm1 in the expectation of a summer sun1 at the turn of the year4 ,no created powers in hell1 or out of hell1 can mar the music of our ,lord ,jesus1 nor spoil our song of joy4 ,let us then be glad1 and rejoice in the salvation of our ,lord2 for faith had never yet cause to have wet cheeks1 and hanging down brows1 or to droop or die4 ,what can ail faith1 seeing ,christ suffereth ,himself 7with reverence to ,him be it spoken7 to be commanded by it1 and ,christ commandeth all things8 ,faith may dance because ,christ singeth2 and we may come into the choir1 and lift our hoarse and rough voices1 and chirp1 and sing1 and shout for joy with our ,lord ,jesus4 ,we see oxen go to the shambles1 leaping and startling2 we see ,god's fed oxen1 prepared for the day of slaughter1 go dancing and singing down to the black chambers of hell2 and why should we go to heaven weeping1 as if we were like to fall down through the earth for sorrow8 ,if ,god were dead 7if ,i may speak so1 with reverence of ,him who liveth for ever and ever71 and ,christ buried1 and rotten among the worms1 we might have cause to look like dead folks2 but the ,lord liveth1 and blessed be the ,rock of our salvation 7,ps4 xviii4 #df74 ,none have right to joy but we2 for joy is sown for us1 and an ill summer or harvest will not spill the crop4 ,the children of this world have much robbed joy that is not well-come4 ,it is no good sport they laugh at3 they steal joy1 as it were1 from ,god2 for ,he commandeth them to mourn and howl 7,james v4 #a74 ,then let us claim our leal-come and lawfully conquessed joy4 #bid ,in ,luther's style1 he playfully speaks of himself as if raised to nobility among prisoners4 ,my dear brother1 ,i cannot but speak what ,i have felt2 seeing my ,lord ,jesus hath broken a box of spikenard upon the head of ,his poor prisoner1 and it is hard to hide a sweet smell4 ,it is a pain to smother ,christ's love2 it will be out whether we will or not4 ,if we did but speak according to the matter1 a cross for ,christ should have another name2 yea1 a cross1 especially when ,he cometh with ,his arms full of joys1 is the happiest hard tree that ever was laid upon my weak shoulder4 ,christ and ,his cross together are sweet company1 and a blessed couple4 ,my prison is my palace1 my sorrow is with child of joy1 my losses are rich losses1 my pain easy pain1 my heavy days are holy and happy days4 ,i may tell a new tale of ,christ to my friends4 ,oh1 if ,i could make a love song of ,him1 and could commend ,christ1 and tune ,his praises aright6 ,oh1 if ,i could set all tongues in ,great ,britain and ,ireland to work1 to help me to sing a new song of my ,well-beloved6 ,oh1 if ,i could be a bridge over a water for my ,lord ,jesus to walk upon1 and keep ,his feet dry6 ,oh1 if my poor bit heaven could go betwixt my ,lord and blasphemy1 and dishonour6 7,upon condition ,he loved me47 ,oh that my heart could say this word1 and abide by it for ever6 ,is it not great art and incomparable wisdom in my ,lord1 who can bring forth such fair apples out of this crabbed tree of the cross8 ,nay1 my ,father's never-enough admired providence can make a fair face#bie out of a black devil4 ,nothing can come wrong to my ,lord in ,his sweet working4 ,i would even fall sound asleep in ,christ's arms1 and my sinful head on ,his holy breast1 while ,he kisseth me2 were it not that often the wind turneth to the north1 and whiles my sweet ,lord ,jesus is so that ,he will neither give nor take1 borrow nor lend with me4 ,i complain that ,he is not social2 ,i half call ,him proud and lordly of ,his company1 and nice of ,his looks1 which yet is not true4 ,it would content me to give1 howbeit ,he should not take4 ,i should be content to want ,his kisses at such times1 providing ,he would be content to come near-hand1 and take my wersh1 dry1 and feckless kisses4 ,but at that time ,he will not be entreated1 but let a poor soul stand still and knock1 and never let-on him that ,he heareth2 and then the old leavings1 and broken meat1 and dry sighs1 are greater cheer than ,i can tell4 ,all ,i have then is1 that howbeit the law and wrath have gotten a decreet against me1 ,i can yet lippen that meikle good in ,christ as to get a suspension1 and to bring my cause in reasoning again before my ,well-beloved4 ,i desire but to be heard1 and at last ,he is content to come and agree the matter with a fool1 and forgive freely1 because ,he is ,god4 ,oh1 if men would glorify ,him1 and taste of ,christ's sweetness6 #bie ,feast is in most editions4 ,brother1 ye have need to be busy with ,christ for this whorish kirk2 ,i fear lest ,christ cast water upon ,scotland's coal4 ,nay1 ,i know that ,christ and ,his wife will be heard3 ,he will plead for the broken covenant4 ,arm you against that time4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,june #af1 #afcg4 ,,clxxxiii4--,to ,,mr4 ,j---- ,r----4 ,it is highly probable that the individual to whom this letter is addressed was ,john ,row1 son of ,john ,row1 minister of ,carnock1 a grandson of ,john ,row the reformer1 and contemporary of ,knox4 ,in #afcb he was appointed master of the ,grammar ,school of ,perth1 in which situation he continued for some years4 ,the year after his appointment1 he was in some danger of expulsion1 for refusing to join in the observance of the ,lord's ,supper after the manner enjoined by the ,perth ,articles4 ,at the time when this letter was written1 he appears to have been exposed to a similar danger4 ,in #afda he was ordained minister of ,st4 ,nicholas ,church1 ,aberdeen2 and in #afeb was elevated to be ,principal of ,king's ,college4 ,row was a man of learning1 and was the author of the first ,hebrew grammar printed in ,scotland4 ,he died in #afdf4 7,,christ ,,the ,,purifier ,,of ,,his ,,church--,,submission ,,to ,,his ,,ways47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be unto you4 ,upon the report which ,i hear of you1 without any further acquaintance1 except our straitest bonds in our ,lord ,jesus1 ,i thought good to write unto you1 hearing of your danger to be thrust out of the ,lord's house for ,his name's sake4 ,therefore1 my earnest and humble desire to ,god is1 that ye may be strengthened in the grace of ,god1 and1 by the power of ,his might1 to go on for ,christ1 not standing in awe of a worm that shall die4 ,i hope that ye will not put your hand to the ark to give it a wrong touch1#bif and to overturn it1 as many now do1 when the archers are shooting sore at ,joseph1 whose bow shall abide in its strength4 ,we owe to our royal ,king and princely ,master a testimony4 ,oh1 how blessed are they who can ward a blow off ,christ1 and ,his borne-down truth6 ,men think ,christ a gone man now1 and that ,he shall never get up ,his head again2 and they believe that ,his court is failed1 because ,he suffereth men to break their spears and swords upon ,him1 and the enemies to plough ,zion1 and make long and deep their furrows on her back4 ,but it would not be so1 if the ,lord had not a sowing for ,his ploughing4 ,what can ,he do1 but melt an old drossy kirk1 that ,he may bring out a new bride out of the fire again8 ,i think that ,christ is just now repairing ,his house1 and exchanging ,his old vessels with new vessels1 and is going through this land1 and taking up an inventory and a roll of so many of ,levi's sons1 and good professors1 that ,he may make them new work for the ,second ,temple2 and whatsoever shall be found not to be for the work1 shall be casten over the wall4 ,when the house shall be builded1 ,he will lay by ,his hammers1 as having no more to do with them4 ,it is possible that ,he may do worse to them than lay them by2 and ,i think the vengeance of the ,lord1 and the vengeance of ,his temple1 shall be upon them4 #bif ,in old editions1 totch2 and explained to be a sudden push1 such a push1 too1 as sets the object in motion4 ,the allusion is to #b ,sam4 vi4 #f4 ,i desire no more than to keep weight when ,i am past the fire2 and ,i can now1 in some weak measure1 give ,christ a testimonial of a lovely and loving companion under suffering for ,him4 ,i saw ,him before1 but afar off4 ,his beauty1 to my eyesight1 groweth4 ,a fig1 a straw for a ten worlds' plastered glory1 and for childish shadows1 the idol of clay 7this god1 the world7 that fools fight for6 ,if ,i had a lease of ,christ of my own dating 7for whoever once cometh nigh-hand1 and taketh a hearty look of ,christ's inner side1 shall never wring nor wrestle themselves out of ,his love-grips again71 ,i would rest contentedly in my prison1 yea1 in my prison without light of sun or candle1 providing ,christ and ,i had a love-bed1 not of mine1 but of ,christ's own making1 that we might lie together among the lilies1 till the day break and the shadows flee away4 ,who knoweth how sweet a drink of ,christ's love is6 ,oh1 but to live on ,christ's love is a king's life6 ,the worst things of ,christ1 even that which seemeth to be the refuse of ,christ1 ,his hard cross1 ,his black cross1 is white and fair2 and the cross receiveth a beautiful lustre and a perfumed smell from ,jesus4 ,my dear brother1 scaur not at it4 ,while ye have time to stand upon the watch-tower and speak1 contend with this land4 ,plead with your harlot-mother1 who hath been a treacherous half-marrow to her husband ,jesus4 ,for ,i would think liberty to preach one day the root and top of my desires2 and would seek no more of the blessings that are to be had on this side of time1 till ,i be over the water1 than to spend this my crazy clay-house in ,his service1 and saving of souls4 ,but ,i hold my peace1 because ,he hath done it4 ,my shallow and ebb thoughts are not the compass which ,christ saileth by4 ,i leave ,his ways to ,himself1 for they are far1 far above me3 only ,i would contend with ,christ for ,his love1 and be bold to make a plea with ,jesus1 my ,lord1 for a heart-fill of ,his love2 for there is no more left to me4 ,what standeth beyond the far end of my sufferings1 and what shall be the event1 ,he knoweth1 and ,i hope1 to my joy1 will make me know1 when ,god will unfold ,his decrees concerning me4 ,for there are windings1 and tos and fros1 in ,his ways1 which blind bodies like us cannot see4 ,thus much for farther acquaintance2 so1 recommending you1 and what is before you1 to the grace of ,god1 ,i rest1 ,your very loving brother in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,june #af1 #afcg4 ,,clxxxiv4--,to ,,mr4 ,,william ,,dalgleish4 ,letter ,,cxvii4 7,,the ,,fragrance ,,of ,,the ,,ministry--,a ,,review ,,of ,,his ,,past ,,and ,,present ,,situation1 ,,and ,,of ,,his ,,prospects47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,well-,,beloved ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be unto you4 ,i have heard somewhat of your trials in ,galloway4 ,i bless the ,lord1 who hath begun first in that corner to make you a new kirk to ,himself4 ,christ hath the less ado behind1 when ,he hath refined you4 ,let me entreat you1 my dearly beloved1 to be fast to ,christ4 ,my witness is above1 my dearest brother1 that ye have added much joy to me in my bonds1 when ,i hear that ye grow in the grace and zeal of ,god for your ,master4 ,our ministry1 whether by preaching or suffering1 will cast a smell through the world both of heaven and hell 7#b ,cor4 ii4 #ae1 #af74 ,i persuade you1 my dear brother1 that there is nothing out of heaven1 next to ,christ1 dearer to me than my ministry2 and the worth of it1 in my estimation1 is swelled1 and paineth me exceedingly4 ,yet ,i am content1 for the honour of my ,lord1 to surrender it back again to the ,lord of the vineyard4 ,let ,him do with it1 and me both1 what ,he thinketh good4 ,i think myself too little for ,him4 ,and1 let me speak to you1 how kind a fellow-prisoner is ,christ to me6 ,believe me1 this kind of cross 7that would not go by my door1 but would needs visit me7 is still the longer the more welcome to me4 ,it is true1 my silent ,sabbaths have been1 and still are1 as glassy ice1 whereon my faith can scarce hold its feet1 and ,i am often blown on my back1 and off my feet1 with a storm of doubting2 yet truly1 my bonds all this time cast a mighty and rank smell of high and deep love in ,christ4 ,i cannot1 indeed1 see through my cross to the far end2 yet ,i believe ,i am in ,christ's books1 and in ,his decree 7not yet unfolded to me71 a man triumphing1 dancing1 and singing1 on the other side of the ,red ,sea1 and laughing and praising the ,lamb1 over beyond time1 sorrow1 deprivation1 prelates' indignation1 losses1 want of friends1 and death4 ,heaven is not a fowl flying in the air 7as men use to speak of things that are uncertain72 nay1 it is well paid for4 ,christ's comprisement lieth on#big glory for all the mourners in ,zion1 and shall never be loosed4 ,let us be glad and rejoice1 that we have blood1 losses1 and wounds1 to show our ,master and ,captain at ,his appearance1 and what we suffered for ,his cause4 #big ,to lie on is for a thing to be a matter of duty or obligation1 or of legal security4 ,christ has laid ,his comprisement on glory2 ,he hath taken care that the mourners in ,zion be secured in possession of glory4 ,woe is me1 my dear brother1 that ,i say often1 ,i am but dry bones1 which my ,lord will not bring out of the grave again2 and that my faithless fears say1 ,oh1 ,i am a dry tree1 that can bear no fruit2 ,i am a useless body1 who can beget no children to the ,lord in ,his house6 ,hopes of deliverance look cold and uncertain1 and afar off1 as if ,i had done with it4 ,it is much for ,christ 7if ,i may say so7 to get law-borrows of my sorrow1 and of my quarrelous heart4 ,christ's love playeth me fair play4 ,i am not wronged at all2 but there is a tricking and false heart within me1 that still playeth ,christ foul play4 ,i am a cumbersome neighbour to ,christ3 it is a wonder that ,he dwelleth beside the like of me4 ,yet ,i often get the advantage of the hill above my temptations1 and then ,i despise temptation1 even hell itself1 and the stink of it1 and the instruments of it1 and am proud of my honourable ,master4 ,and ,i resolve1 whether contrary winds will or not1 to fetch ,christ's harbour2 and ,i think a wilful and stiff contention with my ,lord ,jesus for ,his love very lawful4 ,it is sometimes hard to me to win my meat upon ,christ's love1 because my faith is sick1 and my hope withereth1 and my eyes wax dim2 and unkind and comfort-eclipsing clouds go over the fair and bright ,sun1 ,jesus2 and then1 when ,i and temptation tryst the matter together1 we spill all through unbelief4 ,sweet1 sweet for evermore would my life be1 if ,i could keep faith in exercise6 ,but ,i see that my fire cannot always cast light2 ,i have even a poor man's hard world1 when ,he goeth away4 ,but surely1 since my entry hither1 many a time hath my fair sun shined without a cloud3 hot and burning hath ,christ's love been to me4 ,i have no vent to the expression of it2 ,i must be content with stolen and smothered desires of ,christ's glory4 ,oh1 how far is ,his love behind the hand with me6#bih ,i am just like a man who hath nothing to pay his thousands of debt3 all that can be gotten of him is to seize upon his person4 ,except ,christ would seize upon myself1 and make the readiest payment that can be of my heart and love to ,himself1 ,i have no other thing to give ,him4 ,if my sufferings could do beholders good1 and edify ,his kirk1 and proclaim the incomparable worth of ,christ's love to the world1 oh1 then would my soul be overjoyed1 and my sad heart be cheered and calmed6 #bih ,far from receiving what ,i owe to it4 ,dear brother1 ,i cannot tell what is become of my labours among that people6 ,if all that my ,lord builded by me be casted down1 and the bottom be fallen out of the profession of that parish1 and none stand by ,christ1 whose love ,i once preached as clearly and plainly as ,i could 7though far below its worth and excellence7 to that people2 if so1 how can ,i bear it6 ,and if another make a foul harvest1 where ,i have made a painful and honest sowing1 it will not soon digest with me4 ,but ,i know that ,his ways pass finding out4 ,yet my witness1 both within me and above me1 knoweth4 ,and my pained breast upon the ,lord's ,day at night1 my desire to have had ,christ awful1 and amiable1 and sweet to that people1 is now my joy4 ,it was my desire and aim to make ,christ and them one2 and1 if ,i see my hopes die in the bud1 ere they bloom a little1 and come to no fruit1 ,i die with grief4 ,o my ,god1 seek not an account of the violence done to me by my brethren1 whose salvation ,i love and desire4 ,i pray that they and ,i be not heard as contrary parties in the day of our compearance before our ,judge1 in that process1 led by them against my ministry which ,i received from ,christ4 ,i know that a little inch1 and less than the third part of this span-length and hand-breadth of time1 which is posting away will put me without the stroke1 and above the reach1 of either brethren or foes2 and it is a short-lasting injury done to me1 and to my pains in that part of my ,lord's vineyard4 ,oh1 how silly an advantage is my deprivation to men1 seeing that my ,lord ,jesus hath many ways to recover ,his own losses1 and is irresistible to compass ,his own glorious ends1 that ,his lily may grow amongst thorns1 and ,his little kingdom exalt ,himself1 even under the swords and spears of contrary powers6 ,but1 my dear brother1 go on in the strength of ,his rich grace1 whom ye serve4 ,stand fast for ,christ4 ,deliver the ,gospel off your hand1 and your ministry to your ,master1 with a clean and undefiled conscience4 ,loose not a pin of ,christ's tabernacle4 ,do not so much as pick with your nail at one board or border of the ark4 ,have no part or dealing1 upon any terms1 in a hoof 7,exod4 x4 #bf71 in a closed window 7,dan4 vi4 #aj71 or in a bowing of your knee1 in casting down of the temple4 ,but be a mourning and speaking witness against them who now ruin ,zion4 ,our ,master will be on us all now in a clap1 ere ever we wit4 ,that day will discover all our whites and our blacks1 concerning this controversy of poor oppressed ,zion4 ,let us make our part of it good1 that it may be able to abide the fire1 when hay and stubble shall be burned to ashes4 ,nothing1 nothing1 ,i say1 nothing1 but sound sanctification can abide the ,lord's fan4 ,i stand to my testimony that ,i preached often of ,scotland4--,lamentation1 mourning1 and woe abideth thee1 ,o ,scotland6 ,o ,scotland6 the fearful quarrel of a broken covenant standeth good with thy ,lord6 ,now1 remember my love to all my friends1 and to my parishioners1 as if ,i named each of them particularly4 ,i recommend you1 and ,god's people1 committed by ,christ to your trust1 to the rich grace of our all-sufficient ,lord4 ,remember my bonds4 ,praise my ,lord1 who beareth me up in my sufferings4 ,as ye find occasion1 according to the wisdom given you1 show our acquaintance what the ,lord hath done to my soul4 ,this ,i seek not1 verily1 to hunt my own praise1 but that my sweetest and dearest ,master may be magnified in my sufferings4 ,i rest1 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,june #af1 #afcg4 ,,clxxxv4--,to ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,longing ,,to ,,be ,,restored ,,to ,,his ,,charge47 ,,dearly ,,beloved ,,in ,,our ,,lord ,,jesus ,,christ1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,few know the heart of a stranger and prisoner4 ,i am in the hands of mine enemies4 ,i would that honest and lawful means were essayed for bringing me home to my charge1 now when ,mr4 ,a4 ,r4 and ,mr4 ,h4 ,r4 are restored4 ,it concerneth you of ,galloway most1 to use supplications and addresses for this purpose1 and try if by fair means ,i can be brought back again4 ,as for liberty1 without ,i be restored to my flock1 it is little to me2 for my silence is my greatest prison4 ,however it be1 ,i wait for the ,lord2 ,i hope not to rot in my sufferings3 ,lord1 give me submission to wait on4 ,my heart is sad that my days flee away1 and ,i do no service to my ,lord in ,his house1 now when ,his harvest and the souls of perishing people require it4 ,but ,his ways are not like my ways1 neither can ,i find ,him out4 ,oh that ,he would shine upon my darkness1 and bring forth my morning light from under the thick cloud that men have spread over me6 ,oh that the ,almighty would lay my cause in a balance and weigh me1 if my soul was not taken up1 when others were sleeping1 how to have ,christ betrothed with a bride1 in that part of the land6 ,but that day that my mouth was most unjustly and cruelly closed1 the bloom fell off my branches1 and my joy did cast the flower4 ,howbeit1 ,i have been casting myself under ,god's feet1 and wrestling to believe under a hidden and covered ,lord2 yet my fainting cometh before ,i eat1 and my faith hath bowed with the sore cast1 and under this almost insupportable weight6 ,oh that it break not6 ,i dare not say that the ,lord hath put out my candle1 and hath casten water upon my poor coal1 and broken the stakes of my tabernacle2 but ,i have tasted bitterness1 and eaten gall and wormwood1 since that day on which my ,master laid bonds upon me to speak no more4 ,i speak not this because the ,lord is unco to me1 but because beholders1 that stand on dry land1 see not my sea-storm4 ,the witnesses of my sad cross are but strangers to my sad days and nights4 ,oh that ,christ would let me alone1 and speak love to me1 and come home to me1 and bring summer with ,him6 ,oh that ,i might preach ,his beauty and glory1 as once ,i did1 before my clay-tent be removed to darkness6 and that ,i might lift ,christ off the ground6 and my branches might be watered with the dew of ,god1 and my joy in ,his work might grow green again1 and bud1 and send out a flower6 ,but ,i am but a short-sighted creature1 and my candle casteth not light afar off4 ,he knoweth all that is done to me2 how that when ,i had but one joy1 and no more1 and one green flower that ,i esteemed to be my garland1 ,he came in one hour and dried up my flower at the root1 and took away mine only eye1 and my one only crown and garland4 ,what can ,i say8 ,surely my guiltiness hath been remembered before ,him1 and ,he was seeking to take down my sails1 and to land the flower of my delights1 and to let it lie on the coast1 like an old broken ship1 that is no more for the sea4 ,but ,i praise ,him for this waled stroke4 ,i welcome this furnace2 ,god's wisdom made choice of it for me1 and it must be best1 because it was ,his choice4 ,oh that ,i may wait for ,him till the morning of this benighted kirk break out6 ,this poor1 afflicted kirk had a fair morning1 but her night came upon her before her noon-day1 and she was like a traveller1 forced to take house in the morning of his journey4 ,and now her adversaries are the chief men in the land2 her ways mourn2 her gates languish3 her children sigh for bread2 and there is none to be instant with the ,lord1 that ,he would come again to ,his house1 and dry the face of ,his weeping spouse1 and comfort ,zion's mourners1 who are waiting for ,him4 ,i know that ,he will make corn to grow upon the top of ,his withered ,mount ,zion again4 ,remember my bonds1 and forget me not4 ,oh that my ,lord would bring me again amongst you with abundance of the ,gospel of ,christ6 ,but1 oh1 that ,i may set down my desires where my ,lord biddeth me6 ,remember my love in the ,lord to your husband2 ,god make him faithful to ,christ6 and my blessing to your three children4 ,faint not in prayer for this kirk4 ,desire my people not to receive a stranger and intruder upon my ministry4 ,let me stand in that right and station that my ,lord ,jesus gave me4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord and ,master1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,clxxxvi4--,to ,,robert ,,stuart4 ,this ,,robert ,,stuart was probably the son of ,provost ,stuart of ,ayr1 to whom several letters are addressed4 ,allusion is made to his early conversion4 7,,christ ,,chooses ,,his ,,own ,,in ,,the ,,furnace--,,need ,,of ,a ,,deep ,,work--,,the ,,god-,,man1 ,a ,,world',s ,,wonder47 ,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,ye are heartily welcome to my world of suffering1 and heartily welcome to my ,master's house4 ,god give you much joy of your new ,master4 ,if ,i have been in the house before you1 ,i were not faithful to give the house an ill name1 or to speak evil of the ,lord of the family2 ,i rather wish ,god's ,holy ,spirit 7,o ,lord1 breathe upon me with that ,spirit671 to tell you the fashions of the house 7,ezek4 xliii4 #aa74 ,one thing ,i can say1 by on-waiting ye will grow a great man with the ,lord of the house4 ,hang on till ye get some good from ,christ4 ,lay all your loads and your weights by faith upon ,christ2 take ease to yourself1 and let ,him bear all4 ,he can1 ,he dow1#bii ,he will bear you1 howbeit hell were upon your back4 ,i rejoice that ,he is come1 and hath chosen you in the furnace2 it was even there where ye and ,he set tryst4 ,that is an old gate of ,christ's3 ,he keepeth the good old fashion with you1 that was in ,hosea's days3 ,therefore1 behold1 ,i will allure her1 and bring her into the wilderness1 and speak to her heart 7,hos4 ii4 #ad1 margin74 ,there was no talking to her heart1 while ,he and she were in the fair and flourishing city1 and at ease2 but out in the cold1 hungry1 waste wilderness1 ,he allured her1 ,he whispered news into her ear there1 and said1 ,thou art ,mine4 ,what would ye think of such a bode8 ,ye may soon do worse than say1 ,lord1 hold all2 ,lord ,jesus1 a bargain be it1 it shall not go back on my side4 #bii ,should we not read doth8 ,ye have gotten a great advantage in the way of heaven1 that ye have started to the gate in the morning4 ,like a fool1 as ,i was1 ,i suffered my sun to be high in the heaven1 and near afternoon1 before ever ,i took the gate by the end4 ,i pray you now keep the advantage ye have4 ,my heart1 be not lazy2 set quickly up the brae on hands and feet1 as if the last pickle of sand were running out of your glass1 and death were coming to turn the glass4 ,and be very careful to take heed to your feet1 in that slippery and dangerous way of youth that ye are walking in4 ,the devil and temptations now have the advantage of the brae of you1 and are upon your wand-hand1 and your working-hand4 ,dry timber will soon take fire4 ,be covetous and greedy of the grace of ,god1 and beware that it be not a holiness which cometh only from the cross2 for too many are that way disposed4 ,when ,he slew them1 then they sought ,him1 and they returned and inquired early after ,god4 ,nevertheless1 they did flatter ,him with their mouth1 and they lied unto ,him with their tongues 7,ps4 lxxviii4 #cd1 #cf74 ,it is part of our hypocrisy1 to give ,god fair1 white words1#cjj when ,he hath us in ,his grips 7if ,i may speak so71 and to flatter ,him till ,he win to the fair fields again4 ,try well green godliness1 and examine what it is that ye love in ,christ4 ,if ye love but ,christ's sunny side1 and would have only summer weather and a land-gate1 not a sea-way to heaven1 your profession will play you a slip1 and the winter-well will go dry again in summer4 #cjj ,plausible speeches4 ,make no sport nor bairn's play of ,christ2 but labour for a sound and lively sight of sin1 that ye may judge yourself an undone man1 a damned slave of hell and of sin1 one dying in your own blood1 except ,christ come and rue upon you1 and take you up4 ,and therefore1 make sure and fast work of conversion4 ,cast the earth deep2 and down1 down with the old work1 the building of confusion1 that was there before2 and let ,christ lay new work1 and make a new creation within you4 ,look if ,christ's rain goeth down to the root of your withered plants1 and if ,his love wound your heart whill it bleed with sorrow for sin1 and if ye can pant and fall aswoon1 and be like to die for that lovely one1 ,jesus4 ,i know that ,christ will not be hid where ,he is2 grace will ever speak for itself1 and be fruitful in well-doing4 ,the sanctified cross is a fruitful tree2 it bringeth forth many apples4 ,if ,i should tell you by some weak experience1 what ,i have found in ,christ1 ye or others could hardly believe me4 ,i thought not the hundredth part of ,christ long since1 that ,i do now1 though1 alas6 my thoughts are still infinitely below ,his worth4 ,i have a dwining1 sickly1 and pained life1 for a real possession of ,him2 and am troubled with love-brashes and love-fevers2 but it is a sweet pain4 ,i would refuse no conditions1 not hell excepted 7reserving always ,god's hatred71 to buy possession of ,jesus4 ,but1 alas6 ,i am not a merchant1 who have any money to give for ,him3 ,i must either come to a good-cheap market1 where wares are had for nothing1 else ,i go home empty4 ,but ,i have casten this work upon ,christ to get me ,himself4 ,i have ,his faith1 and truth1 and promise1 as a pawn of ,his1 all engaged that ,i shall obtain that which my hungry desires would be at2 and ,i esteem that the choice of my happiness4 ,and for ,christ's cross1 especially the garland and flower of all crosses1 to suffer for ,his name1 ,i esteem it more than ,i can write or speak to you4 ,and ,i write it under mine own hand to you1 that it is one of the steps of the ladder up to our country2 and ,christ 7whoever be one7 is still at the heavy end of this black tree1 and so it is but as a feather to me4 ,i need not run at leisure1#cja because of a burden on my back2 my back never bare the like of it2 the more heavily crossed for ,christ1 the soul is still the lighter for the journey4 #cja ,i am not obliged to run slowly4 ,now1 would to ,god that all cold-blooded1 faint-hearted soldiers of ,christ would look again to ,jesus1 and to ,his love2 and when they look1 ,i would have them to look again and again1 and fill themselves with beholding of ,christ's beauty2 and ,i dare say then that ,christ would come into great court and request with many4 ,the virgins would flock fast about the ,bridegroom2 they would embrace and take hold of ,him1 and not let ,him go4 ,but when ,i have spoken of ,him1 till my head rive1 ,i have said just nothing4 ,i may begin again4 ,a ,godhead1 a ,godhead is a world's wonder4 ,set ten thousand thousand new-made worlds of angels and elect men1 and double them in number1 ten thousand1 thousand1 thousand times2 let their heart and tongues be ten thousand thousand times more agile and large1 than the heart and tongues of the seraphim that stand with six wings before ,him 7,isa4 vi4 #b71 when they have said all for the glorifying and praising of the ,lord ,jesus1 they have but spoken little or nothing2 ,his love will abide all possible creatures praise4 ,oh1 if ,i could wear this tongue to the stump1 in extolling ,his highness6 ,but it is my daily-growing sorrow1 that ,i am confounded with ,his incomparable love1 and that ,he doeth so great things for my soul1 and hath got never yet anything of me worth the speaking of4 ,sir1 ,i charge you1 help me to praise ,him2 it is a shame to speak of what ,he hath done for me1 and what ,i do to ,him again4 ,i am sure that ,christ hath many drowned dyvours#cjb in heaven beside ,him2 and when we are convened1 man and angel1 at the great day1 in that fair last meeting1 we are all but ,his drowned dyvours3 it is hard to say who oweth ,him most4 ,if men could do no more1 ,i would have them to wonder3 if ye cannot be filled with ,christ's love1 we may be filled with wondering4 #cjb ,drowned over head and ears in ,his debt4 ,sir1 ,i would that ,i could persuade you to grow sick for ,christ1 and to long after ,him1 and be pained with love for ,himself4 ,but ,his tongue is in heaven who can do it4 ,to ,him and ,his rich grace ,i recommend you4 ,i pray you1 pray for me1 and forget not to praise4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,june #ag1 #afcg4 ,,clxxxvii4--,to the ,,lady ,,gaitgirth4 ,,lady ,,gaitgirth1 or ,,isabel ,,blair1 daughter to ,john ,blair of that ilk1 by ,grizel his wife1 daughter to ,robert1 ,lord ,semple1 was the wife of ,james ,chalmers of ,gaitgirth4 ,to him she had five sons and five daughters4 ,mr4 ,fergushill of ,ochiltree resided in the vicinity2 see ,letter ,,cxii4 ,her husband1 to whom ,rutherford expresses his obligations in the close of this letter1 was a man of worth4 ,he was made ,sheriff-,principal of ,ayrshire in #afcb2 and in #afcc1 he and ,sir ,william ,cunningham of ,cunninghamhead represented ,ayrshire in ,parliament4 ,embracing the cause of the ,covenant1 he1 in #afda1 with ,cassilis and ,caprington1 were sent as commissioners from the ,scottish ,parliament to ,newcastle2 and in #afdi he had a troop in ,colonel ,robert ,montgomery's ,horse 7,robertson's ,ayrshire ,families74 ,his great-grandfather1 ,james ,chalmers of ,gaitgirth1 who lived at the time of the ,reformation1 was a very zealous reformer1 and is described by ,knox1 ,calderwood1 and ,spottiswood1 as one of the boldest and most daring men of any who took part in that important revolution4 ,the name is often written ,gathgirth and ,gadgirth4 ,it is in the parish of ,coylton1 about four miles from ,monkton4 ,the modern mansion occupies the fine site of the old1 on a wooded knoll that overhangs the river ,ayr1 at one point commanding a view of ,,arran and ,goatfell4 ,it is a small estate4 7,,christ ,,unchangeable1 ,,though ,,not ,,always ,,enjoyed--,,his ,,love ,,never ,,yet ,,fully ,,poured ,,out--,,himself ,,his ,,people',s ,,cautioner47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i long to know how matters stand betwixt ,christ and your soul4 ,i know that ye find ,him still the longer the better2 time cannot change ,him in ,his love4 ,ye may yourself ebb and flow1 rise and fall1 wax and wane2 but your ,lord is this day as ,he was yesterday4 ,and it is your comfort that your salvation is not rolled upon wheels of your own making1 neither have ye to do with a ,christ of your own shaping4 ,god hath singled out a ,mediator 7,ps4 lxxxix4 #ai71 strong and mighty3 if ye and your burdens were as heavy as ten hills or hells1 ,he is able to bear you1 and save you to the uttermost4 ,your often seeking to ,him cannot make you a burden to ,him4 ,i know that ,christ compassionateth you1 and maketh a moan for you1 in all your dumps1 and under your downcastings2 but it is good for you that ,he hideth ,himself sometimes4 ,it is not niceness1 dryness1 nor coldness of love1 that causeth ,christ to withdraw1 and slip in under a curtain and a vail1 that ye cannot see ,him2 but ,he knoweth that ye could not bear with upsails1 a fair gale1 a full moon1 and a high spring-tide of ,his felt love1 and always a fair summer-day and a summer-sun of a felt and possessed and embracing ,lord ,jesus4 ,his kisses and ,his visits to ,his dearest ones are thin-sown4 ,he could not let out ,his rivers of love upon ,his own1 but these rivers would be in hazard of loosening a young plant at the root2#cjc and ,he knoweth this of you4 ,ye should1 therefore1 frist ,christ's kindness1 as to its sensible and full manifestations1 till ye and ,he be above sun and moon4 ,that is the country where ye will be enlarged for that love which ye dow not now contain4 #cjc ,the river ,ayr flows close to ,gaitgirth2 so that1 in time of flood1 ,lady ,gaitgirth would often see an exemplification of what is alluded to1--the water loosening the tree's roots4 ,cast the burden of your sweet babes upon ,christ1 and lighten your heart1 by laying your all upon ,him3 ,he will be their ,god4 ,i hope to see you up the mountain yet1 and glad in the salvation of ,god4 ,frame yourself for ,christ1 and gloom not upon ,his cross4 ,i find ,him so sweet1 that my love1 suppose ,i would charge it to remove from ,christ1 would not obey me3 ,his love hath stronger fingers than to let go its grips of us bairns1 who cannot go but by such a hold as ,christ4 ,it is good that we want legs of our own1 since we may borrow from ,christ2 and it is our happiness that ,christ is under an act of cautionary for heaven1 and that ,christ is booked in heaven as the principal debtor for such poor bodies as we are4 ,i request you to give the laird1 your husband1 thanks for his care of me1 in that he hath appeared in public for a prisoner of ,christ4 ,i pray and write mercy1 and peace1 and blessings to him and his4 ,grace1 grace be with you for ever4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,clxxxviii4--,to ,,mr4 ,,john ,,fergushill of ,ochiltree4 7,,desponding ,,views ,,of ,,his ,,own ,,state--,,ministerial ,,diligence--,,christ',s ,,worth--,,self-,,seeking47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy and peace be to you4 ,my longings and desires for a sight of the new-builded tabernacle of ,christ again in ,scotland1 that tabernacle that came down from heaven1 hath now taken some life again1 when ,i see ,christ making a mint to sow vengeance among ,his enemies4 ,i care not1 if this land be ripe for such a great1 wonderful mercy2 but ,i know ,he must do it1 whenever it is done1 without hire4 ,i find the grief of my silence1 and my fear to be holden at the door of ,christ's house1 swelling upon me2 and the truth is1 were it not that ,i am dawted now and then with pieces of ,christ's sweet love and comforts1 ,i fear ,i should have made an ill browst of this honourable cross1 that ,i know such a soft and silly-minded body as ,i am is not worthy of4 ,for ,i have little in me but softness1 and superlative and excessive apprehensions of fear1 and sadness1 and sorrow2 and often ,god's terrors do surround me1 because ,christ looketh not so favourably upon me as a poor witness would have ,him4 ,and ,i wonder how ,i have past a year and a quarter's imprisonment without shaming my sweet ,lord1 to whom ,i desire to be faithful2 and ,i think ,i shall die but even#cjd minting and aiming to serve and honour my ,lord ,jesus4 ,few know how toom and empty ,i am at home2 but it is a part of marriage-love and husband-love1 that my ,lord ,jesus goeth not to the streets with ,his chiding against me4 ,it is but stolen and concealed anger that ,i find and feel1 and ,his glooms to me are kept under roof1 that ,he will not have mine enemies hear what is betwixt me and ,him4 ,and1 believe me1 ,i say the truth in ,christ1 that the only gall and wormwood in my cup1 and that which hath filled me with fear1 hath been1 lest my sins1 that sun and moon and the ,lord's children were never witness to1 should have moved my ,lord to strike me with dumb ,sabbaths4 ,lord1 pardon my soft and weak jealousies1 if ,i be here in an error4 #cjd ,only just attempting4 ,my very dear brother1 ,i would have looked for larger and more particular letters from you1 for my comfort in this2 for your words before have strengthened me4 ,i pray you to mend this2 and be thankful and painful1 while ye have a piece or corner of the ,lord's vineyard to dress4 ,oh1 would to ,god that ,i could have leave to follow you1 to break the clods6 ,but ,i wish ,i could command my soul to be silent1 and to wait upon the ,lord4 ,i am sure that while ,christ lives1 ,i am well enough friend-stead4 ,i hope that ,he will extend ,his kindness and power for me2 but ,god be thanked it is not worse with me than a cross for ,christ and ,his truth4 ,i know that ,he might have pitched upon many more choice and worthy witnesses1 if ,he had pleased2 but ,i seek no more 7be what timber ,i will1 suppose ,i were made of a piece of hell7 than that my ,lord1 in ,his infinite art1 hew glory to ,his name1 and enlargement to ,christ's kingdom1 out of me4 ,oh that ,i could attain to this1 to desire that my part of ,christ might be laid in pledge for the heightening of ,christ's throne in ,britain6 ,let my ,lord redeem the pledge2 or1 if ,he please1 let it sink and drown unredeemed4 ,but what can ,i add to ,him8 or what way can a smothered and borne-down prisoner set out ,christ in open market1 as a lovely and desirable ,lord to many souls8 ,i know that ,he seeth to ,his own glory better than my ebb thoughts can dream of2 and that the wheels and paces of this poor distempered kirk are in ,his hands2 and that things shall roll as ,christ will have them3--only1 ,lord1 tryst the matter so1 as ,christ may be made a householder and lord again in ,scotland1 and wet faces for ,his departure may be dried at ,his sweet and much-desired welcome-home6 ,i see that1 in all our trials1 our ,lord will not mix our wares and ,his grace overhead through other2 but ,he will have each man to know his own1 that the like of me may say in my sufferings1 ,this is ,christ's grace1 and this is but my coarse stuff3 ,this is free grace1 and this is but nature and reason4 ,we know what our legs would play us1 if they should carry us through all our waters4 ,and the least thing our ,lord can have of us1 is to know we are grace's dyvours1 and that nature is of a base house and blood1 and grace is better born1 and of kin and blood to ,christ1 and of a better house4 ,oh that ,i were free of that idol which they call myself2 and that ,christ were for myself2 and myself a decourted cypher1 and a denied and forsworn thing6 ,but that proud thing1 myself1 will not play1 except it ride up side for side with ,christ1 or rather have place before ,him4 ,o myself 7another devil1 as evil as the prince of devils671 if thou couldst give ,christ the way1 and take thine own room1 which is to sit as low as nothing or corruption6 ,oh1 but we have much need to be ransomed and redeemed by ,christ from that master-tyrant1 that cruel and lawless lord1 ourself4 ,nay1 when ,i am seeking ,christ1 and am out of myself1 ,i have the third part of a squint eye upon that vain1 vain thing1 myself1 myself1 and something of mine own4 ,but ,i must hold here4 ,i desire you to contribute your help1 to see if ,i can be restored to my wasted and lost flock4 ,i see not how it can be1 except the lords would procure me a liberty to preach2 and they have reason4 #a4 ,because the opposers and my adversaries have practised their new canons upon me1 whereof one is1 that no deprived minister preach1 under the pain of excommunication4 #b4 ,because my opposing of these canons was a special thing that incensed ,sydserff against me4#cje #c4 ,because ,i was judicially accused for my book against the ,arminians1 and commanded by the ,chancellor to acknowledge that ,i had done a fault in writing against ,dr4 ,jackson1 a wicked ,arminian4#cjf ,pray for a room in the house to me4 ,grace1 grace be 7as it is7 your portion4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 #cje ,thomas ,sydserff1 now ,bishop of ,galloway1 was the chief instrument in procuring ,rutherford's banishment to ,aberdeen4 ,he was minister of the ,college ,church1 ,edinburgh2 and afterwards successively ,bishop of ,brechin1 ,galloway1 and ,orkney4 ,he early imbibed ,arminian principles1 and promoted the measures of ,archbishop ,laud1 and was supposed to lean to ,popery1 it being generally believed that he wore under his coat a crucifix of gold4 ,all this rendered him so unpopular1 that1 on appearing in the streets of ,edinburgh in #afcg1 when great excitement existed on account of the ,service-,book1 he was attacked by the matrons of the city4 ,he had equal reason to cry to the gentlemen for help under similar attacks in other places4 ,at the ,restoration of ,charles ,,ii4 he was the only surviving bishop in ,scotland4 ,he was then nominated to the see of ,orkney1 but survived his promotion little more than a year4 #cjf ,dr4 ,thomas ,jackson1 ,dean of ,peterborough1 first held ,calvinistic sentiments1 but afterwards became an ,arminian1--a change which recommended him to the favour and patronage of ,archbishop ,laud4 ,he was a man of talent1 and the author of various theological works1 of which his ,commentary on the ,apostles' ,creed is the most important4 ,rutherford's book against the ,arminians1 here referred to1 in which he treated ,jackson with little ceremony1 and which was one cause of his banishment by the ,high ,commission ,court1 is entitled1 ,exercitationes ,apologetic pro ,divin ,grati4 ,it was published at ,amsterdam in the beginning of the year #afcf1 and gained the author no small reputation abroad4 ,baillie1 in giving an account of ,rutherford's trial before the ,high ,commission ,court1 says3 ,they were animate also against him for taxing ,cameron in his book2 and most1 for his indiscreet railing at ,jackson 7,letters and ,journals74 ,,clxxxix4--,to ,,john ,,stuart1 ,provost of ,ayr4 ,letter ,,clxiii4 7,,hope ,,for ,,scotland--,,self-,,submission--,,chris t ,,himself ,,is ,,sought ,,for ,,by ,,faith--,,stability ,,of ,,salvation--,,his ,,ways47 ,,worthy ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i long for the time when ,i shall see the beauty of the ,lord in ,his house2 and would be as glad of it as of any sight on earth1 to see the halt1 the blind1 and the lame1 come back to ,zion with supplications 7,jer4 xxxi4 #h1 #i71 ,going and weeping1 and seeking the ,lord2 asking the way to ,zion1 with their faces thitherward 7,jer4 l4 #d1 #e72 and to see the ,woman travailing in birth1 delivered of the man-child of a blessed reformation4 ,if this land were humbled1 ,i would look that our skies should clear1 and our day dawn again2 and ye should then bless ,christ1 who is content to save your travel1 and to give ,himself to you1 in pure ordinances1 on this side of the sea4 ,i know the mercy of ,christ is engaged by promise to ,scotland1 notwithstanding ,he bring wrath1 as ,i fear ,he will1 upon this land4 ,i am waiting on for enlargement1 and half content that my faith bow1 if ,christ1 while ,he bow it1 keep it unbroken2 for who goeth through a fire without a mark or a scald8 ,i see the ,lord making use of this fire1 to scour ,his vessels from their rust4 ,oh that my will were silent1 and as a child weaned from the breasts6 7,ps4 cxxxi474 ,but1 alas6 who hath a heart that will give ,christ the last word in flyting1 and will hear and not speak again8 ,oh6 contestations and quarrelous replies 7as a soon-saddled spirit1 ,i do well to be angry1 even to the death7 7,jonah iv4 #i7 smell of the stink of strong corruption4 ,o blessed soul1 that could sacrifice his will1 and go to heaven1 having lost his will and made resignation of it to ,christ6 ,i would seek no more than that ,christ were absolute ,king over my will1 and that my will were a sufferer in all crosses1 without meeting ,christ with such a word1 ,why is it thus8 ,i wish still1 that my love had but leave to stand beside beautiful ,jesus1 and to get the mercy of looking to ,him1 and burning for ,him1 suppose that possession of ,him were suspended1 and fristed till my ,lord fold together the leaves and two sides of the little shepherds' tents of clay4 ,oh1 what pain is in longing for ,christ1 under an over-clouded and eclipsed assurance6 ,what is harder than to burn and dwine with longing and deaths of love1 and then to have blanks and uninked paper for#cjg assurance of ,christ in real fruition or possession8 ,oh how sweet were one line1 or half a letter1 of a written assurance under ,christ's own hand6 ,but this is our exercise daily1 that guiltiness shall overmist and darken assurance4 ,it is a miracle to believe2 but1 for a sinner to believe1 is two miracles4 ,but oh1 what obligations of love are we under to ,christ1 who beareth with our wild apprehensions1 in suffering them to nickname sweet ,jesus1 and to put a lie upon ,his good name6 ,if ,he had not been ,god1 and if long-suffering in ,christ were not like ,christ ,himself1 we should long ago have broken ,christ's mercies in two pieces1 and put an iron bar on our salvation1 that mercy should not have been able to break or overleap4 ,but long-suffering in ,god is ,god ,himself2 and that is our salvation2 and the stability of our heaven is in ,god4 ,he knew who said1 ,christ in you the hope of glory 7,col4 i4 #bg7 7for our hope1 and the bottom and pillars of it1 is ,christ-,god671 that sinners are anchor-fast1 and made stable in ,god4 ,so that if ,god do not change 7which is impossible71 then my hope shall not fluctuate4 ,oh1 sweet stability of sure-bottomed salvation6 ,who could win heaven1 if this were not so8 and who could be saved1 if ,god were not ,god1 and if ,he were not such a ,god as ,he is8 ,oh1 ,god be thanked that our salvation is coasted1 and landed1 and shored upon ,christ1 who is ,master of winds and storms6 ,and what sea-winds can blow the coast or the land out of its place8 ,bulwarks are often casten down1 but coasts are not removed3 but suppose that were or might be1 yet ,god cannot reel nor remove4 ,oh that we go from this strong and immoveable ,lord1 and that we loosen ourselves 7if it were in our power7 from ,him6 ,alas6 our green and young love hath not taken with ,christ1 being unacquainted with ,him4 ,he is such a wide1 and broad1 and deep1 and high1 and surpassing sweetness1 that our love is too little for ,him4 ,but oh1 if our love1 little as it is1 could take band with ,his great and huge sweetness1 and transcendent excellency6 ,oh1 thrice blessed1 and eternally blessed are they1 who are out of themselves1 and above themselves1 that they may be in love united to ,him6 #cjg ,for2 i4e4 instead of4 ,i am often rolling up and down the thoughts of my faint and sick desires of expressing ,christ's glory before ,his people4 ,but ,i see not through the throng of impediments1 and cannot find eyes to look higher2 and so ,i put many things in ,christ's way to hinder ,him1 that ,i know ,he would but laugh at1 and with one stride set ,his foot over them all4 ,i know not if my ,lord will bring me to ,his sanctuary or not2 but ,i know that ,he hath the placing of me1 either within or without the house1 and that nothing will be done without ,him4 ,but ,i am often thinking and saying within myself1 that my days flee away1 and ,i see no good1 neither yet ,christ's work thriving2 and it is like that the grave shall prevent#cjh the answer of my desires of saving souls as ,i would4 ,but1 alas6 ,i cannot make right work of ,his ways2 ,i neither spell nor read my ,lord's providence aright4 ,my thoughts go away that ,i fear they meet not ,god2 for it is likely that ,god will not come the way of my thoughts4 ,and ,i cannot be taught to crucify to ,him my wisdom and desires1 and to make ,him ,king over my thoughts2 for ,i would have a princedom over my thoughts1 and would boldly and blindly prescribe to ,god1 and guide myself in a way of my own making4 ,but ,i hold my peace here2 let ,him do ,his will4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweetest ,lord and ,master1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 #cjh ,come before4 ,,cxc4--,to ,,carsluth 7,kirkmabreck74 ,the name of the person to whom this letter is addressed1 was ,robert ,brown of ,carsluth4 ,he was a man of considerable property in the part of the country where ,rutherford's lot was cast previous to his imprisonment4 ,he must have died about the beginning of the year #afeh1 as on the #bgth of ,april1 that year1 ,thomas ,brown of ,carsluth is retoured heir of ,robert ,brown of ,carsluth1 his father1 in the #g merkland of ,carsluth1 etc4 7,inq4 ,retor4 ,abbrev4 ,kirkcud474 ,brown of ,carsluth was an ancient family4 ,gilbert ,brown1 abbot of ,new ,abbey1 near ,dumfries1 who disputed with ,john ,welsh1 was of the family4 ,on the shore of ,wigtown ,bay1 not far from ,creetown1 you see the old tower-like house1 with a farm1 well wooded4 ,it is near the modern residence of ,kirkdale4 7,,necessity ,,of ,,making ,,sure ,,of ,,salvation--,,vanity ,,of ,,the ,,world--,,nothing ,,worth ,,having ,,but ,,christ--,,flight ,,of ,,time47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,i long to hear how your soul prospereth4 ,i earnestly desire you to try how matters stand between your soul and the ,lord4 ,think it no easy matter to take heaven by violence4 ,salvation cometh now to the most part of men in a night-dream4 ,there is no scarcity of faith now1 such as it is2 for ye shall not now light upon the man who will not say he hath faith in ,christ4 ,but1 alas6 dreams make no man's rights4 ,worthy ,sir1 ,i beseech you in the ,lord to give your soul no rest till ye have real assurance1 and ,christ's rights confirmed and sealed to your soul4 ,the common faith1 and country-holiness1 and week-day zeal1 that is among people1 will never bring men to heaven4 ,take pains for your salvation2 for in that day1 when ye shall see many men's labours and conquests and idol-riches lying in ashes1 when the earth and all the works thereof shall be burnt with fire1 oh how dear a price would your soul give for ,god's favour in ,christ6 ,it is a blessed thing to see ,christ with up-sun1 and to read over your papers and soul-accounts with fair day-light4 ,it will not be time to cry for a lamp when the ,bridegroom is entered into ,his chamber1 and the door shut4 ,fy1 fy upon blinded and debased souls1 who are committing whoredom with this idol-clay1 and hunting a poor1 wretched1 hungry heaven1 a hungry breakfast1 a day's meat from this hungry world1 with the forfeiting of ,god's favour1 and the drinking over their heaven 7over the board1 as men used to speak71 for the laughter and sports of this short forenoon6 ,all that is under this vault of heaven1 and betwixt us and death1 and on this side of sun and moon1 is but toys1 night-visions1 head-fancies1 poor shadows1 watery froth1 godless vanities at their best1 and black hearts1 and salt and sour miseries1 sugared over and confected with an hour's laughter or two1 and the conceit of riches1 honour1 vain1 vain court1 and lawless pleasures4 ,sir1 if ye look both to the laughing side and to the weeping side of this world1 and if ye look not only upon the skin and colour of things1 but into their inwards1 and the heart of their excellency1 ye shall see that one look of ,christ's sweet and lovely eye1 one kiss of ,his fairest face1 is worth ten thousand worlds of such rotten stuff1 as the foolish sons of men set their hearts upon4 ,oh1 ,sir1 turn1 turn your heart to the other side of things1 and get it once free of these entanglements1 to consider eternity1 death1 the clay bed1 the grave1 awsome judgment1 everlasting burning quick in hell1 where death would give as great a price 7if there were a market1 wherein death might be bought and sold7 as all the world4 ,consider heaven and glory4 ,but1 alas6 why speak ,i of considering those things1 which have not entered into the heart of man to consider8 ,look into those depths 7without a bottom7 of loveliness1 sweetness1 beauty1 excellency1 glory1 goodness1 grace1 and mercy1 that are in ,christ2 and ye shall then cry down the whole world1 and all the glory of it1 even when it is come to the summer-bloom2 and ye shall cry1 ,up with ,christ1 up with ,christ's ,father1 up with eternity of glory6 ,sir1 there is a great deal less sand in your glass than when ,i saw you1 and your afternoon is nearer even-tide now than it was4 ,as a flood carried back to the sea1 so doth the ,lord's swift post1 ,time1 carry you and your life with wings to the grave4 ,ye eat and drink1 but time standeth not still2 ye laugh1 but your day fleeth away2 ye sleep1 but your hours are reckoned and put by hand4 ,oh how soon will time shut you out of the poor1 and cold1 and hungry inn of this life6 ,and then what will yesterday's short-born pleasures do to you1 but be as a snow-ball melted away many years since8 ,or worse6 for the memory of these pleasures useth to fill the soul with bitterness4 ,time and experience will prove this to be true2 and dying men1 if they could speak1 would make this good4 ,lay no more on the creatures than they are able to carry4 ,lay your soul and your weights upon ,god4 ,make ,him your only1 only ,best-beloved4 ,your errand to this life is to make sure an eternity of glory to your soul1 and to match your soul with ,christ4 ,your love1 if it were more than all the love of angels in one1 is ,christ's due3 other things worthy in themselves1 in respect of ,christ1 are not worth a windlestraw1 or a drink of cold water4 ,i doubt not but in death ye shall see all things more distinctly1 and that then the world shall bear no more bulk than it is worth1 and that then it shall couch and be contracted into nothing2 and ye shall see ,christ longer1 higher1 broader1 and deeper than ever ,he was4 ,o blessed conquest1 to lose all things1 and to gain ,christ6 ,i know not what ye have1 if ye want ,christ6 ,alas6 how poor is your gain1 if the earth were all yours in free heritage1 holding it of no man of clay1 if ,christ be not yours6 ,oh1 seek all midses1 lay all oars in the water1 put forth all your power1 and bend all your endeavours1 to put away and part with all things1 that ye may gain and enjoy ,christ4 ,try and search ,his word1 and strive to go a step above and beyond ordinary professors2 and resolve to sweat more and run faster than they do1 for salvation4 ,men's midway1 cold1 and wise courses in godliness1 and their neighbour-like1 cold1 and wise pace to heaven1 will cause many a man to want his lodging at night1 and to lie in the fields4 ,i recommend ,christ and ,his love to your seeking2 and yourself to the tender mercy and rich grace of our ,lord4 ,remember my love in ,christ to your wife4 ,i desire her to learn to make her soul's anchor fast upon ,christ ,himself4 ,few are saved4 ,let her consider what joy the smiles of ,god in ,christ will be1 and what the love-kisses of sweet1 sweet ,jesus1 and a welcome home to the ,new ,jerusalem from ,christ's own mouth will be to her soul1 when ,christ will fold together the clay tent of her body1 and lay it by ,his hand for a time1 till the fair morning of the general resurrection4 ,i avouch before ,god1 man1 and angel1 that ,i have not seen1 nor can imagine1 a lover to be comparable to lovely ,jesus4 ,i would not exchange or niffer ,him with ten heavens4 ,if heaven could be without ,him1 what could we do there8 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,your soul's eternal well-wisher1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cxci4--,to ,,cassincarrie4 ,the mansion of ,cassincarrie is a mile from ,creetown1 in ,kirkmabreck parish4 ,it stands near the road1 just after you pass the stone quarries that help to build ,liverpool4 ,it is so directly opposite ,wigtown1 that from the windows we might suppose the godly proprietor looking across1 and praying for the martyrs ,margaret ,wilson and ,margaret ,m',lachlan1 in #afhe4cji ,this correspondent of ,rutherford was probably the son of ,john ,mure of ,cassincarrie1 who was the second son of ,john ,mure of ,rowallan4 ,had he been ,john ,mure of ,cassincarrie1 elder1 he would now have been on the borders of ninety years of age1 as his eldest brother1 ,william ,mure of ,rowallan1 died in #afaf1 aged sixty-nine2 and in that case1 ,rutherford would doubtless have enforced his solemn admonitions by pointed allusions to his advanced period of life4 ,his son1 therefore1 is very likely the person to whom this letter is addressed 7,robertson's ,ayrshire ,families1 vol4 iii4 p4 #cfa74 #cji ,the exact historical truth of these two martyrdoms is attested beyond denial by the full record1 entered only a few years after the event1 in the ,minutes of the ,kirk-,session of ,penningham1 with which the martyrs were connected4 7,,earnestness ,,about ,,salvation--,,christ ,,himself ,,to ,,be ,,sought47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i have been too long in writing to you4 ,i am confident that ye have learned to prize ,christ1 and ,his love and favour1 more than ordinary professors who scarce see ,christ with half an eye1 because their sight is taken up with eyeing and liking the beauty of this over-gilded world1 that promiseth fair to all its lovers1 but in the push of a trial1 when need is1 can give nothing but a fair beguile4 ,i know that ye are not ignorant that men come not to this world1 as some do to a market1 to see and to be seen2 or as some come to behold a ,may-game1 and only to behold1 and to go home again4 ,ye come hither to treat with ,god1 and to tryst with ,him in ,his ,christ for salvation to your soul1 and to seek reconciliation with an angry1 wrathful ,god1 in a covenant of peace made to you in ,christ2 and this is more than ordinary sport1 or the play that the greatest part of the world give their heart unto4 ,and1 therefore1 worthy ,sir1 ,i pray you1 by the salvation of your soul1 and by the mercy of ,god1 and your compearance before ,christ1 do this in sad earnest1 and let not salvation be your by-work or your holy-day's talk only1 or a work by the way4 ,for men think that this may be done on three days' space on a feather bed1 when death and they are fallen in hands together1 and that with a word or two they shall make their soul-matters right4 ,alas6 this is to sit loose and unsure in the matters of our salvation4 ,nay1 the seeking of this world1 and of the glory of it1 is but an odd#caj and by-errand that we may slip1 so being we make salvation sure4 ,oh1 when will men learn to be that heavenly-wise as to divorce from and free their soul of all idol-lovers1 and make ,christ the only1 only ,one1 and trim and make ready their lamps1 while they have time and day6 ,how soon will this house skail1 and the inn1 where the poor soul lodgeth1 fall to the earth6 ,how soon will some few years pass away6 and then1 when the day is ended1 and this life's lease expired1 what have men of world's glory but dreams and thoughts8 ,oh how blessed a thing is it to labour for ,christ1 and to make ,him sure6 ,know and try in time your holding of ,him1 and the rights and charters of heaven1 and upon what terms ye have ,christ and the ,gospel1 and what ,christ is worth in your estimation1 and how lightly ye esteem other things1 and how dearly ,christ6 ,i am sure1 that if ye see ,him in ,his beauty and glory1 ye shall see ,him to be all things1 and that incomparable jewel of gold that ye should seek1 howbeit ye should sell1 wadset1 and forfeit your few years' portion of this life's joys4 ,o happy soul for evermore1 who can rightly compare this life with that long-lasting life to come1 and can balance the weighty glory of the one with the light golden vanity of the other6 ,the day of the ,lord is now near-hand1 and all men shall come out in their blacks and whites1 as they are2 there shall be no borrowed lying colours in that day1 when ,christ shall be called ,christ1 and no longer nicknamed4 ,now men borrow ,christ and ,his white colour1 and the lustre and farding of ,christianity2 but how many counterfeit masks will be burned1 in the day of ,god1 in the fire that shall burn the earth and the works that are on it8 ,and howbeit ,christ have the hardest part of it now1 yet in the presence of my ,lord1 whom ,i serve in the spirit1 ,i would not niffer or exchange ,christ's prison1 bonds1 and chains1 with the gold chains and lordly rents1 and smiling and happy-like heavens of the men of this world4 ,i am far from thoughts of repenting because of my losses and bonds for ,christ4 ,i wish that all my adversaries were as ,i am1 except my bonds4 ,worthy1 worthy1 worthy for evermore is ,christ1 for whom we should suffer pains like hell's pains2 far more the short hell that the saints of ,god have in this life4 ,sir1 ,i wish that your soul may be more acquainted with the sweetness of ,christ4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours in his only ,lord and ,master1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 #caj ,to be attended to at a leisure moment4 ,,cxcii4--,to the ,,lady ,,cardoness4 7,,grace--,,the ,,name ,,of ,,christ ,,to ,,be ,,exalted--,,everything ,,but ,,god ,,fails ,,us47 ,,mistress1--,i beseech you in the ,lord ,jesus to make every day more and more of ,christ2 and try your growth in the grace of ,god1 and what new ground ye win daily on corruption4 ,for travellers are day by day either advancing farther on1 and nearer home1 or else they go not right about to compass their journey4 ,i think still the better and better of ,christ4 ,alas6 ,i know not where to set ,him1 ,i would so fain have ,him high6 ,i cannot set heavens above heavens till ,i were tired with numbering1 and set ,him upon the highest step and storey of the highest of them all2 but ,i wish ,i could make ,him great through the world1 suppose my loss1 and pain1 and shame were set under the soles of ,his feet1 that ,he might stand upon me4 ,i request that you faint not2 because this world and ye are at yea and nay1 and because this is not a home that laugheth upon you4 ,the wise ,lord1 who knoweth you1 will have it so1 because ,he casteth a net for your love1 to catch it and gather it in to ,himself4 ,therefore1 bear patiently the loss of children1 and burdens1 and other discontentments1 either within or without the house3 your ,lord in them is seeking you1 and seek ye ,him4 ,let none be your love and choice1 and the flower of your delights1 but your ,lord ,jesus4 ,set not your heart upon the world1 since ,god hath not made it your portion2 for it will not fall to you to get two portions1 and to rejoice twice1 and to be happy twice1 and to have an upper heaven1 and an under heaven too4 ,christ our ,lord1 and ,his saints1 were not so2 and1 therefore1 let go your grip of this life1 and of the good things of it3 ,i hope that your heaven groweth not hereaway4 ,learn daily both to possess and miss ,christ1 in ,his secret bridegroom-smiles4 ,he must go and come1 because ,his infinite wisdom thinketh it best for you4 ,we shall be together one day4 ,we shall not need to borrow light from sun1 moon1 or candle4 ,there shall be no complaints on either side1 in heaven4 ,there shall be none there1 but ,he and we1 the ,bridegroom and the bride2 devils1 temptations1 trials1 desertions1 losses1 sad hearts1 pain1 and death1 shall be all put out of play2 and the devil must give up his office of tempting4 ,oh1 blessed is the soul whose hope hath a face looking straight out to that day4 ,it is not our part to make a treasure here2 anything1 under the covering of heaven1 which we can build upon1 is but ill ground and a sandy foundation4 ,every good thing1 except ,god1 wanteth a bottom1 and cannot stand its lone2 how then can it bear the weight of us8 ,let us not lay a load on a windlestraw4 ,there shall nothing find my weight1 or found my happiness1 but ,god4 ,i know that all created power would sink under me1 if ,i should lean down upon it2 and1 therefore1 it is better to rest on ,god1 than to sink or fall2 and we weak souls must have a bottom and a being-place1 for we cannot stand our lone4 ,let us then be wise in our choice1 and choose and wale our own blessedness1 which is to trust in the ,lord4 ,each one of us hath a whore and idol1 besides our ,husband ,christ2 but it is our folly to divide our narrow and little love2 it will not serve two4 ,it is best then to hold it whole and together1 and to give it to ,christ2 for we get double interest for our love1 when we lend it to1 and lay it upon ,christ2 and we are sure1 besides1 that the stock cannot perish4 ,now ,i can say no more4 ,remember me4 ,i have ,god's right to that people2 howbeit by the violence of men1 stronger than ,i1 ,i am banished from you1 and chased away4 ,the ,lord give you mercy in the day of ,christ4 ,it may be that ,god will clear my sky again2 howbeit there is small appearance of my deliverance4 ,but let ,him do with me what seemeth good in ,his own eyes4 ,i am ,his clay2 let my ,potter frame and fashion me as ,he pleaseth4 ,grace be with you4 ,your lawful and loving pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cxciii4--,to ,,sibylla ,,macadam4 ,see notice1 ,letter ,,cxli4 7,,christ',s ,,beauty ,,and ,,excellence47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i can bear witness in my bonds1 that ,christ is still the longer the better2 and no worse1 yea1 inconceivably better than ,he is 7or can be7 called4 ,i think it half a heaven to have my fill of the smell of ,his sweet breath1 and to sleep in the arms of ,christ my ,lord1 with ,his left hand under my head and ,his right hand embracing me4 ,there is no great reckoning to be made of the withering of my flower1 in comparison of the foul and manifest wrongs done to ,christ4 ,nay1 let never the dew of ,god lie upon my branches again1 let the bloom fall from my joy1 and let it wither1 let the ,almighty blow out my candle1 so being the ,lord might be great among ,jews and ,gentiles1 and ,his oppressed church delivered4 ,let ,christ fare well1 suppose ,i should eat ashes4 ,i know that ,he must be sweet ,himself1 when ,his cross is so sweet4 ,and it is the part of us all1 if we marry ,himself1 to marry the crosses1 losses1 and reproaches also1 that follow ,him4 ,for mercy followeth ,christ's cross4 ,his prison1 for beauty1 is made of marble and ivory2 ,his chains1 that are laid on ,his prisoners1 are golden chains2 and the sighs of the prisoners of hope are perfumed with comforts1 the like whereof cannot be bred or found on this side of sun and moon4 ,follow on after ,his love2 tire not of ,christ1 but come in1 and see ,his beauty and excellency1 and feed your soul upon ,christ's sweetness4 ,this world is not yours1 neither would ,i have your heaven made of such metal as mire and clay4 ,ye have the choice and wale of all lovers in heaven or out of heaven1 when ye have ,christ1 the only delight of ,god ,his ,father4 ,climb up the mountain with joy1 and faint not2 for time will cut off the men who pursue ,christ's followers4 ,our best things here have a worm in them2 our joys1 besides ,god1 in the inner half are but woes and sorrows4 ,christ1 ,christ is that which our love and desires can sleep sweetly and rest safely upon4 ,now the very ,god of peace establish you in ,christ4 ,help a prisoner with your prayers1 and entreat that our ,lord would be pleased to visit me with a sight of ,his beauty in ,his house1 as ,he has sometimes done4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cxciv4--,to ,,mr4 ,,hugh ,,henderson1 ,minister of ,dalry1 ,ayrshire4 7,,the ,,ways ,,of ,,providence--,,believing ,,patience47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,who knoweth but the wind may turn into the west again1 upon ,christ and ,his desolate bride in this land2 and that ,christ may get ,his summer by course again8 ,for ,he hath had ill-weather this long time1 and could not find law or justice for ,himself and ,his truth these many years4 ,i am sure the wheels of this crazed and broken kirk run all upon no other axle-tree1 nor is there any other to roll them1 and cog them1 and drive them1 than the wisdom and good pleasure of our ,lord4 ,and it were a just trick and glorious of never-sleeping ,providence1 to bring our brethren's darts1 which they have shot at us1 back upon their own heads4 ,suppose they have two strings to their bow1 and can take one as another faileth them1 yet there are more than three strings upon our ,lord's bow2 and1 besides1 ,he cannot miss the white that ,he shooteth at4 ,i know that ,he shuffleth up and down in ,his hand the great body of heaven and earth2 and that kirk and commonwealth are1 in ,his hand1 like a stock of cards1 and that ,he dealeth the play to the mourners of ,zion1 and to those that say1 ,lie down1 that we may go over you1 at ,his own sovereign pleasure3 and ,i am sure that ,zion's adversaries1 in this play1 shall not take up their own stakes again4 ,oh how sweet a thing is it to trust in ,him6 ,when ,christ hath sleeped out ,his sleep 7if ,i may speak so of ,him who is the ,watchman of ,israel1 that neither slumbereth nor sleepeth71 and ,his own are tried1 ,he will arise as a strong man after wine1 and make bare ,his holy arm1 and put on vengeance as a cloak1 and deal vengeance1 thick and double1 amongst the haters of ,zion4 ,it may be that we may see ,him sow and send down maledictions and vengeances as thick as drops of rain or hail upon ,his enemies2 for our ,lord oweth them a black day1 and ,he useth duly to pay ,his debts4 ,neither ,his friend and followers1 nor ,his foes and adversaries shall have it to say1 ,that ,he is not faithful and exact in keeping ,his word4 ,i know of no bar in ,god's way but ,scotland's guiltiness2 and ,he can come over that impediment1 and break that bar also1 and then say to guilty ,scotland1 as ,he said1 ,not for your sakes 7,ezek4 xxxvi4 #bb1 #bc71 etc4 ,on-waiting had ever yet a blessed issue2 and to keep the word of ,god's patience1 keepeth still the saints dry in the water1 cold in the fire1 and breathing and blood-hot in the grave4 ,what are prisons of iron walls1 and gates of brass1 to ,christ8 ,not so good as fail dykes1 fortifications of straw1 or old tottering walls4 ,if ,he give the word1 then chains will fall off the arms and legs of ,his prisoners4 ,god be thanked1 that our ,lord ,jesus hath the tutoring of king1 and court1 and nobles2 and that ,he can dry the gutters and the mires in ,zion1 and lay causeways to the temple with the carcases of bastard lord-prelates and idol shepherds4 ,the corn on the housetops got never the husbandman's prayers1 and so is seen#caa on it1 for it filleth not the hand of mowers4 ,christ1 and truth1 and innocency1 worketh even under the earth2 and verily there is hope for the righteous4 ,we see not what conclusions pass in heaven anent all the affairs of ,god's house4 ,we need not give hire to ,god to take vengeance of ,his enemies1 for justice worketh without hire4 ,oh that the seed of hope would grow again1 and come to maturity6 and that we would importune ,christ1 and double our knocks at ,his gate1 and cast our cries and shouts over the wall1 that ,he might come out1 and make our ,jerusalem the praise of the whole earth1 and give us salvation for walls and bulwarks6 ,if ,christ bud1 and grow green1 and bloom1 and bear seed again in ,scotland1 and ,his ,father send ,him two summers in one year1 and bless ,his crop1 what cause have we to rejoice in the free salvation of our ,lord1 and to set up our banners in the name of our ,god6 ,oh that ,he would hasten the confusion of the leprous strumpet1 the mother and mistress of abominations in the earth1 and take graven images out of the way1 and come in with the ,jews in troops1 and agree with ,his old outcast and forsaken wife1 and take them again to ,his bed of love4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in our ,master and ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 #caa ,is left there unreaped2 ,ps4 cxxix4 #h4 ,,cxcv4--,to the ,,lady ,,largirie4 ,she was wife of the proprietor of ,castermadie1 in the ,stewartry of ,kirkcudbright4 ,the place was called also ,largero1 or ,largerie1 in the parish of ,twynholm1 near ,kirkcudbright4 7,,christ ,,the ,,exclusive ,,object ,,of ,,love--,,preparation ,,for ,,death47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 ,i exhort you in the ,lord1 to go on in your journey to heaven2 and to be content with such fare by the way as ,christ and ,his followers have had before you2 for they had always the wind on their faces1 and our ,lord hath not changed the way to us for our ease1 but will have us following our sweet ,guide4 ,alas1 how doth sin clog us in our journey1 and retard us6 ,what fools are we1 to have a by-good1 or any other love1 or match1 to our souls1 beside ,christ6 ,it were best for us1 like ill bairns1 who are best heard at home1 to seek our own home1 and to sell our hopes of this little clay inn and idol of the earth1 where we are neither well summered nor well wintered4 ,oh that our souls would so fall at odds with the love of this world1 as to think of it as a traveller doth of a drink of water1 which is not any part of his treasure1 but goeth away with the using6 for ten miles' journey maketh that drink to him as nothing4 ,oh that we had as soon done with this world1 and could as quickly despatch the love of it6 ,but as a child cannot hold two apples in his little hand1 but the one putteth the other out of its room1 so neither can we be masters and lords of two loves4 ,blessed were we1 if we could make ourselves master of that invaluable treasure1 the love of ,christ2 or rather suffer ourselves to be mastered and subdued to ,christ's love1 so as ,christ were our all things1 and all other things our nothings1 and the refuse of our delights4 ,oh let us be ready for shipping1 against the time our ,lord's wind and tide call for us6 ,death is the last thief1 that will come without din or noise of feet1 and take our souls away1 and we shall take our leave of time1 and face eternity2 and our ,lord will lay together the two sides of this earthly tabernacle1 and fold us1 and lay us by1 as a man layeth by clothes at night1 and put the one half of us in a house of clay1 the dark grave1 and the other half of us in heaven or hell4 ,seek to be found of your ,lord in peace1 and gather in your flitting1 and put your soul in order2 for ,christ will not give a nail-breadth of time to our little sand-glass4 ,pray for ,zion1 and for me1 ,his prisoner1 that ,he would be pleased to bring me amongst you again1 full of ,christ1 and fraughted and loaden with the blessing of ,his ,gospel4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his only ,lord and ,master1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cxcvi4--,to ,,earlston1 the ,younger4 7,,sufferings--,,hope ,,of ,,final ,,deliverance--,,the ,,believer ,,in ,,safe ,,keeping--,,the ,,recompense ,,marred ,,by ,,temptations47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,dearly ,,beloved ,,in ,,our ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i long to hear from you4 ,i remain still a prisoner of hope1 and do think it service to the ,lord to wait on still with submission1 till the ,lord's morning sky break1 and ,his summer day dawn4 ,for ,i am persuaded that it is a piece of the chief errand of our life 7on which ,god sent us for some years1 down to this earth1 among devils and men1 the firebrands of the devil1 and temptations71 that we might suffer for a time here amongst our enemies2 otherwise ,he might have made heaven to wait on us1 at our coming out of the womb1 and have carried us home to our country1 without letting us set down our feet in this knotty and thorny life4 ,but seeing a piece of suffering is carved to every one of us1 less or more1 as infinite ,wisdom hath thought good1 our part is to harden and habituate our soft and thin-skinned nature to endure fire and water1 devils1 lions1 men1 losses1 wo hearts1 as those that are looked upon by ,god1 angels1 men1 and devils4 ,oh1 what folly is it1 to sit down and weep upon a decree of ,god1 that is both deaf and dumb to our tears1 and must stand still as unmoveable as ,god who made it6 ,for who can come behind our ,lord1 to alter or better what ,he hath decreed and done8 ,it were better to make windows in our prison1 and to look out to ,god and our country1 heaven1 and to cry like fettered men who long for the ,king's free air1 ,lord1 let ,thy kingdom come6 ,oh1 let the ,bridegroom come6 ,and1 ,o day1 ,o fair day1 ,o everlasting summer day1 dawn and shine out1 break out from under the black night sky1 and shine6 ,i am persuaded that1 if every day a little stone in the prison-walls were broken1 and thereby assurance given to the chained prisoner1 lying under twenty stone of irons upon arms and legs1 that at length his chain should wear into two pieces1 and a hole should be made at length as wide as he might come safely over to his long-desired liberty2 he would1 in patience1 wait on1 till time should hole the prison-wall and break his chains4 ,the ,lord's hopeful prisoners1 under their trials1 are in that case4 ,years and months will take out1 now one little stone1 then another1 of this house of clay2 and at length time shall win out the breadth of a fair door1 and send out the imprisoned soul to the free air in heaven4 ,and time shall file off1 by little and little1 our iron bolts which are now on legs and arms1 and outdate and wear our troubles threadbare and holey1 and then wear them to nothing2 for what ,i suffered yesterday1 ,i know1 shall never come again to trouble me4 ,oh that we could breathe out new hope1 and new submission every day1 into ,christ's lap6 ,for1 certainly1 a weight of glory well weighed1 yea1 increasing to a far more exceeding and eternal weight1 shall recompense both weight and length of light1 and clipped1 and short-dated crosses4 ,our waters are but ebb1 and come neither to our chin1 nor to the stopping of our breath4 ,i may see 7if ,i would borrow eyes from ,christ7 dry land1 and that near4 ,why then should we not laugh at adversity1 and scorn our short-born and soon-dying temptations8 ,i rejoice in the hope of that glory to be revealed1 for it is no uncertain glory which we look for4 ,our hope is not hung upon such an untwisted thread as1 ,i imagine so1 or ,it is likely2 but the cable1 the strong towe of our fastened anchor1 is the oath and promise of ,him who is eternal verity4 ,our salvation is fastened with ,god's own hand1 and with ,christ's own strength1 to the strong stoup of ,god's unchangeable nature1 ,i am the ,lord1 ,i change not2 therefore ye sons of ,jacob are not consumed 7,mal4 iii4 #f74 ,we may play1 and dance1 and leap upon our worthy and immoveable ,rock4 ,the ground is sure and good1 and will bide hell's brangling1 and devils' brangling1 and the world's assaults4 ,oh1 if our faith could ride it out against the high and proud waves and winds1 when our sea seemeth to be all on fire6 ,oh1 how oft do ,i let my grips go6 ,i am put to swimming and half sinking4 ,i find that the devil hath the advantage of the ground in this battle2 for he fighteth on known ground1 in our corrupt nature4 ,alas6 that is a friend near of kin and blood to himself1 and will not fail to fall foul upon us4 ,and hence it is1 that ,he who saveth to the uttermost1 and leadeth many sons to glory1 is still righting my salvation2 and twenty times a-day ,i ravel my heaven1 and then ,i must come with my ill-ravelled work to ,christ1 to cumber ,him 7as it were7 to right it1 and to seek again the right end of the thread1 and to fold up again my eternal glory with ,his own hand1 and to give a right cast of ,his holy and gracious hand to my marred and spilled salvation4 ,certainly it is a cumbersome thing to keep a foolish child from falls1 and broken brows1 and weeping for this and that toy1 and rash running1 and sickness1 and bairns' diseases2 ere he win through them all1 and win out of the mires1 he costeth meikle black cumber and fashery to his keepers4 ,and so is a believer a cumbersome piece of work1 and an ill-ravelled hesp 7as we use to say71 to ,christ4 ,but ,god be thanked2 for many spilled salvations1 and many ill-ravelled hesps hath ,christ mended1 since first ,he entered ,tutor to lost mankind4 ,oh1 what could we bairns do without ,him6 ,how soon would we mar all6 ,but the less of our weight be upon our own feeble legs1 and the more that we be on ,christ the strong ,rock1 the better for us4 ,it is good for us that ever ,christ took the cumber of us2 it is our heaven to lay many weights and burdens upon ,christ1 and to make ,him all we have1 root and top1 beginning and ending of our salvation4 ,lord1 hold us here4 ,now to this ,tutor1 and rich ,lord1 ,i recommend you4 ,hold fast till ,he come2 and remember ,his prisoner4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his and your ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cxcvii4--,to ,,mr4 ,,william ,,dalgleish4 ,letter ,,cxvii4 7,,thoughts ,,as ,,to ,,god',s ,,arrangements--,,winning ,,souls ,,to ,,be ,,supremely ,,desired--,,longings ,,for ,,christ47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i received your letter4 ,i bless our high and only wise ,lord1 who hath broken the snare that men had laid for you2 and ,i hope that now ,he will keep you in ,his house1 in despite of the powers of hell4 ,who knoweth1 but the streets of our ,jerusalem shall yet be filled with young men1 and with old men1 and boys1 and women with child8 and that they shall plant vines in the mountains of ,samaria8 ,i am sure that the wheels1 paces1 and motions of this poor church are tempered and ruled1 not as men would1 but according to the good pleasure and infinite wisdom of our only wise ,lord4 ,i am here1 waiting in hope that my innocency1 in this honourable cause1 shall melt this cloud that men have casten over me4 ,i know that my ,lord had ,his own quarrels against me1 and that my dross stood in need of this hot furnace4 ,but ,i rejoice in this1 that fair truth1 beautiful truth 7whose glory my ,lord cleareth to me more and more71 beareth me company2 that my weak aims to honour my ,master1 in bringing guests to ,his house1 now swell upon me in comforts2 that ,i am not afraid to want a witness in heaven2 and that it was my joy to have a crown put upon ,christ's head in that country4 ,oh1 what joy would ,i have1 to see the wind turn upon the enemies of the cross of ,christ1 and to see my ,lord ,jesus restored1 with the voice of praise1 to ,his own free throne again6 and to be brought amongst you1 to see the beauty of the ,lord's house6 ,i hope that country will not be so silly as to suffer men to pluck you away from them2 and that ye will use means to keep my place empty1 and to bring me back again to the people to whom ,i have ,christ's right1 and ,his church's lawful calling4 ,dear brother1 let ,christ be dearer and dearer to you4 ,let the conquest of souls be top and root1 flower and bloom of your joys and desires1 on this side of sun and moon4 ,and in the day when the ,lord shall pull up the four stakes of this clay tent of the earth1 and the last pickle of sand shall be at the nick of falling down in your watch-glass1 and the ,master shall call the servants of the vineyard to give them their hire1 ye will esteem the bloom of this world's glory like the colours of the rainbow1 that no man can put into his purse and treasure4 ,your labour and pains will then smile upon you4 ,my ,lord now hath given me experience 7howbeit weak and small7 that our best fare here is hunger4 ,we are but at ,god's by-board in this lower house2 we have cause to long for supper-time1 and the high table1 up in the high palace4 ,this world deserveth nothing but the outer court of our soul4 ,lord1 hasten the marriage-supper of the ,lamb6 ,i find it still peace to give up with this present world1 as with an old decourted and cast off lover4 ,my bread and drink in it is not so much worth1 that ,i should not loathe the inns1 and pack up my desires for ,christ1 whom#cab ,i have sent out to the feckless creatures in it4 #cab ,pack up for ,christ the desires which ,i used to send out to the worthless things of earth4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,your affectionate brother1 and ,christ's prisoner1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cxcviii4--,to the ,,laird ,,of ,,cally4 ,of ,,john ,,lennox1 ,laird of ,cally1 near ,girthon1 in the ,stewartry of ,kirkcudbright1 to whom this letter is addressed1 little is now known4 ,he must have died previous to the #bfth of ,january #afdg1 as at that date ,john ,lennox of ,cally is retoured heir of ,john ,lennox of ,cally1 his father1 in the #bj pound land of ,caliegertown1 the #aj merk land of ,burley1 with mill and fishings of the same1 within the parish of ,girthon4 ,the modern mansion of ,cally may be said1 with its woods1 to overhang the village of ,gatehouse1 which also is entirely modern1 and got its name from the fact that the lodge1 or gatehouse1 of ,cally was the first house built on that spot4 ,the old house has disappeared1 any remnant of it being quite hid by the fine old trees of the mansion4 ,it is properly in the parish of ,girthon1 but borders on ,anwoth4 ,the land of ,calie-gerton1 mentioned in the above extract1 is evidently ,cally in ,girthon4 ,gatehouse is one-half in ,anwoth1 and one-half in ,girthon4 ,the old parish church of ,girthon is very like that of ,anwoth1 and more ivy-covered4 ,it is in shape the same1 #fd feet by #bj4 ,the martyr ,lennox is buried close to the door2 a slab marks the spot4 ,it is #b miles from ,gatehouse4 ,the ,free ,church of ,anwoth is in ,gatehouse1 the church being on the ,girthon side of the stream 7the ,fleet71 and the manse on the ,anwoth side4 ,the ,fleet 7which is navigable by very small vessels thus far7 was formerly called ,avon1 the water2 and this is the syllable that appears in both ,girth-,,on and ,an-,,woth1--the former signifying the village 7or enclosure7 on the water2 and the latter1 the ford of the water2 unless woth be for worth1 village4 ,the meaning of ,cally seems to be wood1 from the ,gaelic1 coille4 7,,spiritual ,,sloth--,,danger ,,of ,,compromise--,,self1 ,,the ,,root ,,of ,,all ,,sin--,,self-,,renunciation47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i long to hear how your soul prospereth4 ,i have that confidence that your soul mindeth ,christ and salvation4 ,i beseech you1 in the ,lord1 to give more pains and diligence to fetch heaven than the country-sort of lazy professors1 who think their own faith and their own godliness1 because it is their own1 best2 and content themselves with a coldrife custom and course1 with a resolution to summer and winter in that sort of profession which the multitude and the times favour most2 and are still shaping and clipping and carving their faith1 according as it may best stand with their summer sun and a whole skin2 and so breathe out hot and cold in ,god's matters1 according to the course of the times4 ,this is their compass which they sail towards heaven by1 instead of a better4 ,worthy and dear ,sir1 separate yourself from such1 and bend yourself to the utmost of your strength and breath1 in running fast for salvation2 and1 in taking ,christ's kingdom1 use violence4 ,it cost ,christ and all ,his followers sharp showers and hot sweats1 ere they won to the top of the mountain2 but still our soft nature would have heaven coming to our bedside when we are sleeping1 and lying down with us that we might go to heaven in warm clothes4 ,but all that came there found wet feet by the way1 and sharp storms that did take the hide off their face1 and found tos and fros1 and ups and downs1 and many enemies by the way4 ,it is impossible that a man can take his lusts to heaven with him2 such wares as these will not be welcome there4 ,oh1 how loath are we to forego our packalds and burdens1 that hinder us to run our race with patience6 ,it is no small work to displease and anger nature1 that we may please ,god4 ,oh1 if it be hard to win one foot1 or half an inch1 out of our own will1 out of our own wit1 out of our own ease and worldly lusts 7and so to deny ourself1 and to say1 ,it is not ,i but ,christ1 not ,i but grace1 not ,i but ,god's glory1 not ,i but ,god's love constraining me1 not ,i but the ,lord's word1 not ,i but ,christ's commanding power as ,king in me671 oh1 what pains1 and what a death is it to nature1 to turn me1 myself1 my lust1 my ease1 my credit1 over into1 ,my ,lord1 my ,saviour1 my ,king1 and my ,god1 my ,lord's will1 my ,lord's grace6 ,but1 alas6 that idol1 that whorish creature1 myself1 is the master-idol we all bow to4 ,what made ,eve miscarry8 and what hurried her headlong upon the forbidden fruit1 but that wretched thing herself8 ,what drew that brother-murderer to kill ,abel8 ,that wild#cac himself4 ,what drove the old world on to corrupt their ways8 ,who1 but themselves1 and their own pleasure8 ,what was the cause of ,solomon's falling into idolatry and multiplying of strange wives8 ,what1 but himself1 whom he would rather pleasure than ,god8 ,what was the hook that took ,david and snared him first in adultery1 but his self-lust8 and then in murder1 but his self-credit and self-honour8 ,what led ,peter on to deny his ,lord8 ,was it not a piece of himself1 and self-love to a whole skin8 ,what made ,judas sell his ,master for thirty pieces of money1 but a piece of self-love1 idolizing of avaricious self8 ,what made ,demas to go off the way of the ,gospel1 to embrace this present world8 ,even self-love and love of gain for himself4 ,every man blameth the devil for his sins2 but the great devil1 the house-devil of every man1 the house-devil that eateth and lieth in every man's bosom1 is that idol that killeth all1 himself4 ,oh1 blessed are they who can deny themselves1 and put ,christ in the room of themselves6 ,oh1 would to the ,lord that ,i had not a myself1 but ,christ2 nor a my lust1 but ,christ2 nor a my ease1 but ,christ2 nor a my honour1 but ,christ6 ,o sweet word6 ,i live no more1 but ,christ liveth in me6 7,gal4 ii4 #bj74 ,oh1 if every one would put away himself1 his own self1 his own ease1 his own pleasure1 his own credit1 and his own twenty things1 his own hundred things1 which he setteth up1 as idols1 above ,christ6 ,dear ,sir1 ,i know that ye will be looking back to your old self1 and to your self-lust1 and self-idol1 which ye set up in the lusts of youth above ,christ4 #cac ,untamed1 unruly4 ,worthy ,sir1 pardon this my freedom of love2 ,god is my witness1 that it is out of an earnest desire after your soul's eternal welfare that ,i use this freedom of speech4 ,your sun1 ,i know1 is lower1 and your evening sky and sunsetting nearer1 than when ,i saw you last3 strive to end your talk before night1 and to make ,christ yourself1 and to acquaint your love and your heart with the ,lord4 ,stand now by ,christ and ,his truth1 when so many fail foully1 and are false to ,him4 ,i hope that ye love ,him and ,his truth3 let me have power with you1 to confirm you in ,him4 ,i think more of my ,lord's sweet cross than of a crown of gold1 and a free kingdom lying to it4 ,sir1 ,i remember you in my prayers to the ,lord1 according to my promise4 ,help me with your prayers1 that our ,lord would be pleased to bring me amongst you again1 with the ,gospel of ,christ4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweetest ,lord and ,master1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cxcix4--,to ,,john ,,gordon of ,cardoness1 the ,younger4 7,,dangers ,,of ,,youth--,,early ,,decision47 ,,dearly ,,beloved ,,in ,,our ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i long exceedingly to hear of the case of your soul1 which hath a large share both of my prayers and careful thoughts4 ,sir1 remember that a precious treasure and prize is upon this short play that ye are now upon4 ,even the eternity of well or wo to your soul standeth upon the little point of your well or ill-employed1 short1 and swift-posting sand-glass4 ,seek the ,lord while ,he may be found2 the ,lord waiteth upon you4 ,your soul is of no little price4 ,gold or silver of as much bounds as would cover the highest heaven round about1 cannot buy it4 ,to live as others do1 and to be free of open sins that the world crieth shame upon1 will not bring you to heaven4 ,as much civility and country discretion as would lie between you and heaven will not lead you one foot1 or one inch1 above condemned nature4 ,and therefore take pains upon seeking of salvation1 and give your will1 wit1 humour1 the green desires of youth's pleasures off your hand1 to ,christ4 ,it is not possible for you to know1 till experience teach you1 how dangerous a time youth is4 ,it is like green and wet timber4 ,when ,christ casteth fire on it1 it taketh not fire4 ,there is need here of more than ordinary pains1 for corrupt nature hath a good back-friend of youth4 ,and sinning against light will put out your candle1 and stupify your conscience1 and bring upon it more coverings and skin1 and less feeling and sense of guiltiness2 and when that is done1 the devil is like a mad horse that hath broken his bridle1 and runneth away with his rider whither he listeth4 ,learn to know that which the apostle knew1 the deceitfulness of sin4 ,strive to make prayer1 and reading1 and holy company1 and holy conference your delight2 and when delight cometh in1 ye shall by little and little smell the sweetness of ,christ1 till at length your soul be over head and ears in ,christ's sweetness4 ,then shall ye be taken up to the top of the mountain with the ,lord1 to know the ravishments of spiritual love1 and the glory and excellency of a seen1 revealed1 felt1 and embraced ,christ3 and then ye shall not be able to loose yourself off ,christ1 and to bind your soul to old lovers4 ,then1 and never till then1 are all the paces1 motions1 walkings1 and wheels of your soul in a right tune1 and in a spiritual temper4 ,but if this world and the lusts thereof be your delight1 ,i know not what ,christ can make of you2 ye cannot be metal to be a vessel of glory and mercy4 ,as the ,lord liveth1 thousand thousands are beguiled with security1 because ,god1 and wrath1 and judgment are not terrible to them4 ,stand in awe of ,god1 and of the warnings of a checking and rebuking conscience4 ,make others to see ,christ in you1 moving1 doing1 speaking1 and thinking4 ,your actions will smell of ,him1 if ,he be in you4 ,there is an instinct in the new-born babes of ,christ1 like the instinct of nature that leads birds to build their nests1 and bring forth their young1 and love such and such places1 as woods1 forests1 and wildernesses1 better than other places4 ,the instinct of nature maketh a man love his mother-country above all countries2 the instinct of renewed nature1 and supernatural grace1 will lead you to such and such works1 as to love your country above1 to sigh to be clothed with your house not made with hands1 and to call your borrowed prison here below a borrowed prison1 and to look upon it servant-like and pilgrim-like4 ,and the pilgrim's eye and look is a disdainful-like1 discontented cast of his eye1 his heart crying after his eye1 ,fy1 fy1 this is not like my country4 ,i recommend to you the mending of a hole1 and reforming of a failing1 one or other1 every week2 and put off a sin1 or a piece of it1 as anger1 wrath1 lust1 intemperance1 every day1 that ye may more easily master the remnant of your corruption4 ,god hath given you a wife2 love her1 and let her breasts satisfy you2 and1 for the ,lord's sake1 drink no waters but out of your own cistern4 ,strange wells are poison4 ,strive to learn some new way against your corruption from the man of ,god1 ,mr4 ,w4 ,d4 ,william ,dalgleish1 or other servants of ,god4 ,sleep not sound1 till ye find yourself in that case that ye dare look death in the face1 and durst hazard your soul upon eternity4 ,i am sure that many ells and inches of the short thread of your life are by-hand since ,i saw you2 and that thread hath an end2 and ye have no hands to cast a knot1 and add one day1 or a finger-breadth1 to the end of it4 ,when hearing1 and seeing1 and the outer walls of the clay house shall fall down1 and life shall render the besieged castle of clay to death and judgment1 and ye find your time worn ebb1 and run out1 what thoughts will you then have of idol-pleasures1 that possibly are now sweet8 ,what bud or hire would you then give for the ,lord's favour8 and what a price would you then give for pardon8 ,it were not amiss to think1 ,what if ,i were to receive a doom1 and to enter into a furnace of fire and brimstone8 ,what if it come to this1 that ,i shall have no portion but utter darkness8 ,and what if ,i be brought to this1 to be banished from the presence of ,god1 and to be given over to ,god's serjeants1 the devil and the power of the second death8 ,put your soul1 by supposition1 in such a case1 and consider what horror would take hold of you1 and what ye would then esteem of pleasing yourself in the course of sin4 ,oh1 dear ,sir1 for the ,lord's sake awake to live righteously1 and love your poor soul6 ,and after ye have seen this my letter1 say with yourself1 ,the ,lord will seek an account of this warning which ,i have received4 ,lodge ,christ in your family4 ,receive no stranger hireling as your pastor4 ,i bless your children4 ,grace be with you4 ,your lawful and loving pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cc4--,to ,,robert ,,gordon1 ,bailie of ,ayr4 ,letter ,,cxxix4 7,,the ,,misery ,,of ,,mere ,,worldly ,,hope--,,earnestness ,,about ,,salvation47 ,,worthy ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i long to hear from you4 ,our ,lord is with ,his afflicted kirk1 so that this ,burning ,bush is not consumed to ashes4 ,i know that submissive on-waiting for the ,lord will at length ripen the joy and deliverance of ,his own1 who are truly blessed on-waiters4 ,what is the dry and miscarrying hope of all them who are not in ,christ1 but confusion and wind8 ,oh1 how pitifully and miserably are the children of this world beguiled1 whose wine cometh home to them water1 and their gold brass and tin6 ,and what wonder1 that hopes builded upon sand should fall and sink8 ,it were good for us all to abandon the forlorn1 and blasted1 and withered hope which we have had in the creature2 and let us henceforth come and drink water out of our own well1 even the fountain of living waters1 and build ourselves and our hope upon ,christ our ,rock4 ,but1 alas6 that that natural love which we have to this borrowed home that we were born in1 and that this clay city1 the vain earth1 should have the largest share of our heart6 ,our poor1 lean1 and empty dreams of confidence in something beside ,god are no farther travelled than up and down the noughty#cad and feckless creatures4 ,god may say of us1 as ,he said1 ,ye rejoice in a thing of nought 7,amos vi4 #ac74 ,surely we spin our spider's web with pain1 and build our rotten and tottering house upon a lie1 and falsehood1 and vanity4 #cad ,in which there is nothing4 ,other editions read naughty1 i4e4 evil4 ,oh1 when will we learn to have thoughts higher than the sun and moon6 and learn our joy1 hope1 confidence1 and our soul's desires to look up to our best country1 and to look down to clay tents1 set up for a night's lodging or two in this uncouth land6 and laugh at our childish conceptions and imaginations that suck our joy out of creatures--wo1 sorrow1 losses1 and grief6 ,o sweetest ,lord ,jesus6 ,o fairest ,godhead6 ,o ,flower of men and angels6 why are we such strangers to1 and far-off beholders of1 ,thy glory8 ,oh1 it were our happiness for evermore1 that ,god would cast a pest1 a botch1 a leprosy1 upon our part of this great whore1 a fair and well-busked world1 that clay might no longer deceive us6 ,but oh that ,god may burn and blast our hope here-away1 rather than that our hope should live to burn us6 ,alas6 the wrong side of ,christ 7to speak so71 ,his black side1 ,his suffering side1 ,his wounds1 ,his bare coat1 ,his wants1 ,his wrongs1 the oppressions of men done to ,him1 are turned towards men's eyes2 and they see not the best and fairest side of ,christ1 nor see they ,his amiable face and ,his beauty1 that men and angels wonder at4 ,sir1 lend your thoughts to these things1 and learn to contemn this world1 and to turn your eyes and heart away from beholding the masked beauty of all things under time's law and doom4 ,see ,him who is invisible1 and ,his invisible things4 ,draw by the curtain1 and look in with liking and longing to a kingdom undefiled1 that fadeth not away1 reserved for you in the heaven4 ,this is worthy of your pains1 and worthy of your soul's sweating1 and labouring1 and seeking after1 night and day4 ,fire will fly over the earth and all that is in it2 even destruction from the ,almighty4 ,fy1 fy1 upon that hope1 that shall be dried up by the root6 ,fy upon the drunken night-bargains1 and the drunken and mad covenants that sinners make with death and hell after cups1 and when men's souls are mad and drunken with the love of this lawless life4 ,they think to make a nest for their hopes1 and take quarters and conditions of hell and death1 that they shall have ease1 long life1 peace2 and in the morning1 when the last trumpet shall awake them1 then they rue the block4 ,it is time1 and high time1 for you to think upon death and your accounts1 and to remember what ye are1 and where ye will be before the year of our ,lord #agjj4 ,i hope ye are thinking upon this4 ,pull at your soul1 and draw it aside from the company that it is with and round1 and whisper into it news of eternity1 death1 judgment1 heaven1 and hell4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cci4--,to ,,alexander ,,gordon of ,earlston4 7,,christ',s ,,kingdom ,,to ,,be ,,exalted ,,over ,,all2 ,,and ,,more ,,pains ,,to ,,be ,,taken ,,to ,,win ,,farther ,,unto ,,him47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,it is like1 if ye1 the gentry and nobility of this nation1 be men in the streets 7as the word speaketh ,jer4 v4 #a7 for the ,lord1 that ,he will now deliver ,his flock1 and gather and rescue ,his scattered sheep1 from the hands of cruel and rigorous lords that have ruled over them with force4 ,oh that mine eyes might see the moon-light turn to the light of the sun6 ,but ,i still fear that the quarrel of a broken covenant in ,scotland standeth before the ,lord4 ,however it be1 ,i avouch it before the world1 that the tabernacle of the ,lord shall again be in the midst of ,scotland1 and the glory of the ,lord shall dwell in beauty1 as the light of many days in one1 in this land4 ,oh1 what could my soul desire more 7next to my ,lord ,jesus71 while ,i am in this flesh1 but that ,christ and ,his kingdom might be great among ,jews and ,gentiles2 and that the isles1 and amongst them overclouded and darkened ,britain1 might have the glory of a noon-day's sun6 ,oh that ,i had anything 7,i will not except my part in ,christ7 to wadset or lay in pledge1 to redeem and buy such glory to my highest and royal ,prince1 my sweet ,lord ,jesus6 ,my poor little heaven were well bestowed1 if it could stand a pawn for ever to set on high the glory of my ,lord4 ,but ,i know that ,he needeth not wages nor hire at my hand2 yea1 ,i know1 if my eternal glory could weigh down in weight its lone1 all the eternal glory of the blessed angels1 and of all the spirits of just and perfect men1 glorified and to be glorified1 oh1 alas6 how far am ,i engaged to forego it for1 and give it over to ,christ1 so being ,he might thereby be set on high above ten thousand thousand millions of heavens1 in the conquest of many1 many nations to ,his kingdom6 ,oh that ,his kingdom would come6 ,oh that all the world would stoop before ,him6 ,o blessed hands that shall put the crown upon ,christ's head in ,scotland6 ,but1 alas6 ,i can scarce get leave to ware my love on ,him4 ,i can find no ways to lay out my heart upon ,christ2 and my love1 that ,i with my soul bestow on ,him1 is like to die upon my hand4 ,and ,i think it no bairn's play to be hungered with ,christ's love4 ,to love ,him and to want ,him1 wanteth little of hell4 ,i am sure that ,he knoweth now my joy would swell upon me1 from a little well to a great sea1 to have as much of ,his love1 and as wide a soul answerable to comprehend it1 till ,i cried1 ,hold1 ,lord6 no more4 ,but ,i find that ,he will not have me to be mine own steward1 nor mine own carver4 ,christ keepeth the keys of ,christ 7to speak so71 and of ,his own love2 and ,he is a wiser distributor than ,i can take up4 ,i know that there is more in ,him than would make me run over like a coast-full sea4 ,i were happy for evermore to get leave to stand but beside ,christ and ,his love1 and to look in2 suppose ,i were interdicted of ,god to come near-hand1 touch1 or embrace1 kiss1 or set to my sinful head1 and drink myself drunk with that lovely thing4 ,god send me that which ,i would have6 ,for now ,i verily see1 more clearly than before1 our folly in drinking dead waters1 and in playing the whore with our soul's love upon running-out wells1 and broken sherds of creatures of yesterday1 which time will unlaw with the penalty of losing their being and natural ornaments4 ,oh1 when a soul's love is itching 7to speak so7 for ,god2 and when ,christ1 in ,his boundless and bottomless love1 beauty1 and excellency1 cometh and rubbeth up and exciteth that love1 what can be heaven1 if this be not heaven8 ,i am sure that this bit feckless1 narrow1 and short love of regenerated sinners was born for no other end1 than to breathe1 and live1 and love1 and dwell in the bosom and betwixt the breasts of ,christ4 ,where is there a bed or a lodging for the saint's love1 but ,christ8 ,oh that ,he would take ourselves off our hand6 for neither we nor the creatures can be either due conquest1 or lawful heritage1 to love4 ,christ1 and none but ,christ1 is ,lord and ,proprietor of it4 ,oh1 alas1 how pitiful is it1 that so much of our love goeth by ,him6 ,oh1 but we be wretched masters of our soul's love4 ,i know it to be the depth of bottomless and unsearchable providence1 that the saints are suffered to play the whore from ,god1 and that their love goeth a-hunting1 when ,god knoweth that it shall roast nothing of that at supper time 7,prov4 xii4 #bg74 ,the renewed would have it otherwise2 and why is it so1 seeing our ,lord can keep us without nodding1 tottering1 or reeling1 or any fall at all8 ,our desires1 ,i hope1 shall meet with perfection2 but ,god will have our sins an office-house for ,god's grace1 and hath made sin a matter of an unlaw and penalty for the ,son of ,god's blood4 ,and howbeit sin should be our sorrow1 yet there is a sort of acquiescing and resting upon ,god's dispensation required of us1 that there is such a thing in us as sin1 whereupon mercy1 forgiveness1 healing1 curing1 in our sweet ,physician1 may find a field to work upon4 ,oh1 what a deep is here1 that created wit cannot take up6 ,however matters go1 it is our happiness to win new ground daily in ,christ's love1 and to purchase a new piece of it daily1 and to add conquest to conquest1 till our ,lord ,jesus and we be so near each other1 that ,satan shall not draw a straw or a thread betwixt us4 ,and1 for myself1 ,i have no greater joy1 in my well-favoured bonds for ,christ1 than that ,i know time will put ,him and me together2 and that my love and longing hath room and liberty1 amidst my bonds and foes 7whereof there are not a few here of all ranks71 to go to visit the borders and outer coasts of the country of my ,lord ,jesus1 and see1 at least afar off and darkly1 the country which shall be mine inheritance1 which is the due of my ,lord ,jesus1 both through birth and conquest4 ,i dare avouch to all that know ,god1 that the saints know not the length and largeness of the sweet earnest1 and of the sweet green sheaves before the harvest1 that might be had on this side of the water1 if we would take more pains3 and that we all go to heaven with less earnest1 and lighter purses of the hoped-for sum1 than otherwise we might do1 if we took more pains to win further in upon ,christ1 in this pilgrimage of our absence from ,him4 ,grace1 grace and glory be your portion4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,ccii4--,to the ,,laird ,,of ,,cally4 7,,youth ,a ,,precious ,,season--,,christ',s ,,beauty47 ,,worthy ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i have been too long1 ,i confess1 in writing to you4 ,my suit now to you1 in paper1 since ,i have no access to speak to you as formerly1 is1 that ye would lay the foundation sure in your youth4 ,when ye begin to seek ,christ1 try1 ,i pray you1 upon what terms ye covenant to follow ,him1 and lay your account what it may cost you2 that neither summer nor winter1 nor well nor woe1 may cause you change your ,master1 ,christ4 ,keep fair to ,him1 and be honest and faithful1 that ,he find not a crack in you4 ,surely ye are now in the throng of temptations4 ,when youth is come to its fairest bloom1 then the devil1 and the lusts of a deceiving world1 and sin1 are upon horseback1 and follow with upsails4 ,if this were not so1 ,paul needeth not to have written to a sanctified and holy youth1 ,timothy 7a faithful preacher of the ,gospel71 to flee the lusts of youth4 ,give ,christ your virgin love2 you cannot put your love and heart into a better hand4 ,oh6 if ye knew ,him1 and saw ,his beauty1 your love1 your liking1 your heart1 your desires1 would close with ,him1 and cleave to ,him4 ,love1 by nature1 when it seeth1 cannot but cast out its spirit and strength upon amiable objects1 and good things1 and things love-worthy2 and what fairer thing than ,christ8 ,o fair sun1 and fair moon1 and fair stars1 and fair flowers1 and fair roses1 and fair lilies1 and fair creatures2 but ,o ten thousand thousand times fairer ,lord ,jesus6 ,alas1 ,i wronged ,him in making the comparison this way6 ,o black sun and moon1 but ,o fair ,lord ,jesus6 ,o black flowers1 and black lilies and roses1 but ,o fair1 fair1 ever fair ,lord ,jesus6 ,o all fair things black and deformed1 without beauty1 when ye are beside that fairest ,lord ,jesus6 ,o black heaven1 but ,o fair ,christ6 ,o black angels1 but surpassingly fair ,lord ,jesus6 ,i would seek no more to make me happy for evermore1 but a thorough and clear sight of the beauty of ,jesus1 my ,lord4 ,let my eyes enjoy ,his fairness1 and stare ,him for ever in the face1 and ,i have all that can be wished4 ,get ,christ rather than gold or silver2 seek ,christ1 howbeit ye should lose all things for ,him4 ,they take their marks by the moon1#cae and look asquint1 in looking to fair ,christ1 who resolve for the world and their ease1 and for their honour1 and court1 and credit1 or for fear of losses and a sore skin1 to turn their backs upon ,christ and ,his truth4 ,alas1 how many blind eyes and squint lookers look this day in ,scotland upon ,christ's beauty1 and they see a spot in ,christ's fair face6 ,alas1 they are not worthy of ,christ who look this way upon ,him1 and see no beauty in ,him why they should desire ,him6 ,god send me my fill of ,his beauty1 if it be possible that my soul can be full of ,his beauty here4 ,but much of ,christ's beauty needeth not abate the eager appetite of a soul 7sick of love for ,himself7 to see ,him in the other world1 where ,he is seen as ,he is4 #cae ,a proverb for being changeable1 or for judging by imperfect evidence4 ,i am glad1 with all my heart1 that ye have given your greenest morning-age to this ,lord ,jesus4 ,hold on1 and weary not2 faint not4 ,resolve upon suffering for ,christ2 but fear not ten days' tribulation1 for ,christ's sour cross is sugared with comforts1 and hath a taste of ,christ ,himself4 ,i esteem it to be my glory1 my joy1 and my crown1 and ,i bless ,him for this honour1 to be yoked with ,christ1 and married to ,him in suffering1 who therefore was born1 and therefore came into the world1 that ,he might bear witness to the truth4 ,take pains1 above all things1 for salvation2 for without running1 fighting1 sweating1 wrestling1 heaven is not taken4 ,oh1 happy soul1 that crosseth nature's stomach1 and delighteth to gain that fair garland and crown of glory6 ,what a feckless loss is it for you to go through this wilderness1 and never taste sin's sugared pleasures6 ,what poorer is a soul to want pride1 lust1 love of the world1 and the vanities of this vain and worthless world8 ,nature hath no cause to weep at the want of such toys as these4 ,esteem it your gain to be an heir of glory4 ,oh1 but this is an eye-look to a fair rent6 ,the very hope of heaven1 under troubles1 is like wind and sails to the soul1 and like wings1 when the feet come out of the snare4 ,oh1 for what stay we here8 ,up1 up1 after our ,lord ,jesus6 ,this is not our rest1 nor our dwelling4 ,what have we to do in this prison1 except only to take meat and house-room in it for a time8 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,your soul's well-wisher1 and ,christ's prisoner1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cciii4--,to ,,william ,,gordon at ,kenmure4 ,this maybe the same correspondent as he to whom ,letter ,,lxxii4 is addressed4 ,he may have been on a visit to ,kenmure4 7,,testimony ,,to ,,christ',s ,,worth--,,marks ,,of ,,grace ,,in ,,conviction ,,of ,,sin ,,and ,,spiritual ,,conflict47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i have been long in answering your letter1 which came in good time to me4 ,it is my aim and hearty desire1 that my furnace1 which is of the ,lord's kindling1 may sparkle fire upon standers-by1 to the warming of their hearts with ,god's love4 ,the very dust that falleth from ,christ's feet1 ,his old ragged clothes1 ,his knotty and black cross1 are sweeter to me than kings' golden crowns1 and their time-eaten pleasures4 ,i should be a liar and false witness1 if ,i would not give my ,lord ,jesus a fair testimonial with my whole soul4 ,my word1 ,i know1 will not heighten ,him3 ,he needeth not such props under ,his feet to raise ,his glory high4 ,but1 oh that ,i could raise ,him the height of heaven1 and the breadth and length of ten heavens1 in the estimation of all ,his young lovers6 for we have all shapen ,christ but too narrow and too short1 and formed conceptions of ,his love1 in our conceit1 very unworthy of it4 ,oh that men were taken and catched with ,his beauty and fairness6 they would give over playing with idols1 in which there is not half room for the love of one soul to expatiate itself4 ,and man's love is but heart-hungered in gnawing upon bare bones1 and sucking at dry breasts4 ,it is well wared#caf they want who will not come to ,him who hath a world of love1 and goodness1 and bounty for all4 ,we seek to thaw our frozen hearts at the cold smoke of the short-timed creature1 and our souls gather neither heat1 nor life1 nor light2 for these cannot give to us what they have not in themselves4 ,oh that we could thrust in through these thorns1 and this throng of bastard lovers1 and be ravished and sick of love for ,christ6 ,we should find some footing1 and some room1 and sweet ease for our tottering and witless souls in our ,lord4 ,i wish it were in my power1 after this day1 to cry down all love but the love of ,christ1 and to cry down all gods but ,christ1 all saviours but ,christ1 all well-beloveds but ,christ1 and all soul-suitors and love-beggars but ,christ4 #caf ,their poverty is well-deserved who4 ,ye complain that ye want a mark of the sound work of grace and love in your soul4 ,for answer1 consider for your satisfaction 7till ,god send more7 #a ,john iii4 #ad4 ,and as for your complaint of deadness and doubtings1 ,christ will1 ,i hope1 take your deadness and you together4 ,they are bodies full of holes1 running boils1 and broken bones which need mending1 that ,christ the ,physician taketh up3 whole vessels are not for the ,mediator ,christ's art4 ,publicans1 sinners1 whores1 harlots1 are ready market-wares for ,christ4 ,the only thing that will bring sinners within a cast of ,christ's drawing arm is that which ye write of1 some feeling of death and sin4 ,that bringeth forth complaints2 and1 therefore1 out of sense complain more1 and be more acquaint with all the cramps1 stitches1 and soul-swoonings that trouble you4 ,the more pain1 and the more night-watching1 and the more fevers1 the better4 ,a soul bleeding to death1 till ,christ were sent for1 and cried for in all haste1 to come and stem the blood1 and close up the hole in the wound with ,his own hand and balm1 were a very good disease1 when many are dying of a whole heart4 ,we have all too little of hell-pain and terrors that way2 nay1#cag ,god send me such a hell as ,christ hath promised to make a heaven of4 ,alas6 ,i am not come that far on the way1 as to say in sad earnest1 ,lord ,jesus1 great and sovereign ,physician1 here is a pained patient for ,thee4 ,but the thing that we mistake is the want of victory4 ,we hold that to be the mark of one that hath no grace4 ,nay1 say ,i1 the want of fighting were a mark of no grace2 but ,i shall not say the want of victory is such a mark4 ,if my fire and the devil's water make crackling like thunder in the air1 ,i am the less feared2 for where there is fire1 it is ,christ's part1 which ,i lay and bind upon ,him1 to keep in the coal1 and to pray the ,father that my faith fail not1 if ,i in the meantime be wrestling1 and doing1 and fighting1 and mourning4 ,for prayer putteth not ,paul's devil 7the thorn in the flesh1 and the messenger of ,satan7 to the door at first2 but our ,lord will have them to try every one1 and let ,paul fend for himself1 by ,god's help1 ,god keeping the stakes1 and moderating the play4 ,and ye do well not to doubt1 if the ground-stone be sure1 but to try if it be so2 for there is great odds between doubting that we have grace1 and trying if we have grace4 ,the former may be sin1 but the latter is good4 ,we are but loose in trying our free-holding of ,christ1 and making sure work of ,christ4 ,holy fear is a searching of the camp1 that there be no enemy within our bosom to betray us1 and a seeing that all be fast and sure4 ,for ,i see many leaky vessels fair before the wind1 and professors who take their conversion upon trust1 and they go on securely1 and see not the under-water1 till a storm sink them4 ,each man had need twice a-day1 and oftener1 to be riped1 and searched with candles4 #cag ,may ,god send me8 ,pray for me1 that the ,lord would give me house-room again1 to hold a candle to this dark world4--,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord and ,master1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cciv4--,to ,,margaret ,,fullerton4 7,,christ1 ,,and ,,not ,,creatures1 ,,worthy ,,of ,,all ,,love--,,love ,,not ,,to ,,be ,,measured ,,by ,,feeling47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i am glad that ever ye did cast your love on ,christ2 fasten more and more love every day on ,him4 ,oh1 if ,i had a river of love1 a sea of love that would never go dry1 to bestow upon ,him6 ,but1 alas1 the pity6 ,christ hath beauty for me1 but ,i have not love for ,him4 ,oh1 what pain is it to see ,christ in ,his beauty1 and then to want a heart and love for ,him6 ,but ,i see that want we must1 till ,christ lend us1 never to be paid again4 ,oh that ,he would empty these vaults and lower houses 7of these poor souls7 of bastard and base lovers1 which we follow6 ,and verily1 ,i see no object in heaven or in earth that ,i could ware this much of love upon1 that ,i have upon ,christ4 ,alas6 that clay1 and time1 and shadows1 run away with our love1 which is ill spent upon any but upon ,christ4 ,each fool at the day of judgment will seek back his love from the creatures1 when he shall see them all in a fair fire4 ,but they shall prove irresponsal debtors2 and1 therefore1 it is best here1 that we look ere we leap1 and look ere we love4 ,i find now under ,his cross1 that ,i would fain give ,him more than ,i have to give ,him1 if giving were in my power2 but ,i rather wish ,him my heart1 than give ,him it4 ,except ,he take it1 and put ,himself in possession of it 7for ,i hope#cah ,he hath a market-right to me1 since ,he hath ransomed me71 ,i see not how ,christ can have me4 ,oh that ,he would be pleased to be more homely with my soul's love1 and to come into my soul1 and take ,his own6 ,but when ,he goeth away and hideth ,himself1 all is to me that ,i had of ,christ as if it had fallen into the sea-bottom4 ,oh that ,i should be so fickle in my love1 as to love ,him only by the eyes and the nose6 that is1 to love ,him only in as far as fond and foolish sense carrieth me1 and no more2 and when ,i see not1 and smell not1 and touch not1 then ,i have all to seek4 ,i cannot love perqueer1 nor rejoice perqueer4 ,but this is our weakness1 till we be at home1 and shall have aged men's stomachs to bear ,christ's love4 #cah ,no doubt ,he hath--q4d4 ,i trust none denies4 ,pray for me1 that our ,lord would bring me back to you1 with a new blessing of the ,gospel of ,christ4 ,i forget not you4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,ccv4--,for the ,right ,honourable my ,,lady ,,viscountess ,,of ,,kenmure4 7,,difficulties ,,in ,,the ,,way ,,to ,,the ,,kingdom--,,christ',s ,,love47 ,,my ,,very ,,noble ,,and ,,dear ,,lady1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,the ,lord hath brought me safely to ,aberdeen3 ,i have gotten lodging in the hearts of all ,i meet with4 ,no face that hath not smiled upon me2 only the indwellers of this town are dry1 cold1 and general4 ,they consist of ,papists1 and men of ,gallio's metal1 firm in no religion2 and it is counted no wisdom here to countenance a confined and silenced prisoner4 ,but the shame of ,christ's cross shall not be my shame4 ,queensberry's attempt seemeth to sleep1 because the ,bishop of ,galloway was pleased to say to the treasurer that ,i had committed treason2 which word blunted the treasurer's borrowed zeal4 ,so ,i thank ,god1 who will not have me to anchor my soul upon false ground1 or upon flesh and blood2 it is better to be fastened within the vail4 ,i find my old challenges reviving again1 and my love often jealous of ,christ's love1 when ,i look upon my own guiltiness4 ,and ,i verily think that the world hath too soft an opinion of the gate to heaven1 and that many shall get a blind and sad beguile for heaven4 ,for there is more ado than a cold and frozen ,lord1 ,lord4 ,it must be a way narrower and straiter than we conceive2 for the righteous shall scarcely be saved4 ,it were good to take a more judicious view of ,christianity2 for ,i have been doubting if ever ,i knew any more of ,christianity than the letters of the name4 ,i will not lie on my ,lord4 ,i find often much joy and unspeakable comfort in ,his sweet presence1 who sent me hither2 and ,i trust1 this house of my pilgrimage shall be my palace1 my garden of delights1 and that ,christ will be kind to poor sold ,joseph1 who is separated from his brethren4 ,i would be sometimes too hot1 and too joyful1 if the heart-breaks at the remembrance of sin1 and fair1 fair feast-days with ,king ,jesus1 did not cool me1 and sour my sweet joys4 ,oh1 how sweet is the love of ,christ6 and how wise is that love6 ,but let faith frist and trust a while2 it is no reason sons should offend1 that the father giveth them not twice a-year hire1 as he doth to hired servants4 ,better that ,god's heirs live upon hope1 than upon hire4 ,madam1 your ,ladyship knoweth what ,christ hath done to have all your love2 and that ,he alloweth not ,his love#cai upon your dear child4 ,keep good quarters with ,christ in your love4 ,i verily think that ,christ hath said1 ,i must needs-force have ,jean ,campbell for ,myself2 and ,he hath laid many oars in the water1 to fish and hunt home-over your heart to heaven4 ,let ,him have ,his prey1 ,he will think you well won1 when ,he hath gotten you4 ,it is good to have recourse often1 and to have the door open1 to our stronghold4 ,for the sword of the ,lord1 the sword of the ,lord is for ,scotland6 ,and yet two or three berries shall be left in the top of the olive-tree4 #cai ,does not permit you to give the child that love which belongs to ,himself4 ,if a word can do my brother good in his distress1 ,i know your ,ladyship will be willing and ready to speak it1 and more also4 ,now the only wise ,god1 and your only1 only ,one1 ,he who dwelt in ,the ,bush1 be with you4 ,i write many kisses and many blessings in ,christ to your dear child3 the blessings of his father's ,god1 the blessings due to the fatherless and the widow1 be yours and his4 ,your ,ladyship's in his only1 only ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 ,,postscript4 ,madam1 be pleased at a fit time to try my ,lord of ,lorn's mind1 if his ,lordship would be pleased that ,i dedicate another work against the ,arminians1 to his honourable name4#cbj ,for howbeit ,i would compare no patron to his ,lordship1 and though ,i have sufficient experience of his love1 yet it is possible that his ,lordship may think it not expedient at this time4 ,but ,i expect your ,ladyship's answer1 and ,i hope that your ,ladyship will be plain4 #cbj ,what his ,lordship's answer was1 we are not informed2 but ,rutherford did not publish any book at that time1 or for some years afterwards1 though it is not improbable that1 while under confinement1 he devoted himself much to theological study 7,murray's ,life of ,rutherford74 ,,ccvi4--,for the ,right ,honourable my ,,lady ,,viscountess ,,of ,,kenmure4 7,,the ,,use ,,of ,,sufferings--,,fears ,,under ,,them--,,desire ,,that ,,christ ,,be ,,glorified47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to your ,ladyship4--,i long to hear from you1 and that dear child2 and for that cause ,i trouble you with letters4 ,i am for the present thinking the sparrows and the swallows1 that build their nests in ,anwoth1 blessed birds4 ,the ,lord hath made all my congregation desolate4 ,alas6 ,i am oft at this1 ,show me wherefore ,thou contendest with me4 ,o earth1 earth1 cover not the violence done to me4 ,i know it is my faithless jealousy1 in this my dark night1 to take a friend for a foe2 yet hath not my ,lord made any plea with me4 ,i chide with ,him1 but ,he giveth me fair words4 ,seeing my sins and the sins of my youth deserved strokes1 how am ,i obliged to my ,lord1 who amongst many crosses hath given me a waled and chosen cross1 to suffer for the name of my ,lord ,jesus6 ,since ,i must have chains1 ,he would put golden chains on me1 watered over with many consolations4 ,seeing ,i must have sorrow 7for ,i have sinned1 ,o ,preserver of mankind671 ,he hath waled out for me joyful sorrow1--honest1 spiritual1 and glorious sorrow4 ,my crosses come through mercy and love's fingers1 from the kind heart of a ,brother1 ,christ my ,lord2 and1 therefore1 they must be sweet and sugared4 ,oh1 what am ,i6 such a lump1 such a rotten mass of sin1 to be counted a bairn worthy to be nurtured1 and stricken with the best and most honourable rod in my ,father's house1 the golden rod1 wherewith my eldest ,brother1 the ,lord1 ,heir of the inheritance1 and ,his faithful witnesses were stricken withal4 ,it would be thought that ,i should be thankful and rejoice4 ,but my beholders and lovers in ,christ have eyes of flesh1 and have made my one to be ten1 and ,i am somebody in their books4 ,my witness is above1 that there are armies of thoughts within me saying the contrary1 and laughing at their wide mistake4 ,if my inner side were seen1 my corruption would appear3 ,i would lose and forfeit love and respect at the hands of any that love ,god3 pity would come in the place of these4 ,oh1 if they would yet set me lower1 and my well-beloved ,christ higher6 ,i would ,i had grace and strength of my ,lord to be joyful1 and contentedly glad and cheerful1 that ,god's glory might ride1 and openly triumph before the view of men1 angels1 devils1 earth1 heaven1 hell1 sun1 moon1 and all ,god's creatures1 upon my pain and sufferings2 providing always1 that ,i felt not the ,lord's hatred and displeasure4 ,but ,i fear that ,his fair glory be but soiled in coming through such a foul creature as ,i am4 ,if ,i could be the sinless matter of glorifying ,christ1 howbeit to my loss1 pain1 sufferings1 and extremity of wretchedness1 how would my soul rejoice6 ,but ,i am far from this4 ,he knoweth that ,his love hath made me a prisoner1 and bound me hand and foot2 but it is my pain that ,i cannot win loose1 nor get loose hands and a loosed heart1 to do service to my ,lord ,jesus1 and to speak ,his love4 ,i confess that ,i have neither tongue nor pen to do it4 ,christ's love is more than my praises1 and above the thoughts of the angel ,gabriel1 and all the mighty hosts that stand before the throne of ,god4 ,i think shame1 ,i am sad and cast down1 to think that my foul tongue1 and my polluted heart1 should come in to help others to sing aloud the praises of the love of ,christ3 all ,i dow do1 is to wish the choir to grow throng1#cba and to grow in the extolling of ,christ4 ,wo1 wo is me for my guiltiness seen to few6 ,my hidden wounds1 still bleeding within me1 are before the eyes of no man2 but if my sweet ,lord ,jesus were not still bathing1 washing1 balming1 healing1 and binding them up1 they should rot1 and break out to my shame4 #cba ,grow into a multitude4 ,i know not what will be the end of my suffering4 ,i have seen but the one side of my cross2 what will be the other side1 ,he knoweth who hath ,his fire in ,zion4 ,let ,him lead me1 if it were through hell4 ,i thank my ,lord1 that my on-waiting and holding my peace as ,i do 7to see what more ,christ will do to me71 is my joy4 ,oh1 if my ease1 joy1 pleasure for evermore1 were laid in wadset and in pledge1 to buy praises to ,christ6 ,but ,i am far from this4 ,it is easy for a poor soul1 in the deep debt of ,christ's love1 to spit farther#cbb than he dow leap or jump1 and to feed upon broad wishes that ,christ may be honoured2 but in performance ,i am stark nought4 ,i have nothing1 nothing to give ,christ but poverty4 ,except ,he would comprise and arrest my soul and my love 7oh1 oh1 if ,he would do that671 ,i have nothing for ,him4 ,he may indeed seize upon a dyvour's person1 soul and body2 but he hath no goods for ,christ to meddle with4 ,but how glad would my soul be1 if ,he would forfeit my love and never give it me again6 #cbb ,to show a wish to get at more than he can accomplish4 ,madam1 ,i would be glad to hear that ,christ's claim to you were still the more1 and that you were still going forward1 and that you were nearer ,him4 ,i do not honour ,christ myself2 but ,i wish all others to make sail to ,christ's house4 ,i would ,i could invite you to go into your ,well-beloved's house-of-wine1 and that upon my word2 you would then see a new mystery of love in ,christ that you never saw before4 ,i am somewhat encouraged in that your ,ladyship is not dry and cold to ,christ's prisoner1 as some are4 ,i hope it is put up in my ,master's count-book4 ,i am not much grieved that my jealous ,husband break in pieces my idols1 that either they dare not or will not do for me4 ,my ,master needeth not their help1 but they had need to be that serviceable as to help ,him4 ,madam1 ,i have been that bold as to put you and that sweet child into the prayers of ,mr4 ,andrew ,cant1 ,mr4 ,james ,martin1 the ,lady ,leyes1 and some others in this country that truly love ,christ4 ,be pleased to let me hear how the child is4 ,the blessings that came upon the head of ,joseph1 and on the top of the head of him who was separated from his brethren1 and the good-will of ,him who dwelt in ,the ,bush1 be seen upon him and you4 ,madam1 ,i can say1 by some little experience1 more now than before of ,christ to you4 ,i am still upon this1 that if you seek1 there is a pose1 a hidden treasure1 and a gold mine in ,christ1 you never yet saw4 ,then come and see4 ,thus recommending you to ,god's dearest mercy1 ,i rest1 your own1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 at all obedience1 ,s4 ,r4 ,my ,lady ,marischall#cbc is very kind to me1 and her son also4 ,,aberdeen1 ,june #ag1 #afcg4 #cbc ,lady ,marischall1 whose maiden name was ,margaret ,erskine1 being the eldest daughter of ,john ,erskine1 seventh ,earl of ,mar1 by ,lady ,margaret ,stewart1 daughter to ,esme1 ,duke of ,lennox1 was the wife of ,william1 sixth ,earl of ,marischall4 ,in #afce she became a widow1 his ,lordship having died on the #bhth of ,october that year1 aged about fifty4 ,she had to him seven children1 four sons and three daughters 7,douglas' ,peerage74 ,lady ,marischall's son1 whose kindness also ,rutherford gratefully records1 was ,william1 who succeeded his father4 ,he was a devoted adherent of ,charles ,,ii42 and entering with zeal into the engagement in #afdh for the ,king's liberation1 commanded a regiment of horse at the battle of ,preston1 where the ,scottish army was routed by the ,english4 ,when he and others of the ,king's friends1 who had assembled at ,alyth in #afej for the support of the royal cause1 were surprised by a large body of ,english horse1 the ,earl and some of his friends were sent prisoners to the ,tower of ,london by sea1 where he was kept for a long time4 ,he died in #afgj1 at his house of ,inverringie4 ,,ccvii4--,,to ,,john ,,henderson1 in ,rusco4 ,he was probably tenant in the farm of ,rusco1 which is at the foot of the hill ,castramont1 a farm on the property of ,gordon of ,rusco4 7,,practical ,,hints47 ,,loving ,,friend1--,i earnestly desire your salvation4 ,know the ,lord and seek ,christ4 ,you have a soul that cannot die3 see for a lodging to your poor soul2 for that house of clay will fall4 ,heaven or nothing6 either ,christ or nothing6 ,use prayer in your house1 and set your thoughts often upon death and judgment4 ,it is dangerous to be loose in the matter of your salvation4 ,few are saved2 men go to heaven in ones and twos1 and the whole world lieth in sin4 ,love your enemies1 and stand by the truth which ,i have taught you1 in all things4 ,fear not men1 but let ,god be your fear4 ,your time will not be long3 make the seeking of ,christ your daily task4 ,ye may1 when ye are in the fields1 speak to ,god4 ,seek a broken heart for sin2 for without that there is no meeting with ,christ4 ,i speak this to your wife1 as well as to yourself4 ,i desire your sister1 in her fears and doubtings1 to fasten her grips on ,christ's love4 ,i forbid her to doubt2 for ,christ loveth her1 and hath her name written in ,his book4 ,her salvation is fast coming4 ,christ her ,lord is not slow in coming1 nor slack in ,his promise4 ,grace be with you4 ,your loving pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 ,,ccviii4--,to ,,mr4 ,,alexander ,,colville of ,blair4 ,letter ,,xcix4 7,,regrets ,,for ,,not ,,being ,,able ,,to ,,preach--,,longings ,,for ,,christ47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i would desire to know how my ,lord took my letter1 which ,i sent him1 and how he is4 ,i desire nothing1 but that he may be fast and honest to my royal ,master and ,king4 ,i am well every way1 all praise to ,him in whose books ,i must stand for ever as ,his debtor6 ,only my silence paineth me4 ,i had one joy out of heaven1 next to ,christ my ,lord1 and that was to preach ,him to this faithless generation2 and they have taken that from me4 ,it was to me as the poor man's one eye1 and they have put out that eye4 ,i know that the violence done to me1 and ,his poor bereft bride1 is come up before the ,lord2 and1 suppose that ,i see not the other side of my cross1 or what my ,lord will bring out of it1 yet ,i believe that the vision shall not tarry1 and that ,christ is on ,his journey for my deliverance4 ,he goeth not slowly1 but passeth over ten mountains at one stride4 ,in the meantime1 ,i am pained with ,his love1 because ,i want real possession4 ,when ,christ cometh1 ,he stayeth not long2 but certainly1 the blowing of ,his breath upon a poor soul is heaven upon earth2 and when the wind turneth into the north1 and ,he goeth away1 ,i die1 till the wind change into the west1 and ,he visit ,his prisoner4 ,but ,he holdeth me not often at ,his door4 ,i am richly repaid for suffering for ,him4 ,oh1 if all ,scotland were as ,i am1 except my bonds6 ,oh1 what pain ,i have1 because ,i cannot get ,him praised by my sufferings6 ,oh that heaven 7within and without7 and the earth were paper1 and all the rivers1 fountains1 and seas were ink1 and ,i able to write all the paper 7within and without7 full of ,his praises1 and love1 and excellency1 to be read by man and angel6 ,nay1 this is little2 ,i owe my heaven to ,christ2 and do desire1 howbeit ,i should never enter in at the gates of the new ,jerusalem1 to send my love and my praises over the wall to ,christ4 ,alas1 that time and days lie betwixt ,him and me1 and adjourn our meeting6 ,it is my part to cry1 ,oh1 when will the night be past1 and the day dawn1 that we shall see one another6 ,be pleased to remember my service to my ,lord1 to whom ,i wrote2 and show him that1 for his affection to me1 ,i cannot but pray for him1 and earnestly desire that ,christ miss him not out of the roll of those who are ,his witnesses1 now when ,his kingly honour is called in question4 ,it is his honour to hold up ,christ's royal train1 and to be an instrument to hold the crown upon ,christ's head4 ,show him1 because ,i love his true honour and standing1 that this is my earnest desire for him4 ,now ,i bless you2 and the prayers of ,christ's prisoner come upon you2 and ,his sweetest presence1 whom ye serve in the ,spirit1 accompany you4 ,yours1 at all obliged obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,june #bc1 #afcg4 ,,ccix4--,to his ,reverend and ,dear ,brother1 ,,mr4 ,,john ,,nevay4 ,letter ,,clxxix4 7,,christ',s ,,surpassing ,,excellency--,,his ,,cause ,,in ,,scotland47 ,,my ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i have exceedingly many whom ,i write to1 else ,i would be kinder in paper4 ,i rejoice that my sweet ,master hath any to back ,him4 ,thick1 thick may my royal ,king's court be4 ,oh that ,his kingdom might grow6 ,it were my joy to have ,his house full of guests4 ,except that ,i have some cloudy days1 for the most part ,i have a king's life with ,christ4 ,he is all perfumed with the powders of the merchant2 ,he hath a king's face1 and a king's smell4 ,his chariot1 wherein ,he carrieth ,his poor prisoner1 is of the wood of ,lebanon2 it is paved with love4 ,is not that soft ground to walk or lie on8 ,i think better of ,christ than ever ,i did2 my thoughts of ,his love grow and swell on me4 ,i never write to any of ,him so much as ,i have felt4 ,oh1 if ,i could write a book of ,christ1 and of ,his love6 ,suppose ,i were made white ashes1 and burnt for this same truth that men count but as knots of straw1 it were my gain1 if my ashes could proclaim the worth1 excellency1 and love of my ,lord ,jesus4 ,there is much telling of ,christ3 ,i give over the weighing of ,him2 heaven would not be the beam of a balance to weigh ,him in4 ,what eyes be on me1 or what wind of tongues be on me1 ,i care not3 let me stand in this stage in the fool's coat1 and act a fool's part to the rest of this nation4 ,if ,i can set my ,well-beloved on high1 and witness fair for ,him1 a fig for their hosanna4 ,if ,i can roll myself in a lap of ,christ's garment1 ,i shall lie there1 and laugh at the thoughts of dying bits of clay4 ,brother1 we have cause to weep for our harlot-mother2 her ,husband is sending her to ,rome's brothel-house1 which is the gate she liketh well4 ,yet ,i persuade you that there shall be a fair after-growth for ,christ in ,scotland1 and that this church shall sing the ,bridegroom's welcome home again to ,his own house4 ,the worms shall eat them first1 ere they cause ,christ to take good-night at ,scotland4 ,i am here assaulted with the ,doctors' guns2#cbd but ,i bless the ,father of lights1 that they draw not blood of truth4 ,i find no lodging in the hearts of natural men1 who are cold friends to my ,master4 #cbd ,the ,aberdeen ,doctors4 ,i pray you1 remember my love to that gentleman1 ,a4 ,c4 ,my heart is knit to him1 because he and ,i have one ,master4 ,remember my bonds1 and present my service to my ,lord and my ,lady4#cbe ,i wish that ,christ may be dearer to them than ,he is to many of their place4 #cbe ,the ,earl of ,loudon and his lady4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,july #e1 #afcg4 ,,ccx4--,to my ,,lady ,,boyd4 7,,his ,,soul ,,fainting ,,for ,,christ',s ,,matchless ,,beauty--,,prayer ,,for ,a ,,revival47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,few1 ,i believe1 know the pain and torment of ,christ's fristed love3 fristing with ,christ's presence is a matter of torment4 ,i know a poor soul that would lay all oars in the water for a banquet or feast of ,christ's love4 ,i cannot think but it must be uptaking and sweet1 to see the white and red of ,christ's fair face2 for ,he is white and ruddy1 and the chiefest among ten thousand 7,cant4 v4 #aj74 ,i am sure that must be a well-made face of ,his3 heaven must be in ,his visage2 glory1 glory for evermore must sit on ,his countenance4 ,i dare not curse the mask and covering that are on ,his face2 but oh1 if there were a hole in it6 ,oh1 if ,god would tear the mask6 ,fy1 fy upon us6 we were never ashamed till now1 that we do not proclaim our pining and languishing for ,him4 ,i am sure that never tongue spake of ,christ as ,he is4 ,i am still of that mind1 and still will be1 that we wrong and undervalue that holy1 holy ,one1 in having such short and shallow thoughts of ,his weight and worth4 ,oh1 if ,i could but have leave to stand beside and see the ,father weigh ,christ the ,son1 if it were possible6 ,but how every one of them comprehendeth another1 we1 who have eyes of clay1 cannot comprehend4 ,but it is a pity for evermore1 and more than shame1 that such an one as ,christ should sit in heaven ,his lone for us4 ,to go up thither once-errand and on purpose to see1 were no small glory4 ,oh that ,he would strike out windows1 and fair and great lights1 in this old house1 this fallen-down soul1 and then set the soul near-hand ,christ1 that the rays and beams of light and the soul-delighting glances of the fair1 fair ,godhead might shine in at the windows1 and fill the house6 ,a fairer1 and more near1 and direct1 sight of ,christ would make room for ,his love2 for we are but pinched and straitened in ,his love4 ,alas1 it were easy to measure and weigh all the love that we have for ,christ1 by inches and ounces6 ,alas1 that we should love by measure and weight1 and not rather have floods and feasts of ,christ's love6 ,oh that ,christ would break down the old narrow vessels of these narrow and ebb souls1 and make fair1 deep1 wide1 and broad souls1 to hold a sea and a full tide 7flowing over all its banks7 of ,christ's love6 ,oh that the ,almighty would give me my request6 that ,i might see ,christ come to ,his temple again1 as ,he is minting1 and1 it is like1 minding to do4 ,and if the land were humbled1 the judgments threatened are with this reservation 7,i know71 ,if ye will turn and repent4 ,oh1 what a heaven should we have on earth1 to see ,scotland's moon like the light of the sun1 and ,scotland's sun-light sevenfold1 like the light of seven days1 in the day that the ,lord bindeth up the breach of ,his people1 and healeth the stroke of their wound6 7,isa4 xxx4 #bf74 ,alas1 that we will not pull and draw ,christ to ,his old tents again1 to come and feed among the lilies1 till the day break1 and the shadows flee away6 ,oh that the nobles would go on1 in the strength and courage of the ,lord1 to bring our lawful ,king ,jesus home again6 ,i am persuaded that ,he shall return again in glory to this land2 but happy were they1 who would help to convoy ,him to ,his sanctuary1 and set ,him again up upon that mercy-seat1 betwixt the cherubim4 ,o sun1 return to darkened ,britain6 ,o fairest among all the sons of men1 ,o most excellent ,one1 come home again6 come home1 and win the praises and blessings of the mourners in ,zion1 the prisoners of hope1 that wait for ,thee6 ,i know that ,he can also triumph in suffering1 and weep and reign1 and die and triumph1 and remain in prison and yet subdue ,his enemies2 but how happy were ,i to see the coronation-day of ,christ1 to see ,his mother1 who bare ,him1 put the crown upon ,his head again1 and cry with shouting1 till the earth should ring1 ,let ,jesus1 our ,king1 live and reign for evermore6 ,grace1 grace be with your ,ladyship4 ,your ,ladyship's1 at all obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,ccxi4--,to a ,christian ,gentlewoman4 7,,god',s ,,skill ,,to ,,bless ,,by ,,affliction--,,unkindness ,,of ,,men--,,near ,,the ,,day ,,of ,,meeting ,,the ,,lord47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,though not acquainted1 yet at the desire of a ,christian brother1 ,i have thought good to write a line unto you1 entreating you1 in the ,lord ,jesus1 under your trials to keep an ear open to ,christ1 who can speak for ,himself1 howbeit your visitations1#cbf and your own sense1 should dream hard things of ,his love and favour4 ,our ,lord never getteth so kind a look of us1 nor our love in such a degree1 nor our faith in such a measure of stedfastness1 as ,he getteth out of the furnace of our tempting fears and sharp trials4 ,i verily believe 7and two sad proofs in me say no less71 that if our ,lord would grind our whorish lusts into powder1 the very old ashes of our corruption would take life again1 and live1 and hold us under so much bondage1 that may humble us1 and make us sad1 till we be in that country where we shall need no physic at all4 ,oh1 what violent means doth our ,lord use to gain us to ,him1 as if indeed we were a prize worthy ,his fighting for6 ,and be sure1 if leading would do the turn1 ,he would not use pulling of the hair1 and drawing3 but the best of us will bide a strong pull of our ,lord's right arm ere we follow ,him4 ,yet ,i say not this1 as if our ,lord always measured afflictions by so many ounce-weights1 answerable to the grain-weights of our guiltiness4 ,i know that ,he doth in many 7and possibly in you7 seek nothing so much as faith1 that can endure summer and winter in their extremity4 ,oh1 how precious to the ,lord are faith and love1 that when threshed1 beaten1 and chased away1 and bosted as it were by ,god ,himself1 doth yet look warm-like1 love-like1 kind-like1 and life-like1 home-over to ,christ1 and would be in at ,him1 ill and well as it may be4 #cbf ,the afflictions wherewith you have been visited1 and your feelings4 ,think it not much that your husband1 or the nearest to you in the world1 proveth to have the bowels and mercy of the ostrich1 hard1 and rigorous1 and cruel2 for the ,lord taketh up such fallen ones as these 7,ps4 xxvii4 #aj74 ,i could not wish a sweeter life1 or more satisfying expressions of kindness1 till ,i be up at that ,prince of kindness1 than the ,lord's saints find1 when the ,lord taketh up men's refuse1 and lodgeth this world's outlaws1 whom no man seeketh after4 ,his breath is never so hot1 ,his love casteth never such a flame1 as when this world1 and those who should be the helpers of our joy1 cast water on our coal4 ,it is a sweet thing to see them cast out1 and ,god taken in2 and to see them throw us away as the refuse of men1 and ,god take us up as ,his jewels and ,his treasure4 ,often ,he maketh gold of dross1 as once ,he made the cast-away stone1 the stone rejected by the builders1 the head of the corner4 ,the princes of this world would not have our ,lord ,jesus as a pinning in the wall1 or to have any place in the building2 but the ,lord made ,him the master-stone of power and place4 ,god be thanked1 that this world hath not power to cry us down so many pounds1 as rulers cry down light gold1 or light silver4 ,we shall stand for as much as our master-coiner ,christ1 whose coin1 arms1 and stamp we bear1 will have us4 ,christ hath no miscarrying balance4 ,thank your ,lord1 who chaseth your love through two kingdoms1 and followeth you and it over sea1 to have you for ,himself1 as ,he speaketh 7,hos4 iii4 #c74 ,for ,god layeth up ,his saints1 as the wale and the choice of all the world1 for ,himself2 and this is like ,christ and ,his love4 ,oh1 what in heaven1 or out of heaven1 is comparable to the smell of ,christ's garments6 ,nay1 suppose that our ,lord would manifest ,his art1 and make ten thousand heavens of good and glorious things1 and of new joys1 devised out of the deep of infinite wisdom1 ,he could not make the like of ,christ2 for ,christ is ,god1 and ,god cannot be made4 ,and therefore1 let us hold with ,christ1 howbeit we might have our wale and will of a host of lovers1 as many as three heavens could contain4 ,oh that ,he and we were together6 ,oh1 when ,christ and ye shall meet about the utmost march and borders of time1 and the entry into eternity1 ye shall see heaven in ,his face at the first look1 and salvation and glory sitting in ,his countenance1 and betwixt ,his eyes4 ,faint not2 the miles to heaven are but few and short4 ,he is making a green bed 7as the word speaketh1 ,cant4 i4 #af7 of love1 for ,himself and you4 ,there are many heads lying in ,christ's bosom1 but there is room for yours among the rest2 and1 therefore1 go on1 and let hope go before you4 ,sin not in your trials1 and the victory is yours4 ,pray1 wrestle1 and believe1 and ye shall overcome and prevail with ,god1 as ,jacob did4 ,no windlestraws1 no bits of clay1 no temptations1 which are of no longer life than an hour1 will then be able to withstand you1 when once you have prevailed with ,god4 ,help me with your prayers1 that it would please the ,lord to give me house-room again1 to speak of ,his righteousness in the great congregation1 if it may seem good in ,his sight4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,july #f1 #afcg4 ,,ccxii4--,to ,william ,glendinning4 ,letter ,,cxxxvii4 7,,search ,,into ,,christ',s ,,loveliness--,,what ,,he ,,would ,,suffer ,,to ,,see ,,it--,,christ',s ,,coming ,,to ,,deliver47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,ye are heartily welcome to that honour that ,christ hath made common to us both1 which is to suffer for ,his name4 ,verily ,i think it my garland and crown2 and if the ,lord should ask of me my blood and life for this cause1 ,i would gladly1 in ,his strength1 pay due debt to ,christ's honour and glory1 in that kind4 ,acquaint yourself with ,christ's love1 and ye shall not miss to find new golden mines and treasures in ,christ4 ,nay1 truly1 we but stand beside ,christ1 we go not in to ,him to take our fill of ,him4 ,but if ,he would do two things1--7#a7 ,draw the curtains1 and make bare ,his holy face2 and then 7#b7 ,clear our dim and bleared eyes1 to see ,his beauty and glory4 ,he should find many lovers4 ,i would seek no more happiness than a sight of ,him so near-hand1 as to see1 hear1 smell1 and touch1 and embrace ,him4 ,but oh closed doors1 and vails1 and curtains1 and thick clouds hold me in pain1 while ,i find the sweet burning of ,his love1 that many waters cannot quench6 ,oh1 what sad hours have ,i1 when ,i think that the love of ,christ scaureth at me1 and bloweth by me6 ,if my ,lord ,jesus would come to bargaining for ,his love1 ,i think ,he might make the price ,himself4 ,i should not refuse ten thousand years in hell1 to have a wide soul enlarged and made wider1 that ,i might be exceedingly1 even to the running-over1 filled with ,his love4 ,oh1 what am ,i1 to love such a ,one1 or to be loved by that high and lofty ,one6 ,i think the angels may blush to look upon ,him2 and what am ,i1 to fyle such infinite brightness with my sinful eyes6 ,oh that ,christ would come near1 and stand still1 and give me leave to look upon ,him6 for to look seemeth the poor man's privilege1 since he may1 for nothing and without hire1 behold the sun4 ,i should have a king's life1 if ,i had no other thing to do1 than for evermore to behold and eye my fair ,lord ,jesus3 nay1 suppose ,i were holden out at heaven's fair entry1 ,i should be happy for evermore1 to look through a hole in the door1 and see my dearest and fairest ,lord's face4 ,o great ,king1 why standest ,thou aloof8 ,why remainest ,thou beyond the mountains8 ,o ,well-beloved1 why dost ,thou pain a poor soul with delays8 ,a long time out of ,thy glorious presence is two deaths and two hells to me4 ,we must meet1 ,i must see ,him1 ,i dow not want ,him4 ,hunger and longing for ,christ hath brought on such a necessity of enjoying ,christ1 that1 cost me what it will1 ,i cannot but assure ,christ that ,i will not1 ,i dow not want ,him2 for ,i cannot master nor command ,christ's love4 ,nay1 hell 7as ,i now think71 and all the pains in it1 laid on me alone1 would not put me from loving4 ,yea1 suppose that my ,lord ,jesus would not love me1 it is above my strength or power to keep back or imprison the weak love which ,i have1 but it must be out to ,christ4 ,i would set heaven's joy aside1 and live upon ,christ's love its lone4 ,let me have no joy but the warmness and fire of ,christ's love2 ,i seek no other1 ,god knoweth4 ,if this love be taken from me1 the bottom is fallen out of all my happiness and joy2 and1 therefore1 ,i believe that ,christ will never do me that much harm1 as to bereave a poor prisoner of ,his love4 ,it were cruelty to take it from me2 and ,he1 who is kindness itself1 cannot be cruel4 ,dear brother1 weary not of my sweet ,master's chains2 we are so much the sibber to ,christ that we suffer4 ,lodge not a hard thought of my royal ,king4 ,rejoice in ,his cross4 ,your deliverance sleepeth not4 ,he that will come is not slack of ,his promise4 ,wait on for ,god's timeous salvation2 ask not when1 or how long8 ,i hope ,he shall lose nothing of you in the furnace1 but dross4 ,commit your cause in meekness 7forgiving your oppressors7 to ,god1 and your sentence shall come back from ,him laughing4 ,our ,bridegroom's day is posting fast on2 and this world1 that seemeth to go with a long and a short foot1 shall be put into two ranks4 ,wait till your ten days 7,rev4 ii4 #aj7 be ended1 and hope for the crown4 ,christ will not give you a blind in the end4 ,commend me to your wife and father1 and to ,bailie ,m4 ,a42 and send this letter to him4 ,the prayers of ,christ's prisoner be upon you1 and the ,lord's presence accompany you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,july #f1 #afcg4 ,,ccxiii4--,to ,,robert ,,lennox of ,disdove4 ,disdove1 or ,disdow1 is a farm about two miles from ,gatehouse and a mile from ,girthon ,manse1 a single mansion among trees4 ,lennox's name often occurs in the ,minute-book of ,comm4 of ,covenanters4 ,was he connected with ,lennox of ,cally8 7,,men',s ,,folly ,,in ,,undervaluing ,,christ--,,it ,,is ,,he ,,that ,,satisfieth--,,admiration ,,of ,,him47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i beseech you in the ,lord ,jesus1 make fast and sure work of life eternal4 ,sow not rotten seed3 every man's work will speak for itself1 what his seed hath been4 ,oh1 how many see ,i1 who sow to the flesh6 ,alas1 what a crop will that be1 when the ,lord shall put in ,his hook to reap this world that is ripe and white for judgment6 ,i recommend to you holiness and sanctification1 and that you keep yourself clean from this present evil world4 ,we delight to tell our own dreams1 and to flatter our own flesh with the hope which we have4 ,it were wisdom for us to be free1 plain1 honest1 and sharp with our own souls1 and to charge them to brew better1 that they may drink well1 and fare well1 when time is melted away like snow in a hot summer4 ,oh1 how hard a thing is it1 to get the soul to give up with all things on this side of death and doomsday6 ,we say that we are removing and going from this world2 but our heart stirreth not one foot off its seat4 ,alas6 ,i see few heavenly-minded souls1 that have nothing upon the earth but their body of clay going up and down this earth1 because their soul and the powers of it are up in heaven1 and there their hearts live1 desire1 enjoy1 rejoice4 ,oh6 men's souls have no wings2 and1 therefore1 night and day they keep their nest1 and are not acquainted with ,christ4 ,sir1 take you to your one thing1 to ,christ1 that ye may be acquainted with the taste of ,his sweetness and excellency2 and charge your love not to dote upon this world1 for it will not do your business in that day1 when nothing will come in good stead to you but ,god's favour4 ,build upon ,christ some good1 choice1 and fast work2 for when your soul for many years hath taken the play1 and hath posted1 and wandered through the creatures1 ye will come home again with the wind4#cbg ,they are not good1 at least not the soul's good4 ,it is the infinite ,godhead that must allay the sharpness of your hunger after happiness1 otherwise there shall still be a want of satisfaction to your desires3 and if ,he should cast in ten worlds into your desires1 all shall fall through1 and your soul will still cry1 ,red hunger6 black hunger6 ,but ,i am sure there is sufficient for you in ,christ1 if ye had seven souls and seven desires in you4 #cbg ,like a ship running before the wind4 ,oh1 if ,i could make my ,lord ,jesus market-sweet1 lovely1 desirable1 and fair to all the world1 both to ,jew and ,gentile6 ,oh1 let my part of heaven go for it1 so being ,he would take my tongue to be ,his instrument1 to set out ,christ in ,his whole braveries of love1 virtue1 grace1 sweetness1 and matchless glory1 to the eyes and hearts of ,jews and ,gentiles6 ,but who is sufficient for these things8 ,oh1 for the help of angels' tongues1 to make ,christ eye-sweet and amiable to many thousands6 ,oh1 how little doth this world see of ,him1 and how far are they from the love of ,him1 seeing there is so much loveliness1 beauty1 and sweetness in ,christ1 that no created eye did ever yet see6 ,i would that all men knew ,his glory1 and that ,i could put many in at the ,bridegroom's chamber-door1 to see ,his beauty1 and to be partakers of ,his high1 and deep1 and broad1 and boundless love4 ,oh1 let all the world come nigh and see ,christ1 and they shall then see more than ,i can say of ,him6 ,oh1 if ,i had a pledge or pawn to lay down for a seaful of ,his love6 that ,i could come by so much of ,christ1 as would satisfy greening and longing for ,him1 or rather increase it1 till ,i were in full possession6 ,i know that we shall meet2 and therein ,i rejoice4 ,sir1 stand fast in the truth of ,christ that ye have received4 ,yield to no winds1 but ride out1 and let ,christ be your anchor1 and the only ,he1 whom ye shall look to see in peace4 ,pray for me1 ,his prisoner1 that the ,lord would send me among you to feed ,his people4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,ccxiv4--,to ,,mr4 ,,james ,,hamilton4 ,james ,hamilton was educated for the ministry in ,scotland1 but going over to ,ireland1 he continued for some time to act as steward or agent for his uncle1 ,lord ,claneboy4 ,he commenced his labours as a preacher of the ,gospel in #afbd1 and in the following year was settled at ,ballywater1 in the county of ,down1 in which charge1 says ,robert ,blair1 he was painful1 successful1 and constant1 notwithstanding he had many temptations to follow promotion1 which he might easily have obtained 7,blair's ,life74 ,in ,august #afcf1 he and several of his brethren in the ministry were deposed by ,henry ,leslie1 ,bishop of ,down1 for refusing to subscribe the canons then imposed on ministers in ,ireland4 ,he was one of those who that year embarked for ,new ,england1 but who were forced to return by the adverse state of the weather4 ,after his coming over to ,scotland1 he became minister of ,dumfries1 and subsequently of ,edinburgh1 where he continued to labour for fifteen years4 ,he was a member of the famous ,assembly held at ,glasgow in #afch4 ,in ,march #afdd1 he and ,mr4 ,weir1 minister of ,dalserf1 were appointed to administer the ,solemn ,league and ,covenant in ,ireland4 ,on their return to ,scotland1 falling in with the noted ,alaster ,macdonnell1 the two ministers1 with several others 7including ,hamilton's father-in-law1 ,mr4 ,watson1 a minister in ,ireland71 were taken prisoners1 and carried to ,castle ,meagrie1 or ,mingarry1 on the coast of ,ardnamurchan1 where they suffered incredible hardships1 which brought ,mr4 ,weir and ,mr4 ,watson to their graves4 ,hamilton was liberated in ,may #afde1 after an imprisonment of ten months4 ,in ,august #afea1 when the ,committee of ,estates and of the ,general ,assembly1 of which he was a member1 were sitting at ,alyth1 they were apprehended by a party of horse sent out by ,monk1 and were shipped for the ,tower of ,london1 where ,hamilton was kept two years4 ,continuing faithful to the principles1 he was ejected from his charge in #affb1 upon which he retired to ,inveresk1 and died on the #ajth of ,march #afff4 ,he was naturally of an excellent temperament both of body and mind2 always industrious and facetious in all the several provinces and scenes of his life2 he was delightful to his friends and acquaintances1 yea beloved of his enemies2 he was bold for truth1 and tenacious in everything of moment1 though naturally1 and in his own things1 among the mildest of men2 rich in learning1 intelligent1 judicious1 he was great in esteem with the greatest and wisest 7,reid's ,history of the ,presbyterian ,church in ,ireland74 ,blair1 in his ,life 7p4 #acf1 ,wodrow ,edit471 mentions another ,james ,hamilton1 minister1 first at ,killileagh1 in ,ireland1 and then at ,ballantrae1 in ,scotland4 ,blair's first wife was sister to the wife of this ,james ,hamilton of ,killileagh1 and her name was ,catherine ,montgomery of ,busby4 7,,suffering ,,for ,,christ',s ,,headship--,,how ,,christ ,,visited ,,him ,,in ,,preaching47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dearly ,,beloved ,,in ,,our ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,our acquaintance is neither in bodily presence1 nor on paper2 but as sons of the same ,father1 and sufferers for the same truth4 ,let no man doubt that the state of our question1#cbh we are now forced to stand to by suffering exile and imprisonment1 is1 ,if ,jesus should reign over ,his kirk1 or not8 ,oh1 if my sinful arm could hold the crown on ,his head1 howbeit it should be stricken off from the shoulder-blade6 ,for your ensuing and feared trial1 my very dearest in our ,lord ,jesus1 alas6 what am ,i1 to speak comfort to a soldier of ,christ1 who hath done a hundred times more for that worthy and honourable cause than ,i can do8 ,but ,i know1 those of whom the world was not worthy wandered up and down in deserts1 and in mountains1 and in dens and caves of the earth2 and while there is one member of mystical ,christ out of heaven1 that member must suffer strokes1 till our ,lord ,jesus draw in that member within the gates of the ,new ,jerusalem1 which ,he will not fail to do at last2 for not one toe or finger of that body1 but it shall be taken in within the city4 ,what can be our part1 in this pitched battle betwixt the ,lamb and the ,dragon1 but to receive the darts in patience1 that rebound off us upon our sweet ,master2 or rather light first upon ,him1 and then rebound off ,him upon ,his servants8 ,i think it a sweet north wind1 that bloweth first upon the fair face of the ,chief among ten thousand1 and then lighteth upon our sinful and black faces4 ,when once the wind bloweth off ,him upon me1 ,i think it hath a sweet smell of ,christ2 and so must be some more than a single cross4 ,i know that ye have a guard about you1 and your attendance and train for your safety is far beyond your pursuer's force or fraud4 ,it is good1 under feud1 to be near our ward-house1#cbi and stronghold4 ,we can do little to resist them who persecute us and oppose ,him1 but keep our blood and our wounds to the next court-day1 when our complaints shall be read4 ,if this day be not ,christ's1 ,i am sure the morrow shall be ,his4 #cbh ,status qustionis--a theological phrase for the way of stating a matter under discussion4 #cbi ,ward-house seems the true reading1 though warhouse is in the old editions4 ,as for anything ,i do in my bonds1 when now and then a word falleth from me1 alas6 it is very little4 ,i am exceedingly grieved that any should conceive anything to be in such a broken and empty reed4 ,let no man impute it to me1 that the free and unbought wind 7for ,i gave nothing for it7 bloweth upon an empty reed4 ,i am ,his over-burdened debtor4 ,i cry1 ,down with me1 down1 down with all the excellency of the world2 and up1 up with ,christ6 ,long1 long may that fair ,one1 that holy ,one1 be on high6 ,my curse be upon them that love ,him not4 ,oh1 how glad would ,i be1 if ,his glory would grow out and spring up out of my bonds and sufferings6 ,certainly1 since ,i became ,his prisoner1 ,he hath won the yolk and heart of my soul4 ,christ is even become a new ,christ to me1 and ,his love greener than it was4 ,and now ,i strive no more with ,him3 ,his love shall carry it away4 ,i lay down myself under ,his love4 ,i desire to sing1 and to cry1 and to proclaim myself1 even under the water1 in ,his common1 and eternally indebted to ,his kindness4 ,i will not offer to quit commons with ,him 7as we used to say71 for that will not be4 ,all1 all for evermore to be ,christ's6 ,what further trials are before me1 ,i know not2 but ,i know that ,christ will have a saved soul of me1 over on the other side of the water1 on the yonder-side of crosses1 and beyond men's wrongs4 ,i had but one eye1 and that they have put out4 ,my one joy1 next to the flower of my joys1 ,christ1 was to preach my sweetest1 sweetest ,master1 and the glory of ,his kingdom2 and it seemed no cruelty to them to put out the poor man's one eye4 ,and now ,i am seeking about to see if suffering will speak my fair ,one's praises2 and ,i am trying if a dumb man's tongue can raise one note1 or one of ,zion's springs1 to advance my ,well-beloved's glory4 ,oh1 if ,he would make some glory to ,himself out of a dumb prisoner6 ,i go with child of ,his word3 ,i cannot be delivered4 ,none here will have my ,master3 alas6 what aileth them at ,him8 ,i bless you for your prayers4 ,add to them praises3 as ,i am able1 ,i pay you home4 ,i commend your diving in ,christ's ,testament2 ,i would ,i could set out the dead man's good-will to ,his friends1 in ,his sweet ,testament4 ,speak a prisoner's hearty commendations to ,christ4 ,fear not1 your ten days 7,rev4 ii4 #aj7 will over4 ,those that are gathered against ,mount ,zion1 their eyes shall melt away in their eye-holes1 and their tongues consume away in their mouths1 and ,christ's withered garden shall grow green again in ,scotland4 ,my ,lord ,jesus hath a word hid in heaven for ,scotland1 not yet brought out4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,july #g1 #afcg4 ,,ccxv4--,to ,,mistress ,,stuart4 ,,mrs4 ,,stuart is the wife of ,provost ,stuart of ,ayr1 of whom see an account1 ,letter ,,clxi4 7,,personal ,,unworthiness--,,longing ,,after ,,holiness--,,winnowing ,,time47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i am sorry that ye take it so hardly that ,i have not written to you4 ,i am judged to be that which ,i am not4 ,i fear that if ,i were put into the fire1 ,i should melt away1 and fall down in shreds of painted nature2 for truly ,i have little stuff at home that is worth the eye of ,god's servants4 ,if there be anything of ,christ's in me 7as ,i dare not deny some of ,his work71 it is but a spunk of borrowed fire1 that can scarce warm myself1 and hath little heat for standers-by4 ,i would fain have that which ye and others believe ,i have2 but ye are only witnesses to my outer side1 and to some words on paper4 ,oh that ,he would give me more than paper-grace or tongue-grace6 ,were it not that want paineth me1 ,i should have a skailed house1 and gone a-begging long since4 ,but ,christ hath left me with some hunger1 that is more hot than wise1 and is ready often to say1 ,if ,christ longed for me as ,i do for ,him1 we should not be long in meeting2 and if ,he loved my company as well as ,i do ,his1 even while ,i am writing this letter to you1 we should fly into each other's arms4 ,but ,i know there is more will than wit in this languor and pining love for ,christ2 and no marvel1 for ,christ's love would have hot harvest#ccj long ere midsummer4 ,but if ,i have any love to ,him1 ,christ hath both love to me1 and wit to guide ,his love4 ,and ,i see that the best thing ,i have hath as much dross beside it as might curse me and it both2 and1 if it were for no more1 we have need of a ,saviour to pardon the very faults1 and diseases1 and weakness of the new man1 and to take away 7to say so7 our godly sins1 or the sins of our sanctification1 and the dross and scum of spiritual love4 ,wo1 wo is me6 ,oh1 what need is there1 then1 of ,christ's calling1 to scour1 and cleanse1 and wash away an ugly old body of sin1 the very image of ,satan6 ,i know nothing surer than that there is an office for ,christ amongst us4 ,i wish for no other heaven on this side of the last sea that ,i must cross1 than this service of ,christ1 to make my blackness beauty1 my deadness life1 my guiltiness sanctification4 ,i long much for that day1 when ,i shall be holy4 ,oh1 what spots are yet unwashen6 ,oh that ,i could change the skin of the leopard and the ,moor1 and niffer it with some of ,christ's fairness6 ,were my blackness and ,christ's beauty carded through-other 7as we use to speak71 ,his beauty and holiness would eat up my filthiness4 ,but1 oh1 ,i have not casten old ,adam's hue and colour yet4 ,i trow that the best of us hath a smell yet of the old loathsome body of sin and guiltiness4 ,happy are they for evermore who can employ ,christ1 and set ,his blood and death on work1 to make clean work to ,god of foul souls4 ,i know that it is our sin that we would have sanctification on the sunny side of the hill1 and holiness with nothing but summer1 and no crosses at all4 ,sin hath made us as tender as if we were made of paper or glass4 ,i am often thinking1 what would ,i think of ,christ and burning quick together6 of ,christ and torturing1 and hot melted lead poured in at mouth and navel6 ,yet ,i have some weak experience 7but very weak indeed71 that suppose ,christ and hell's torments were married together1 and if there were no finding of ,christ at all except ,i went to hell's furnace1 that there1 and in no other place1 ,i could meet with ,him1 ,i trow1 that 7if ,i were as ,i have been since ,i was ,his prisoner7 ,i would beg lodging for ,god's sake in hell's hottest furnace1 that ,i might rub souls with ,christ4 ,but ,god be thanked1 ,i shall find ,him in a better lodging4 ,we get ,christ better-cheap than so3 when ,he is rouped to us1 we get ,him but with a shower of summer troubles in this life1 as sweet and soft to believers as a ,may-dew4 #ccj ,christ's love in the soul would fain cause it to desire harvest4 ,i would have you and myself helping ,christ mystical to weep for ,his wife4 ,and oh that we could mourn for ,christ buried in ,scotland1 and for ,his two slain witnesses1 killed because they prophesied6 ,if we could so importune and solicit ,god1 our buried ,lord and ,his two buried witnesses should rise again4 ,earth1 and clay1 and stone1 will not bear down ,christ and the ,gospel in ,scotland4 ,i know not if ,i shall see the second temple1 and the glory of it2 but the ,lord hath deceived me if it be not to be reared up again4 ,i would wish to give ,christ ,his welcome home again4 ,my blessing1 my joy1 my glory1 and love be on the ,home-comer4 ,i find no better use of suffering than that ,christ's winnowing putteth chaff and corn in the saints to sundry places1 and discovereth our dross from ,his gold1 so as corruption and grace are so seen1 that ,christ saith in the furnace1 ,that is ,mine1 and this is thine4 ,the scum and the grounds1 thy stomach against the persecutors1 thy impatience1 thy unbelief1 thy quarrelling1 these are thine2 and faith1 on-waiting1 love1 joy1 courage1 are ,mine4 ,oh1 let me die one of ,christ's on-waiters1 and one of ,his attendants6 ,i know that your heart and ,christ are married together2 it were not good to make a divorce4 ,rue not of that meeting and marriage with such a ,husband4 ,pray for me1 ,his prisoner4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,ccxvi4--,,mr4 ,,hugh ,,mackail of ,irvine4 7,,advantages ,,of ,,our ,,wants ,,and ,,distempers--,,christ ,,unspeakable47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i received your letter4 ,i bless you for it4 ,my dry root would take more dew and summer's-rain than it getteth1 were it not that ,christ will have dryness and deadness in us to work upon4 ,if there were no timber to work upon1 art would die1 and never be seen4 ,i see that grace hath a field1 to play upon and to course up and down1 in our wants2 so that ,i am often thanking ,god1 not for guiltiness1 but for guiltiness for ,christ to whet and sharpen ,his grace upon4 ,i am half content to have boils for the sake of the plasters of my ,lord ,jesus4 ,sickness hath this advantage1 that it draweth our sweet ,physician's hand1 and ,his holy and soft fingers1 to touch our withered and leper skins4 ,it is a blessed fever that fetcheth ,christ to the bedside4 ,i think my ,lord's ,how doest thou with it1 sick body8 is worth all my pained nights4 ,surely1 ,i have no more for ,christ than emptiness and want2 take or leave1 ,he will get me no otherwise4 ,i must sell myself and my wants to ,him2 but ,i have no price to give for ,him4 ,if ,he would put a fair and real seal upon ,his love to me1 and bestow upon me a larger share of ,christ's love 7which ,i would fainest be in hands with of anything2 ,i except not heaven itself71 ,i should go on sighing and singing under ,his cross4 ,but the worst is1 many take me for somebody1 because the wind bloweth upon a withered prisoner2 but the truth is1 that ,i am both lean and thin in that1 wherein many believe ,i abound4 ,i would1 if bartering were in my power1 niffer joy with ,christ's love and faith1 and instead of the hot sunshine1 be content to walk under a cloudy shadow with more grief and sadness1 to have more faith1 and a fair occasion of setting forth and commending ,christ1 and to make that lovely ,one1 that fair ,one1 that sweetest and dearest ,lord ,jesus1 market-sweet for many ears and hearts in ,scotland4 ,and1 if it were in my power1 to roup ,christ to the three kingdoms1 and withal persuade buyers to come1 and to take such sweet wares as ,christ1 ,i would think to have many sweet bargains betwixt ,christ and the sons of men4 ,i would that ,i could be humble and go with a low sail2 ,i would that ,i had desires with wings1 and running upon wheels1 swift1 and active1 and speedy1 in longing for ,christ's honour4 ,but ,i know that my ,lord is as wise here as ,i dow be thirsty2 and infinitely more zealous of ,his honour than ,i can be hungry for the manifestation of it to men and angels4 ,but1 oh that my ,lord would take my desires off my hand1 and a thousand-fold more unto them1 and sow spiritual inclinations upon them1 for the coming of ,christ's kingdom to the sons of men1 that they might be higher1 and deeper1 and longer1 and broader6 ,for my longest measures are too short for ,christ1 my depth is ebb1 and the breadth of my affections to ,christ narrowed and pinched4 ,oh for an ingine and a wit1 to prescribe ways to men how ,christ might be all1 in all the world6 ,wit is here behind affection1 and affection behind obligation4 ,oh1 how little dow ,i give to ,christ1 and how much hath ,he given me6 ,oh that ,i could sing grace's praises1 and love's praises6 seeing that ,i was like a fool soliciting the ,law1 and making moyen to the ,law's court for mercy1 and found challenges that way4 ,but now ,i deny that judge's power2 for ,i am ,grace's man4 ,i hold not worth a drink of water1 the ,law1 or any lord but ,jesus3--and till ,i bethought me of this1 ,i was slain with doubtings1 and fears1 and terrors4 ,i praise the new court1 and the new landlord1 and the new salvation1 purchased in the name of ,jesus and at ,his instance4 ,let the ,old ,man1 if he please1 go make his moan to the ,law1 and seek acquaintance thereaway1 because he is condemned in that court2 ,i hope that the ,new ,man 7,i and ,christ together7 will not be heard2#cca and this is the more soft and the more easy way for me and for my cross together4 ,seeing that ,christ singeth my welcome home1 and taketh me in1 and maketh short accounts and short work of reckoning betwixt me and my ,judge1 ,i must be ,christ's man1 and ,his tenant1 and subject to ,his court4 ,i am sure that suffering for ,christ could not be borne otherwise2 but ,i give my hand and my faith to all who would suffer for ,christ1 that they shall be well handled1 and fare well in the same way1 that ,i have found the cross easy and light4 #cca ,not be heard lifting up ,his voice in that court of the ,law4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,july #h1 #afcg4 ,,ccxvii4--,to ,,alexander ,,gordon of ,garloch4 ,,alexander ,,gordon was proprietor of ,garloch1 an estate lying in ,kells1 about five miles ,n4 ,w4 of ,new ,galloway4 ,it is often corrupted into ,garroch4 ,he was brother to ,robert ,gordon of ,knockbrex1 formerly noticed4 ,he was a warm promoter of the ,presbyterian cause in his day4 ,livingstone describes him as a very gracious person2 and mentions him as present at a private meeting for prayer and ,christian conference1 with a number of eminent ,christians4 ,john ,gordon of ,knockbrex1 and his brother ,robert1 who were publicly executed in #afff1 for being concerned in the insurrection at ,pentland ,hills1 were the grandchildren of the subject of this notice4 ,see ,letter ,,lxv4 ,they were tried for high treason and rebellion1 and sentenced to be hanged at the ,cross of ,edinburgh upon the #gth of ,december that year1 their goods confiscated1 their bodies thereafter dismembered1 and their heads fixed on the gate of ,kirkcudbright4 ,other eight were at the same time condemned2 and the arms of all the ten 7because they had with uplifted hands renewed the ,covenant at ,lanark1 previous to the engagement7 were to be cut off and sent to that town1 to be fixed on the top of the prison4 ,this sentence was executed in all its parts4 ,the case of all the sufferers1 but particularly that of the ,gordons1 who1 as ,wodrow informs us1 were youths of shining piety1 and good learning and parts1 excited much sympathy4 ,when turned off the ladder1 the two brothers clasped each other in their arms1 and in this affectionate embrace endured the pangs of death4 ,they were lovely and pleasant in their lives1 and in their death they were not divided4 ,livingstone1 in the beginning of his ,historical ,relation of his ,life1 mentions meetings which he used to hold at ,airds 7where ,gordon of ,earlston at one time resided71 and at ,garloch1 or1 as it is printed in different editions1 ,gairleuch or ,garleuch4 ,gordon of ,garloch was a warm friend to the truth4 ,gordon1 the translator of ,tacitus1 was a descendant of this family4 7,,free ,,grace ,,finding ,,its ,,materials ,,in ,,us47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,if ,christ were as ,i am1 that time could work upon ,him to alter ,him1 or that the morrow could bring a new day to ,him1 or bring a new mind to ,him1 as it is to me a new day1 ,i could not keep a house or a covenant with ,him4 ,but ,i find ,christ to be ,christ1 and that ,he is far1 far1 even infinite heavens' height above men2 and that is all our happiness4 ,sinners can do nothing but make wounds1 that ,christ may heal them2 and make debts1 that ,he may pay them2 and make falls1 that ,he may raise them2 and make deaths1 that ,he may quicken them2 and spin out and dig hells for themselves1 that ,he may ransom them4 ,now1 ,i will bless the ,lord that ever there was such a thing as the free grace of ,god1 and a free ransom given for sold souls3 only1 alas6 guiltiness maketh me ashamed to apply to ,christ1 and to think it pride in me to put out my unclean and withered hand to such a ,saviour4 ,but it is neither shame nor pride for a drowning man to swim to a rock1 nor for a shipbroken soul to run himself ashore upon ,christ4 ,suppose once ,i be guilty1#ccb needforce ,i dow not1 ,i cannot1 go by ,christ4 ,we take in good part that pride1 viz4 that beggars beg from the richer2 and who so poor as we8 and who so rich as ,he who selleth fine gold 7,rev4 iii4 #ah74 ,i see1 then1 it is our best 7let guiltiness plead what it listeth7 that we have no mean under the covering of heaven1 but to creep in lowly and submissively with our wants to ,christ4 ,i have also cause to give ,his cross a good name and report4 ,oh1 how worthy is ,christ of my feckless and light suffering6 and how hath ,he deserved at my hands that1 for ,his honour and glory1 ,i should lay my back under seven hells' pains in one1 if ,he call me to that6 ,but1 alas6 my soul is like a ship run on ground through ebbness of water4 ,i am sanded1 and my love is stranded1 and ,i find not how to bring it on float again4 ,it is so cold and dead1 that ,i see not how to being it to a flame4 ,fy1 fy upon the meeting that my love hath given ,christ4 ,wo1 wo is me6 ,i have a lover ,christ1 and yet ,i want love for ,him6 ,i have a lovely and desirable ,lord1 who is love-worthy1 and who beggeth my love and heart1 and ,i have nothing to give ,him6 ,dear brother1 come further in on ,christ1 and see a new treasure in ,him4 ,come in1 and look down1 and see angels' wonder1 and heaven and earth's wonder of love1 sweetness1 majesty1 and excellency in ,him4 #ccb ,suppose for once that ,i were guilty1 ,i dare not pass ,christ by4 ,i forget you not2 pray for me1 that our ,lord would be pleased to send me among you again1 fraughted and full of ,christ4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,ccxviii4--,to ,,john ,,bell1 ,elder4 ,there is in the churchyard of ,anwoth a tombstone to one of this name1 who died a martyr1 and who lived at ,whiteside4 ,this person may have been related to him4 ,his name appears at a petition of the elders and parishioners of ,anwoth1 presented to the ,commission of the ,general ,assembly1 against the removal of ,rutherford from that parish1 when applications were made from ,st4 ,andrews and ,edinburgh respectively to obtain him4 ,he is designated ,john ,bell of ,hentoun 7,murray's ,life of ,rutherford1 p4 #cef74 ,rutherford here reminds him that old age was come upon him4 ,he appears1 however1 to have lived many years after this2 for so late as ,january #ac1 #afeg1 ,marion ,bell is retoured heir of ,john ,bell of ,hentoun1 her grandsir1 who was probably ,rutherford's correspondent4 ,on the same day she is retoured heir of ,james ,bell of ,campbelltown in 7,twynholm parish71 her guidsir2 and of ,john ,bell of ,campbelltown1 her father4 ,henton is a small croft1 close to the school-house at ,laggan1 as you go toward the sea-side from ,ardwell to ,kirkdale4 ,it was once a separate property4 ,before old ,anwoth church was pulled down 7see ,murray's ,life of ,rutherford71 there stood a seat or pew1 on which were cut the letters ,j4 ,b4 and the date #afca1 understood to belong to this same person4 ,and 7though his martyrdom occurred after ,rutherford was gone to his rest7 it may be interesting here to notice that the ancestor of the martyr1 ,john ,bell of ,whiteside1 in ,anwoth1 was connected with this family4 ,whiteside is half a mile ,n4,e4 from ,rutherford's ,witnesses on the ,skyreburn ,road4 ,the ruins of the house where ,bell stayed are pointed out1 half a mile from the modern farm2 and almost in the bed of the burn4 ,near the old ruin is a cave where he died4 ,the martyr's mother1 too1 was the grand-daughter of ,the guidwife of ,ardwell 7see ,letter ,,ci474 ,his tomb 7renewed a few years ago7 is a flat stone near the west end of the old church1 with the date #afhe4 ,this monument shall tell posterity ,that blessed ,bell of ,whiteside here doth lie2 ,who at command of bloody ,lag was shot1 ,a murder strange which should not be forgot4 ,douglas of ,morton did him quarters give1 ,yet cruel ,lag would not let him survive4 ,this martyr sought some time to recommend ,his soul to ,god1 before his days did end3 ,the tyrant said1 ',what1 ,devil8 ,ye've prayed eneuch ,these long seven years on mountain and in cleugh4' ,so instantly caused him1 with other four1 ,be shot to death upon ,kirkconnel ,moor4 ,so thus did end the lives of these dear saints ,for their adhering to the ,covenants4 ,on the wall is an old slab which contains what seems to be a general motto for the ,bells' burying-ground4 7,,danger ,,of ,,trusting ,,to ,a ,,name--,,conversion ,,no ,,superficial ,,work--,,exhortation ,,to ,,make ,,sure47 ,,my ,,very ,,loving ,,friend1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i have very often and long expected your letter2 but if ye be well in soul and body1 ,i am the less solicitous4 ,i beseech you1 in the ,lord ,jesus1 to mind your country above2 and now1 when old age 7the twilight going before the darkness of the grave1 and the falling low of your sun before your night7 is come upon you1 advise with ,christ1 ere ye put your foot into the ship1 and turn your back on this life4 ,many are beguiled with this1 that they are free of scandalous and crying abominations2 but the tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is for the fire4 ,the man that is not born again cannot enter into the kingdom of ,god4 ,common honesty will not take men to heaven4 ,alas6 that men should think that ever they met with ,christ1 who had never a sick night1 through the terrors of ,god in their souls1 or a sore heart for sin6 ,i know that the ,lord hath given you light1 and the knowledge of ,his will2 but that is not all1 neither will that do your turn4 ,i wish you an awakened soul1 and that ye beguile not yourself in the matter of your salvation4 ,my dear brother1 search yourself with the candle of ,god1 and try if the life of ,god and ,christ be in you4 ,salvation is not casten to every man's door4 ,many are carried over sea and land to a far country in a ship1 while-as they sleep much of all the way2 but men are not landed at heaven sleeping4 ,the righteous are scarcely saved2 and many run as fast as either you or ,i1 who miss the prize and the crown4 ,god send me salvation1 and save me from a disappointment1 and ,i seek no more4 ,men think it but a stride1 or step over to heaven2 but1 when so few are saved 7even of a number like the sand of the sea--but a handful and a remnant1 as ,god's word saith71 what cause have we to shake ourselves1 and to ask our poor soul1 ,whither goest thou8 where shalt thou lodge at night8 where are thy charters and writs of thy heavenly inheritance8 ,i have known a man turn a key in a door1 and lock it by4#ccc ,many men leap over1 as they think1 and leap in4 ,oh1 see6 see that ye give not your salvation a wrong cast1 and think all is well1 and leave your soul loose and uncertain4 ,look to your building1 and to your ground-stone1 and what signs of ,christ are in you1 and set this world behind your back4 ,it is time1 now in the evening1 to cease from your ordinary work1 and high time to know of your lodging at night4 ,it is your salvation that is in dependence2 and that is a great and weighty business1 though many make light of the matter4 #ccc ,mislock1 or turn the key so as to push the bolt past the socket into which it should have been put4 ,now1 the ,lord enable you by ,his grace to work it out4 ,your lawful and loving pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,ccxix4--,to ,,mr4 ,,john ,,row4 ,john ,row1 minister of ,carnock1 was probably the person to whom this letter is addressed4 ,it could not be his son1 of the same name1 who afterwards became minister of ,st4 ,nicholas ,church1 ,aberdeen1 and ,principal of ,king's ,college2 for he was at this time master of the grammar school of ,perth1 and did not qualify himself for the ministry till after the overthrow of ,prelacy in #afch4 ,john ,row of ,carnock1 the third son of ,john ,row 7minister of ,perth1 a distinguished ,reformer and co-adjutor of ,knox71 was born at ,perth about the close of the year #aefh4 ,he was ordained minister of ,carnock at the end of the year #aeib1 where he laboured with great assiduity and success4 ,he opposed the ,perth ,articles1 and the introduction of ,prelacy1 with uncompromising zeal4 ,he is the author of a ,history of the ,kirk of ,scotland1 which has been printed by the ,wodrow ,society4 ,he died on the #bfth of ,june #afdf1 aged seventy-eight4 7,,christ',s ,,crosses ,,better ,,than ,,the ,,world',s ,,joys--,,christ ,,extolled47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i received yours4 ,i bless ,his high and great name1 that ,i like my sweet ,master still the longer the better2 a sight of ,his cross is more awsome than the weight of it4 ,i think the worst things of ,christ1 even ,his reproaches and ,his cross 7when ,i look on these not with bleared eyes71 far rather to be chosen than the laughter and worm-eaten joys of my adversaries4 ,oh that they were as ,i am1 except my bonds6 ,my witness is above1 that my ministry1 next to ,christ1 is dearest to me of anything2 but ,i lay it down at ,christ's feet1 for ,his glory and ,his honour as supreme ,lawgiver1 which is dearer to me4 ,my dear brother1 if ye will receive the testimony of a poor prisoner of ,christ1 who dare not now dissemble for the world1 ,i believe certainly1 and expect thanks from the ,prince of the kings of the earth1 for my poor hazards 7such as they are7 for ,his honourable cause1 whom ,i can never enough extol for ,his running-over love to my sad soul1 since ,i came hither4 ,oh that ,i could get ,him set on high and praised6 ,i seek no more1 as the top and root of my desires1 than that ,christ may make glory to ,himself1 and edification to the weaker 7,phil4 i4 #ad71 out of my sufferings4 ,i desire ye would help me both to pray and praise4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,july #h1 #afcg4 ,,ccxx4--,to my ,lord ,,craighall4 7,,duty ,,of ,,being ,,disentangled ,,from ,,christ--,,dishonouring ,,compliances47 ,,my ,,lord1--,i persuade myself that1 notwithstanding the greatness of this temptation1 ye will not let ,christ want a witness of you1 to avow ,him before this evil generation4 ,and if ye advise with ,god's truth 7the perfect testament of ,christ1 that forbiddeth all men's additions to ,his worship71 and with the truly learned1 and with all the sanctified in this land1 and with that warner within you 7which will not fail to speak against you1 in ,god's time1 if ye be not now fast and fixed for ,christ71 ,i hope then that your ,lordship will acquit yourself as a man of courage for ,christ1 and refuse to bow your knee superstitiously and idolatrously to wood or stone1 or any creature whatsoever4 ,i persuade myself that when ye shall take good night at this world1 ye shall think it ,god's truth ,i now write4 ,some fear that your ,lordship hath obliged yourself to his ,majesty by promise to satisfy his desire4 ,if it be so1 my dear and worthy ,lord1 hear me for your soul's good4 ,think upon swimming ashore after this shipwreck1 and be pleased to write your humble apology to his ,majesty2 it may be that ,god will give you favour in his eyes4 ,however it be1 far be it from you to think a promise made out of weakness1 and extorted by the terror of a king1 should bind you to wrong your ,lord ,jesus4 ,but for myself1 ,i give no faith to that report1 but ,i believe that ye will prove fast to ,christ4 ,to ,his grace ,i recommend you4 ,your ,lordship's1 at all obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,july #h1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxi4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,her ,,prayers ,,for ,,scotland ,,not ,,forgotten47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,dearest ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,i rejoice that you are a partaker of the sufferings of ,christ4 ,faint not1 keep breath1 believe2 howbeit men1 and husband1 and friends prove weak1 yet your strength faileth not4 ,it is not pride for a drowning man to grip to the rock4 ,it is your glory to lay hold on your ,rock4 ,o woman greatly beloved6 ,i testify and avouch it in my ,lord1 that the prayers ye sent to heaven these many years bygone are come up before the ,lord1 and shall not be forgotten4 ,what it is that will come1 ,i cannot tell2 but ,i know that1 as the ,lord liveth1 these cries shall bring down mercy4 ,i charge you1 and those people with you1 to go on without fainting or fear1 and still believe1 and take no nay-say4 ,if ye leave off1 the field is lost2 if ye continue1 our enemies shall be a tottering wall1 and a bowing fence4 ,i write it 7and keep this letter71 utter1 utter desolation shall be to your adversaries1 and to the haters of the ,virgin-daughter of ,scotland4 ,the bride will yet sing1 as in the days of her youth4 ,salvation shall be her walls and bulwarks4 ,the dry olive-tree shall bud again1 and dry dead bones shall live2 for the ,lord will prophesy to the dry bones1 and the ,spirit shall come upon them1 and we shall live4 ,i rejoice to hear of ,john ,carson6 ,i shall not forget him4 ,remember me to ,grizel and ,jean ,brown4 ,your husband hath made me heavy2 but be courageous in the ,lord4 ,i send blessings to ,samuel and ,william4 ,show them that ,i will them to seek ,god in their youth4 ,grace is yours4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,july #h1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxii4--,to my ,,lady ,,culross4 ,letter ,,lxii4 7,,christ',s ,,way ,,of ,,showing ,,himself ,,the ,,best--,,what ,,fits ,,for ,,him--,,yearning ,,after ,,him ,,insatiably--,,domestic ,,matters47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i am much refreshed with your letter1 now at length come to me4 ,i find my ,lord ,jesus cometh not in that precise way that ,i lay wait for ,him2 ,he hath a gate of ,his own4 ,oh1 how high are ,his ways above my ways6 ,i see but little of ,him4 ,it is best not to offer to learn ,him a lesson1 but to give ,him absolutely ,his own will1 in coming1 going1 ebbing1 flowing1 and in the manner of ,his gracious working4 ,i want nothing but a back-burden of ,christ's love4 ,i would go through hell1 and the thick of the damned devils1 to have a hearty feast of ,christ's love2 for ,he hath fettered me with ,his love1 and run away1 and left me a chained man4 ,wo is me1 that ,i was so loose1 rash1 vain1 and graceless1 in my unbelieving thoughts of ,christ's love6 ,but what can a soul1 under a non-entry 7when my rights were wadset and lost71 do else1 but make a false libel against ,christ's love6 ,i know that yourself1 ,madam1 and many more1 will be witness against me1 if ,i repent not of my unbelief2 for ,i have been seeking the ,pope's wares1 some hire for ,grace within myself4 ,i have not learned1 as ,i should do1 to put my stock and all my treasure into ,christ's hand2 but ,i would have a stock of mine own2 and ere ,i was aware1 ,i was taking hire to be the ,law's advocate1 to seek justification by works4 ,i forgot that grace is the only garland that is worn in heaven upon the heads of the glorified4 ,and now ,i half rejoice1 that ,i have sickness for ,christ to work upon4 ,since ,i must have wounds1 well is my soul1 ,i have a day's work for my ,physician1 ,christ4 ,i hope to give ,christ ,his own calling3 it setteth ,him full well to cure diseases4 ,my ebbings are very low1 and the tide is far out when my ,beloved goeth away2 and then ,i cry1 ,oh1 cruelty6 to put out the poor man's one eye2 and this was my joy next to ,christ1 to preach my ,well-beloved4 ,then ,i make a noise about ,christ's house1 looking unco-like in at ,his window1 and casting my love and my desires over the wall1 till ,god send better4 ,i am often content that my bill lie in heaven till the day of my departure1 providing ,i had assurance that mercy shall be written on the back of it4 ,i would not care for on-waiting2 but when ,i draw in a tired arm1 and an empty hand withal1 it is much to me to keep my thoughts in order4 ,but ,i will not get a gate#ccd for ,christ's love4 ,when ,i have done all ,i can1 ,i would fain yield to ,his stream1 and row with ,christ1 and not against ,him4 ,but while ,i live1 ,i see that ,christ's kingdom in me will not be peaceable1 so many thoughts in me rise up against ,his honour and kingly power4 ,surely ,i have not expressed all ,his sweet kindness to me4 ,i spare to do it1 lest ,i be deemed to seek myself2 but ,his breath hath smelled of the powders of the merchant1 and of the ,king's spikenard4 ,i think that ,i conceive new thoughts of heaven1 because the card and the map of heaven which ,he letteth me now see is so fair and so sweet4 ,i am sure that we are niggards1 and sparing bodies in seeking4 ,i verily judge that we know not how much may be had in this life2 there is yet something beyond all that we see1 that seeking would light upon4 ,oh that my love-sickness would put me to a business1 when all the world are found sleeping1 to cry and knock6 ,but the truth is1 that since ,i came hither ,i have been wondering that1 after my importunity to have my fill of ,christ's love1 ,i have not gotten a real sign1 but have come from ,him crying1 ,hunger6 hunger6 ,i think that ,christ letteth me see meat in my extremity of hunger1 and giveth me none of it4 ,when ,i am near the apple1 ,he draweth back ,his hand1 and goeth away to cause me follow2 and again1 when ,i am within an arm-length of the apple1 ,he maketh a new break to the gate1#cce and ,i have ,him to seek of new4 ,he seemeth not to pity my dwining and swooning for ,his love4 ,i dare sometimes put my hunger over to ,him to be judged1 if ,i would not buy ,him with a thousand years in the hottest furnace in hell1 so being ,i might enjoy ,him4 ,but my hunger is fed by want and absence4 ,i hunger and ,i have not2 but my comfort is to lie and wait on1 and to put my poor soul and my sufferings into ,christ's hand4 ,let ,him make anything out of me1 so being ,he be glorified in my salvation2 for ,i know that ,i am made for ,him4 ,oh that my ,lord may win ,his own gracious end in me6 ,i will not be at ease1 while ,i but stand so far aback4 ,oh1 if ,i were near ,him and with ,him1 that this poor soul might be satisfied with ,himself6 #ccd ,fix the way in which ,he is to show ,his love4 ,perhaps we should read set for get4 #cce ,rushes off again toward the road4 ,your son-in-law1 ,w4 ,g41 is now truly honoured for his ,lord and ,master's cause4 ,when the ,lord is fanning ,zion1 it is a good token that he is a true branch of the vine1 that the ,lord beginneth first to dress him4 ,he is strong in his ,lord1 as he hath written to me1 and his wife is his encourager1 which should make you rejoice4 ,as for your son1 who is your grief1 your ,lord waited on you and me1 till we were ripe1 and brought us in4 ,it is your part to pray and wait upon ,him4 ,when he is ripe1 he will be spoken for4 ,who can command our ,lord's wind to blow8 ,i know that it shall be your good in the latter end4 ,that is one of your waters to heaven1 ye could not go about2#ccf there are the fewer behind4 ,i remember you and him1 and yours1 as ,i am able2 but1 alas6 ,i am believed to be something1 and ,i am nothing but an empty reed4 ,wants are my best riches1 because ,i have these supplied by ,christ4 #ccf ,one of the rivers which you could not avoid crossing4 ,remember my dearest love to your brother4#ccg ,i know that he pleadeth with his harlot-mother for her apostasy4 ,i know also that ye are kind to my worthy ,lady ,kenmure1 a woman beloved of the ,lord1 who hath been very mindful of my bonds4 ,the ,lord give her1 and her child1 to find mercy in the day of ,christ6 ,great men are dry and cold in doing for me2 the tinkling of the chains for ,christ affrighteth them3 but let my ,lord break all my idols1 ,i will yet bless ,him4 ,i am obliged to my ,lord ,lorn3 ,i wish him mercy4 #ccg ,james ,melville of ,hallhill1 who succeeded his father1 ,sir ,james ,melville4 ,by a charter of the barony of ,burntisland1 granted to him #afth ,january #afch1 he became ,sir ,james ,melville of ,burntisland 7,douglas' ,peerage1 vol4 ii4 p4 #aab74 ,remember my bonds with praises2 and pray for me1 that my ,lord may leaven the north by my bonds and sufferings4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxiii4--,to ,,alexander ,,gordon of ,knockgray4 7,,state ,,of ,,the ,,church--,,believers ,,purified ,,by ,,affliction--,,folly ,,of ,,seeking ,,joy ,,in ,a ,,doomed ,,world47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,there is no question but our mother-church hath a ,father1 and that she shall not die without an heir3 her enemies shall not make ,mount ,zion their heritage4 ,we see that whithersoever ,zion's enemies go1 suppose they dig many miles under ground1 yet our ,lord findeth them out3 and ,he hath vengeance laid up in store for them1 and the poor and needy shall not always be forgotten4 ,our hope was drooping and withering1 and man was saying1 ,what can ,god make out of the old dry bones of this buried kirk8 ,the prelates and their followers were a grave above us4 ,it is like that our ,lord is to open our graves1 and purposeth to cause ,his two slain witnesses to rise on the third day4 ,oh1 how long wait ,i to hear our weeping ,lord ,jesus sing again1 and triumph and rejoice1 and divide the spoil6 ,i find it hard work to believe when the course of providence goeth cross-wise to our faith1 and when misted souls in a dark night cannot know east by west1 and our sea-compass seemeth to fail us4 ,every man is a believer in daylight3 a fair day seemeth to be made all of faith and hope4 ,what a trial of gold is it to smoke it a little above the fire6 but to keep gold perfectly yellow-coloured amidst the flames1 and to be turned from vessel to vessel1 and yet to cause our furnace to sound1 and speak1 and cry the praises of the ,lord1 is another matter4 ,i know that my ,lord made me not for fire1 howbeit ,he hath fitted me in some measure for the fire4 ,i bless ,his high name that ,i wax not paler1 neither have ,i lost the colour of gold2 and that ,his fire hath made me somewhat thin1 and that my ,lord may pour me into any vessel ,he pleaseth4 ,for a small wager ,i may justly quit my part of this world's laughter1 and give up with time1 and cast out with the pleasures of this world4 ,i know a man who wondered to see any in this life laugh or sport4 ,surely our ,lord seeketh this of us1 as to any rejoicing in present perishing things4 ,i see above all things1 that we may sit down1 and fold legs and arms1 and stretch ourselves upon ,christ1 and laugh at the feathers that children are chasing here4 ,for ,i think the men of this world like children in a dangerous storm in the sea1 that play and make sport with the white foam of the waves thereof1 coming in to sink and drown them2 so are men making fool's sports with the white pleasures of a stormy world1 that will sink them4 ,but1 alas6 what have we to do with their sports which they make8 ,if ,solomon said of laughter1 that it was madness1 what may we say of this world's laughing and sporting themselves with gold and silver1 and honours1 and court1 and broad large conquests1 but that they are poor souls1 in the height and rage of a fever gone mad8 ,then a straw1 a fig1 for all created sports and rejoicing out of ,christ6 ,nay1 ,i think that this world1 at its prime and perfection1 when it is come to the top of its excellency and to the bloom1 might be bought with an halfpenny2 and that it would scarce weigh the worth of a drink of water4 ,there is nothing better than to esteem it our crucified idol 7that is1 dead and slain71 as ,paul did 7,gal4 vi4 #ad74 ,then let pleasures be crucified1 and riches be crucified1 and court and honour be crucified4 ,and since the apostle saith that the world is crucified to him1 we may put this world to the hanged man's doom1 and to the gallows3 and who will give much for a hanged man8 as little should we give for a hanged and crucified world4 ,yet1 what a sweet smell hath this dead carrion to many fools in the world6 and how many wooers and suitors findeth this hanged carrion6 ,fools are pulling it off the gallows1 and contending for it4 ,oh1 when will we learn to be mortified men1 and to have our fill of those things that have but their short summer quarter of this life6 ,if we saw our ,father's house1 and that great and fair city1 the ,new ,jerusalem1 which is up above sun and moon1 we would cry to be over the water1 and to be carried in ,christ's arms out of this borrowed prison4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxiv4--,to ,,fulwood1 the ,younger4 ,,william ,,semple of ,fulwood1 in the parish of ,houston1 near ,kilmalcolm1 in ,renfrewshire1 was probably connected with ,semple of ,beltrees1 in the parish of ,lochwinnoch4 7,,vanity ,,of ,,the ,,world ,,in ,,the ,,light ,,of ,,death ,,and ,,christ--,,the ,,present ,,truth--,,christ',s ,,coming47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,upon the report of this worthy bearer concerning you1 ,i thought good to speak a word to you4 ,it is enough for acquaintance that we are one in ,christ4 ,my earnest desire to you is1 that ye would1 in the fear of ,god1 compare your inch and hand-breadth of time with vast eternity1 and your thoughts of this now fair1 blooming1 and green world1 with the thoughts which ye will have of it when corruption and worms will make their house in your eye-holes1 and eat your flesh1 and make that body dry bones4 ,if ye so do1 ,i know then that your light of this world's vanity shall be more clear than now it is2 and ,i am persuaded ye will then think that men's labours for this clay idol are to be laughed at4 ,therefore1 come near1 and take a view of that transparent beauty that is in ,christ1 which would busy the love of ten thousand millions of worlds and angels1 and hold them all at work4 ,surely ,i am grieved1 that men will not spend their whole love upon that royal and princely ,well-beloved1 that high and lofty ,one2 for it is cursed love that runneth another way than upon ,him4 ,as for myself1 if ,i had ten loves and ten souls1 oh1 how glad would ,i be1 if ,he would break in upon me and take possession of them all6 ,wo1 wo is me1 that ,he and ,i are so far asunder6 ,i hope we shall be in one country and one house together4 ,truly pain of love-sickness for ,jesus maketh me to think it long1 long1 long to the dawning of that day4 ,oh that ,he would cut short years and months and hours1 and over-leap time1 that we might meet6 ,and for this truth1 ,sir1 that ye profess1 ,i avow before the world of men and angels1 that it is the way1 and the only way to our country2 the rest are by-ways2 and1 that what ,i suffer for is the apple of ,christ's eye1 even ,his honour as ,lawgiver and ,king of ,his church4 ,i think death too little ere ,i forsook it4#cch ,do not1 ,sir1 ,i beseech you in the ,lord1 make ,christ's court thinner by drawing back from ,him 7it is too thin already72 for ,i dare pledge my heaven upon it1 that ,he will win ,his plea1 and that the fools who plea against ,him shall lose the wager1 which is their part of salvation1 except they take better heed to their ways4 ,sir1 free grace1 that we give no hire for1 is a jewel that our ,lord giveth to few4 ,stand fast in the hope that you are called unto4 ,our ,master will rend the clouds1 and will be upon us quickly1 and clear our cause1 and bring us all out in our blacks and whites4 ,clean1 clean garments1 in the ,bridegroom's eye1 are of great worth4 ,step over this hand-breadth of world's glory into our ,lord's new world of grace1 and ye will laugh at the feathers that children are chasing in the air4 ,i verily judge1 that this inn1 which men are building their nest in1 is not worth a drink of cold water4 ,it is a rainy and smoky house3 best we come out of it1 lest we be choked with the smoke thereof4 ,oh that my adversaries knew how sweet my sighs for ,christ are1 and what it is for a sinner to lay his head between ,christ's breasts1 and to be over head and ears in ,christ's love6 ,alas1 ,i cannot cause paper to speak the height1 and breadth1 and depth of it6 ,i have not a balance to weigh the worth of my ,lord ,jesus4 ,heaven1 ten heavens1 would not be the beam of a balance to weigh ,him in4 ,i must give over praising ,him4 ,angels see but little of ,him4 ,oh1 if that fair one would take the mask off ,his fair face1 that ,i might see ,him6 ,a kiss of ,him through ,his mask is half a heaven4 ,o day1 dawn6 ,o time1 run fast6 ,o ,bridegroom1 post1 post fast1 that we may meet6 ,o heavens1 cleave in two1 that that bright face and head may set itself through the clouds6 ,oh that the corn were ripe1 and this world prepared for ,his hook6 ,sir1 be pleased to remember a prisoner's bonds4 ,grace be with you4 #cch ,ere ,i could be induced to forsake what concerns ,his honour1 ,i must be made to suffer something far more and worse than death4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,july #aj1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxv4--,to his ,parishioners4 7,,protestation ,,of ,,care ,,for ,,their ,,souls ,,and ,,glory ,,of ,,god--,,delight ,,in ,,his ,,ministry1 ,,and ,,in ,,his ,,lord--,,efforts ,,for ,,their ,,souls--,,warning ,,against ,,errors ,,of ,,the ,,day--,,awful ,,words ,,to ,,the ,,backslider--,,intense ,,admiration ,,of ,,christ--,a ,,loud ,,call ,,to ,,all47 ,,dearly ,,beloved ,,and ,,longed-,,for ,,in ,,the ,,lord1 my crown and my joy in the day of ,christ1--,grace be to you1 and peace from ,god our ,father1 and from our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,i long exceedingly to know if the oft-spoken-of match betwixt you and ,christ holdeth1 and if ye follow on to know the ,lord4 ,my day-thoughts and my night-thoughts are of you3 while ye sleep ,i am afraid of your souls1 that they be off the rock4 ,next to my ,lord ,jesus and this fallen kirk1 ye have the greatest share of my sorrow1 and also of my joy2 ye are the matter of the tears1 care1 fear1 and daily prayers of an oppressed prisoner of ,christ4 ,as ,i am in bonds for my high and lofty ,one1 my royal and princely ,master1 my ,lord ,jesus2 so ,i am in bonds for you4 ,for ,i should have slept in my warm nest1 and kept the fat world in my arms1 and the cords of my tabernacle should have been fastened more strongly2 ,i might have sung an evangel of ease to my soul and you for a time1 with my brethren1 the sons of my mother1 that were angry at me1 and have thrust me out of the vineyard2 if ,i would have been broken1 and drawn on to mire you1 the ,lord's flock1 and to cause you to eat pastures trodden upon with men's feet1 and to drink foul and muddy waters4 ,but truly the ,almighty was a terror to me1 and ,his fear made me afraid4 ,o my ,lord1 judge if my ministry be not dear to me1 but not so dear by many degrees as ,christ my ,lord6 ,god knoweth the sad and heavy ,sabbaths ,i have had1 since ,i laid down at my ,master's feet my two shepherd's staves4 ,i have been often saying1 as it is written1 ,my enemies chased me sore like a bird1 without cause3 they have cut off my life in the dungeon1 and cast a stone upon me 7,lam4 iii4 #eb1 #ec74 ,for1 next to ,christ1 ,i had but one joy1 the apple of the eye of my delights1 to preach ,christ my ,lord2 and they have violently plucked that away from me4 ,it was to me like the poor man's one eye2 and they have put out that eye1 and quenched my light in the inheritance of the ,lord4 ,but my eye is toward the ,lord3 ,i know that ,i shall see the salvation of ,god1 and that my hope shall not always be forgotten4 ,and my sorrow shall want nothing to complete it1 and to make me say1 ,what availeth it me to live8 if ye follow the voice of a stranger1 of one that cometh into the sheep-fold not by ,christ the door1 but climbeth up another way4 ,if the man build his hay and stubble upon the golden foundation1 ,christ ,jesus 7already laid among you71 and ye follow him1 ,i assure you1 the man's work shall burn and never bide ,god's fire3 and ye and he both shall be in danger of everlasting burning except ye repent4 ,oh1 if any pain1 any sorrow1 any loss that ,i can suffer for ,christ1 and for you1 were laid in pledge to buy ,christ's love to you6 and that ,i could lay my dearest joys1 next to ,christ my ,lord1 in the gap betwixt you and eternal destruction6 ,o if ,i had paper as broad as heaven and earth1 and ink as the sea and all the rivers and fountains of the earth1 and were able to write the love1 the worth1 the excellency1 the sweetness1 and due praises of our dearest and fairest ,well-beloved6 and then if ye could read and understand it6 ,what could ,i want1 if my ministry among you should make a marriage between the little bride in those bounds and the ,bridegroom8 ,oh1 how rich a prisoner were ,i1 if ,i could obtain of my ,lord 7before whom ,i stand for you7 the salvation of you all6 ,oh1 what a prey had ,i gotten1 to have you catched in ,christ's net6 ,oh1 then ,i had cast out my ,lord's lines and ,his net with a rich gain6 ,oh then1 well-wared pained breast1 and sore back1 and crazed body1 in speaking early and late to you6 ,my witness is above2 your heaven would be two heavens to me1 and the salvation of you all as two salvations to me4 ,i would subscribe a suspension1 and a fristing of my heaven for many hundred years 7according to ,god's good pleasure71 if ye were sure in the upper lodging1 in our ,father's house1 before me4 ,i take to witness heaven and earth against you1 ,i take instruments in the hands of that sun and daylight that beheld us1 and in the hands of the timber and walls of that kirk1 if ,i drew not up a fair contract of marriage betwixt you and ,christ1 if ,i went not with offers betwixt the ,bridegroom and you1 and your conscience did bear you witness1 your mouths confessed1 that there were many fair trysts and meetings drawn on betwixt ,christ and you at communion feasts1 and other occasions8 ,there were bracelets1 jewels1 rings1 and love-letters1 sent to you by the ,bridegroom4 ,it was told you what a fair dowry ye should have1 and what a house your ,husband and ye should dwell in1 and what was the ,bridegroom's excellency1 sweetness1 might1 power1 the eternity and glory of ,his kingdom1 the exceeding deepness of ,his love1 who sought ,his black wife through pain1 fires1 shame1 death1 and the grave1 and swimmed the salt sea for her1 undergoing the curse of the law1 and then#cci was made a curse for you2 and ye then consented1 and said1 ,even so ,i take ,him4 ,i counsel you to beware of the new and strange leaven of men's inventions1 beside and against the word of ,god1 contrary to the oath of this kirk1 now coming among you4 ,i instructed you of the superstition and idolatry in kneeling in the instant of receiving the ,lord's ,supper1 and of crossing in baptism1 and of the observing of men's days1 without any warrant of ,christ our perfect ,lawgiver4 ,countenance not the surplice1 the attire of the mass-priest1 the garment of ,baal's priests4 ,the abominable bowing to altars of tree 7wood7 is coming upon you4 ,hate1 and keep yourselves from idols4 ,forbear in any case to hear the reading of the new fatherless ,service-,book1#cdj full of gross heresies1 popish and superstitious errors1 without any warrant of ,christ1 tending to the overthrow of preaching4 ,you owe no obedience to the bastard canons2 they are unlawful1 blasphemous1 and superstitious4 ,all the ceremonies that lie in ,antichrist's foul womb1 the wares of that great mother of fornications1 the kirk of ,rome1 are to be refused4 ,ye see whither they lead you4 ,continue still in the doctrine which ye have received4 ,ye heard of me the whole counsel of ,god4 ,sew no clouts upon ,christ's robe4 ,take ,christ1 in ,his rags and losses1 and as persecuted by men1 and be content to sigh and pant up the mountain1 with ,christ's cross on your back4 ,let me be reputed a false prophet 7and your conscience once said the contrary71 if your ,lord ,jesus will not stand by you and maintain you1 and maintain your cause against your enemies4 #cci ,thus4 #cdj ,see ,letter ,,clxi4 ,the ,service-,book1 which has no author's name4 ,i have heard1 and my soul is grieved for it1 that since my departure from you1 many among you are turned back from the good old way1 to the dog's vomit again4 ,let me speak to these men4 ,it was not without ,god's special direction1 that the first sentence that ever my month uttered to you was that1 ,and ,jesus said1 ,for judgment ,i am come into this world1 that they which see not might see2 and that they which see might be made blind 7,john ix4 #ci74 ,is it possible that my first meeting and yours may be when we shall both stand before the dreadful ,judge of the world2 and in the name and authority of the ,son of ,god1 my great ,king and ,master1 ,i write1 by these presents1 summonses to those men4 ,i arrest their souls and bodies to the day of our compearance4 ,their eternal damnation standeth subscribed1 and sealed in heaven1 by the hand-writing of the great ,judge of quick and dead2 and ,i am ready to stand up1 as a preaching witness against such to their face1 on that day1 and to say ,amen to their condemnation1 except they repent4 ,the vengeance of the ,gospel is heavier than the vengeance of the ,law2 the ,mediator's malediction and vengeance is twice vengeance2 and that vengeance is the due portion of such men4 ,and there ,i leave them as bond men1 aye and whill they repent and amend4 ,ye were witnesses how the ,lord's day was spent while ,i was among you4 ,o sacrilegious robber of ,god's day1 what wilt thou answer the ,almighty when ,he seeketh so many ,sabbaths back again from thee8 ,what will the curser1 swearer1 and blasphemer do1 when his tongue shall be roasted in that broad and burning lake of fire and brimstone8 ,and what will the drunkard do1 when tongue1 lungs1 and liver1 bones1 and all1 shall boil and shall fry in a torturing fire8 ,he shall be far from his barrels of strong drink then2 and there is not a cold well of water for him in hell4 ,what shall be the case of the wretch1 the covetous man1 the oppressor1 the deceiver1 the earth-worm1 who can never get his wombful of clay 7,ps4 xvii4 #ad71 when1 in the day of ,christ1 gold and silver must lie burnt in ashes1 and he must compear and answer his ,judge1 and quit his clayey and noughty heaven8 ,wo1 wo1 for evermore1 be to the time-turning atheist1 who hath one god and one religion for summer1 and another god and another religion for winter1 and the day of fanning1 when ,christ fanneth all that is in ,his barn-floor3 who hath a conscience for every fair and market1 and the soul of him runneth upon these oiled wheels1 time1 custom1 the world1 and command of men4 ,oh1 if the careless atheist1 and sleeping man1 who edgeth by all with1 ,god forgive our pastors if they lead us wrong1 we must do as they command1 and layeth down his head upon time's bosom1 and giveth his conscience to a deputy1 and sleepeth so1 whill the smoke of hell-fire fly up in his throat1 and cause him to start out of his doleful bed6 ,oh1 if such a man would awake6 ,many woes are for the over-gilded and gold-plastered hypocrite4 ,a heavy doom is for the liar and white-tongued flatterer2 and the flying book of ,god's fearful vengeance1 twenty cubits long1 and ten cubits broad1 that goeth out from the face of ,god1 shall enter into the house1 and in upon the soul of him that stealeth1 and sweareth falsely by ,god's name 7,zech4 v4 #b1 #c74 ,i denounce eternal burning1 hotter than ,sodom's flames1 upon the men that boil in filthy lusts of fornication1 adultery1 incest1 and the like wickedness4 ,no room1 no1 not a foot-breadth1 for such vile dogs within the clean ,jerusalem4 ,many of you put off all with this1 ,god forgive us1 we know no better4 ,i renew my old answer3 the ,judge is coming in flaming fire1 with all ,his mighty angels1 to render vengeance to all those that know not ,god1 and believe not 7#b ,thess4 i4 #h74 ,i have often told you that security will slay you4 ,all men say they have faith3 as many men and women now1 as many saints in heaven4 ,and all believe 7say ye72 so that every foul dog is clean enough1 and good enough1 for the clean and new ,jerusalem above4 ,every man hath conversion and the new birth2 but it is not leal come4 ,they had never a sick night for sin2 conversion came to them in a night-dream4 ,in a word1 hell will be empty at the day of judgment1 and heaven pang full6 ,alas6 it is neither easy nor ordinary to believe and to be saved4 ,many must stand1 in the end1 at heaven's gates 7,luke xiii4 #be74 ,when they go to take out their faith1 they take out a fair nothing1 or 7as ye use to speak7 a blaflum4 ,oh1 lamentable disappointment6 ,i pray you1 ,i charge you in the name of ,christ1 make fast work of ,christ and salvation4 ,i know there are some believers among you1 and ,i write to you1 ,o poor broken-hearted believers3 all the comforts of ,christ in the ,old and ,new ,testaments are yours4 ,oh1 what a ,father and ,husband ye have6 ,oh1 if ,i had pen and ink1 and ingine to write of ,him6 ,let heaven and earth be consolidated into massy and pure gold1 it will not weigh the thousandth part of ,christ's love to a soul1 even to me a poor prisoner4 ,oh1 that is a massy and marvellous love6 ,men and angels6 unite your force and strength in one1 ye shall not heave nor poise it off the ground4 ,ten thousand worlds1 as many worlds as angels can number1 and then as a new world of angels can multiply1 would not all be the balk of a balance to weigh ,christ's excellency1 sweetness1 and love4 ,put ten earths into one1 and let a rose grow greater than ten whole earths1 or whole worlds1 oh1 what beauty would be in it1 and what a smell would it cast6 ,but a blast of the breath of that fairest ,rose in all ,god's paradise1 even of ,christ ,jesus our ,lord1 one look of that fairest face1 would be infinitely in beauty1 and smell1 above all imaginable and created glory4 ,i wonder that men dow bide off ,christ4 ,i would esteem myself blessed1 if ,i could make an open proclamation1 and gather all the world1 that are living upon the earth1 ,jew and ,gentile1 and all that shall be born till the blowing of the last trumpet1 to flock round about ,christ1 and to stand looking1 wondering1 admiring1 and adoring ,his beauty and sweetness4 ,for ,his fire is hotter than any other fire1 ,his love sweeter than common love1 ,his beauty surpasseth all other beauty4 ,when ,i am heavy and sad1 one of ,his love-looks would do me meikle worlds' good4 ,oh1 if ye would fall in love with ,him1 how blessed were ,i6 how glad would my soul be to help you to love ,him6 ,but amongst us all1 we could not love ,him enough4 ,he is the ,son of the ,father's love1 and ,god's delight2 the ,father's love lieth all upon ,him4 ,oh1 if all mankind would fetch all their love and lay it upon ,him6 ,invite ,him1 and take ,him home to your houses1 in the exercise of prayer morning and evening1 as ,i often desired you2 especially now1 let ,him not want lodging in your houses1 nor lie in the fields1 when ,he is shut out of pulpits and kirks4 ,if ye will be content to take heaven by violence and the wind on your face for ,christ and ,his cross1 ,i am here one who hath some trial of ,christ's cross1 and ,i can say1 that ,christ was ever kind to me1 but ,he overcometh ,himself 7if ,i may speak so7 in kindness while ,i suffer for ,him4 ,i give you my word for it1 ,christ's cross is not so evil as they call it2 it is sweet1 light1 and comfortable4 ,i would not want the visitations of love1 and the very breathings of ,christ's mouth when ,he kisseth1 and my ,lord's delightsome smiles and love-embracements under my sufferings for ,him1 for a mountain of gold1 or for all the honours1 court1 and grandeur of velvet kirkmen4#cda ,christ hath the yoke and heart of my love4 ,i am my ,beloved's1 and my ,well-beloved is mine4 #cda ,high ,churchmen4 ,oh that ye were all hand-fasted to ,christ6 ,o my dearly-beloved in the ,lord1 ,i would ,i could change my voice1 and had a tongue tuned by the hands of my ,lord1 and had the art of speaking of ,christ1 that ,i might point out to you the worth1 and highness1 and greatness1 and excellency of that fairest and renowned ,bridegroom6 ,i beseech you by the mercies of the ,lord1 by the sighs1 tears1 and heart's-blood of our ,lord ,jesus1 by the salvation of your poor and precious souls1 set up the mountain1 that ye and ,i may meet before the ,lamb's throne amongst the congregation of the first-born4 ,lord grant that that may be the trysting-place6 that ye and ,i may put up our hands together1 and pluck and eat the apples off the tree of life1 and that we may feast together1 and drink together of that pure river of the water of life1 that cometh out from the throne of ,god and of the ,lamb4 ,oh1 how little is your hand-breadth and span-length of days here6 ,your inch of time is less than when ye and ,i parted4 ,eternity1 eternity is coming1 posting on with wings2 then shall every man's blacks and whites be brought to light4 ,oh1 how low will your thoughts be of this fair-skinned but heart-rotten apple1 the vain1 vain1 feckless world1 when the worms shall make them houses in your eye-holes1 and shall eat off the flesh from the balls of your cheeks1 and shall make that body a number of dry bones6 ,think not that the common gate of serving ,god1 as neighbours and others do1 will bring you to heaven4 ,few1 few are saved4 ,the devil's court is thick and many2 he hath the greatest number of mankind for his vassals4 ,i know this world is a forest of thorns in your way to heaven2 but you must go through it4 ,acquaint yourselves with the ,lord3 hold fast ,christ2 hear ,his voice only4 ,bless ,his name2 sanctify and keep holy ,his day2 keep the new commandment1 ,love one another2 let the ,holy ,spirit dwell in your bodies2 and be clean and holy4 ,love not the world3 lie not1 love and follow truth3 learn to know ,god4 ,keep in mind what ,i taught you2 for ,god will seek an account of it1 when ,i am far from you4 ,abstain from all evil1 and all appearance of evil3 follow good carefully1 and seek peace and follow after it3 honour your king1 and pray for him4 ,remember me to ,god in your prayers2 ,i dow not forget you4 ,i told you often while ,i was with you1 and now ,i write it again1 heavy1 sad1 and sore is that stroke of the ,lord's wrath that is coming upon ,scotland4 ,wo1 wo1 wo to this harlot-land6 for they shall take the cup of ,god's wrath from ,his hands1 and drink1 and spue1 and fall1 and not rise again4 ,in1 in1 in with speed to your stronghold1 ye prisoners of hope1 and hide you there whill the anger of the ,lord pass6 ,follow not the pastors of this land1 for the sun is gone down upon them4 ,as the ,lord liveth1 they lead you from ,christ1 and from the good old way4 ,yet the ,lord will keep the holy city1 and make this withered kirk to bud again like a rose1 and a field blessed of the ,lord4 ,the grace of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ be with you all4 ,the prayers and blessings of a prisoner of ,christ1 in bonds for ,him1 and for you1 be with you all4 ,amen4 ,your lawful and loving pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,july #ac1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxvi4--,to the ,,lady ,,kilconquhar4 ,,lady ,,kilconquhar1 whose maiden name was ,helen ,murray1 being the third daughter of ,sir ,archibald ,murray of ,blackbarony1 was the wife of ,sir ,john ,carstairs of ,kilconquhar1 in the county of ,fife4 ,her mother1 ,margaret ,maule1 was of the family of ,panmure4 ,their youngest daughter1 ,bethia1 in #afef1 married ,thomas ,rigg of ,athernie4 ,the house of ,kilconquhar 7called ,kinneucher by the people7 is near the loch and the village1 with ,elie not far off on one side1 and ,balcarras on the other4 ,the loch with its swans1 the woods1 and the sea so near1 make it a pleasant spot4 7,,the ,,interests ,,of ,,the ,,soul ,,most ,,urgent--,,folly ,,of ,,the ,,world--,,christ ,,altogether ,,lovely--,,his ,,pen ,,fails ,,to ,,set ,,forth ,,christ',s ,,unspeakable ,,beauty47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i am glad to hear that ye have your face homewards towards your ,father's house1 now when so many are for a home nearer hand4 ,but your ,lord calleth you to another life and glory than is to be found hereaway2 and1 therefore1 ,i would counsel you to make sure the charters and rights which ye have to salvation4 ,you came to this life about a necessary and weighty business1 to tryste with ,christ anent your precious soul1 and the eternal salvation of it4 ,this is the most necessary business ye have in this life2 and your other adoes beside this are but toys1 and feathers1 and dreams1 and fancies4 ,this is in the greatest haste1 and should be done first4 ,means are used in the ,gospel to draw on a meeting betwixt ,christ and you4 ,if ye neglect your part of it1 it is as if ye would tear the contract before ,christ's eyes1 and give up the match1 that there may be no more communing about that business4 ,i know that other lovers beside ,christ are in suit of you1 and your soul hath many wooers2 but ,i pray you to make a chaste virgin of your soul1 and let it love but one4 ,most worthy is ,christ alone of all your soul's love1 howbeit your love were higher than the heaven1 and deeper than the lowest of this earth1 and broader than this world4 ,many1 alas6 too many1 make a common strumpet of their soul for every lover that cometh to the house4 ,marriage with ,christ would put your love and your heart by the gate1 out of the way1 and out of the eye of all other unlawful suitors2 and then you have a ready answer for all others1 ,i am already promised away to ,christ2 the match is concluded1 my soul hath a husband already1 and it cannot have two husbands4 ,oh1 if the world did but know what a smell the ointments of ,christ cast1 and how ravishing ,his beauty 7even the beauty of the fairest of the sons of men7 is1 and how sweet and powerful ,his voice is1 the voice of that one ,well-beloved6 ,certainly1 where ,christ cometh1 ,he runneth away with the soul's love1 so that it cannot be commanded4 ,i would far rather look but through the hole of ,christ's door1 to see but the one half of ,his fairest and most comely face 7for ,he looketh like heaven671 suppose ,i should never win in to see ,his excellency and glory to the full1 than enjoy the flower1 the bloom1 and the chiefest excellency of the glory and riches of ten worlds4 ,lord1 send me1 for my part1 but the meanest share of ,christ that can be given to any of the indwellers of the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,but ,i know my ,lord is no niggard3 ,he can1 and it becometh ,him well to give more than my narrow soul can receive4 ,if there were ten thousand thousand millions of worlds1 and as many heavens full of men and angels1 ,christ would not be pinched to supply all our wants1 and to fill us all4 ,christ is a well of life2 but who knoweth how deep it is to the bottom8 ,this soul of ours hath love1 and cannot but love some fair one4 ,and oh1 what a fair ,one1 what an only ,one1 what an excellent1 lovely1 ravishing ,one1 is ,jesus6 ,put the beauty of ten thousand thousand worlds of paradises1 like the garden of ,eden in one2 put all trees1 all flowers1 all smells1 all colours1 all tastes1 all joys1 all sweetness1 all loveliness1 in one3 oh1 what a fair and excellent thing would that be6 ,and yet it would be less to that fair and dearest ,well-beloved1 ,christ1 than one drop of rain to the whole seas1 rivers1 lakes1 and fountains of ten thousand earths4 ,oh1 but ,christ is heaven's wonder1 and earth's wonder6 ,what marvel that ,his bride saith 7,cant4 v4 #af71 ,he is altogether lovely6 ,oh that black souls will not come and fetch all their love to this fair ,one6 ,oh1 if ,i could invite and persuade thousands1 and ten thousand times ten thousand of ,adam's sons1 to flock about my ,lord ,jesus1 and to come and take their fill of love6 ,oh1 pity for evermore1 that there should be such a one as ,christ ,jesus1 so boundless1 so bottomless1 and so incomparable in infinite excellency and sweetness1 and so few to take ,him6 ,oh1 oh1 ye poor1 dry1 and dead souls1 why will ye not come hither with your toom vessels1 and your empty souls1 to this huge1 and fair1 and deep1 and sweet well of life1 and fill all your toom vessels8 ,oh that ,christ should be so large in sweetness and worth1 and we so narrow1 so pinched1 so ebb1 and so void of all happiness4 ,and yet men will not take ,him6 ,they lose their love miserably1 who will not bestow it upon this lovely ,one4 ,alas6 these five thousand years1 ,adam's fools1 his waster 7,prov4 xviii4 #i7 heirs1 have been wasting and lavishing out their love and their affections upon black lovers1 and black harlots1 upon bits of dead creatures1 and broken idols1 upon this and that feckless creature2 and have not brought their love and their heart to ,jesus4 ,oh1 pity1 that ,fairness hath so few lovers6 ,oh1 wo1 wo to the fools of this world1 who run by ,christ to other lovers6 ,oh1 misery1 misery1 misery1 that comeliness can scarce get three or four hearts in a town or country6 ,oh that there is so much spoken1 and so much written1 and so much thought of creature vanity2 and so little spoken1 so little written1 and so little thought of my great1 and incomprehensible1 and never enough wondered at ,lord ,jesus6 ,why should ,i not curse this forlorn and wretched world1 that suffereth my ,lord ,jesus to lie ,his lone8 ,o damned souls6 ,o miskenning world6 ,o blind1 ,o beggarly and poor souls6 ,o bewitched fools6 what aileth you at ,christ1 that you run so from ,him8 ,i dare not challenge providence1 that there are so few buyers1 and so little sale for such an excellent one as ,christ4 7,o the depth1 and1 ,o the height of my ,lord's ways1 that pass finding out67 ,but oh1 if men would once be wise1 and not fall so in love with their own hell as to pass by ,christ1 and misken ,him6 ,but let us come near1 and fill ourselves with ,christ1 and let ,his friends drink1 and be drunken1 and satisfy our hollow and deep desires with ,jesus4 ,oh1 come all and drink at this living well2 come1 drink and live for evermore2 come1 drink and welcome6 ,welcome1 saith our fairest ,bridegroom4 ,no man getteth ,christ with ill will2 no man cometh and is not welcome4 ,no man cometh and rueth his voyage2 all men speak well of ,christ who have been at ,him3 men and angels who know ,him will say more than ,i dow do1 and think more of ,him than they can say4 ,oh1 if ,i were misted and bewildered in my ,lord's love6 ,oh1 if ,i were fettered and chained to it6 ,oh1 sweet pain1 to be pained for a sight of ,him6 ,oh1 living death1 oh1 good death1 oh1 lovely death1 to die for love of ,jesus6 ,oh that ,i should have a sore heart1 and a pained soul1 for the want of this and that idol6 ,wo1 wo to the mistakings of my miscarrying heart1 that gapeth and crieth for creatures1 and is not pained1 and cut1 and tortured1 and in sorrow1 for the want of a soul's-fill of the love of ,christ6 ,oh that ,thou wouldst come near1 my ,beloved6 ,o my fairest ,one why standeth ,thou afar6 ,come hither1 that ,i may be satiated with ,thy excellent love4 ,oh for a union6 oh for a fellowship with ,jesus6 ,oh that ,i could buy with a price that lovely ,one1 even suppose that hell's torments for a while were the price6 ,i cannot believe but ,christ will rue upon ,his pained lovers1 and come and ease sick hearts1 who sigh and swoon for want of ,christ4 ,who dow bide ,christ's love to be nice8 ,what heaven can be there liker to hell1 than to lust1 and green1 and dwine1 and fall a swoon for ,christ's love1 and to want it8 ,is not this hell and heaven woven through-other8 ,is not this pain and joy1 sweetness and sadness1 to be in one web1 the one the weft1 the other the warp8 ,therefore1 ,i would that ,christ would let us meet and join together1 the soul and ,christ in each other's arms4 ,oh what meeting is like this1 to see blackness and beauty1 contemptibleness and glory1 highness and baseness1 even a soul and ,christ1 kiss each other6 ,nay1 but when all is done1 ,i may be wearied in speaking and writing2 but1 oh1 how far am ,i from the right expression of ,christ or ,his love8 ,i can neither speak nor write feeling1 nor tasting1 nor smelling3 come feel1 and smell1 and taste ,christ and ,his love1 and ye shall call it more than can be spoken4 ,to write how sweet the honeycomb is1 is not so lovely as to eat and suck the honeycomb4 ,one night's rest in a bed of love with ,christ will say more than heart can think1 or tongue can utter4 ,neither need we fear crosses1 nor sigh nor be sad for anything that is on this side of heaven1 if we have ,christ4 ,our crosses will never draw blood of the joy of the ,holy ,ghost1 and peace of conscience4 ,our joy is laid up in such a high place1 as temptations cannot climb up to take it down4 ,this world may bost ,christ1 but they dare not strike2 or1 if they strike1 they break their arm in fetching a stroke upon a rock4 ,oh that we could put our treasures in ,christ's hand1 and give him our gold to keep1 and our crown4 ,strive1 ,mistress1 to thring through the thorns of this life1 to be at ,christ4 ,tine not sight of ,him in this cloudy and dark day4 ,sleep with ,him in your heart in the night4 ,learn not at the world to serve ,christ1 but speer at ,himself the way2 the world is a false copy1 and a lying guide to follow4 ,remember my love to your husband4 ,i wish all to him that ,i have written here4 ,the sweet presence1 the long-lasting good-will of our ,god1 the warmly and lovely comforts of our ,lord ,jesus1 be with you4 ,help me ,his prisoner in your prayers2 for ,i remember you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,august #h1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxvii4--,to my ,,lord ,,craighall4 7,,standing ,,for ,,christ--,,danger ,,from ,,fear1 ,,or ,,promises ,,of ,,men--,,christ',s ,,requitals--,,sin ,,against ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit47 ,,my ,,lord1--,i received one letter of your ,lordship's from ,c41 and another of late from ,a4 ,b41 wherein ,i find your ,lordship in perplexity what to do4 ,but let me entreat your ,lordship not to cause yourself to mistake ,truth and ,christ1 because they seem to encounter with your peace and ease4 ,my ,lord1 remember that a prisoner hath written this to you1 that1 as the ,lord liveth1 if ye put to your hand with other apostates in this land1 to pull down the sometime beautiful tabernacle of ,christ in this land1 and join hands with them in one hair-breadth to welcome ,antichrist to ,scotland1 there is wrath gone out from the ,lord against you and your house4 ,if the terror of a king hath overtaken you1 and your ,lordship looketh to sleep in your nest in peace1 and to take the nearest shore1 there are many ways 7too1 too many ways7 how to shift ,christ with some ill-washen and foul distinctions4 ,but assure yourself1 suppose a king should assure you that he would be your god 7as shall never be7 for that piece of service1 your clay god shall die4 ,and your carnal counsellors1 when your conscience shall storm against you1 and ye complain to them1 will say1 ,what is this to us8 ,believe not that ,christ is weak1 or that ,he is not able to save4 ,of two fires that you cannot pass1 take the least4 ,some few years will bring us all out in our blacks and whites before our ,judge4 ,eternity is nearer to you than you are aware of4 ,to go on in a course of defection1 when an enlightened conscience is stirring1 and looking you in the face1 and crying within you1 ,that you are going in an evil way1 is a step to the sin against the ,holy ,ghost4 ,either many of this land are near that sin1 or else ,i know not what it is4 ,and if this1 for which ,i now suffer1 be not the way of peace and the ,king's highway to salvation1 ,i believe there is not a way at all4 ,there is not such breadth and elbow-room in the way to heaven as men believe4 ,howbeit this day be not ,christ's1 the morrow shall be ,his4 ,i believe assuredly that our ,lord will repair the old waste places and ,his ruined houses in ,scotland2 and that this wilderness shall yet blossom as the rose4 ,my very worthy and dear ,lord1 wait upon ,him who hideth ,his face from the house of ,jacob1 and look for ,him4 ,wait patiently a little upon the ,bridegroom's return again1 that your soul may live1 and that ye may rejoice with the ,lord's inheritance4 ,i dare pawn my soul and life for it1 that if ye take this storm with borne-down ,christ1 your sky shall quickly clear1 and your fair morning dawn4 ,think 7as the truth is7 that ,christ is just now saying1 ,and will ye also leave ,me8 ,ye have a fair occasion to gratify ,christ now1 if ye will stay with ,him1 and want the night's sleep with your suffering ,saviour one hour1 now when ,scotland hath fallen asleep1 and leaveth ,christ to fend for ,himself4 ,i profess myself but a weak1 feeble man4 ,when ,i came first to ,christ's camp1 ,i had nothing to maintain this war1 or to bear me out in this encounter2 and ,i am little better yet4 ,but since ,i find furniture1 armour1 and strength from the consecrated ,captain1 the ,prince of our salvation1 who was perfected through suffering1 ,i esteem suffering for ,christ a king's life4 ,i find that our wants qualify us for ,christ4 ,and1 howbeit your ,lordship write that ye despair to attain to such a communion and fellowship 7which ,i would not have you to think71 yet1 would ye nobly and courageously venture to make over to ,christ1 for ,his honour now lying at the stake1 your estate1 place1 and honour1 ,he would lovingly and largely requite you1 and give you a king's word for a recompense4 ,venture upon ,christ's ,come1 and ,i dare swear ye will say1 ,i bless the ,lord who gave me counsel 7,ps4 xvi4 #g74 ,my very worthy ,lord1 many eyes1 in both the kingdoms1 are upon you now1 and the eye of our ,lord is upon you4 ,acquit yourself manfully for ,christ2 spill not this good play4 ,subscribe a blank submission1 and put it into ,christ's hands4 ,win1 win the blessings and prayers of your sighing and sorrowful mother-church seeking your help3 win ,christ's bond 7who is a ,king of ,his word71 for a hundredfold more even in this life4 ,if a weak man#cdb hath passed a promise to a king1 to make slip to ,christ 7if we look to flesh and blood1 ,i wonder not of it2 possibly ,i might have done worse myself71 add not further guiltiness to go on in such a scandalous and foul way4 ,remember that there is a wo1 wo to him by whom offences come4 ,this wo came out of ,christ's mouth1 and it is heavier than the wo of the law4 ,it is the ,mediator's vengeance1 and that is two vengeances to those who are enlightened4 ,free yourself from unlawful anguish1 about advising and resolving4 ,when the truth is come to your hand1 hold it fast2 go not again to make a new search and inquiry for truth4 ,it is easy to cause conscience to believe as ye will1 not as ye know4 ,it is easy for you to cast your light into prison1 and detain ,god's truth in unrighteousness3 but that prisoner will break ward1 to your incomparable torture4 ,fear your light1 and stand in awe of it3 for it is from ,god4 ,think what honour it is in this life also to be enrolled to the succeeding ages amongst ,christ's witnesses1 standing against the re-entry of ,antichrist4 ,i know certainly that your light1 looking to two ways1 and to the two sides1 crieth shame upon the course that they would counsel you to follow4 ,the way that is halver and copartner with the smoke of this fat world 7,ps4 xxxvii4 #bj71 and wit and ease1 smelleth strong of a foul and false way4 #cdb ,that is1 ,if you1 in a moment of weakness1 have made a rash promise that gives ,christ the go-by4 ,the ,prince of peace1 ,he who brought again from the dead the great ,shepherd of ,his sheep1 by the blood of the eternal covenant1 establish you1 and give you sound light1 and counsel you to follow ,christ4 ,remember my obliged service to my ,lord your father1 and mother1 and your lady4 ,grace be with you4 ,your ,lordship's1 at all obliged obedience1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,august #aj1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxviii4--,to ,,mr4 ,,james ,,fleming4 ,,james ,,fleming was minister of ,abbey ,st4 ,bathans1 now called ,yester1 a parish in the ,presbytery of ,haddington1 ,east ,lothian4 ,he had previously lived some time in ,england1 and is described by ,livingstone as an ingenuous1 single-hearted man4 ,livingstone was related to him1 having been married to the eldest daughter of his brother1 ,bartholomew ,fleming1 merchant in ,edinburgh1 and was present with him at his gracious death4 ,fleming was opposed to ,prelacy1 and the ceremonies which ,james ,,vi4 and ,charles ,i4 were so zealous in attempting to impose on the ,church of ,scotland4 ,in the controversy occasioned by the ,public ,resolutions1 he took the side of the party favourable to them4 ,he was first married to ,martha1 eldest daughter of ,john ,knox1 the celebrated ,scottish ,reformer4 ,he married a second wife1 by whom he had the well-known ,robert ,fleming1 the author of the ,fulfilling of the ,scriptures1 who was minister of ,cambuslang1 and afterwards of the ,scottish congregation in ,rotterdam1 whither he retired some years after his ejection for nonconformity1 on the restoration of ,charles ,,ii4 7,,glory ,,gained ,,to ,,christ--,,spiritual ,,deadness--,,help ,,to ,,praise ,,him--,,the ,,ministry47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,well-,,beloved ,,in ,,our ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i received your letter1 which hath refreshed me in my bonds4 ,i cannot but testify unto you1 my dear brother1 what sweetness ,i find in our ,master's cross2 but1 alas1 what can ,i either do or suffer for ,him6 ,if ,i my lone had as many lives as there have been drops of rain since the creation1 ,i would think them too little for that lovely ,one1 our ,well-beloved2 but my pain and my sorrow is above my sufferings1 that ,i find not ways to set out the praises of ,his love to others4 ,i am not able1 by tongue1 pen1 or sufferings1 to provoke many to fall in love with ,him3 but ,he knoweth1 whom ,i love to serve in the ,spirit1 what ,i would do and suffer by ,his own strength1 so being that ,i might make my ,lord ,jesus lovely and sweet to many thousands in this land4 ,i think it amongst ,god's wonders1 that ,he will take any praise or glory1 or any testimony to ,his honourable cause1 from such a forlorn sinner as ,i am4 ,but when ,christ worketh1 ,he needeth not ask the question1 by whom ,he will be glorious4 ,i know 7seeing ,his glory at the beginning did shine out of poor nothing1 to set up such a fair house for men and angels1 and so many glorious creatures1 to proclaim ,his goodness1 power1 and wisdom7 that1 if ,i were burnt to ashes1 out of the smoke and powder of my dissolved body ,he could raise glory to ,himself4 ,his glory is ,his end3 oh that ,i could join with ,him to make it my end6 ,i would think that fellowship with ,him sweet and glorious4 ,but1 alas6 few know the guiltiness that is on my part3 it is a wonder1 that this good cause hath not been marred and spilled in my foul hands4 ,but ,i rejoice in this1 that my sweet ,lord ,jesus hath found something ado1 even a ready market for ,his free grace and incomparable and matchless mercy1 in my wants4 ,only my loathsome wretchedness and my wants have qualified me for ,christ1 and the riches of ,his glorious grace4 ,he behoved to take me for nothing1 or else to want me4 ,few know the unseen and private reckonings betwixt ,christ and me2 yet ,his love1 ,his boundless love would not bide away1 nor stay at home with ,himself4 ,and yet ,i do not make it welcome as ,i ought1 when it is come unsent-for and without hire4 ,how joyful is my heart1 that ye write that ye are desirous to join with me in praising2 for it is a charity to help a dyvour to pay his debts4 ,but when all have helped me1 my name shall stand in ,his account-book under ten thousand thousands of sums unpaid4 ,but it easeth my heart that ,his dear servants will but speak of my debts to such a sweet ,creditor4 ,i desire that ,he may lay me in ,his own balance and weigh me1 if ,i would not fain have a feast of ,his boundless love made to my own soul1 and to many others4 ,one thing ,i know1 that we shall not at all be able to come near ,his excellency with eye1 heart1 or tongue2 for ,he is above all created thoughts4 ,all nations before ,him are as nothing1 and less than nothing3 ,he sitteth in the circuit of heaven1 and the inhabitants of the earth are as grasshoppers before ,him4 ,oh that men would praise ,him6 ,ye complain of your private case4 ,alas6 ,i am not the man to speak to such an one as ye are4 ,any sweet presence which ,i have had in this town1 is1 ,i know1 for this cause1 that ,i might express and make it known to others4 ,but ,i never find myself nearer ,christ1 that royal and princely ,one1 than after a great weight and sense of deadness and gracelessness4 ,i think that the sense of our wants1 when withal we have a restlessness and a sort of spiritual impatience under them and can make a din1 because we want ,him whom our soul loveth1 is that which maketh an open door to ,christ4 ,and when we think we are going backward1 because we feel deadness1 we are going forward2 for the more sense1 the more life2 and no sense argueth no life4 ,there is no sweeter fellowship with ,christ than to bring our wounds and our sores to ,him4 ,but for myself1 ,i am ashamed of ,christ's goodness and love1 since the time of my bonds2 for ,he hath been pleased to open up new treasures of love and felt sweetness1 and give visitations of love and access to ,himself1 in this strange land4 ,i would think a fill of ,his love young and green heaven4 ,and when ,he is pleased to come1 and the tide is in1 and the sea full1 and the ,king and a poor prisoner together in the house-of-wine1 the black tree of the cross is not so heavy as a feather4 ,i cannot1 ,i dow not1 but give ,christ an honourable and glorious testimony4 ,i see that the ,lord can ride through ,his enemies' bands1 and triumph in the sufferings of ,his own2 and that this blind world seeth not that sufferings are ,christ's armour1 wherein ,he is victorious4 ,and they who contend with ,zion see not what ,he is doing1 when they are set to work1 as under-smiths and servants1 to the work of refining the saints4 ,satan's hand also1 by them1 is at the melting of the ,lord's vessels of mercy1 and their office in ,god's house is to scour and cleanse vessels for the ,king's table4 ,i marvel not to see them triumph1 and sit at ease in ,zion2 for our ,father must lay up ,his rods1 and keep them carefully for ,his own use4 ,our ,lord cannot want fire in ,his house3 ,his furnace is in ,zion1 and ,his fire in ,jerusalem4 ,but little know the adversaries the counsel and the thoughts of the ,lord4 ,and for your complaints of your ministry4 ,i now think all ,i do too little4 ,plainness1 freedom1 watchfulness1 fidelity1 shall swell upon you1 in exceeding large comforts1 in your sufferings4 ,the feeding of ,christ's lambs in private visitations and catechising1 in painful preaching1 and fair1 honest1 and free warning of the flock1 is a sufferer's garland4 ,oh1 ten thousand times blessed are they1 who are honoured of ,christ to be faithful and painful in wooing a bride to ,christ6 ,my dear brother1 ,i know that ye think more on this than ,i can write2 and ,i rejoice that your purpose is1 in the ,lord's strength1 to back your wronged ,master2 and to come out1 and call yourself ,christ's man1 when so many are now denying ,him1 as fearing that ,christ cannot do for ,himself and them4 ,i am a lost man for ever1 or this1 this is the way to salvation1 even this way1 which they call heresy1 that men now do mock and scoff at4 ,i am confirmed now that ,christ will accept of ,his servant's sufferings as good service to ,him at the day of ,his ,appearance2 and that1 ere it be long1 ,he will be upon us all1 and men in their blacks and whites shall be brought out before ,god1 angels1 and men4 ,our ,master is not far off4 ,oh1 if we could wait on and be faithful6 ,the good-will of ,him who dwelt in ,the ,bush1 the tender favour and love1 the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 be with you4 ,help me with your prayers2 and desire1 from me1 other brethren to take courage for their ,master4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,august #ae1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxix4--,to ,,mr4 ,,hugh ,,mackail of ,irvine4 7,,the ,,law--,,this ,,world ,,under ,,christ',s ,,control ,,for ,,the ,,believer47 ,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,brother1--,ye know that men may take their sweet fill of the sour ,law1 in ,grace's ground1 and betwixt the ,mediator's breasts4 ,and this is the sinner's safest way2 for there is a bed for wearied sinners to rest them in1 in the ,new ,covenant1 though no bed of ,christ's making to sleep in4 ,the ,law shall never be my doomster1 by ,christ's grace4 ,if ,i get no more good of it 7,i shall find a sore enough doom in the ,gospel to humble1 and to cast me down71 it is1 ,i grant1 a good rough friend to follow a traitor to the bar1 and to back him till he come to ,christ4 ,we may blame ourselves1 who cause the ,law to crave well-paid debt1 to scare us away from ,jesus1 and dispute about a righteousness of our own1 a world in the moon1 a chimera1 and a night-dream that pride is father and mother to4 ,there cannot be a more humble soul than a believer2 it is no pride for a drowning man to catch hold of a rock4 ,i rejoice that the wheels of this confused world are rolled1 and cogged1 and driven according as our ,lord willeth4 ,out of whatever airth the wind blow1 it will blow us on our ,lord4 ,no wind can blow our sails overboard2 because ,christ's skill1 and honour of ,his wisdom1 are empawned and laid down at the stake for the sea-passengers1 that ,he shall put them safe off ,his hand on the shore1 in ,his ,father's known bounds1 our native home ground4 ,my dear brother1 scaur not at the cross of ,christ4 ,it is not seen yet what ,christ will do for you1 when it cometh to the worst3 ,he will keep ,his grace till ye be at a strait1 and then bring forth the decreed birth for your salvation 7,zeph4 ii4 #b74 ,ye are an arrow of ,his own making2 let ,him shoot you against a wall of brass1 your point shall keep whole4 ,i cannot1 for multitude of letters and distraction of friends1 prepare what ,i would for the times3 ,i have not one hour of spare time1 suppose the day were forty hours long4 ,remember me in prayer4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #e1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxx4--,to the ,right ,honourable and ,christian ,lady1 my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,believer ,,safe ,,though ,,tried--,,delight ,,in ,,christ',s ,,truth47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to your ,ladyship4--,god be thanked ye are yet in possession of ,christ1 and that sweet child4 ,i pray ,god that the former may be a sure heritage1 and the latter a loan for your comfort1 while ye do good to ,his poor1 afflicted1 withered ,mount ,zion4 ,and who knoweth but our ,lord hath comforts laid up in store for her and you6 ,i am persuaded that ,christ hath bought you past the devil1 and hell1 and sin1 so that they have no claim to you2 and that is a rich and invaluable mercy4 ,long since1 ye were half challenging death's cold kindness1 in being so slow and sweer to come to loose a tired prisoner2 but ye stand in need of all the crosses1 losses1 changes1 and sad hearts that befell you since that time4 ,christ knoweth that the body of sin unsubdued will take them all1 and more3 we know that ,paul had need of the devil's service1 to buffet him2 and far more we4 ,but1 my dear and honourable ,lady1 spend your sand-glass well4 ,i am sure that you have law to raise a suspension against all that devils1 men1 friends1 worlds1 losses1 hell1 or sin1 can decree against you4 ,it is good that your crosses will but convoy you to heaven's gates3 in1 they cannot go2 the gates shall be closed upon them1 when ye shall be admitted to the throne4 ,time standeth not still1 eternity is hard at our door4 ,oh1 what is laid up for you6 therefore1 harden your face against the wind4 ,and the ,lamb1 your ,husband1 is making ready for you4 ,the ,bridegroom would fain have that day1 as gladly as your ,honour would wish to have it4 ,he hath not forgotten you4 ,i have heard a rumour of the prelates' purpose to banish me4 ,but let it come1 if ,god so will3 the other side of the sea is my ,father's ground1 as well as this side4 ,i owe bowing to ,god1 but no servile bowing to crosses3 ,i have been but too soft in that4 ,i am comforted that#cdc ,i am persuaded fully1 that ,christ is halfer with me in this well-born and honest cross2 and if ,he claim right to the best half of my troubles 7as ,i know ,he doth to the whole71 ,i shall remit over to ,christ what ,i shall do in this case4 ,i know certainly1 that my ,lord ,jesus will not mar nor spill my sufferings2 ,he hath use for them in ,his house4 #cdc ,in having this persuasion4 ,oh1 what it worketh on me to remember that a stranger1 who cometh not in by the door1 shall build hay and stubble upon the golden foundation which ,i laid amongst that people at ,anwoth6 ,but ,i know that ,providence looketh not asquint1 but looketh straight out1 and through all men's darkness4 ,oh that ,i could wait upon the ,lord6 ,i had but one eye1 one joy1 one delight1 even to preach ,christ2 and my mother's sons were angry at me1 and have put out the poor man's one eye1 and what have ,i behind8 ,i am sure that this sour world hath lost my heart deservedly2 but oh that there were a daysman to lay his hands upon us both1 and determine upon my part of it4 ,alas1 that innocent and lovely truth should be sold6 ,my tears are little worth1 but yet for this thing ,i weep4 ,i weep1 alas1 that my fair and lovely ,lord ,jesus should be miskent in ,his own house6 ,it reckoneth little of five hundred the like of me2 yet the water goeth not over faith's breath4#cdd ,yet our ,king liveth4 #cdd ,it is of little consequence what hundreds like me feel2 yet1 at the same time1 ,i can say that faith is not drowned in me4 ,i write the prisoner's blessings3 the good-will1 and long-lasting kindness1 with the comforts of the very ,god of peace1 be to your ,ladyship1 and to your sweet child4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,your ,honour's1 at all obedience1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #e1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxxi4--,to the ,right ,honourable my ,,lord ,,lindsay4 ,,john1 ,,tenth ,,lord ,,lindsay1 resided at ,byres1 a house near ,balgonie1 which in old charters is mentioned along with ,pitcruvie as belonging to the ,lindsays4 ,he was the son of ,robert1 ninth ,lord ,lindsay1 by his wife ,lady ,christian ,hamilton1 eldest daughter of ,thomas1 first ,earl of ,haddington4 7,see ,letter ,,lxxvii47 ,he was born about #aeif1 and was created ,earl of ,lindsay1 #hth ,may #afcc4 ,on the #bcrd of ,july #afdd he was constituted ,lord ,high ,treasurer of ,scotland2 and on the forfeiture of ,ludovick1 ,earl of ,crawford1 he had the title and estate of that nobleman conferred on him by ,act of ,parliament1 #bfth ,july the same year1 so that he was thereafter designed ,earl of ,crawford and ,lindsay4 ,having entered with zeal into the ,engagement for raising an army to attempt the rescue of the ,king in #afdh1 he was deprived of his offices by the ,act of ,classes1 and excluded from ,parliament till ,king ,charles ,,ii4 came to ,scotland in #afej1 when a coalition of parties took place4 ,for the same reason1 he fell under a censure of the church2 but was restored in ,july #afej4 ,on the ,restoration1 he was reinstated in his offices of ,high ,treasurer of ,scotland and ,extraordinary ,lord of ,session4 ,he warmly opposed the ,act ,rescissory1 annulling all the ,parliaments since #afcc1 as a terrible precedent1 destroying the whole security of government4 ,in #afcc1 scrupling to take the declaration1 he resigned his situation as ,lord ,high ,treasurer for ,scotland4 ,next year he gave up his place of ,extraordinary ,lord of ,session1 and retired to his country seat4 ,he was a man of great virtue1 of good abilities1 and of an exemplary life in all respects4 ,he died at ,tyninghame in #afgf1 aged about eighty 7,douglas' ,peerage74 ,rutherford's treatise1 entitled ,a ,peaceable and ,temperate ,plea for ,paul's ,presbytery in ,scotland1 printed at ,london in #afdb1 is dedicated to this nobleman4 7,,the ,,church',s ,,desolations--,,the ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,world1 ,,and ,,christ',s ,,coming--,,his ,,attractiveness47 ,,right ,,honourable ,,and ,,my ,,very ,,good ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to your ,lordship4--,pardon my boldness to express myself to your ,lordship at this so needful a time1 when your wearied and friendless mother-kirk is looking round about her1 to see if any of her sons doth really bemoan her desolation4 ,therefore1 my dear and worthy ,lord1 ,i beseech you in the bowels of ,christ1 pity that widow-like sister and spouse of ,christ4 ,i know that her ,husband is not dead1 but ,he seemeth to be in another country1 and seeth well1 and beholdeth who are ,his true and tender-hearted friends1 who dare venture under the water to bring out to dry land sinking truth2 and who of the nobles will cast up their arm1 to ward a blow off the crowned head of our royal ,lawgiver who reigneth in ,zion1 who will plead and contend for ,jacob in the day of his controversy4 ,it is now time1 my worthy and noble ,lord1 for you who are the little nurse-fathers1 under our sovereign prince1 to put on courage for the ,lord ,jesus1 and to take up a fallen orphan1 speaking out of the dust1 and to embrace in your arms ,christ's ,bride4 ,he hath no more in ,scotland that is the delight of ,his eyes1 than that one little sister1 whose breasts were once well-fashioned4 ,she once ravished her ,well-beloved with her eyes1 and overcame ,him with her beauty3 ,she looked forth as the morning1 fair as the moon1 clear as the sun1 terrible as an army with banners3 her stature was like the palm-tree1 and her breasts like clusters of grapes1 and she held the ,king in the galleries 7,cant4 iv4 #i2 vi4 #aj2 vii4 #e1 #g74 ,but now the crown is fallen from her head1 and her gold waxed dim1 and our white ,nazarites are become black as the coal4 ,blessed are they who will come out and help ,christ against the mighty6 ,the shields of the earth and the nobles are debtors to ,christ for their honour1 and should bring their glory and honour to the ,new ,jerusalem 7,rev4 xxi4 #bd74 ,alas1 that great men should be so far from subjecting themselves to the sweet yoke of ,christ1 that they burst ,his bonds asunder1 and think they dow not go on foot when ,christ is on horseback1 and that every nod of ,christ1 commanding as ,king1 is a load like a mountain of iron4 ,and1 therefore1 they say1 ,this man shall not reign over us2 we must have another king than ,christ in ,his own house4 ,therefore1 kneel to ,christ1 and kiss the ,son1 and let ,him have your ,lordship's vote1 as your alone ,lawgiver4 ,i am sure that when you leave the old waste inn of this perishing life1 and shall reckon with your host1 and depart hence1 and take shipping1 and make over for eternity1 which is the yonder side of time 7and a sand-glass of threescore short years is running out71 to look over your shoulder then to that which ye have done1 spoken1 and suffered for ,christ1 ,his dear ,bride that ,he ransomed with that blood which is more precious than gold1 and for truth1 and the freedom of ,christ's kingdom1 your accounts will more sweetly smile and laugh upon you than if you had two worlds of gold to leave to your posterity4 ,o my dear ,lord1 consider that our ,master1 eternity1 and judgment1 and the ,last ,reckoning1 will be upon us in the twinkling of an eye4 ,the blast of the last trumpet1 now hard at hand1 will cry down all ,acts of ,parliament1 all the determinations of pretended assemblies1 against ,christ our ,lawgiver4 ,there will be shortly a proclamation by ,one standing in the clouds1 that time shall be no more1 and that courts with kings of clay shall be no more2 and prisons1 confinements1 forfeitures of nobles1 wrath of kings1 hazard of lands1 houses1 and name1 for ,christ1 shall be no more4 ,this world's span-length of time is drawn now to less than half an inch1 and to the point of the evening of the day of this old gray-haired world4 ,and1 therefore1 be fixed and fast for ,christ and ,his truth for a time2 and fear not him whose life goeth out at his nostrils1 who shall die as a man4 ,i am persuaded ,christ is responsal and law-biding1 to make recompense for anything that is hazarded or given out for ,him4 ,losses for ,christ are but our goods given out in bank1 in ,christ's hand4 ,kings earthly are well-favoured little clay-gods1 time's idols2 but a sight of our invisible ,king shall decry and darken all the glory of this world4 ,at the day of ,christ1 truth shall be truth1 and not treason4 ,alas6 it is pitiful that silence1 when the thatch of our ,lord's house hath taken fire1 is now the flower and bloom of court and state wisdom2 and to cast a covering over a good profession 7as if it blushed at the light71 is thought a canny and sure way through this life4 ,but the safest way1 ,i am persuaded1 is to tine and win with ,christ1 and to hazard fairly for ,him2 for heaven is but a company of noble venturers for ,christ4 ,i dare hazard my soul1 that ,christ will grow green1 and blossom like the ,rose of ,sharon yet in ,scotland1 howbeit now ,his leaf seemeth to wither1 and ,his root to dry up4 ,your noble ancestors have been enrolled amongst the worthies of this nation1 as the sure friends of the ,bridegroom1 and valiant for ,christ3 ,i hope that you will follow on to come to the streets for the same ,lord4 ,the world is still at yea and nay with ,christ4 ,it shall be your glory1 and the sure foundation of your house 7now when houses are tumbling down1 and birds building their nests1 and thorns and briers are growing up1 where nobles did spread a table71 if you engage your estate and nobility for this noble ,king ,jesus1 with whom the created powers of the world are still in tops4 ,all the world shall fall before ,him1 and 7as ,god liveth67 every arm lifted up to take the crown off ,his royal head1 or that refuseth to hold it on ,his head1 shall be broken from the shoulder-blade4 ,the eyes that behold ,christ weep in sackcloth1 and wallow in ,his blood1 and will not help1 even these eyes shall rot away in their eye-holes4 ,oh1 if ye and the nobles of this land saw the beauty of that world's wonder1 ,jesus our ,king1 and the glory of ,him who is angels' wonder1 and heaven's wonder for excellency6 ,oh1 what would men count of clay estates1 of time-eaten life1 of worm-eaten and moth-eaten worldly glory1 in comparison of that fairest1 fairest of ,god's creation1 the ,son of the ,father's delights6 ,i have but small experience of suffering for ,him2 but let my ,judge and ,witness in heaven lay my soul in the balance of justice1 if ,i find not a young heaven1 and a little paradise of glorious comforts and soul-delighting love-kisses of ,christ1 here beneath the moon1 in suffering for ,him and ,his truth2 and that the glory1 joy1 and peace1 and fire of love1 which ,i thought had been kept whill supper-time1 when we shall get leisure to feast our fill upon ,christ1 ,i have felt in glorious beginnings1 in my bonds for this princely ,lord ,jesus4 ,oh6 it is my sorrow1 my daily pain1 that men will not come and see4 ,i would now be ashamed to believe that it should be possible for any soul to think that he could be a loser for ,christ1 suppose he should lend ,christ the ,lordship of ,lindsay1 or some such great worldly estate4 ,therefore1 my worthy and dear ,lord1 set now your face against the opposites of ,jesus1 and let your soul take courage to come under ,his banner1 to appear1 as ,his soldier1 for ,him2 and the blessings of a falling kirk1 the prayers of the prisoners of hope who wait for ,zion's joy1 and the good-will of ,him who dwelt in ,the ,bush1 and it burned not1 shall be with you4 ,to ,his saving grace ,i recommend your ,lordship and your house2 and am still ,christ's prisoner1 and your ,lordship's obliged servant1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus4 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #g1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxxii4--,to my ,,lord ,,boyd4 7,,seeking ,,christ ,,in ,,youth--,,its ,,temptations--,,christ',s ,,excellence--,,the ,,church',s ,,cause ,,concerns ,,the ,,nobles47 ,,my ,,very ,,honourable ,,and ,,good ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i am glad to hear that you1 in the morning of your short day1 mind ,christ1 and that you love the honour of ,his crown and kingdom4 ,i beseech your ,lordship to begin now to frame your love1 and to cast it in no mould but one1 that it may be for ,christ only2 for when your love is now in the framing and making1 it will take best with ,christ4 ,if any other than ,jesus get a grip of it1 when it is green and young1 ,christ will be an unco and strange world to you4 ,promise the lodging of your soul first away to ,christ1 and stand by your first covenant1 and keep to ,jesus1 that ,he may find you honest4 ,it is easy to master an arrow1 and to set it right1 ere the string be drawn2 but when once it is shot1 and in the air1 and the flight begun1 then ye have no more power at all to command it4 ,it were a blessed thing1 if your love could now level only at ,christ1 that ,his fair face were the black of the mark ye shot at4 ,for when your love is loosed1 and out of your grips1 and in its motion to fetch home an idol1 and hath taken a whorish gadding journey1 to seek an unknown and strange lover1 ye shall not then have power to call home the arrow1 or to be master of your love2 and ye will hardly give ,christ what ye scarcely have yourself4 ,i speak not this1 as if youth itself could fetch heaven and ,christ4 ,believe it1 my ,lord1 it is hardly credible what a nest of dangerous temptations youth is2 how inconsiderate1 foolish1 proud1 vain1 heady1 rash1 profane1 and careless of ,god1 this piece of your life is2 so that the devil findeth in that age a garnished and well-swept house for himself1 and seven devils worse than himself4 ,for then affections are on horseback1 lofty and stirring2 then the old man hath blood1 lust1 much will1 and little wit1 and hands1 feet1 wanton eyes1 profane ears1 as his servants1 and as a king's officers at command1 to come and go at his will4 ,then a green conscience is as supple as the twig of a young tree4 ,it is for every way1 every religion2 every lewd course prevaileth with it4 ,and1 therefore1 oh1 what a sweet couple1 what a glorious yoke1 are youth and grace1 ,christ and a young man6 ,this is a meeting not to be found in every town4 ,none who have been at ,christ can bring back to your ,lordship a report answerable to ,his worth2 for ,christ cannot be spoken of1 or commended according to ,his worth4 ,come and see1 is the most faithful messenger to speak of ,him3 little persuasion would prevail where this was4 ,it is impossible1 in the setting out of ,christ's love1 to lie and pass over truth's line4 ,the discourses of angels1 or love-books written by the congregation of seraphim 7all their wits being conjoined and melted into one71 would for ever be in the nether side of truth1 and of plentifully declaring the thing as it is4 ,the infiniteness1 the boundlessness of that incomparable excellency that is in ,jesus1 is a great word4 ,god send me1 if it were but the relics and leavings1 or an ounce-weight or two1 of ,his matchless love2 and suppose ,i never got another heaven 7provided this blessed fire were evermore burning71 ,i could not but be happy for ever4 ,come hither1 then1 and give out your money wisely for bread2 come hither1 and bestow your love4 ,i have cause to speak this1 because1 except you possess and enjoy ,christ1 ye will be a cold friend to ,his spouse2 for it is love to the husband that causeth kindness to the wife4 ,i dare swear it were a blessing to your house1 the honour of your honour1 the flower of your credit1 now in your place1 and as far as ye are able1 to lend your hand to your weeping mother1 even your oppressed and spoiled mother-kirk4 ,if ye love her1 and bestir yourself for her1 and hazard the ,lordship of ,boyd for the recovery of her vail1 which the smiting watchmen have taken from her1 then surely her ,husband will scorn to sleep in your common1 or reverence4 ,bits of lordships are little to ,him who hath many crowns on ,his head1 and the kingdoms of the world in the hollow of ,his hand4 ,court1 glory1 honour1 riches1 stability of houses1 favour of princes1 are all on ,his finger-ends4 ,oh what glory were it to lend your honour to ,christ1 and to ,his ,jerusalem6 ,ye are one of ,zion's born sons2 your honourable and ,christian parents would venture you upon ,christ's errands4 ,therefore1 ,i beseech you1 by the mercies of ,god1 by the death and wounds of ,jesus1 by the hope of your glorious inheritance1 and by the comfort and hope of the joyful presence ye would have at the water-side1 when ye are putting your foot in the dark grave1 take courage for ,christ's truth1 and the honour of ,his free kingdom4 ,for1 howbeit ye be a young flower1 and green before the sun1 ye know not how soon death will cause you cast your bloom1 and wither root1 and branch1 and leaves2 and1 therefore1 write up what ye have to do for ,christ1 and make a treasure of good works1 and begin in time4 ,by appearance ye have the advantage of the brae4 ,see what ye can do for ,christ1 against those who are waiting whill ,christ's tabernacle fall1 that they may run away with the boards thereof1 and build their nests on ,zion's ruins4 ,they are blind who see not louns now pulling up the stakes1 and breaking the cords1 and rending the curtains of ,christ's sometime beautiful tent in this land4 ,antichrist is lifting that tent up upon his shoulders1 and going away with it2 and when ,christ and the ,gospel are out of ,scotland1 dream not that your houses shall thrive1 and that it will go well with the nobles of the land4 ,as the ,lord liveth6 the streams of your waters shall become pitch1 and the dust of your land brimstone1 and your land shall become burning pitch1 and the owl and the raven shall dwell in your houses2 and where your table stood1 there shall grow briers and nettles 7,isa4 xxxiv4 #i1 #aa74 ,the ,lord gave ,christ and ,his ,gospel as a pawn to ,scotland4 ,the watchmen have fallen foul1 and lost their part of the pawn2 and who seeth not1 that ,god hath dried up their right eye1 and their right arm1 and hath broken the shepherds' staves1 and that men are trading in their hearts upon such unsavoury salt1 that is good for nothing else6 ,if ye1 the nobles1 put away the pawn also1 and refuse to plead the controversy of ,zion with the professed enemies of ,jesus1 ye have done with it4 ,oh6 where is the courage and zeal now of the ancient nobles of this land1 who with their swords1 and hazard of life1 honour1 and houses1 brought ,christ to our hands8 ,and now the nobles cannot but be guilty of shouldering out ,christ1 and of murdering the souls of their posterity1 if they shall hide themselves1 and lurk in the lee-side of the hill1 till the wind blow down the temple of ,god4 ,it goeth now under the name of wisdom1 for men to cast their cloak over ,christ and their profession2 as if ,christ were stolen goods1 and durst not be avouched4 ,though this be reputed a piece of policy1 yet ,god esteemeth such men to be but state fools and court gowks1#cde whatever they1 or other heads-of-wit#cdf like to them1 think of themselves2 since their damnable silence is the ruin of ,christ's kingdom4 ,oh1 but it be true honour and glory to be the fast friends of the ,bridegroom1 and to own ,christ's bleeding head1 and ,his forsaken cause1 and to contend legally1 and in the wisdom of ,god1 for our sweet ,lord ,jesus1 and ,his kingly crown6 ,but ,i will believe that your ,lordship will take ,christ's honour to heart1 and be a man in the streets 7as the prophet speaketh7 7,jer4 v4 #a7 for the ,lord and ,his truth4 ,to ,his rich grace and sweet presence1 and the everlasting consolation of the promised ,comforter1 ,i recommend your ,lordship1 and am your ,lordship's1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #g1 #afcg4 #cde ,dunces4 #cdf ,wiseacres4 ,,ccxxxiii4--,to his ,worthy and much ,honoured ,friend ,,fulk ,,ellis4 ,,fulk ,,ellis was the eldest son of ,major ,edmond ,ellis of ,carrickfergus1 an ,english colonist4 ,edmond was a man of distinguished piety1 and a zealous ,covenanter4 ,through all the difficulties and vicissitudes of those trying times1 says ,dr4 ,reid1 he was a consistent ,presbyterian1 and a truly eminent ,christian4 ,several of his devout sayings on his death-bed 7he died #aath ,june #afea7 have been preserved4 ,fulk also followed the military profession1 in which he held the rank of captain1 and embarked in the same cause with his father4 ,he and his company 7who were all from ,ireland7 joined the ,scottish force in resisting the arms of ,charles in #afdj1 and were at the battle of ,newburn4 ,he shared in the supplies forwarded to the different companies of the army from their parishes in ,scotland4 ,he returned to ,ireland after the rebellion2 and was captain and major in ,sir ,john ,clotworthy's regiment of foot1 and is believed to have fallen in action near ,desert-martin1 in the county of ,derry1 in ,september #afdc4 ,his descendants1 of the same name1 still reside at ,carrickfergus 7,reid's ,hist4 of ,presbyt4 ,ch474 7,,friends ,,in ,,ireland--,,difficulties ,,in ,,providence--,,unfaithfulness ,,to ,,light--,,constant ,,need ,,of ,,christ47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,much ,,honoured ,,in ,,our ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4 #a4 ,i am glad of our more than paper acquaintance4 ,seeing we have one ,father1 it reckoneth the less1 though we never see one another's face4 ,i profess myself most unworthy to follow the camp of such a worthy and renowned ,captain as ,christ4 ,oh1 alas6 ,i have cause to be grieved1 that men expect anything of such a wretched man as ,i am4 ,it is a wonder to me1 if ,christ can make anything of my naughty1 short1 and narrow love to ,him2 surely it is not worth the uptaking4 #b4 ,as for our lovely and beloved church in ,ireland1 my heart bleedeth for her desolation2 but ,i believe that our ,lord is only lopping the vine-trees1 but not intending to cut them down1 or root them out4 ,it is true 7seeing we are heart-atheists by nature1 and cannot take providence aright1 because we halt and crook ever since we fell71 we dream of a halting providence2 as if ,god's yard1 whereby ,he measureth joy and sorrow to the sons of men1 were crooked and unjust1 because servants ride on horseback1 and princes go on foot4 ,but our ,lord dealeth good and evil1 and some one portion or other to both1 by ounce-weights1 and measureth them in a just and even balance4 ,it is but folly to measure the ,gospel by summer or winter weather3 the summer-sun of the saints shineth not on them in this life4 ,how should we have complained1 if the ,lord had turned the same providence that we now stomach at upside down1 and had ordered matters thus1 that first the saints should have enjoyed heaven1 glory1 and ease1 and then ,methuselah's days of sorrow and daily miseries8 ,we would think a short heaven no heaven4 ,certainly ,his ways pass finding out4 #c4 ,ye complain of the evil of heart-atheism3 but it is to a greater atheist than any man can be1 that ye write of that4 ,oh1 light findeth not that reverence and fear which a plant of ,god's setting should find in our soul6 ,how do we by nature1 as others1 detain and hold captive the truth of ,god in unrighteousness1 and so make ,god's light a bound prisoner8 ,and even when the prisoner breaketh the jail1 and cometh out in belief of a ,godhead1 and in some practice of holy obedience1 how often do we1 of new1 lay hands on the prisoner1 and put our light again in fetters8 ,certainly there cometh great mist and clouds from the lower part of our souls1 our earthly affections1 to the higher part1 which is our conscience1 either natural or renewed3 as smoke in a lower house breaketh up1 and defileth the house above4 ,if we had more practice of obedience1 we should have more sound light4 ,i think1 lay aside all other guiltiness1 that this one1 the violence done to ,god's candle in our soul1 were a sufficient dittay against us4 ,there is no helping of this but by striving to stand in awe of ,god's light4 ,left light tells tales of us we desire little to hear2 but since it is not without ,god that light sitteth neighbour to will 7a lawless lord71 no marvel that such a neighbour should leaven our judgment1 and darken our light4 ,i see there is a necessity that we protest against the doings of the ,old ,man1 and raise up a party against our worst half1 to accuse1 condemn1 sentence1 and with sorrow bemoan1 the dominion of sin's kingdom2 and withal make law1 in the ,new ,covenant1 against our guiltiness4 ,for ,christ once condemned sin in the flesh1 and we are to condemn it over again4 ,and if there had not been such a thing as the grace of ,jesus1 ,i should have long since given up with heaven1 and with the expectation to see ,god4 ,but grace1 grace1 free grace1 the merits of ,christ for nothing1 white and fair1 and large ,saviour-mercy 7which is another sort of thing than creature-mercy1 or ,law-mercy1 yea1 a thousand degrees above angel-mercy71 have been1 and must be1 the rock that we drowned souls must swim to4 ,new washing1 renewed application of purchased redemption1 by that sacred blood that sealeth the free ,covenant1 is a thing of daily and hourly use to a poor sinner4 ,till we be in heaven1 our issue of blood shall not be quite dried up2 and1 therefore1 we must resolve to apply peace to our souls from the new and living way2 and ,jesus1 who cleanseth and cureth the leprous soul1 lovely ,jesus1 must be our song on this side of heaven's gates4 ,and even when we have won the castle1 then must we eternally sing1 ,worthy1 worthy is the ,lamb1 who hath saved us1 and washed us in ,his own blood4 ,i would counsel all the ransomed ones to learn this song1 and to drink and be drunk with the love of ,jesus4 ,o fairest1 ,o highest1 ,o loveliest ,one1 open the well6 ,oh1 water the burnt and withered travellers with this love of ,thine6 ,i think it is possible on earth to build a young ,new ,jerusalem1 a little new heaven1 of this surpassing love4 ,god either send me more of this love1 or take me quickly over the water1 where ,i may be filled with ,his love4 ,my softness cannot take with want4 ,i profess ,i bear not hunger of ,christ's love fair4 ,i know not if ,i play foul play with ,christ1 but ,i would have a link of that chain of ,his providence mended1 in pining and delaying the hungry on-waiters4 ,for myself1 ,i could wish that ,christ would let out upon me more of that love4 ,yet to say ,christ is a niggard to me1 ,i dare not2 and if ,i say ,i have abundance of ,his love1 ,i should lie4 ,i am half straitened#cdg to complain1 and cry1 ,lord ,jesus1 hold ,thy hand no longer4 #cdg ,constrained2 perhaps ,luke xii4 #ej was in his thoughts4 ,worthy ,sir1 let me have your prayers1 in my bonds4 ,grace be with you1 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #g1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxxiv4--,to ,,james ,,lindsay 7a friend of ,r4 ,blair and other ministers74 ,we have no means of ascertaining who this correspondent was4 7,,desertions1 ,,their ,,use--,,prayers ,,of ,,reprobates1 ,,and ,,how ,,the ,,gospel ,,affects ,,their ,,responsibility47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,the constant and daily observing of ,god's going alongst with you1 in ,his coming1 going1 ebbing1 flowing1 embracing and kissing1 glooming and striking1 giveth me 7a witless and lazy observer of the ,lord's way and working7 a heavy stroke4 ,could ,i keep sight of ,him1 and know when ,i want1 and carry as became me in that condition1 ,i would bless my case4 ,but #a4 ,for desertions4 ,i think them like lying lea of lean and weak land for some years1 whill it gather sap for a better crop4 ,it is possible to gather gold1 where it may be had1 with moonlight4 ,oh1 if ,i could but creep one foot1 or half a foot1 nearer in to ,jesus1 in such a dismal night as that when ,he is away1 ,i should think it an happy absence6 #b4 ,if ,i knew that the ,beloved were only gone away for trial1 and further humiliation1 and not smoked out of the house with new provocations1 ,i would forgive desertions and hold my peace at ,his absence4 ,but ,christ's bought absence 7that ,i bought with my sin71 is two running boils at once1 one upon each side2 and what side then can ,i lie on8 #c4 ,i know that1 as night and shadows are good for flowers1 and moonlight and dews are better than a continual sun1 so is ,christ's absence of special use1 and that it hath some nourishing virtue in it1 and giveth sap to humility1 and putteth an edge on hunger1 and furnisheth a fair field to faith to put forth itself1 and to exercise its fingers in gripping it seeth not what4 #d4 ,it is mercy's wonder1 and grace's wonder1 that ,christ will lend a piece of the lodging1 and a back-chamber beside ,himself1 to our lusts2 and that ,he and such swine should keep house together in our soul4 ,for1 suppose they couch and contract themselves into little room when ,christ cometh in1 and seem to lie as dead under ,his feet1 yet they often break out again2 and a foot of the ,old ,man1 or a leg or arm nailed to ,christ's cross1 looseth the nail1 or breaketh out again6 ,and yet ,christ1 beside this unruly and misnurtured neighbour1 can still be making heaven in the saints1 one way or other4 ,may ,i not say1 ,lord ,jesus1 what doest ,thou here8 ,yet here ,he must be4 ,but ,i will not lose my feet to go on into this depth and wonder2 for free mercy and infinite merits took a lodging to ,christ and us beside such a loathsome guest as sin4 #e4 ,sanctification and mortification of our lusts are the hardest part of ,christianity4 ,it is in a manner1 as natural to us to leap when we see the ,new ,jerusalem1 as to laugh when we are tickled3 joy is not under command1 or at our nod1 when ,christ kisseth4 ,but oh1 how many of us would have ,christ divided into two halves1 that we might take the half of ,him only6 ,we take ,his office1 ,jesus1 and ,salvation3 but ,lord is a cumbersome word1 and to obey and work out our own salvation1 and to perfect holiness1 is the cumbersome and stormy north-side of ,christ1 and that which we eschew and shift4 #f4 ,for your question1 the access that reprobates have to ,christ 7which is none at all1 for to the ,father in ,christ neither can they1 nor will they come1 because ,christ died not for them2 and yet1 by law1 ,god and justice overtaketh them71 ,i say1 first1 there are with you more worthy and learned than ,i am1 ,messrs4 ,dickson1 ,blair1 and ,hamilton1 who can more fully satisfy you4 ,but ,i shall speak in brief what ,i think of it in these assertions4 ,first1 ,all ,god's justice toward man and angels floweth from an act of absolute sovereign free-will of ,god1 who is our ,former and ,potter1 and we are but clay2 for if ,he had forbidden to eat of the rest of the trees of the garden of ,eden1 and commanded ,adam to eat of the ,tree of ,knowledge of ,good and ,evil1 that command no doubt had been as just as this1--,eat of all the trees1 but not at all of the ,tree of ,knowledge of ,good and ,evil4 ,the reason is1 because ,his will is before ,his justice1 by order of nature2 and what is ,his will is ,his justice4 ,and ,he willeth not things without ,himself because they are just2 ,god cannot1 ,god needeth not hunt sanctity1 holiness1 or righteousness from things without ,himself1 and so not from the actions of men or angels2 because ,his will is essentially holy and just1 and the prime rule of holiness and justice1 as the fire is naturally light1 and inclineth upward1 and the earth heavy1 and inclineth downward4 ,the second assertion1 then1 that ,god saith to reprobates1 ,believe in ,christ 7who hath not died for your salvation71 and ye shall be saved1 is just and right2 because ,his eternal and essentially just will hath so enacted and decreed4 ,suppose natural reason speak against this1 this is the deep and special mystery of the ,gospel4 ,god hath obliged1 hard and fast1 all the reprobates of the visible church to believe this promise1 ,he that believeth shall be saved3 and yet1 in ,god's decree and secret intention1 there is no salvation at all decreed and intended to reprobates4 ,and yet the obligation of ,god1 being from ,his sovereign free-will1 is most just1 as is said in the first assertion4 ,third assertion3 ,the righteous ,lord hath right over the reprobates and all reasonable creatures that violate ,his commandments4 ,this is easy4 ,fourth assertion3 ,the faith that ,god seeketh of reprobates1 is1 that they rely upon ,christ1 as despairing of their own righteousness1 leaning wholly1 and withal humbly1 as weary and laden1 upon ,christ1 as on the resting-stone laid in ,zion4 ,but ,he seeketh not that1 without being weary of their sin1 they rely upon ,christ1 as mankind's ,saviour2 for to rely on ,christ1 and not to be weary of sin1 is presumption1 not faith4 ,faith is ever neighbour to a contrite spirit2 and it is impossible that faith can be where there is not a cast-down and contrite heart1 in some measure1 for sin4 ,now it is certain1 that ,god commandeth no man to presume4 ,fifth assertion3 ,then reprobates are not absolutely obliged to believe that ,christ died for them in particular4 ,for1 in truth1 neither reprobates nor others are obliged to believe a lie2 only1 they are obliged to believe that ,christ died for them1 if they be first weary1 burdened1 sin-sick1 and condemned in their own consciences1 and stricken dead and killed with the ,law's sentence1 and have indeed embraced ,him as offered2 which is a second and subsequent act of faith1 following after a coming to ,him and a closing with ,him4 ,sixth assertion3 ,reprobates are not formally guilty of contempt of ,god1 and misbelief1 because they apply not ,christ and the promises of the ,gospel to themselves in particular2 for so they should be guilty because they believe not a lie1 which ,god never obliged them to believe4 ,seventh assertion3 ,justice hath a right to punish reprobates1 because out of pride of heart1 confiding in their own righteousness1 they rely not upon ,christ as a ,saviour of all them that come to ,him4 ,this ,god may justly oblige them unto1 because in ,adam they had perfect ability to do2 and men are guilty because they love their own inability1 and rest upon themselves1 and refuse to deny their own righteousness1 and to take them to ,christ1 in whom there is righteousness for wearied sinners4 ,eighth assertion3 ,it is one thing to rely1 lean1 and rest upon ,christ1 in humility and weariness of spirit1 and denying our own righteousness1 believing ,him to be the only righteousness of wearied sinners2 and it is another thing to believe that ,christ died for me1 ,john1 ,thomas1 ,anna1 upon an intention and decree to save us by name4 ,for1 #ast1 ,the first goeth first1 the latter is always after in due order2 #bndly1 ,the first is faith1 the second is a fruit of faith2 and1 #crdly1 ,the first obligeth reprobates and all men in the visible kirk1 the latter obligeth only the weary and laden1 and so only the elect and effectually called of ,god4 ,ninth assertion3 ,it is a vain order2 ,i know not if ,christ died for me1 ,john1 ,thomas1 ,anna1 by name2 and1 therefore1 ,i dare not rely on ,him4 ,the reason is1 because it is not faith to believe ,god's intention and decree of election at the first1 ere ye be wearied4 ,look first to your intention and soul4 ,if ye find sin a burden1 and can and do rest1 under that burden1 upon ,christ2 if this be once1 now come and believe in particular1 or rather apply by sense 7for1 in my judgment1 it is a fruit of belief1 not belief71 and feeling the goodwill1 intention1 and gracious purpose of ,god anent your salvation4 ,hence1 because there is malice in reprobates1 and contempt of ,christ1 guilty they are1 and justice hath law against them1 and 7which is the mystery7 they cannot come up to ,christ1 because ,he died not for them4 ,but their sin is1 that they love their inability to come to ,christ2 and he who loveth his chains1 deserveth chains4 ,and thus in short4 ,remember my bonds4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #g1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxxv4--,to my ,,lord ,,craighall4 7,,fear ,,god1 ,,not ,,man--,,sign ,,of ,,backsliding47 ,,my ,,lord1--,i cannot expound your ,lordship's contrary tides1 and these temptations wherewith ye are assaulted1 to be any other thing than ,christ trying you1 and saying unto you1 ,and will ye also leave ,me8 ,i am sure that ,christ hath a great advantage against you1 if ye play foul play to ,him1 in that the ,holy ,spirit hath done ,his part1 in evidencing to your conscience that this is the way of ,christ1 wherein ye shall have peace2 and the other1 as sure as ,god liveth1 is the ,antichrist's way4 ,therefore1 as ye fear ,god1 fear your light1 and stand in awe of a convincing conscience4 ,it is far better for your ,lordship to keep your conscience1 and to hazard in such an honourable cause your place1 than wilfully1 and against your light1 to come under guiltiness4 ,kings cannot heal broken consciences2 and when death and judgment shall comprise your soul1 your counsellors1 and others1 cannot become caution to justice for you4 ,ere it be long1 our ,lord will put a final determination to ,acts of ,parliament1 and men's laws1 and will clear you1 before men and angels1 of men's unjust sentences4 ,ye receive honour1 and place1 and authority1 and riches1 and reputation from your ,lord1 to set forward and advance the liberties and freedom of ,christ's kingdom4 ,men1 whose consciences are made of stoutness1 think little of such matters1 which1 notwithstanding1 encroach directly upon ,christ's prerogative-royal4 ,so would men think it a light matter for ,uzzah to put out his hand to hold the ,lord's falling ark2 but it cost him his life4 ,and who doubteth but a carnal friend will advise you to shut your window1 and pray beneath your breath4 ,ye make too great a din with your prayers2 so would a head-of-wit speak1 if ye were in ,daniel's place4 ,but men's over-gilded reasons will not help you1 when your conscience is like to rive with a double charge4 ,alas1 alas6 when will this world learn to submit their wisdom to the wisdom of ,god8 ,i am sure that your ,lordship hath found the truth4 ,go not then to search for it over again2 for it is common for men to make doubts1 when they have a mind to desert the truth4 ,kings are not their own men2 their ways are in ,god's hand4 ,i rejoice1 and am glad1 that ye resolve to walk with ,christ1 howbeit ,his court be thin4 ,grace be with your ,lordship4 ,your ,lordship's1 in his sweet ,master and ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #g1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxxvi4--,to ,,mr4 ,,james ,,hamilton4 ,letter ,,ccxv4 7,,christ',s ,,glory ,,not ,,affected ,,by ,,his ,,people',s ,,weakness47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,peace be to you from ,god our ,father1 and from our ,lord ,jesus4--,i am laid low1 when ,i remember what ,i am1 and that my outside casteth such a lustre when ,i find so little within4 ,it is a wonder that ,christ's glory is not defiled1 running through such an unclean and impure channel4 ,but ,i see that ,christ will be ,christ1 in the dreg and refuse of men4 ,his art1 ,his shining wisdom1 ,his beauty1 speak loudest in blackness1 weakness1 deadness1 yea1 in nothing4 ,i see nothing1 no money1 no worth1 no good1 no life1 no deserving1 is the ground that ,omnipotency delighteth to draw glory out of4 ,oh1 how sweet is the inner side of the walls of ,christ's house1 and a room beside ,himself6 ,my distance from ,him maketh me sad4 ,oh that we were in other's arms6 ,oh that the middle things betwixt us were removed6 ,i find it a difficult matter to keep all stots with ,christ4 ,when ,he laugheth1 ,i scarce believe it1 ,i would so fain have it true4 ,but ,i am like a low man looking up to a high mountain1 whom weariness and fainting overcometh4 ,i would climb up1 but ,i find that ,i do not advance in my journey as ,i would wish2 yet ,i trust that ,he will take me home against night4 ,i marvel not that ,antichrist1 in his slaves1 is so busy3 but our crowned ,king seeth and beholdeth1 and will arise for ,zion's safety4 ,i am exceedingly distracted with letters1 and company that visit me2 what ,i can do1 or time will permit1 ,i shall not omit4 ,excuse my brevity1 for ,i am straitened4 ,remember the ,lord's prisoner3 ,i desire to be mindful of you4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #g1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxxvii4--,to the ,,laird ,,of ,,gaitgirth4 ,letter ,,clxxxvii4 7,,truth ,,worth ,,suffering ,,for--,,light ,,sown1 ,,but ,,evil ,,in ,,this ,,world ,,till ,,christ ,,come47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i can do no more than thank you on paper1 and remember you to ,him whom ,i serve1 for kindness and care of a prisoner4 ,i bless the ,lord1 that the cause ,i suffer for needeth not to blush before kings3 ,christ's white1 honest1 and fair truth needeth neither to wax pale for fear1 nor to blush for shame4 ,i bless the ,lord1 who hath graced you to own ,christ now1 when so many are afraid to profess ,him1 and hide ,him1 for fear they suffer loss by avouching ,him4 ,alas1 that so many in these days are carried with the times6 ,as if their conscience rolled upon oiled wheels1 so do they go any way the wind bloweth them2 and1 because ,christ is not market-sweet1 men put ,him away from them4 ,worthy and much honoured ,sir1 go on to own ,christ1 and ,his oppressed truth3--the end of sufferings for the ,gospel1 is rest and gladness4 ,light and joy are sown for the mourners in ,zion1 and the harvest 7which is of ,god's making1 for time and manner7 is near4 ,crosses have right and claim to ,christ in ,his members1 till legs and arms1 and whole mystical ,christ1 be in heaven4 ,there will be rain1 and hail1 and storms1 in the saint's clouds1 ever till ,god cleanse with fire the works of the creation1 and till ,he burn the botch-house of heaven and earth1 that men's sins have subjected unto vanity4 ,they are blessed who suffer and sin not2 for suffering is the badge that ,christ hath put upon ,his followers4 ,take what way we can to heaven1 the way is hedged up with crosses2 there is no way but to break through them4 ,wit and wiles1 shifts and laws1 will not find out a way round the cross of ,christ2 but we must through4 ,one thing1 by experience1 my ,lord hath taught me1 that the waters betwixt this and heaven may all be ridden1 if we be well horsed2 ,i mean1 if we be in ,christ2 and not one shall drown by the way1 but such as love their own destruction4 ,oh1 if we could wait on for a time1 and believe in the dark the salvation of ,god6 ,at least we are to believe good of ,christ1 till ,he gives us the slip 7which is impossible72 and to take ,his word for caution1 that ,he shall fill up all the blanks in ,his promises1 and give us what we want4 ,but to the unbeliever1 ,christ's testament is white1 blank1 unwritten paper4 ,worthy and dear ,sir1 set your face to heaven1 and make you a stoop at all the low entries in the way1 that ye may receive the kingdom as a child4 ,without this 7,he that knew the way said7 there is no entry in4 ,oh1 but ,christ is willing to lead a poor sinner6 ,oh what love my poor soul hath found in ,him1 in the house of my pilgrimage6 ,suppose that love in heaven and earth were lost1 ,i dare swear it may be found in ,christ4 ,now the very ,god of peace establish you1 till the day of the glorious appearance of ,christ4 ,your own1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #g1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxxviii4--,to the ,,lady ,,gaitgirth4 7,,christ ,,an ,,example ,,in ,,bearing ,,crosses--,,the ,,extent ,,to ,,which ,,children ,,should ,,be ,,loved--,,why ,,saints ,,die47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,christian ,,lady1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i long to hear how it goeth with you and your children4 ,i exhort you not to lose breath1 nor to faint in your journey4 ,the way is not so long to your home as it was2 it will wear to one step or an inch at length1 and ye shall come ere long to be within your arm-length of the glorious crown4 ,your ,lord ,jesus did sweat and pant ere ,he got up that mount2 ,he was at ,father1 save ,me6 with it4 ,it was ,he who said1 ,i am poured out like water2 all ,my bones are out of joint4 ,christ was as if they had broken ,him upon the wheel3 ,my heart is like wax1 it is melted in the midst of my bowels4 ,my strength is dried up like a potsherd 7,ps4 xxii4 #ad1 #ae74 ,i am sure ye love the way the better that ,his holy feet trod it before you4 ,crosses have a smell of crossed and pained ,christ4 ,i believe that your ,lord will not leave you to die your lone in the way4 ,i know that ye have sad hours1 when the ,comforter is hid under a vail1 and when ye inquire for ,him1 and find but a toom nest4 ,this1 ,i grant1 is but a cold good-day1 when the seeker misseth ,him whom the soul loveth2 but even ,his unkindness is kind1 ,his absence lovely1 ,his mask a sweet sight1 till ,god send ,christ ,himself1 in ,his own sweet presence4 ,make ,his sweet comforts your own1 and be not strange and shame-faced with ,christ4 ,homely dealing is best for ,him2 it is ,his liking4 ,when your winter storms are over1 the summer of your ,lord shall come4 ,your sadness is with child of joy2 ,he will do you good in the latter end4 ,take no heavier lift of your children than your ,lord alloweth4 ,give them room beside your heart1 but not in the yolk of your heart1 where ,christ should be2 for then they are your idols1 not your bairns4 ,if your ,lord take any of them home to ,his house1 before the storm come on1 take it well4 ,the owner of the orchard may take down two or three apples off his own trees before midsummer1 and ere they get the harvest-sun3 and it would not be seemly that his servant1 the gardener1 should chide him for it4 ,let our ,lord pluck ,his own fruit at any season ,he pleaseth4 ,they are not lost to you2 but are laid up so well as that they are coffered in heaven1 where our ,lord's best jewels lie4 ,they are all free goods that are there2 death can have no law to arrest anything that is within the walls of the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,all the saints1 because of sin1 are like old rusty horologues that must be taken down1 and the wheels scoured and mended1 and set up again in better case than before4 ,sin hath rusted both soul and body3 our dear ,lord by death taketh us down to scour the wheels of both1 and to purge us perfectly from the root and remainder of sin2 and we shall be set up in better case than before4 ,then pluck up your heart2 heaven is yours6 and that is a word which few can say4 ,now1 the great ,shepherd of the sheep1 and the very ,god of peace1 confirm and establish you1 to the day of the appearance of ,christ our ,lord4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #g1 #afcg4 ,,ccxxxix4--,to ,,mr4 ,,matthew ,,mowat4 ,letter ,,cxx4 7,,what ,,am ,i8--,,longing ,,to ,,act ,,for ,,christ--,,unbelief--,,love ,,in ,,the ,,hiding ,,of ,,christ',s ,,face--,,christ',s ,,reproach47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i am refreshed with your letters4 ,i would take all well at my ,lord's hands that ,he hath done1 if ,i knew that ,i could do my ,lord any service in my suffering2 suppose my ,lord would make a stop-hole of me1 to fill a hole in the wall of ,his house1 or a pinning in ,zion's new work4 ,for any place of trust in my ,lord's house1 as steward1 or chamberlain1 or the like1 surely ,i think myself 7my very dear brother1 ,i speak not by any proud figure or trope7 unworthy of it2 nay1 ,i am not worthy to stand behind the door4 ,if my head1 and feet1 and body were half out1 half in1 in ,christ's house1 so that ,i saw the fair face of the ,lord of the house1 it would still my greening and love-sick desires4 ,when ,i hear that the men of ,god are at work1 and speaking in the name of our ,lord ,jesus1 ,i think myself but an outcast1 or outlaw1 chased from the city to lie on the hills1 and live amongst the rocks and out-fields4 ,oh that ,i might but stand in ,christ's out-house1 or hold a candle in any low vault of ,his house6 ,but ,i know this is but the vapours that arise out of a quarrelous and unbelieving heart to darken the wisdom of ,god2 and your fault is just mine1 that ,i cannot believe my ,lord's bare and naked word4 ,i must either have an apple to play me with1 and shake hands with ,christ1 and have seal1 caution1 and witness to ,his word1 or else ,i count myself loose2 howbeit1 ,i have the word and faith of a ,king6 ,oh1 ,i am made of unbelief1 and cannot swim but where my feet may touch the ground6 ,alas6 ,christ under my temptations is presented to me as lying waters1#cdh as a dyvour and a cozener6 ,we can make such a ,christ as temptations1 casting us into a night-dream1 do feign and devise2 and temptations represent ,christ ever unlike ,himself1 and we1 in our folly1 listen to the tempter4 #cdh ,jerem4 xv4 #ah4 ,if ,i could minister one saving word to any1 how glad would my soul be6 ,but ,i myself1 which is the greatest evil1 often mistake the cross of ,christ4 ,for ,i know1 if we had wisdom1 and knew well that ease slayeth us fools1 we would desire a market where we might barter or niffer our lazy ease with a profitable cross2 howbeit there be an outcast natural betwixt our desires and tribulation4 ,but some give a dear price1 and gold1 for physic which they love not1 and buy sickness1 howbeit they wish rather to have been whole than to be sick4 ,but surely1 brother1 ye shall have my advice 7howbeit1 alas6 ,i cannot follow it myself71 not to contend with the honest and faithful ,lord of the house2 for1 go ,he or come ,he1 ,he is aye gracious in ,his departure4 ,there are grace1 and mercy1 and loving-kindness upon ,christ's back parts2 and when ,he goeth away1 the proportion of ,his face1 the image of that fair ,sun that stayeth in eyes1 senses1 and heart1 after ,he is gone1 leaveth a mass of love behind it in the heart4 ,the sound of ,his knock at the door of ,his ,beloved1 after ,he is gone and passed1 leaveth a share of joy and sorrow both4 ,so we have something to feed upon till ,he return3 and ,he is more loved in ,his departure1 and after ,he is gone1 than before1 as the day in the declining of the sun1 and towards the evening1 is often most desired4 ,and as for ,christ's cross1 ,i never received evil of it1 but what was of mine own making3 when ,i miscooked ,christ's physic1 no marvel that it hurt me4 ,for since it was on ,christ's back1 it hath always a sweet smell1 and these #afjj years it keepeth the smell of ,christ4 ,nay1 it is older than that too2 for it is a long time since ,abel first handselled the cross1 and had it laid upon his shoulder2 and down from him1 all alongst to this very day1 all the saints have known what it is4 ,i am glad that ,christ ,jesus hath such a relation to this cross1 and that it is called the cross of our ,lord ,jesus 7,gal4 vi4 #ad71 ,his reproach 7,heb4 xiii4 #ac71 as if ,christ would claim it as ,his proper goods1 and so it cometh into the reckoning among ,christ's own property4 ,if it were simple evil1 as sin is1 ,christ1 who is not the author nor owner of sin1 would not own it4 ,i wonder at the enemies of ,christ 7in whom malice hath run away with wit1 and will is up1 and wit down71 that they would essay to lift up the ,stone laid in ,zion4 ,surely it is not laid in such sinking ground as that they can raise it1 or remove it2 for when we are in their belly1 and they have swallowed us down1 they will be sick1 and spue us out again4 ,i know that ,zion and her ,husband cannot both sleep at once2 ,i believe that our ,lord once again will water with ,his dew the withered hill of ,mount ,zion in ,scotland1 and come down1 and make a new marriage again1 as ,he did long since4 ,remember our ,covenant4 ,your excuse for your advice to me is needless4 ,alas6 many sit beside light1 as sick folks beside meat1 and cannot make use of it4 ,grace be with you4 ,your brother in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #g1 #afcg4 ,,ccxl4--,to ,,mr4 ,,john ,,meine1 ,jun4 ,see ,letter ,,lxxxi4 7,,christ ,,the ,,same--,,youthful ,,sins--,,no ,,dispensing ,,with ,,crosses47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,i received your letter4 ,i cannot but testify under mine own hand1 that ,christ is still the longer the better1 and that this time is the time of loves4 ,when ,i have said all ,i can1 others may begin and say that ,i have said nothing of ,him4 ,i never knew ,christ to ebb or flow1 wax or wane4 ,his winds turn not2 when ,he seemeth to change1 it is but we who turn our wrong side to ,him4 ,i never had a plea with ,him1 in my hardest conflicts1 but of mine own making4 ,oh that ,i could live in peace and good neighbourhood with such a second1 and let ,him alone6 ,my unbelief made many black lies1 but my recantation to ,christ is not worth the hearing4 ,surely ,he hath borne with strange gawds in me2 ,he knoweth my heart hath not natural wit to keep quarters with such a ,saviour4 ,ye do well to fear your backsliding4 ,i had stood sure if ,i had1 in my youth1 borrowed ,christ to be my bottom4 ,but he that beareth his own weight to heaven shall not fail to slip and sink4 ,ye had not need to be barefooted among the thorns of this apostate generation1 lest a stob strike up into your foot1 and cause you to halt all your days4 ,and think not that ,christ will do with you in the matter of suffering as the ,pope doth in the matter of sin4 ,ye shall not find that ,christ will sell a dispensation1 or give a dyvour's protection against crosses4 ,crosses are proclaimed as common accidents to all the saints1 and in them standeth a part of our communion with ,christ2 but there lieth a sweet casualty to the cross1 even ,christ's presence and ,his comforts1 when they are sanctified4 ,remember my love to your father and mother4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #g1 #afcg4 ,,ccxli4--,to ,,john ,,fleming1 ,bailie of ,leith4 7,,riches ,,of ,,christ ,,fail ,,not--,,salvation--,,vanity ,,of ,,created ,,comforts--,,longing ,,for ,,more ,,of ,,christ47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i am still in good terms with ,christ3 however my ,lord's wind blow1 ,i have the advantage of the calm and sunny side of ,christ4 ,devils1 and hell1 and devil's servants1 are all blown blind1 in pursuing the ,lord's little bride4 ,they shall be as a night-dream who fight against ,mount ,zion4 ,worthy ,sir1 ,i hope that ye take to heart the worth of your calling4 ,this great fair and meeting of the people shall skail1 and the port is open for us4 ,as fast as time weareth out1 we fly away2 eternity is at our elbow4 ,oh1 how blessed are they who in time make ,christ sure for themselves6 ,salvation is a great errand4 ,i find it hard to fetch heaven4 ,oh that we would take pains on our lamps1 for the ,bridegroom is coming6 ,the other side of this world shall be turned up incontinently1 and up shall be down3 and those that are weeping in sackcloth will triumph on white horses1 with ,him whose name is ,the ,word of ,god4 ,those dying idols1 the fair creatures that we whorishly love better than our ,creator1 shall pass away like snow-water4 ,the ,godhead1 the ,godhead6 a communion with ,god in ,christ6 ,to be halvers with ,christ of the purchased house and inheritance in heaven1 should be our scope and aim4 ,for myself1 when ,i lay my accounts1 oh what telling1 oh what weighing is in ,christ6 ,oh how soft are ,his kisses6 ,oh love1 love surpassing in ,jesus6 ,i have no fault to that love1 but that it seemeth to deal niggardly with me2 ,i have little of it4 ,oh that ,i had ,christ's seen and read bond1 subscribed by ,himself1 for my fill of it6 ,what garland have ,i1 or what crown1 if ,i looked right on things1 but ,jesus6 ,oh1 there is no room in us on this side of the water for that love4 ,this narrow bit of earth1 and these ebb and narrow souls can hold little of it1 because we are full of rifts4 ,i would that glory1 glory would enlarge us 7as it will71 and make us tight1 and close up our seams and rifts1 that we might be able to comprehend it--which is yet incomprehensible4 ,remember my love to your wife4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #g1 #afcg4 ,,ccxlii4--,to the ,,lady ,,rowallan4 ,,lady ,,rowallan1 whose maiden name was ,sarah ,brisbane1 being the fourth daughter of ,john ,brisbane of ,bishoptown1 was the third wife of ,sir ,william ,mure of ,rowallan 7,robertson's ,ayrshire ,families74 ,in #afci ,lady ,rowallan lost her husband1 who died in the sixty-third year of his age4 ,he was a man of strong body1 and delighted much in hunting and hawking4 7,the ,history and ,descent of the ,house of ,rowallan4 ,by ,sir ,william ,mure1 ,knight1 of ,rowallan47 ,rowallan is a mile and a half from the village of ,kilmaurs1 in which churchyard is a curious tomb of the old ,glencairn family4 ,rowallan ,castle was not large2 it is now nearly a ruin1 though the gardener's family occupy two rooms4 ,it was a mansion as well as a castle4 ,it stands on a rocky ledge1 with the ground sinking low on all sides1 and a burn flowing near1 which sometimes in rainy seasons formed a lakelet1 and could at any time be dammed up so as to form a moat to protect the castle4 ,it is so situated that you do not see it until close upon it1 and hence was all the better fitted for a place of meeting in ,covenanting times4 ,the room on the highest floor1 near the turret1 is pointed out as that in which conventicles were held4 ,more than a hundred could assemble in it4 ,the old campstools used to be preserved1 but now only the remains of two exist4 ,another turret is said to be that from the window of which ,king ,robert ,,ii4's queen escaped in olden days4 7,,jesus ,,the ,,best ,,choice1 ,,and ,,to ,,be ,,made ,,sure ,,of--,,the ,,cross ,,and ,,jesus ,,inseparable--,,sorrows ,,only ,,temporary47 ,,madam1--,though not acquainted1 ,i am bold in ,christ to speak to your ,ladyship on paper4 ,i rejoice in our ,lord ,jesus1 on your behalf1 that it hath pleased ,him1 whose love to you is as old as ,himself1 to manifest the favour of ,his love in ,christ ,jesus to your soul1 in the revelation of ,his will and mind to you1 now when so many are shut up in unbelief4 ,o the sweet change which ye have made1 in leaving the black kingdom of this world and sin1 and coming over to our ,bridegroom's new kingdom1 to know1 and be taken with the love of the beautiful ,son of ,god6 ,i beseech you1 ,madam1 in the ,lord1 to make now sure work1 and see that the old house be casten down1 and razed from the foundation1 and that the new building of your soul be of ,christ's own laying2 for then wind nor storm shall neither loose it1 nor shake it asunder4 ,many now take ,christ by guess2 be sure that it be ,he1 and only ,he1 whom ye have met with4 ,his sweet smell1 ,his lovely voice1 ,his fair face1 ,his sweet working in the soul1 will not lie2 they will soon tell if it be ,christ indeed2 and ,i think that your love to the saints speaketh that it is ,he4 ,and1 therefore1 ,i say1 be sure that ye take ,christ ,himself1 and take ,him with ,his ,father's blessing3 ,his ,father alloweth ,him well upon you4 ,your lines are well fallen2 it could not have been better1 nor so well with you1 if they had not fallen in these places4 ,in heaven1 or out of heaven1 there is nothing better1 nothing so sweet and excellent as the thing ye have lighted on2 and therefore hold you with ,christ4 ,joy1 much joy may ye have of ,him3 but take ,his cross with ,himself cheerfully4 ,christ and ,his cross are not separable in this life2 howbeit ,christ and ,his cross part at heaven's door1 for there is no houseroom for crosses in heaven4 ,one tear1 one sigh1 one sad heart1 one fear1 one loss1 one thought of trouble1 cannot find lodging there3 they are but the marks of our ,lord ,jesus down in this wide inn1 and stormy country1 on this side of death4 ,sorrow and the saints are not married together2 or1 suppose it were so1 heaven would make a divorce4 ,i find that ,his sweet presence eateth out the bitterness of sorrow and suffering4 ,i think it a sweet thing that ,christ saith of my cross1 ,half mine2 and that ,he divideth these sufferings with me1 and taketh the larger share to ,himself2 nay1 that ,i and my whole cross are wholly ,christ's4 ,oh1 what a portion is ,christ6 ,oh that the saints would dig deeper in the treasures of ,his wisdom and excellency6 ,thus recommending your ,ladyship to the good-will and tender mercies of our ,lord1 ,i rest1 your ,ladyship's1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #g1 #afcg4 ,,ccxliii4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,his ,,own ,,prospects--,,hopes--,,salutations47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,dearest ,,in ,,our ,,sweet ,,lord ,,jesus1--,grace mercy1 and peace1 from ,god our ,father1 and from our ,lord ,jesus4 ,i know that the ,lord will do for your town4 ,i hear that the ,bishop is afraid to come amongst you3 for so it is spoken in this town4 ,and many here rejoice now to pen a supplication to the ,council1 for bringing me home to my place1 and for repairing other wrongs done in the country3 and see if you can procure that three or four hundred in the country1 noblemen1 gentlemen1 countrymen1 and citizens1 subscribe it2 the more the better4 ,it may be that it will affright the ,bishop2 and1 by law1 no advantage can be taken against you for it4 ,i have not time to write to ,carleton and to ,knockbrex2 but ,i would you did speak them in it1 and let them advise with ,carleton4 ,mr4 ,a4 thinketh well of it1 and ,i think the others will approve it4 ,i am still in good case with ,christ2 my court is no less than it was2 the door of the ,bridegroom's house-of-wine is open1 when such a poor stranger as ,i come athort4 ,i change1 but ,christ abideth still the same4 ,they have put out my one poor eye1 my only joy1 to preach ,christ1 and to go errands betwixt ,him and ,his bride4 ,what my ,lord will do with me1 ,i know not3 it is like that ,i shall not winter in ,aberdeen2 but where it shall be else1 ,i know not4 ,there are some blossomings of ,christ's kingdom in this town1 and the smoke is rising1 and the ministers are raging2 but ,i love a rumbling and roaring devil best4 ,i beseech you in the ,lord1 my dear sister1 to wait for the salvation of ,god4 ,slack not your hands in meeting to pray4 ,fear not flesh and blood3 we have been all over-feared1 and that gave louns the confidence to shut me out of ,galloway4 ,remember my love to ,john ,carsen1 and ,mr4 ,john ,brown4#cdi ,i never could get my love off that man3 ,i think ,christ hath something to do with him4 ,desire your husband from me1 not to think ill of ,christ for ,his cross4 ,many misken ,christ1 because ,he hath the cross on ,his back2 but ,he will cause us all to laugh yet4 ,i beseech you1 as ye would do anything for me1 to remember my ,lady ,marischal to ,god1 and her son the ,earl ,marischal1 especially her ,christian daughter1 my ,lady ,pitsligo4#cej #cdi ,this was ,mr4 ,john ,brown who became minister of ,wamphray4 #cej ,lady ,jane1 second daughter of ,lady ,marischal1 who was married to ,lord ,pitsligo4 ,see note to ,letter ,,ccvi4 ,i shall go to death with it1 that ,christ will return again to ,scotland1 with salvation in ,his wings1 and to ,galloway4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #g1 #afcg4 ,,ccxliv4#cea--,to ,,marion ,m',,naught4 #cea ,aberdeen is affixed to this letter2 and if written from ,aberdeen it must have been in #afcg4 ,hence the letter is inserted here4 ,at the same time1 the reference to events points to some time about #afcc4 ,it is possible that ,aberdeen is a mistake for ,anwoth4 ,and in that day will ,i make ,jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people3 all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces1 though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it4--,,zech4 xii4 #ac4 7,,proceedings ,,of ,,parliament--,,private ,,matters--,,her ,,daughter',s ,,marriage47 ,,well-,,beloved ,,sister1--,i have been sparing to write to you because ,i was heavy at the proceedings of our late ,parliament4#ceb ,where law should have been1 they would not give our ,lord ,jesus fair law and justice1 nor the benefit of the house1 to hear either the just grievances1 or the humble supplications of the servants of ,god4#cec ,nothing resteth1 but that we lay our grievances before our crowned ,king1 ,jesus1 who reigneth in ,zion4 ,and howbeit it be true1 that the ,acts of the ,perth ,assembly for conformity are established1 and the ,king's power to impose the surplice1 and other mass-apparel1 upon ministers1 be confirmed1#ced yet what men conclude is not ,scripture4 ,kings have short arms to overturn ,christ's throne2 and our ,lord hath been walking and standing upon ,his feet at this ,parliament1 when fifteen earls and lords1 and forty-four commissioners for burghs1 with some barons1 have voted for our kirk1#cee in face of a king who1 with much awe and terror1 with his own hand1 wrote up the voters for or against himself4#cef ,long before this kirk1 in the second ,psalm1 the ends of the earth 7,scotland and ,england7 were gifted of the ,father to ,his ,son1 ,christ2 and that is an old ,act of ,parliament decreed by our ,lord1 and printed four thousand years ago4 ,their ,acts are but yet printing4 ,the first ,act shall stand1 let all the potentates of the world1 who love ,christ's room better than ,himself1 rage as they please4 ,though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea1 yet there is a river that cometh out of the sanctuary1 and the streams of it refresh the city of ,god4 ,that well is not yet cried down in ,scotland1 nor can it dry up3 therefore1 still believe and trust in ,god's salvation4 ,if you knew the whole proceedings1 it is the ,lord's mercy that matters have gone at our ,parliament1 as they have gone4 ,the ,lord ,jesus1 in our ,king's ears1 to ,his great provocation and grief1 hath gotten many witnesses2 and we saw in all the ,son of ,god overturning their policy1 and making the world know how well ,he loveth ,his poor sun-burnt bride in ,scotland4 ,the ,lord liveth1 and blessed be the ,god of our salvation4 #ceb ,the ,parliament held at ,edinburgh in ,june #afcc4 #cec ,mr4 ,thomas ,hog1 minister of the ,gospel at ,dysart1 in his own name1 and in the name of other ministers1 before the sitting down of the ,parliament1 presented a paper1 entitled1 ,grievances and ,petitions concerning the ,disordered ,estate of the ,reformed ,kirk within this realm of ,scotland1 to ,sir ,john ,hay1 ,clerk ,register1 to be laid before the ,parliament4 #ced ,the reference here is to two ,acts passed by the ,parliament in ,june #afcc1 the one ratifying all ,acts made before in favour of the church1 and consequently ratifying the ,acts of ,perth1 and other ,acts made for settling and advancing the estate of bishops2 the other1 asserting the ,king's prerogative of enjoining churchmen to wear whatever apparel he chose4 #cee ,this was the number of members of ,parliament who voted against the above ,acts4 #cef ,the ,king's taking pen and paper in hand in the time of the voting1 was a sufficient ground of apprehending fear 7,scot's ,apologetical ,narration74 ,for the matter betwixt your husband and ,carleton1 ,i trust in ,god it shall be removed4 ,it hath grieved me exceedingly4 ,i have dealt with ,carleton1 and shall deal4 ,put it off yourself upon the ,lord1 that it burden you not4 ,i have heard of your daughter's marriage3 ,i pray the ,lord ,jesus to subscribe the contract1 and to be at the banquet1 as ,he was at the marriage of ,cana of ,galilee4 ,show her from me1 that though it be true that ,god's children have prayed for her1 yet the promise of ,god is made to her prayers and faith especially3 and1 therefore1 ,i would entreat her to seek the ,lord to be at the wedding4 ,let her give ,christ the love of her virginity and espousals1 and choose ,him first as her ,husband1 and that match shall bless the other4 ,it is a new world she entereth into1 and therefore she hath need of new acquaintance with the ,son of ,god1 and of a renewing of her love to ,him1 whose love is better than wine4 ,the time is short3 let the married be as though they were not married2 they that weep1 as though they weeped not2 they that rejoice1 as though they rejoiced not2 they that buy1 as though they possessed not2 they that use this world1 as though they used it not3 for the fashion of this world passeth away 7#a ,cor4 vii4 #bi1 #cj1 #ca74 ,grace1 grace be her portion from the ,lord4 ,i know that you have a care on you of it1 that all be right3 but let ,christ bear all4 ,you need not pity ,him1 if ,i may say so2 put ,him to it1 ,he is strength enough4 ,the ,spirit of the ,lord ,jesus be with you4 ,your friend1 in his dearest friend1 ,christ ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 ,,ccxlv4--,to my ,,lady ,,boyd4 7,,imperfections--,,yearnings ,,after ,,christ--,,christ',s ,,supremacy ,,not ,,inconsistent ,,with ,,civil ,,authority47 ,,my ,,very ,,honourable ,,and ,,christian ,,lady1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i received your letter1 and am well pleased that your thoughts of ,christ stay with you1 and that your purpose still is1 by all means1 to take the kingdom of heaven by violence2 which is no small conquest4 ,and it is a degree of watchfulness and thankfulness1 also1 to observe sleepiness and unthankfulness4 ,we have all good cause to complain of false light1 that playeth the thief and stealeth away the lantern1 when it cometh to the practice of constant walking with ,god4 ,our journey is ten times a-day broken into ten pieces4 ,christ getteth but only broken1 and halved1 and tired work of us1 and1 alas6 too often against the hair4#ceg #ceg ,against the grain4 ,i have been somewhat nearer the ,bridegroom2 but when ,i draw nigh1 and see my vileness1 for shame ,i would be out of ,his presence again4 ,but yet1 desire of ,his soul-refreshing love putteth blushing me under an arrest4 ,oh1 what am ,i1 so loathsome a burden of sin1 to stand beside such a beautiful and holy ,lord1 such a high and lofty ,one who inhabiteth eternity6 ,but since it pleaseth ,christ to condescend to such an one as ,i1 let shamefacedness be laid aside1 and lose itself in ,his condescending love4 ,i would heartily be content to keep a corner of the ,king's hall4 ,oh1 if ,i were at the yonder end of my weak desires1 then should ,i be where ,christ1 my ,lord and lover1 liveth and reigneth2 there ,i should be everlastingly solaced with the sight of ,his face1 and satisfied with the surpassing sweetness of ,his matchless love4 ,but truly now ,i stand in the nether side of my desires2 and with a drooping head1 and panting heart1 ,i look up to fair ,jesus1 standing afar off from us1 whill corruption and death shall scour and refine the body of clay1 and rot out the bones of the old man of sin4 ,in the meantime we are blessed in sending word to the ,beloved1 that we love to love ,him2 and till then1 there is joy in wooing1 suiting1 lying about ,his house1 looking in at the windows1 and sending a poor soul's groans and wishes through a hole of the door to ,jesus1 till ,god send a glad meeting4 ,and blessed be ,god1 that after a low ebb1 and so sad a word1 ,lord ,jesus1 it is long since ,i saw ,thee1 that even then our wings are growing1 and the absence of sweet ,jesus breedeth a new fleece of desires and longings for ,him4 ,i know that no man hath a velvet cross1 but the cross is made of that which ,god will have it4 ,but verily1 howbeit it be no warrantable market to buy a cross1#ceh yet ,i dare not say1 ,oh that ,i had liberty to sell ,christ's cross1 lest therewith1 also1 ,i should sell joy1 comfort1 sense of love1 patience1 and the kind visits of a ,bridegroom4 ,and1 therefore1 blessed be ,god we get crosses unbought and good-cheap4 ,sure ,i am1 it were better to buy crosses for ,christ than to sell them3 howbeit neither be allowed to us4 #ceh ,no one is warranted1 in ,god's market1 to buy such a thing as a trial2 we must not bring trials on ourselves4 ,and for ,christ's joyful coming and going1 which your ,ladyship speaketh of1 ,i bear with it1 as love can permit4 ,it should be enough to me1 if ,i were wise1 that ,christ will have joy and sorrow halvers of the life of the saints1 and that each of them should have a share of our days2 as the night and the day are kindly partners and halvers of time1 and take it up betwixt them4 ,but if sorrow be the greedier halver of our days here1 ,i know that joy's day shall dawn1 and do more than recompense all our sad hours4 ,let my ,lord ,jesus 7since ,he willeth to do so7 weave my bit and span-length of time with white and black1 well and wo1 with the ,bridegroom's coming and ,his sad departure1 as warp and woof in one web2 and let the rose be neighboured with the thorn2 yet hope that maketh not ashamed hath written a letter and lines of hope to the mourners in ,zion1 that it shall not be long so4 ,when we are over the water1 ,christ shall cry down crosses1 and up heaven for evermore6 and down hell1 and down death1 and down sin1 and down sorrow6 and up glory1 up life1 up joy for evermore6 ,in this hope1 ,i sleep quietly in ,christ's bosom whill ,he come who is not slack2 and would sleep so1 were it not that the noise of the devil1 and of sin's feet1 and the cries of an unbelieving heart1 awaken me4 ,but1 for the present1 ,i have nothing whereof ,i can accuse ,christ's cross4 ,oh1 if ,i could please myself in ,christ only6 ,i hope1 ,madam1 that your sons will improve their power for ,jesus4 ,for there is no danger1 neither is there any question or justling betwixt ,christ and authority 7though our enemies falsely state the question71 as if ,christ and authority could not abide under one roof4 ,the question only is1 betwixt ,christ and men in authority4 ,authority is for and from ,christ1 and sib to ,him2 how then can ,he make a plea with it8 ,nay1 the truth is1 worms and gods of clay are risen up against ,christ4 ,if the fruit of your ,ladyship's womb be helpers of ,christ1 ye have good ground to rejoice in ,god4 ,all that your ,ladyship can expect for your good-will to me and my brother 7a wronged stranger for ,christ71 is the prayers of a prisoner of ,jesus1 to whom ,i recommend your ,ladyship1 and your house and children2 and in whom ,i am1 ,madam1 ,your ,ladyship's in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #h1 #afcg4 ,,ccxlvi4--,to ,,mr4 ,,thomas ,,garven4 ,letter ,,clii4 7,,heaven',s ,,happiness--,,joy ,,in ,,the ,,cross47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i rejoice that ye cannot be quit of ,christ 7if ,i may speak so71 but that ,he must1 ,he will have you4 ,betake yourself to ,christ1 my dear brother4 ,it is a great business to make quit of superfluities1 and of those things which ,christ cannot dwell with4 ,i am content with my own cross1 that ,christ hath made mine by an eternal lot1 because it is ,christ's and mine together4 ,i marvel not that winter is without heaven1 for there is no winter within it3 all the saints1 therefore1 have their own measure of winter1 before their eternal summer4 ,oh for the long day1 and the high sun1 and the fair garden1 and the ,king's ,great ,city up above these visible heavens6 ,what ,god layeth on let us suffer2 for some have one cross1 some seven1 some ten1 some half a cross4 ,yet all the saints have whole and full joy2 and seven crosses have seven joys4 ,christ is cumbered with me 7to speak so7 and my cross2 but ,he falleth not off from me2 we are not at variance4 ,i find the very glooms of ,christ's wooing a soul sweet and lovely4 ,i had rather have ,christ's buffet and love-stroke1 than another king's kiss4 ,speak evil of ,christ who will1 ,i hope to die with love thoughts of ,him4 ,oh that there are so few tongues in heaven and earth to extol ,him6 ,i wish ,his praises go not down amongst us4 ,let not ,christ be low and lightly esteemed in the midst of us3 but let all hearts and all tongues cast in their portion1 and contribute something to make ,him great in ,mount ,zion4 ,thus recommending you to ,his grace1 and remembering my love to your wife and mother1 and your kind brother1 ,r4 ,b41#cei and entreating you to remember my bonds1 ,i rest1 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #h1 #afcg4 #cei ,probably1 ,robert ,blair4 ,,ccxlvii4--,to ,,janet ,,kennedy4 ,letter ,,lxxxviii4 7,,the ,,heavenly ,,mansions--,,earth ,a ,,shadow47 ,,loving ,,and ,,dear ,,sister1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i received your letter4 ,i know that the favour of ,christ in you 7whom the virgins love to follow7 cannot be blown away with winds1 either from hell1 or the evil-smelled air of this defiled world4 ,sit far aback from the walls of this pesthouse1 even the pollutions of this defiling world4 ,keep your taste1 your love1 and hope in heaven2 it is not good that your love and your ,lord should be in two sundry countries4 ,up1 up after your lover1 that ye and ,he may be together4 ,a ,king from heaven hath sent for you3 by faith ,he showeth you the ,new ,jerusalem1 and taketh you alongst in the ,spirit1 through all the ease-rooms and dwelling-houses in heaven1 and saith1 ,all these are thine2 this palace is for thee and ,christ4 ,and if ye only had been the chosen of ,god1 ,christ would have built that one house for you and ,himself3 now it is for you and many others also4 ,take with you in your journey what you may carry with you1 your conscience1 faith1 hope1 patience1 meekness1 goodness1 brotherly kindness2 for such wares as these are of great price in the high and new country whither ye go4 ,as for other things1 which are but the world's vanity and trash1 since they are but the house-sweepings1 ye will do best not to carry them with you4 ,ye found them here2 leave them here1 and let them keep the house4 ,your sun is well turned and low2 be nigh your lodging against night4 ,we go one and one out of this great market1 till the town be empty1 and the two lodgings1 heaven and hell1 be filled4 ,at length there will be nothing in the earth but toom walls and burnt ashes2 and1 therefore1 it is best to make away4 ,antichrist and his master are busy to plenish hell1 and to seduce many3 and stars1 great church-light1 are falling from heaven1 and many are misled and seduced1 and make up with their faith1 and sell their birthrights1 by their hungry hunting for ,i know not what4 ,fasten your grips fast upon ,christ4 ,i verily esteem ,him the best aught#cfj that ,i have4 ,he is my second in prison4 ,having ,him1 though my cross were as heavy as ten mountains of iron1 when ,he putteth ,his sweet shoulder under me and it1 my cross is but a feather4 ,i please myself in the choice of ,christ2 ,he is my wale in heaven and earth4 ,i rejoice that ,he is in heaven before me4 ,god send a joyful meeting2 and1 in the meantime1 the traveller's charges for the way1 ,i mean a burden of ,christ's love1 to sweeten the journey1 and to encourage a breathless runner2 for when ,i lose breath1 climbing up the mountain1 ,he maketh new breath4 #cfj ,property4 ,now the very ,god of peace establish you to the day of ,his appearance4 ,yours1 in his only ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #i1 #afcg4 ,,ccxlviii4--,to ,,margaret ,,reid4 ,probably an ,anwoth parishioner4 7,,benefits ,,of ,,the ,,cross1 ,,if ,,we ,,are ,,christ',s47 ,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,and ,,worthy ,,sister1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,ye are truly blessed of the ,lord1 however a sour world gloom upon you1 if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled1 and be not moved away from the hope of the ,gospel4 ,it is good that there is a heaven1 and it is not a night-dream or a fancy4 ,it is a wonder that men deny not that there is a heaven1 as they deny there is a way to it but of men's making4 ,you have learned of ,christ that there is a heaven3 contend for it1 and contend for ,christ4 ,bear well and submissively the hard cross of this step-mother world1 that ,god will not have to be yours4 ,i confess it is hard1 and ,i would ,i were able to ease you of your burden2 but believe me1 that this world 7which the ,lord will not have to be yours7 is but the dross1 the refuse1 and scum of ,god's creation1 the portion of the ,lord's hired servants2 the movables1 not the heritage2 a hard bone casten to the dogs holden out of the ,new ,jerusalem1 whereupon they rather break their teeth than satisfy their appetite4 ,it is your ,father's blessing1 and ,christ's birthright1 that our ,lord is keeping for you4 ,and ,i persuade you1 that your seed1 also1 shall inherit the earth 7if that be good for them71 for that is promised to them2 and ,god's bond is as good1 and better1 than if men would give every one of them a bond for a thousand thousands4 ,ere ye were born1 crosses1 in number1 measure1 and weight1 were written for you1 and your ,lord will lead you through them4 ,make ,christ sure1 and the blessings of the earth shall be at ,christ's back4 ,i see many professors for the fashion follow on1 but they are professors of glass2 ,i would cause a little knock of persecution ding them in twenty pieces1 and so the world would laugh at the shreds4 ,therefore1 make fast work4 ,see that ,christ lay the ground-stone of your profession2 for wind1 and rain1 and spaits will not wash away ,his building4 ,his works have no shorter date than to stand for evermore4 ,i should twenty times have perished in my affliction1 if ,i had not leaned my weak back1 and laid my pressing burden both1 upon the stone1 the ,foundation-stone1 the ,corner-stone laid in ,zion3 and ,i desire never to rise off this stone4 ,now1 the very ,god of peace confirm and establish you unto the day of the blessed appearance of ,christ ,jesus4 ,god be with you4 ,yours1 in his dearest ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 ,,ccxlix4--,to ,,james ,,bautie4 ,,james ,,bautie1 in #afcg1 seems to have been preparing for the ministry4 ,he became chaplain to the regiment of the ,lord of ,ards1 in ,ireland1 and was ordained minister over the ,presbyterian congregation at ,ballywater1 in the county of ,down1 in #afdb4 ,he was clerk to the ,presbytery in #afdd4 ,refusing to take the oath of fidelity to the ,commonwealth in #afej1 he was first imprisoned1 and then banished out of the kingdom4 ,we know nothing of his after history4 ,another person is found occupying his charge in #affa4 ,the name ,bautie is now unknown4 ,it may1 however1 be the same as ,beatie1 or ,beattie1 a name very common in ,dumfriesshire4 ,but see note in the ,index4 7,,spiritual ,,difficulties ,,solved47 ,,loving ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be unto you4--,i received your letter1 and render you thanks for the same2 but ,i have not time to answer all the heads of it1 as the bearer can inform you4 #a4 ,ye do well to take yourself at the right stot#cfa when ye wrong ,christ by doubting and misbelief4 ,for this is to nickname ,christ1 and term ,him a liar1 which being spoken to our prince1 would be hanging or beheading4 ,but ,christ hangeth not always for treason4 ,it is good that ,he may registrate#cfb a believer's bond a hundred times1 and more than seven times a day have law against us2 and yet ,he spareth us1 as a man doth the son that serveth him4 ,no tender-hearted mother1 who may have law to kill her sucking child1 would put in execution that law4 #cfa ,the rebound of a ball4 ,ye do well to recall your thoughts ere they have gone too far4 #cfb ,a bond registered means kept on record1 so that it cannot be taken out4 #bndly1 ,for your failings1 even when ye have a set tryst with ,christ1 and when ye have a fair1 seen advantage1 by keeping your appointment with ,him1 and salvation cometh to the very passing of the seals1 ,i would say two things4--#a4 ,concluded and sealed salvation may go through and be ended1 suppose you write your name to the tail of the covenant with ink that can hardly be read4 ,neither think ,i ever any man's salvation passed the seals1 but there was an odd trick or slip1 in less or more1 upon the fool's part who is infested in heaven4 ,in the most grave and serious work of our salvation1 ,i think ,christ had ever good cause to laugh at our silliness1 and to put us on ,his merits1 that we might bear weight4 #b4 ,it is a sweet law of the ,new ,covenant1 and a privilege of the new burgh1 that citizens pay according to their means4 ,for the ,new ,covenant saith not1 ,so much obedience by ounce-weights1 and no less1 under the pain of damnation4 ,christ taketh as poor men may give4 ,where there is a mean portion1 ,he is content with the less1 if there be sincerity2 broken sums1 and little1 feckless obedience will be pardoned1 and hold the foot with ,him4 ,know ye not that our kindly ,lord retaineth ,his good old heart yet8 ,he breaketh not a bruised reed1 nor quencheth the smoking flax2 if the wind but blow1 ,he holdeth ,his hand about it till it rise to a flame4 ,the law cometh on with three ,o-yeses1 with all the heart1 with all the soul1 and with all the strength2 and where would poor folks1 like you and me1 furnish all these sums8 ,it feareth me 7nay1 it is most certain71 that1 if the payment were to come out of our purse1 when we should put our hand into our bag1 we should bring out the wind1 or worse4 ,but the ,new ,covenant seeketh not heap-mete1 nor stented obedience1 as the condition of it2 because forgiveness hath always place4 ,hence ,i draw this conclusion3 that to think matters betwixt ,christ and us go back for want of heaped measure1 is a piece of old ,adam's pride1 who would either be at legal payment1 or nothing4 ,we would still have ,god in our common1 and buy ,his kindness with our merits4 ,for beggarly pride is devil's honesty1 and blusheth to be in ,christ's common1 and scarce giveth ,god a grammercy1 and a lifted cap 7except it be the ,pharisee's unlucky1 ,god1 ,i thank ,thee71 or a bowed knee to ,christ4 ,it will only give a ,good-day for a ,good-day again2 and if ,he dissemble ,his kindness1 as it were in jest1 and seem to misken it1 it in earnest spurneth with the heels1 and snuffeth in the wind1 and careth not much for ,christ's kindness4 ,if ,he will not be friends1 let ,him go1 saith pride4 ,beware of this thief1 when ,christ offereth ,himself4 #crdly1 ,no marvel1 then1 of whisperings1 ,whether you be in the covenant or not8 for pride maketh loose work of the covenant of grace1 and will not let ,christ be full bargain-maker4 ,to speak to you particularly and shortly3--#a4 ,all the truly regenerated cannot determinately tell you the measure of their dejections2 because ,christ beginneth young with many1 and stealeth into their heart1 ere they wit of themselves1 and becometh homely with them1 with little din or noise4 ,i grant that many are blinded1 in rejoicing in a good-cheap conversion1 that never cost them a sick night4 ,christ's physic wrought in a dream upon them4 ,but for that2 ,i would say1 if other marks be found that ,christ is indeed come in1 never make plea with him because he will not answer1 ,lord ,jesus1 how camest ,thou in8 whether in at door or window8 ,make ,him welcome1 since ,he is come4 ,the wind bloweth where it listeth2 all the world's wit cannot perfectly render a reason why the wind should be a month in the east1 six weeks possibly in the west1 and the space of only an afternoon in the south or north4 ,ye will not find out all the nicks and steps of ,christ's way with a soul1 do what ye can2 for sometimes ,he will come in stepping softly1 like one walking beside a sleeping person1 and slip to the door1 and let none know ,he is there4 #b4 ,ye object3 ,the truly regenerate should love ,god for ,himself2 and ye fear that ye love ,him more for ,his benefits 7as incitements and motives to love ,him7 than for ,himself4 ,i answer3 ,to love ,god for ,himself1 as the last end1 and also for ,his benefits as incitements and motives to love ,him1 may stand well together2 as a son loveth his mother1 because she is his mother1 howbeit she be poor3 and he loveth her for an apple also4 ,i hope ye will not say1 that benefits are the only reason and bottom of your love2 it seemeth there is a better foundation for it4 ,always1#cfc if a hole be in it1 sew it up shortly4 #c4 ,ye feel not such mourning in ,christ's absence as ye would4 ,i answer3 ,that the regenerate mourn at all times1 and all in like measure1 for ,his absence1 ,i deny4 ,there are different degrees of mourning1 less or more1 as they have less or more love to ,him1 and less or more sense of ,his absence2 but1 some they must have4 ,sometimes they miss not the ,lord1 and then they cannot mourn2 howbeit1 it is not long so2 at least1 it is not always so4 #d4 ,ye challenge yourself that some truths find more credit with you than others4 ,ye do well2 for ,god is true in the least1 as well as in the greatest1 and ,he must be so to you4 ,ye must not call ,him true in the one page of the leaf1 and false in the other2 for our ,lord1 in all ,his writings1 never contradicted ,himself yet4 ,although the best of the regenerate have slipped here1 always labour ye to hold your feet4 #dthly1 ,comparing the state of one truly regenerate1 whose heart is a temple of the ,holy ,ghost1 and yours1 which is full of uncleanness and corruption1 ye stand dumb and discouraged1 and dare not sometimes call ,christ heartsomely your own4 ,i answer3 #a4 ,the best regenerate have their defilements1 and1 if ,i may speak so1 their draff-poke1 that will clog behind them all their days2 and1 wash as they will1 there will be filth in their bosom4 ,but let not this put you from the well4 ,i answer3 #b4 ,albeit there be some ounce-weights of carnality1 and some squint look1 or eye in our neck to an idol1 yet love in its own measure may be found4 ,for glory must purify and perfect our love1 it never will till then be absolutely pure4 ,yet1 if the idol reign1 and have the whole of the heart1 and the keys of the house1 and ,christ only be made an underling to run errands1 all is not right2 therefore1 examine well4 #c4 ,there is a twofold discouragement3 one of unbelief1 to conclude 7and make doubt of the conclusion7 for a mote in your eye1 and a by-look to an idol2 this is ill4 ,there is another discouragement of sorrow for sin1 when ye find a by-look to an idol2 this is good1 and matter of thanksgiving4 ,therefore1 examine here also4 #cfc ,notwithstanding4 #ethly1 ,the assurance of ,jesus's love1 ye say1 would be the most comfortable news that ever ye heard4 ,answer3 ,that may stop twenty holes1 and loose many objections4 ,that love hath telling in it1 ,i trow4 ,oh that ye knew and felt it1 as ,i have done6 ,i wish you a share of my feast2 sweet1 sweet hath it been to me4 ,if my ,lord had not given me this love1 ,i should have fallen through the causeway of ,aberdeen ere now6 ,but for you1 hing on2 your feast is not far off2 ye shall be filled ere ye go4 ,there is as much in our ,lord's pantry as will satisfy all ,his bairns1 and as much wine in ,his cellar as will quench all their thirst4 ,hunger on1 for there is meat in hunger for ,christ4 ,never go from ,him1 but fash ,him 7who yet is pleased with the importunity of hungry souls7 with a dish-full of hungry desires till ,he fill you2 and if ,he delay1 yet come not ye away1 albeit ye should fall aswoon at ,his feet4 #fthly1 ,ye crave my mind1 whether sound comfort may be found in prayer1 when conviction of a known idol is present4 ,i answer3 7#ast71 ,an idol1 as an idol1 cannot stand with sound comforts2 for that comfort that is gotten at ,dagon's feet is a cheat or blaflume4 ,yet sound comfort1 and conviction of an eye to an idol1 may as well dwell together as tears and joy4 ,but let this do you no ill2 ,i speak it for your encouragement1 that ye may make the best of our joys ye can1 albeit you find them mixed with motes4 7#bndly71 ,sole conviction 7if alone1 without remorse and grief7 is not enough2 therefore1 lend it a tear if ye dow win at it4 #gthly1 ,ye question2 when ye win to more fervency sometimes with your neighbour in prayer than when you are alone1 whether hypocrisy be in it or not8 ,i answer1 if this be always1 no question a spice of hypocrisy is in it1 which should be taken heed to4 ,but possibly desertion may be in private1 and presence in public1 and then the case is clear4 ,a fit of applause may occasion by accident a rubbing of a cold heart1 and so heat and life may come2 but it is not the proper cause of that heat4 ,hence ,god1 of ,his free grace1 will ride ,his errands upon our stinking corruption4 ,but corruption is but a mere occasion and accident2 as the playing on a pipe removed anger from the prophet1 and made him fitter to prophesy 7#b ,kings iii4 #ae74 #hthly1 ,ye complain of ,christ's short visits1 that ,he will not bear you company one night2 but when ye lie down warm at night1 ye rise cold at morning4 ,answer3 ,i cannot blame you 7nor any other that knoweth that sweet ,guest71 to bemoan ,his withdrawings1 and to be most desirous of ,his abode and company2 for ,he would captivate and engage the affection of any creature that saw ,his face4 ,since ,he looked on me1 and gave me a sight of ,his fair love1 ,he gained my heart wholly1 and got away with it4 ,well1 well may ,he brook it6 ,he shall keep it long1 ere ,i fetch it from ,him4 ,but ,i shall tell you what ye should do2 treat ,him well1 give ,him the chair and the board-head1 and make ,him welcome to the mean portion ye have4 ,a good supper and kind entertainment maketh guests love the inn the better4 ,yet sometimes ,christ hath an errand elsewhere1 for mere trial2#cfd and then1 though ye give ,him king's cheer1 ,he will away2 as is clear in desertions for mere trial and not for sin4 #cfd ,merely for the purpose of trying the soul1 ,christ goes away elsewhere4 #ithly1 ,ye seek the difference betwixt the motions of the ,spirit in their least measure1 and the natural joys of your own heart4 ,answer3 ,as a man can tell if he joy and delight in his wife1 as his wife2 or if he delight and joy in her for satisfaction of his lust1 but hating her person1 and so loving her for her flesh1 and not grieving when ill befalleth her3 so will a man's joy in ,god1 and his whorish natural joy1 be discovered4 ,if he be sorry for anything that may offend the ,lord1 it will speak the singleness of his love to ,him4 #ajthly1 ,ye ask the reason why sense overcometh faith1 ,answer3 ,because sense is more natural1 and near of kin to our selfish and soft nature4 ,ye ask1 ,if faith1 in that case1 be sound8 ,answer3 ,if it be chased away1 it is neither sound nor unsound1 because it is not faith4 ,but it might be and was faith1 before sense did blow out the act of believing4 ,lastly1 ,ye ask what to do1 when promises are borne-in upon you1 and sense of impenitency for sins of youth hindereth application4 ,i answer1 if it be living sense1 it may stand with application2 and in this case1 put to your hand1 and eat your meat in ,god's name4 ,if false1 so that the sins of youth are not repented of1 then1 as faith and impenitency cannot stand together1 so neither that sense and application can consist4 ,brother1 excuse my brevity2 for time straiteneth me1 that ,i get not my mind said in these things1 but must refer that to a new occasion1 if ,god offer it4 ,brother1 pray for me4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his dearest ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,ccl4--,to the ,,lady ,,largirie4 ,letter ,,cxcv4 7,,part ,,with ,,all ,,for ,,christ--,,no ,,unmixed ,,joy ,,here47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i hope ye know what conditions passed betwixt ,christ and you1 at your first meeting4 ,ye remember that ,he said1 your summer days would have clouds1 and your rose a prickly thorn beside it4 ,christ is unmixed in heaven1 all sweetness and honey4 ,here we have ,him with ,his thorny and rough cross2 yet ,i know no tree that beareth sweeter fruit than ,christ's cross1 except ,i would raise a lying report on it4 ,it is your part to take ,christ1 as ,he is to be had in this life4 ,sufferings are like a wood planted round about ,his house1 over door and window4 ,if we could hold fast our grips of ,him1 the field were won4 ,yet a little while1 and ,christ shall triumph4 ,give ,christ ,his own short time to spin out these two long threads of heaven and hell to all mankind1 for certainly the thread will not break2 and when ,he hath accomplished ,his work in ,mount ,zion1 and hath refined ,his silver1 ,he will bring new vessels out of the furnace1 and plenish ,his house1 and take up ,his house again4 ,i counsel you to free yourself of clogging temptations1 by overcoming some1 and contemning others1 and watching over all4 ,abide true and loyal to ,christ1 for few now are fast to ,him4 ,they give ,christ blank paper for a bond of service and attendance1 now when ,christ hath most ado4 ,to waste a little blood with ,christ1 and to put our part of this drossy world in pawn over in ,his hand1 as willing to quit it for ,him1 is the safest cabinet to keep the world in4 ,but those who would take the world and all their flitting on their back1 and run away from ,christ1 shall fall by the way1 and leave their burden behind them1 and be taken captive themselves4 ,well were my soul to have put all ,i have1 life and soul1 over into ,christ's hands4 ,let ,him be forthcoming for all4 ,if any ask how ,i do8 ,i answer1 ,none can be but well that are in ,christ3 and if ,i were not so1 my sufferings had melted me away in ashes and smoke4 ,i thank my ,lord1 that ,he hath something in me that ,his fire cannot consume4 ,remember my love to your husband2 and show him from me1 that ,i desire he may set aside all things1 and make sure work of salvation1 that it be not a-seeking when the sand-glass is run out1 and time and eternity shall tryst together4 ,there is no errand so weighty as this4 ,oh that he would take it to heart6 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in ,christ ,jesus his ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen4 ,,ccli4--,to the ,,lady ,,dungueich4 ,,lady ,,dungeuch1 or ,,dungueich1 was sister to ,marion ,m',naught1 for her own name was ,sarah ,m',naught1 and she is mentioned in the ,registers as second heir to her father1 ,john ,m',naught of ,kilquhannady or ,kilquhanatie 7,letter ,v471 on #cast ,march #afdf1 in the three merk lands of ,dumgeuich1 in ,lanarkshire4 ,she married ,samuel ,lockhart1 merchant burgess in ,edinburgh4 ,near the ,bridge of ,deach1 two miles from ,carsphairn1 not far from ,earlston1 there is the poor ruin of an old ,dundeuch castle on the roadside1 mentioned in the life of ,john ,semple4 ,but that is not the same place1 though resembling it in sound4 ,the ,gordons of ,dengeuch 7a branch of the ,lochinvar family7 were no doubt connected4 7,,jesus ,,or ,,the ,,world--,,scotland',s ,,trials ,,and ,,hopes47 ,,mistress1--,i long to hear from you1 and how you go on with ,christ4 ,i am sure that ,christ and you once met4 ,i pray you to fasten your grips4 ,there is holding and drawing1 and much sea-way to heaven1 and we are often sea-sick2 but the voyage is so needful1 that we must on any terms take shipping with ,christ4 ,i believe it is a good country which we are going to1 and there is ill lodging in this smoky house of the world1 in which we are yet living4 ,oh1 that we should love smoke so well1 and clay that holdeth our feet fast6 ,it were our happiness to follow after ,christ1 and to anchor ourselves upon the ,rock in the upper side of the vail4 ,christ and ,satan are now drawing to parties4 ,and they are blind who see not ,scotland divided into two camps1 and ,christ coming out with ,his white banner of love2 and ,he hangeth that over the heads of ,his soldiers4 ,and the other captain1 the ,dragon1 is coming out with a great black flag1 and crieth1 ,the world1 the world6 ease1 honour1 and a whole skin1 and a soft couch4 ,and there lie they1 and leave ,christ to fend for ,himself6 ,my counsel is1 that ye come out and leave the multitude1 and let ,christ have your company4 ,let them take clay and this present world who love it4 ,christ is a more worthy and noble portion3 blessed are those who get ,him4 ,it is good1 ere the storm rise1 to make ready all1 and to be prepared to go to the camp with ,christ1 seeing ,he will not keep the house1 nor sit at the fireside with couchers4 ,a shower for ,christ is little enough4 ,oh1 ,i find all too little for ,him6 ,wo1 wo1 wo is me1 that ,i have no propine for my ,lord ,jesus4 ,my love is so feckless1 that it is a shame to offer it to ,him6 ,oh1 if it were as broad as heaven1 as deep as the sea1 ,i would gladly bestow it upon ,him6 ,i persuade you1 that ,god is wringing grapes of red wine for ,scotland2 and that this land shall drink1 and spue and fall4 ,his enemies shall drink the thick of it1 and the grounds#cfe of it4 ,but ,scotland's withered tree shall blossom again2 and ,christ shall make a second marriage with her1 and take home ,his wife out of the furnace4 ,but1 if our eyes shall see it1 ,he knoweth who hath created time4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 #cfe ,the dregs4 ,,cclii4--,to ,,jonet ,,macculloch4 ,see ,letter ,,ci4 7,,cares ,,to ,,be ,,cast ,,on ,,christ--,,christ ,a ,,steady ,,friend47 ,,loving ,,sister1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,hold on your course1 for1 it may be1 that ,i shall not soon see you4 ,venture through the thick of all things after ,christ1 and lose not your ,master1 ,christ1 in the throng of this great market4 ,let ,christ know how heavy1 and how many a stone-weight you and your cares1 burdens1 crosses1 and sins are4 ,let ,him bear all4 ,make the heritage sure to yourself3 get charters and writs passed and through2 and put on arms for the battle1 and keep you fast by ,christ4 ,and then1 let the wind blow out of what airth it will1 your soul shall not be blown into the sea4 ,i find ,christ the most steadable friend and companion in the world to me now4 ,the need and usefulness of ,christ are seen best in trials4 ,oh1 if ,he be not well worthy of ,his room6 ,lodge ,him in house and heart2 and stir up your husband to seek the ,lord4 ,i wonder that he hath never written to me3 ,i do not forget him4 ,i taught you the whole counsel of ,god1 and delivered it to you4 ,it will be inquired for at your hands2 have it in readiness against the time that the ,lord ask for it4 ,make you ready to meet the ,lord2 and rest and sleep in the love of that ,fairest among the sons of men4 ,desire ,christ's beauty4 ,give out all your love to ,him1 and let none fall by4 ,learn in prayer to speak to ,him4 ,help your mother's soul2 and desire her1 from me1 to seek the ,lord and ,his salvation4 ,it is not soon found3 many miss it4 ,grace be with you4 ,your loving pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,ccliii4--,to his ,reverend and very dear ,brother1 ,,mr4 ,,george ,,gillespie4 7,,christ ,,the ,,true ,,gain47 ,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,brother1--,i received yours4 ,i am still with the ,lord4 ,his cross hath done that which ,i thought impossible once4 ,christ keepeth tryst in the fire and water with ,his own1 and cometh ere our breath go out1 and ere our blood grow cold4 ,blessed are they whose feet escape the great golden net that is now spread4 ,it is happiness to take the crabbed1 rough1 and poor side of ,christ's world1 which is a lease of crosses and losses for ,him4 ,for ,christ's incomes and casualties that follow ,him are many2 and it is not a little one that a good conscience may be had in following ,him4 ,this is true gain1 and must be laboured for and loved4 ,many give ,christ for a shadow2 because ,christ was rather beside their conscience1 in a dead and reprobate light1 than in their conscience4 ,let us be ballasted with grace1 that we be not blown over1 and that we stagger not4 ,yet a little while1 and ,christ and ,his redeemed ones shall fill the field1 and come out victorious4 ,christ's glory of triumphing in ,scotland is yet in the bud1 and in the birth2 but the birth cannot prove an abortion4 ,he shall not faint nor be discouraged1 till ,he hath brought forth judgment unto victory4 ,let us still mind our ,covenant2 and the very ,god of peace be with you4 ,your brother in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #i1 #afcg4 ,,ccliv4--,to his ,reverend and dear ,brother1 ,,mr4 ,,robert ,,blair4 7,,personal ,,unworthiness--,,god',s ,,grace--,,prayer ,,for ,,others47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,the reason ye give for not writing to me affecteth me much1 and giveth me a dash1 when such an one as ye conceive an opinion of me1 or of anything in me4 ,the truth is1 when ,i come home to myself1 oh1 what penury do ,i find1 and how feckless is my supposed stock1 and how little have ,i6 ,he to whom ,i am as crystal1 and who seeth through me1 and perceiveth the least mote that is in me1 knoweth that ,i speak what ,i think and am convinced of3 but men cast me through a gross and wide sieve4 ,my very dear brother1 the room of the least of all saints is too great for the like of me4 ,but lest this should seem art to fetch home reputation1 ,i speak no more of it4 ,it is my worth to be ,christ's ransomed sinner and sick one4 ,his relation to me is1 that ,i am sick1 and ,he is the ,physician of whom ,i stand in need4 ,alas6 how often play ,i fast and loose with ,christ6 ,he bindeth1 ,i loose2 ,he buildeth1 ,i cast down2 ,he trimmeth up a salvation for me1 and ,i mar it2 ,i cast out with ,christ1 and ,he agreeth with me again1 twenty times a-day2 ,i forfeit my kingdom and heritage1 ,i lose what ,i had2 but ,christ is at my back1 and following on1 to stoop and take up what falleth from me4 ,were ,i in heaven1 and had the crown on my head1 if free-will were my tutor1 ,i should lose heaven4 ,seeing ,i lose myself what wonder ,i should let go1 and lose ,jesus1 my ,lord8 ,oh1 well to me for evermore1 that ,i have cracked my credit with ,christ1 and cannot by law at all borrow from ,him1 upon my feckless and worthless bond and faith6 ,for my faith and reputation with ,christ is1 that ,i am a creature that ,god will not put any trust into4 ,i was1 and am1 bewildered with temptations1 and wanted a guide to heaven4 ,oh what have ,i to say of that excellent1 surpassing1 and supereminent thing1 they call1 ,the grace of ,god1 the way of free redemption in ,christ6 ,and when poor1 poor ,i1 dead in law1 was sold1 fettered1 and imprisoned in justice's closet-ward1 which is hell and damnation2 when ,i1 a wretched one1 lighted upon noble ,jesus1 eternally kind ,jesus1 tender-hearted ,jesus 7nay1 when ,he lighted upon me first1 and knew me71 ,i found that ,he scorned to take a price1 or anything like hire1 of angels1 or seraphim1 or any of ,his creatures4 ,and1 therefore1 ,i would praise ,him for this1 that the whole army of the redeemed ones sit rent-free in heaven4 ,our holding is better than blench3 we are all freeholders4 ,and seeing that our eternal feu-duty is but thanks1 oh woful me6 that ,i have but spilled thanks1 lame1 and broken1 and miscarried praises1 to give ,him4 ,and so my silver is not good and current with ,christ1 were it not that free merits have stamped it1 and washen it and me both6 ,and for my silence ,i see somewhat better through it now4 ,if my high and lofty ,one1 my princely and royal ,master1 say1 ,hold1 hold thy peace1 ,i lay bonds on thee1 thou must speak none1 ,i would fain be content1 and let my fire be smothered under ashes1 without light or flame6 ,i cannot help it4 ,i take laws from my ,lord1 but ,i give none4 ,as for your journey to ,f41#cff ye do well to follow it4 ,the camp is ,christ's ordinary bed4 ,a carried bed is kindly to the ,beloved1 down in this lower house4 ,it may be 7and who knoweth but7 our ,lord hath some centurions1 whom ye are sent to4 ,seeing your angry mother denieth you lodging and house-room with her1 ,christ's call to unknown faces must be your second wind1 seeing ye cannot have a first4#cfg ,oh that our ,lord would water again with a new visit this piece-withered and dry hill of our widow1 ,mount ,zion4 #cff ,this probably means ,france1 as ,mr4 ,blair at this time resolved to go to that country as chaplain in ,colonel ,hepburn's regiment4 ,he embarked at ,leith1 but seeing the excessive wickedness of some of the men1 abandoned the enterprise1 and returned to ,edinburgh 7,row's ,continuation of ,blair's ,life1 pp4 #aea-aec74 #cfg ,in his ,christ ,dying and ,drawing1 p4 #ecd 7#agbg71 he uses the same figurative language3 ,compelled to arrive with a second wind1 as a crossed seaman--who should have had the west wind1 but finds the east wind is blowing1 and so must just make the best of this second wind4 ,you cannot get the favour of your mother1 the church1 which would have been a first wind to you1 according to your desire2 therefore1 sail with this other wind1 to wit1 this call in ,providence to visit foreign lands4 ,my dear brother1 ,i shall think it comfort1 if ye speak my name to our ,well-beloved4 ,wherever ye are1 ,i am mindful of you4 ,oh that the ,lord would yet make the light of the moon in ,scotland as the light of the sun1 and the light of the sun sevenfold brighter4 ,for myself1 as yet ,i have received no answer whither to go4 ,i wait on4 ,oh that ,jesus had my love6 ,let matters frame as they list1 ,i have some more to do with ,christ2 yet ,i would fain we were nearer4 ,now the great ,shepherd of the sheep1 the very ,god of peace1 establish and confirm you till the day of ,his coming4 ,yours1 in his lovely and sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #i1 #afcg4 ,,cclv4--,to the ,,lady ,,carleton4 ,letter ,,xv4 7,,submission ,,to ,,god',s ,,will--,,wonders ,,in ,,the ,,love ,,of ,,christ--,,no ,,debt ,,to ,,the ,,world47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,my soul longeth once again to be amongst you1 and to behold that beauty of the ,lord1 that ,i would see in ,his house2 but ,i know not if ,he1 in whose hands are all our ways1 seeth it expedient for ,his glory4 ,i owe my ,lord1 ,i know1 submission of the spirit1 suppose ,he would turn me into a stone1 or pillar of salt4 ,oh that ,i were he in whom my ,lord could be glorified6 suppose my little heaven were forfeited1 to buy glory to ,him before men and angels2 suppose my want of ,his presence1 and separation from ,christ1 were a pillar as high as ten heavens for ,christ's glory to stand upon1 above all the world4 ,what am ,i to ,him8 ,how little am ,i 7though my feathers stood out as broad as the morning light7 to such a high1 to such a lofty1 to such a never-enough-admired and glorious ,lord6 ,my trials are heavy1 because of my sad ,sabbaths2 but ,i know that they are less than my high provocations4 ,i seek no more than that ,christ may be the gainer1 and ,i the loser2 that ,he may be raised and heightened1 and ,i cried down1 and my worth made dust before ,his glory4 ,oh that ,scotland1 all with one shout1 would cry up ,christ1 and that ,his name were high in the land6 ,i find the very utmost borders of ,christ's high excellency and deep sweetness1 heaven and earth's wonder4 ,oh1 what is ,he8 ,if ,i could but win in to see ,his inner side6 ,oh1 ,i am run dry of loving1 and wondering1 and adoring of that greatest and most admirable ,one6 ,wo1 wo is me1 ,i have not half love for ,him6 ,alas1 what can my drop do to ,his great sea6 ,what gain is it to ,christ1 that ,i have casten my little sparkle into ,his great fire6 ,what can ,i give to ,him8 ,oh that ,i had love to fill a thousand worlds1 that ,i might empty my soul of it all upon ,christ6 ,i think ,i have just reason to quit my part of any hope or love that ,i have to this scum 7and the refuse of the dross of ,god's workmanship71 this vain earth4 ,i owe to this stormy world 7whose kindness and heart to me have been made of iron1 or a piece of wild sea-island that never a creature of ,god lodged in7 not a look3 ,i owe it no love1 no hope2 and1 therefore1 oh1 if my love were dead to it1 and my soul dead to it6 ,what am ,i obliged to this house of my pilgrimage8 ,a straw for all that ,god hath made1 to my soul's liking1 except ,god1 and that lovely ,one1 ,jesus ,christ6 ,seeing ,i am not this world's debtor1 ,i desire that ,i may be stripped of all confidence in anything but my ,lord1 that ,he may be for me1 and ,i for my only1 only1 only ,lord6 that ,he may be the morning and evening tide1 the top and the root of my joys1 and the heart and flower and yolk of all my soul's delights6 ,oh1 let me never lodge any creature in my heart and confidence6 ,let the house be for ,him4 ,i rejoice1 that sad days cut off a piece of the lease of my short life2 and that my shadow1 even while ,i suffer1 weareth long1 and my evening hasteneth on4 ,i have cause to love home with all my heart1 and to take the opportunity of the day to hasten to the end of my journey1 before the night come on1 wherein a man cannot see to walk or work2 that once1 after my falls1 ,i may at night fall in1 weary and tired as ,i am1 into ,christ's bosom1 and betwixt ,his breasts4 ,our prison cannot be our best country4 ,this world looketh not like heaven and the happiness that our tired souls would be at2 and1 therefore1 it were good to seek about for the wind1 and hoist up our sails towards our ,new ,jerusalem1 for that is our ,christ4 ,remember a prisoner to ,christ4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his only ,lord and ,master1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cclvi4--,to ,,william ,,rigge of ,athernie4 7,,the ,,law--,,grace--,,chalking ,,out ,,providences ,,for ,,ourselves--,,prescribing ,,to ,,his ,,love47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,worthy ,,sir1--,your letter1 full of complaints1 bemoaning your guiltiness1 hath humbled me4 ,but give me leave to say that ye seem to be too far upon the law's side4 ,ye will not gain much to be the law's advocate4 ,i thought ye had not been the law's but grace's man2 nevertheless1 ,i am sure that ye desire to take ,god's part against yourself4 ,whatever your guiltiness be1 yet1 when it falleth into the sea of ,god's mercy1 it is but like a drop of blood fallen into the great ocean4 ,there is nothing here to be done1 but to let ,christ's doom light on the old man1 and let him bear his condemnation1 seeing in ,christ he was condemned2 for the law hath but power over your worst half4 ,let the blame1 therefore1 lie where the blame should be2 and let the new man be sure to say1 ,i am comely as the tents of ,kedar1 howbeit ,i be black and sunburnt1 by sitting neighbour beside a body of sin4 ,i seek no more here than room for grace's defence1 and ,christ's white throne1 whereto a sinner1 condemned by the law1 may appeal4 ,but the use that ,i make of it is1 ,i am sorry that ,i am not so tender and thin-skinned2#cfh though ,i am sure that ,christ may find employment for ,his calling in me1 if in any living1 seeing1 from my youth upward1 ,i have been making up the blackest process that any minister in the world1 or any other1 can answer to4 ,and1 when ,i had done this1 ,i painted a providence of my own1 and wrote ease for myself1 and a peaceable ministry1 and the sun shining on me1 till ,i should be in at heaven's gates2 such green and raw thoughts had ,i of ,god6 ,i thought also of a sleeping devil1 that would pass by the like of me1 lying in muirs and outfields2 so ,i bigged the gowk's nest and dreamed of dying at ease1 and living in a fool's paradise4 ,but since ,i came hither1 ,i am often so as they would have much rhetoric that could persuade me1 that ,christ hath not written wrath on my dumb and silent ,sabbaths2 which is a persecution of the latest edition1 being used against none in this land1 that ,i can learn of1 besides me4 ,and often ,i lie under a non-entry1 and would gladly sell all my joys to be confirmed free tenant of the ,king ,jesus1 and to have sealed assurances3 but ,i see often blank papers4 ,and my greatest desires are these two3--#a4 ,that ,christ would take me in hand to cure me1 and undertake for a sick man4 ,i know that ,i should not die under ,his hand4 ,and yet in this1 while ,i still doubt1 ,i believe through a cloud that sorrow 7which hath no eyes7 hath but put a vail on ,christ's love4 #b4 ,it pleaseth ,him often1 since ,i came hither1 to come with some short blinks of ,his sweet love4 ,and then1 because ,i have none to help me to praise ,his love1 and can do ,him no service in my own person 7as ,i once thought ,i did in ,his temple71 ,i die with wishes and desires to take up house and dwell at the well-side1 and to have ,him praised and set on high4 ,but1 alas6 what can the like of me do1 to get a good name raised upon my well-beloved ,lord ,jesus1 suppose ,i could desire to be suspended for ever of my part of heaven1 for ,his glory8 ,i am sure1 if ,i could get my will of ,christ's love1 and could once be over head and ears in the believed1 apprehended1 and seen love of the ,son of ,god1 it were the fulfilling of the desires of the only happiness ,i would be at4 ,but the truth is1 ,i hinder my communion with ,him1 because of the want of both faith and repentance1 and because ,i will make an idol of ,christ's kisses4 ,i will neither lead nor drive1#cfi except ,i see ,christ's love run in my channel2 and when ,i wait and look for ,him the upper way1 ,i see ,his wisdom is pleased to play me a slip1 and come the lower way4 ,so that ,i have not the right art of guiding ,christ2 for there is art and wisdom required in guiding of ,christ's love aright when we have gotten it4 ,oh1 how far are ,his ways above mine8 ,oh1 how little of ,him do ,i see6 ,and when ,i am as dry as a burnt heath in a drouthy summer1 and when my root is withered1 howbeit ,i think then that ,i would drink a sea-full of ,christ's love1 ere ever ,i would let the cup go from my head1 yet ,i get nothing but delays1 as if ,he would make hunger my daily food4 ,i think myself also hungered of hunger4 ,the rich ,lord ,jesus satisfy a famished man4 ,grace be with you4 ,your own1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #aj1 #afcg4 #cfh ,the use ,i make of your letter is1 it humbles me that ,i am not so tender as you1 and thin-skinned1 i4e4 easily made to feel4 #cfi ,be forced along2 drive1 as a neuter verb4 ,,cclvii4--,to the ,,lady ,,craighall4 ,letter ,,lxxxvi4 7,,the ,,comforts ,,of ,,christ',s ,,cross--,,desires ,,for ,,christ47 ,,honourable ,,and ,,christian ,,lady1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i cannot but write to your ,ladyship of the sweet and glorious terms ,i am in with the most joyful ,king that ever was1 under this well-thriving and prosperous cross4 ,it is my ,lord's salvation1 wrought by ,his own right hand1 that the water doth not suffocate the breath of hope1 and joyful courage1 in the ,lord ,jesus2 for ,his own person is still in the camp with ,his poor soldier4 ,i see that the cross is tied1 with ,christ's hand1 to the end of an honest profession4 ,we are but fools to endeavour to loose ,christ's knot4 ,when ,i consider the comforts of ,god1 ,i durst not consent to sell or wadset my short liferent of the cross of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,i know that ,christ bought with ,his own blood a right to sanctified and blessed crosses1 in so far as they blow me over the water to my long-desired home3 and it were not good that ,christ should be the buyer and ,i the seller4 ,i know that time and death shall take sufferings fairly off my hand4 ,i hope we shall have an honest parting at night1 when this cold and frosty afternoon-tide of my evil and rough day shall be over4 ,well is my soul of either sweet or sour1 that ,christ hath any part or portion in3 if ,he be at the one end of it1 it shall be well with me4 ,i shall die ere ,i libel faults against ,christ's cross4 ,it shall have my testimonial under my hand1 as an honest and saving mean of ,christ for mortification and faith's growth4 ,i have a stronger assurance1 since ,i came over the ,forth1#cgj of the excellency of ,jesus1 than ,i had before4 ,i am rather about ,him than in ,him1 while ,i am absent from ,him in this house of clay4 ,but ,i would be in heaven1 for no other cause than to essay and try what boundless joy it must be to be over head and ears in my well-beloved ,christ's love4 ,oh that fair ,one hath my heart for evermore6 ,but alas1 it is over-little for ,him6 ,oh1 if it were better and more worthy for ,his sake6 ,oh1 if ,i might meet with ,him1 face to face1 on this side of eternity1 and might have leave to plead with ,him1 that ,i am so hungered and famished here with the niggardly portion of ,his love that ,he giveth me6 ,oh that ,i might be carver and steward myself1 at mine own will1 of ,christ's love 7if ,i may lawfully wish this672 then would ,i enlarge my vessel 7alas6 a narrow and ebb soul71 and take in a sea of ,his love4 ,my hunger for it is hungry and lean1 in believing that ever ,i shall be satisfied with that love3 so fain would ,i have what ,i know ,i cannot hold4 ,o ,lord ,jesus1 delightest ,thou1 delightest ,thou1 to pine and torment poor souls with the want of ,thy incomparable love8 ,oh1 if ,i durst call ,thy dispensation cruel6 ,i know that ,thou ,thyself art mercy1 without either brim or bottom2 ,i know that ,thou art a ,god bank-full of mercy and love2 but1 oh1 alas6 little of it cometh my way4 ,i die to look afar off to that love1 because ,i can get but little of it4 ,but hope saith1 ,this ,providence shall ere long look more favourably upon poor bodies1 and on me also4 ,grace be with your ,ladyship's spirit4 ,your ,ladyship's1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #aj1 #afcg4 #cgj ,he was banished to the north of the ,firth of ,forth4 ,,cclviii4--,to the ,right ,honourable my ,,lord ,,loudon4 7,,the ,,wisdom ,,of ,,adhering ,,to ,,christ',s ,,cause47 ,,right ,,honourable1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to your ,lordship4--,i rejoice exceedingly to hear that your ,lordship hath a good mind to ,christ1 and ,his now borne-down truth4 ,my very dear ,lord1 go on1 in the strength of the ,lord1 to carry your honours and worldly glory to the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,for this cause your ,lordship received these of the ,lord4 ,this is a sure way for the establishment of your house1 if ye be of those who are willing1 in your place1 to build ,zion's old waste places in ,scotland4 ,your ,lordship wanteth not ,god's and man's law both1 now to come to the streets for ,christ3 and suppose the bastard laws of man were against you1 it is an honest and zealous#cga error1 if here you slip against a point or punctilio of standing policy4 ,when your foot slippeth in such known ground1 as is the royal prerogative of our high and most truly dread ,sovereign 7who hath many crowns on ,his head71 and the liberties of ,his house1 ,he will hold you up4 ,blessed shall they be who take ,babel's little ones1 and dash their heads against the stones4 ,i wish your ,lordship may have a share of that blessing1 with other worthy nobles in our land4 #cga ,arising from zeal4 ,it is true that it is now accounted wisdom for men to be partners in pulling up the stakes1 and loosing the cords1 of the tent of ,christ4 ,but ,i am persuaded1 that that wisdom is cried down in heaven1 and shall never pass for true wisdom with the ,lord1 whose word crieth shame upon wit against ,christ and truth2 and1 accordingly1 it shall prove shame and confusion of face in the end4 ,our ,lord hath given your ,lordship light of a better stamp1 and learning also1 wherein ye are not behind the disputer and the scribe4 ,oh what a blessed thing is it to see nobility1 learning1 and sanctification1 all concur in one6 ,for these ye owe yourself to ,christ and ,his kingdom4 ,god hath bewildered and bemisted the wit and the learning of the scribes and disputers of this time2 they look asquint to the ,bible4 ,this blinding and bemisting world blindfoldeth men's light1 that they are afraid to see straight out before them2 nay1 their very light playeth the knave1 or worse1 to truth4 ,your ,lordship knoweth that1 within a little while1 policy against truth shall blush1 and the works of men shall be burned up1 even their spider's-web who spin out many hundred ells and webs of indifference in the ,lord's worship2 more than ever ,moses1 who would have#cgb a hoof material 7,exod4 x4 #bf71 and ,daniel1 who would have a look out at a window a matter of life and death1 than ever1 ,i say1 these men of ,god dreamed of4 ,alas6 that men dare to shape1 carve1 cut1 and clip our ,king's princely testament in length and breadth1 and in all dimensions1 answerable to the conception of such policy1 as a head-of-wit thinketh a safe and trim way of serving ,god6 ,how have men forgotten the ,lord1 that they dare to go against even that truth which once they preached themselves1 howbeit their sermons now be as thin sown as strawberries in a wood or wilderness6 ,certainly the sweetest and safest course is1 for this short time of the afternoon of this old and declining world1 to stand for ,jesus4 ,he hath said it1 and it is our part to believe it1 that ere it be long1 ,time shall be no more1 and the heaven shall wax old1 as a garment4 ,do we not see it already an old holie and threadbare garment4 ,doth not cripple and lame nature tell us1 that the ,lord will fold up the old garment1 and lay it aside2 and that the heavens shall be folded together as a scroll1 and this pesthouse shall be burnt with fire1 and that both plenishing and walls shall melt with fervent heat8 ,for at the ,lord's coming1 ,he will do with this earth1 as men do with a leper-house2 ,he will burn the walls with fire1 and the plenishing of the house also 7#b ,pet4 iii4 #aj1 #ab74 ,my very dear ,lord1 how will ye rejoice in that day1 to have ,christ1 angels1 heaven1 and your own conscience to smile upon you8 ,i am persuaded that one sick night1 through the terrors of the ,almighty1 would make men1 whose conscience hath such a wide throat that an image like a cathedral church1 would go down it1 have other thoughts of ,christ and ,his worship1 than now they please themselves with4 ,the scarcity of faith in the earth saith1 ,we are hard upon the last nick of time3 blessed are those who keep their garments clean against the ,bridegroom's coming4 ,there shall be spotted clothes1 and many defiled garments1 at ,his last ,coming2 and1 therefore1 few found worthy to walk with ,him in white4 #cgb ,would reckon4 ,i am persuaded1 my ,lord1 that this poor travailing ,woman1 our pained church1 is with child of victory1 and shall bring forth a ,man-child all lovely and glorious1 that shall be caught up to ,god and to ,his throne1 howbeit the dragon1 in his followers1 be attending the childbirth pain1 as an ,egyptian midwife1 to receive the birth and strangle it4 ,but they shall be disappointed who thirst for the destruction of ,zion4 ,they shall be as when a hungry man dreameth that he eateth1 but1 behold1 he awaketh1 and his soul is empty2 or when a thirsty man dreameth that he drinketh1 but1 behold1 he awaketh1 and is faint1 and his soul is not satisfied3 so shall it be1 ,i say1 with the multitude of all the nations that fight against ,mount ,zion 7,isa4 xxix4 #h74 ,therefore1 the weak and feeble1 those that are as signs and wonders in ,israel1 have chosen the best side1 even the side that victory is upon4 ,and ,i think this is no evil policy4 ,verily1 for myself1 ,i am so well pleased with ,christ1 and ,his noble and honest-borne cross1 this cross that is come of ,christ's house and is of kin to ,himself1 that ,i should weep if it should come to niffering and bartering of lots and condition with those that are at ease in ,zion4 ,i hold still my choice1 and bless myself in it4 ,i see and ,i believe that there is salvation in this way1 which is everywhere spoken against4 ,i hope to go to eternity1 and to venture on the last evil to the saints 7even upon death71 fully persuaded that this only1 even this1 is the saving way for racked consciences1 and for weary and laden sinners to find ease and peace for evermore in4 ,and1 indeed1 it is not for any worldly respect that ,i speak so of it4 ,the weather is not so hot that ,i have great cause to startle in my prison1 or to boast of that entertainment that my good friends1 the prelates1 intend for me 7which is1 banishment71 if they shall obtain their desire1 and effectuate what they design4 ,but let it come2 ,i rue not that ,i made ,christ my wale and my choice2 ,i think ,him aye the longer the better4 ,my ,lord1 it shall be good service to ,god1 to hold your noble friend and chief#cgc upon a good course for the truth of ,christ4 ,now the very ,god of peace establish your ,lordship in ,christ ,jesus unto the end4 ,your ,lordship's1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #aj1 #afcg4 #cgc ,the ,earl of ,argyle4 ,,cclix4--,to ,,mr4 ,,david ,,dickson4 7,,danger ,,of ,,worldly ,,ease--,,personal ,,occurrences47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,well-,,beloved ,,brother ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,i bless the ,lord1 who hath so wonderfully stopped the ongoing of that lawless process against you4#cgd ,the ,lord reigneth1 and has a saving eye upon you and your ministry2 and1 therefore1 fear not what men can do4 ,i bless the ,lord1 that the ,irish ministers find employment1 and the professors comfort of their ministry4 ,believe me1 ,i durst not1 as ,i am now disposed1 hold an honest brother out of the pulpit4 ,i trust that the ,lord will guard you1 and hide you in the shadow of ,his hand4 ,i am not pleased with any that are against you in that4 #cgd ,this is probably an allusion to a threat of the ,archbishop of ,glasgow1 to prosecute ,dickson for employing ,blair1 ,livingstone1 and ,cunningham1 after they had been silenced and ejected by the ,irish prelates4 ,i see this1 that1 in prosperity1 men's conscience will not start at small sins2 but if some had been where ,i have been since ,i came from you1 a little more would have caused their eyes to water1 and trouble their peace4 ,oh how ready are we to incline to the world's hand6 ,our arguments1 being well examined1 are often drawn from our skin2 the whole skin1 and a peaceable tabernacle1 is a topic-maxim in great request in our logic4 ,i find a little brairding of ,god's seed in this town1 for the which the doctors have told me their mind1 that they cannot bear with it1 and have examined and threatened the people that haunt my company4 ,i fear ,i get not leave to winter here2 and whither ,i go ,i know not2 ,i am ready at the ,lord's call4 ,i would ,i could make acquaintance with ,christ's cross1 for ,i find comforts lie to1 and follow upon1 the cross4 ,i suffer in my name1 by them2 but ,i take it as a part of the crucifying of the old man4 ,let them cut the throat of my credit1 and do as they like best with it4 ,when the wind of their calumnies hath blown away my good name from me1 in the way to heaven1 ,i know that ,christ will take my name out of the mire1 and wash it1 and restore it to me again4 ,i would have a mind 7if the ,lord would be pleased to give me it7 to be a fool for ,christ's sake4 ,sometimes1 while ,i have ,christ in my arms1 ,i fall asleep in the sweetness of ,his presence1 and ,he1 in my sleep1 stealeth away out of my arms2 and when ,i awake1 ,i miss ,him4 ,i am much comforted with my ,lady ,pitsligo1 a good woman1 and acquainted with ,god's ways4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #aa1 #afcg4 ,,cclx4--,to ,,alexander ,,gordon of ,earlston4 7,,all ,,crosses ,,well ,,ordered--,,providences47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,howbeit ,i should have been glad to have seen you2 yet1 seeing that our ,lord hath been pleased to break the snare of our adversaries1 ,i heartily bless our ,lord on your behalf4 ,our crosses for ,christ are not made of iron2 they are softer and of more gentle metal4 ,it is easy for ,god to make a fool of the devil1 the father of all fools4 ,as for me1 ,i but breathe out what my ,lord breatheth in4 ,the scum and froth of my letters ,i father upon my own unbelieving heart4 ,i know that your ,lord hath something to do with you1 because ,satan and malice have shot sore at you2 but your bow abideth in its strength4 ,ye shall not1 by my advice1 be a halver with ,christ1 to divide the glory of your deliverance betwixt yourself and ,him1 or any other second mean whatsoever4 ,let ,christ 7as it setteth ,him well7 have all the glory and triumph ,his lone4 ,the ,lord set ,himself on high in you4 #a4 ,i see that ,christ can borrow a cross for some hours1 and set ,his servants beside it1 rather than under it1 and win the plea too2 yea1 and make glory to ,himself1 and shame to ,his enemies1 and comfort to ,his children out of it4 ,but whether ,christ buy or borrow crosses1 ,he is ,king of crosses1 and ,king of devils1 and ,king over hell1 and ,king over malice4 ,when ,he was in the grave1 ,he came out1 and brought the keys with ,him4 ,he is ,lord ,jailor2 nay1 what say ,i8 ,he is ,captain of the castle1 and ,he hath the keys of death and hell4 ,and what are our troubles but little deaths8 and ,he who commandeth the great castle commandeth the little also4 #b4 ,i see that a hardened face1 and two skins upon our brows against the winter hail and stormy wind1 is meetest for a poor traveller1 in a winter journey to heaven4 ,oh1 what art is it to learn to endure hardness1 and to learn to go barefooted either through the devil's fiery coals1 or his frozen waters6 #c4 ,i am persuaded that a sea-venture with ,christ maketh great riches3 is not the ship of our ,king ,jesus coming home1 and shall not we get part of the gold8 ,alas6 we fools miscount our gain when we seem losers4 ,believe me1 ,i have no challenges against this well-borne cross3 for it is come of ,christ's house1 and is honourable1 and is ,his propine4 ,to you it is given to suffer4--,oh1 what fools are we1 to undervalue ,his gifts1 and to lightly that which is true honour6 ,for if we could be faithful1 our tackling shall not loose1 or our mast break1 or our sails blow into the sea4 ,the bastard crosses1 the kinless and base-born crosses of worldings for evil-doing1 must be heavy and grievous2 but our afflictions are light and momentary4 #d4 ,i think myself happy that ,i have lost credit with ,christ1 and that in this bargain ,i am ,christ's sworn dyvour1#cge to whom ,he will lippen nothing1 no1 not one pin in the work of my salvation4 ,let me stand in black and white in the dyvour-book1 before ,christ4 ,i am happy that my salvation is concredited#cgf to ,christ's mediation4 ,christ oweth no faith to me1 to lippen anything to me2 but oh what faith and credit ,i owe to ,him6 ,let my name fall1 and let ,christ's name stand in honour with men and angels4 ,alas6 ,i have no room to spread out my affection before ,god's people2 and ,i see not how ,i can shout out and cry out the loveliness1 the high honour1 and the glory of my fairest ,lord ,jesus4 ,oh that ,he would let me have a bed to lie on1 to be delivered of my birth1 that ,i might paint ,him out in ,his beauty to men1 as ,i dow4 #cge ,admitted bankrupt2 and in the next sentence1 dyvour-book is the bankrupt-roll4 #cgf ,entrusted fully4 #e4 ,i wondered once at providence1 and called white providence black and unjust1 that ,i should be smothered in a town where no soul will take ,christ off my hand4 ,but providence hath another lustre with ,god than with my bleared eyes4 ,i proclaim myself a blind body1 who knoweth not black and white1 in the unco course of ,god's providence4 ,suppose that ,christ should set hell where heaven is1 and devils up in glory beside the elect angels 7which yet cannot be71 ,i would ,i had a heart to acquiesce in ,his way1 without further dispute4 ,i see that infinite wisdom is the mother of ,his judgments1 and that ,his ways pass finding out4 #f4 ,i cannot learn1 but ,i desire to learn1 to bring my thoughts1 will1 and lusts1 in-under ,christ's feet1 that ,he may trample upon them4 ,but1 alas6 ,i am still upon ,christ's wrong side4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #ab1 #afcg4 ,,cclxi4--,to the ,,lady ,,kilconquhair4 ,see ,letter ,,ccxxvi4 7,,the ,,kingdom ,,to ,,be ,,taken ,,by ,,violence47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i received your letter4 ,i am heartily content1 that ye love and own this oppressed and wronged cause of ,christ2 and that now1 when so many have miscarried1 ye are in any measure taken with the love of ,jesus4 ,weary not1 but come in and see if there be not more in ,christ than the tongue of men and angels can express4 ,if ye seek a gate to heaven1 the way is in ,him1 or ,he is it4 ,what ye want is treasured up in ,jesus2 and ,he saith1 all ,his are yours4 ,even ,his kingdom1 ,he is content to divide it betwixt ,him and you3 yea1 ,his throne and ,his glory 7,luke xxii4 #bi1 #cj2 ,john xvii4 #ba2 ,rev4 iii4 #ba74 ,and1 therefore1 take pains to climb up to that besieged house to ,christ2 for devils1 men1 and armies of temptations are lying about the house1 to hold out all that are out1 and it is taken with violence4 ,it is not a smooth and easy way1 neither will your weather be fair and pleasant2 but whosoever hath seen the invisible ,god1 and the fair ,city1 makes no reckoning of losses or crosses4 ,in ye must be1 cost you what it will4 ,stand not for a price1 and for all that ye have1 to win the castle4 ,the rights to it are won to you1 and it is disponed to you in the testament of your ,lord ,jesus 7and see what a fair legacy your dying ,friend1 ,christ1 hath left you671 and there wanteth nothing but possession4 ,then get up in the strength of the ,lord2 get over the water to possess that good land4 ,it is better than a land of olives and wine-trees2 for the ,tree of ,life1 that beareth twelve manner of fruits every month1 is there before you2 and a pure river of life1 clear as crystal1 proceeding out of the throne of ,god and of the ,lamb1 is there4 ,your time is short2 therefore lose no time4 ,gracious and faithful is ,he who hath called you to ,his kingdom and glory4 ,the city is yours by free conquest1 and by promise2 and1 therefore1 let no unco lord-idol put you from your own4 ,the devil hath cheated the simple heir of his paradise1 and1 by enticing us to taste of the forbidden fruit1 hath as it were1 bought us out of our kindly heritage4 ,but our ,lord ,christ ,jesus hath done more than bought the devil by2#cgg for ,he hath redeemed the wadset1 and made the poor heir free to the inheritance4 ,if we knew the glory of our ,elder ,brother in heaven1 we would long to be there to see ,him1 and to get our fill of heaven4 ,we children think the earth a fair garden2 but it is but ,god's outfield1 and wild1 cold1 barren ground4 ,all things are fading that are here4 ,it is our happiness to make sure of ,christ to ourselves4 #cgg ,set aside4 ,thus remembering my love to your husband1 and wishing to him what ,i write to you1 ,i commit you to ,god's tender mercy4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #ac1 #afcg4 ,,cclxii4--,to ,,robert ,,lennox of ,disdove4 ,see ,letter ,,ccxiii4 7,,increasing ,,experience ,,of ,,christ',s ,,love--,,salvation ,,to ,,be ,,made ,,sure47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i forget you not in my bonds4 ,i know that you are looking to ,christ2 and ,i beseech you to follow your look4 ,i can say more of ,christ now by experience 7though ,he be infinitely above and beyond all that can be said of ,him71 than when ,i saw you4 ,i am drowned over head and ears in ,his love4 ,sell1 sell1 sell all things for ,christ4 ,if this whole world were the balk of a balance1 it would not be able to bear the weight of ,christ's love2 men and angels have short arms to fathom it4 ,set your feet upon this piece of blue and base clay of an over-gilded and fair plastered world4 ,an hour's kissing of ,christ's is worth a world of worlds4 ,sir1 make sure work of your salvation3 build not upon sand2 lay the foundation upon the rock of ,zion4 ,strive to be dead to this world1 and to your will and lusts2 let ,christ have a commanding power and a king's throne in you4 ,walk with ,christ1 howbeit the world should take the hide off your face3 ,i promise you that ,christ will win the field4 ,your pastors cause you to err4 ,except you see ,christ's word1 go not one foot with them4 ,countenance not the reading of that ,romish service-book4 ,keep your garments clean1 as ye would walk with the ,lamb clothed in white4 ,the wrongs which ,i suffer are upon record in heaven4 ,our great ,master and ,judge will be upon us all1 and bring us before the sun in our blacks and whites3 blessed are they who watch and keep themselves in ,god's love4 ,learn to discern the ,bridegroom's tongue1 and to give yourself to prayer and reading4 ,ye were often a hearer of me4 ,i would put my heart's blood on the doctrine which ,i taught1 as the only way to salvation3 go not from it1 my dear brother4 ,what ,i write to you1 ,i write to your wife also4 ,mind heaven and ,christ1 and keep the spunk of the love of ,christ which you have gotten4 ,christ will blow on it if ye entertain it2 and your end shall be peace4 ,there is a fire in our ,zion1 but our ,lord is but seeking a new bride1 refined and purified1 out of the furnace4 ,i assure you1 howbeit we be nicknamed ,puritans1 that all the powers of the world shall not prevail against us4 ,remember1 though a sinful man write it to you1 that those people shall be in ,scotland as a green olive-tree1 and a field blessed of the ,lord2 and that it shall be proclaimed1 ,up1 up with ,christ1 and down1 down with all contrary powers4 ,sir1 pray for me 7,i name you to the ,lord71 for further evil is determined against me4 ,remember my love to ,christian ,murray and her daughter4 ,i desire her1 in the edge of her evening1 to wait a little2 the ,king is coming1 and ,he hath something that she never saw with ,him4 ,heaven is no dream4 ,come and see will teach her best4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #ac1 #afcg4 ,,cclxiii4--,to ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,,hope ,,in ,,trial--,,prayer ,,and ,,watchfulness47 ,,dearest ,,in ,,our ,,lord ,,jesus1--,count it your honour1 that ,christ hath begun at you to refine you first4 ,fear not1 saith the ,amen1 the ,true and ,faithful ,witness4 ,i write to you1 as my ,master liveth1 upon the word of my royal ,king1 continue in prayer and in watching1 and your glorious deliverance is coming6 ,christ is not far off4 ,a fig1 a straw1 for all the bits of clay that are risen against us6 ,ye shall thresh the mountains1 and fan them like chaff 7,isa4 xli4 #ae1 #af74 ,if ye slack your hands at your meetings1 and your watching to prayer1 then it would seem that our ,rock hath sold us2 but be diligent1 and be not discouraged4 ,i charge you in ,christ1 to rejoice1 give thanks1 believe1 be strong in the ,lord4 ,that burning bush in ,galloway and ,kirkcudbright shall not be burnt to ashes1 for the ,lord is in the bush4 ,be not discouraged that banishment is to be procured1 by the ,king's warrant to the ,council1 against me3 the earth is my ,lord's4 ,i am filled with ,his sweet love1 and running over4 ,i rejoice to hear that ye are on your journey4 ,such news as ,i hear1 of all your faith and love1 rejoice my sad heart4 ,pray for me1 for they seek my hurt2 but ,i give myself to prayer4 ,the blessing of my ,lord1 and the blessing of a prisoner of ,christ be with you4 ,o chosen and greatly beloved woman1 faint not4 ,fy1 fy2 if ye faint now1 ye lose a good cause4 ,double your meetings2 cease not for ,zion's sake1 and hold not your peace till ,he make ,jerusalem a praise in the earth4 ,yours1 in ,christ ,jesus his ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cclxiv4--,to ,,thomas ,,corbet4 ,one of his ,anwoth parishioners4 7,,godly ,,counsels--,,following ,,christ47 ,,dear ,,friend1--,i forget you not4 ,it will be my joy that ye follow after ,christ till ye find ,him4 ,my conscience is a feast of joy to me1 that ,i fought in singleness of heart1 for ,christ's love1 to put you upon the ,king's highway to our ,bridegroom1 and our ,father's house4 ,thrice blessed are ye1 my dear brother1 if ye hold the way4 ,i believe that ye and ,christ once met2 ,i hope ye will not sunder with ,him4 ,follow the counsel of the man of ,god1 ,mr4 ,william ,dalgleish4 ,if ye depart from what ,i taught you in a hair-breadth1 for fear or favour of men1 or desire of ease in this world1 ,i take heaven and earth to witness that ill shall come upon you in the end4 ,build not your nest here4 ,this world is a hard1 ill-made bed2 no rest is in it for your soul4 ,awake1 awake1 and make haste to seek that ,pearl1 ,christ1 that this world seeth not4 ,your night and your ,master ,christ will be upon you within a clap2 your hand-breadth of time will not bide you4 ,take ,christ1 howbeit a storm follow ,him4 ,howbeit this day be not yours and ,christ's1 the morrow will be yours and ,his4 ,i would not exchange the joy of my bonds and imprisonment for ,christ1 with all the joy of this dirty and foul-skinned world4 ,i have a love-bed with ,christ1 and am filled with ,his love4 ,i desire your wife to do what ,i write to you4 ,let her remember how dear ,christ will be to her1 when her breath turneth cold1 and the eye-strings shall break4 ,oh1 how joyful should my soul be1 to know that ,i had brought on a marriage betwixt ,christ and that people1 few or many6 ,if it be not so1 ,i shall be wo to be a witness against them4 ,use prayer3 love not the world3 be humble1 and esteem little of yourself4 ,love your enemies1 and pray for them4 ,make conscience of speaking truth1 when none knoweth but ,god4 ,i never eat1 but ,i pray for you all4 ,pray for me4 ,ye and ,i shall see one another up in our ,father's house4 ,i rejoice to hear that your eye is upon ,christ4 ,follow on1 hing on1 and quit ,him not4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,your affectionate brother1 in our ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cclxv4--,to ,,mr4 ,,george ,,dunbar4 ,,george ,,dunbar was minister of ,ayr4 ,adhering with zeal to ,presbytery1 he was summoned before the ,high ,commission ,court in the beginning of the year #afbb4 ,on appearing1 he gave in a paper declining its authority2 but the ,court passed sentence of deprivation upon him1 and condemned him to be confined within ,dumfries4 ,he was ejected from this charge also4 ,when the messenger of the ,court came to his house on this last occasion1 either to summon him or to intimate his sentence1 a young daughter of his said1 ,and ,pharaoh's heart is still hardened6 while all that ,dunbar said was to bid his wife prepare her creels again2 for1 on the former occasion1 the children1 being young1 behoved to be carried away on horseback in creels 7,livingstone's ,characteristics74 ,he was for a long time prisoner at ,blackness2 but at length1 being banished by the ,privy ,council1 he removed to ,ireland4 ,he first preached at ,carrickfergus1 and ultimately settled at ,larne1 where he discharged his ministry with diligence and success4 ,on being deposed by the ,bishop of ,down1 in #afcd1 for nonconformity1 he came over to ,scotland1 and after the triumph of ,presbytery1 in #afch1 became minister of the parish of ,calder1 in ,lothian1 where he died4 7,,christ',s ,,love ,,in ,,affliction--,,the ,,saint',s ,,support ,,and ,,final ,,victory47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dearly ,,beloved ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,because your words have strengthened many1 ,i was silent1 expecting some lines from you in my bonds2 and this is the cause why ,i wrote not to you4 ,but now ,i am forced to break off and speak4 ,i never believed1 till now1 that there was so much to be found in ,christ on this side of death and of heaven4 ,oh1 the ravishments of heavenly joy that may be had here1 in the small gleanings of comforts that fall from ,christ6 ,what fools are we who know not1 and consider not the weight and the telling that is in the very earnest-penny1 and the first-fruits of our hoped-for harvest6 ,how sweet1 how sweet is our infeftment6 oh1 what then must personal possession be6 ,i find that my ,lord ,jesus hath not miscooked or spilled this sweet cross2 ,he hath an eye on the fire and the melting gold1 to separate the metal and the dross4 ,oh how much time would it take me to read my obligations to ,jesus my ,lord1 who will neither have the faith of ,his own to be burnt to ashes1 nor yet will have a poor believer in the fire to be half raw1 like ,ephraim's unturned cake6 ,this is the wisdom of ,him who hath ,his fire in ,zion1 and furnace in ,jerusalem4 ,i need not either bud or flatter temptations and crosses1 nor strive to buy the devil or this malicious world by1 or redeem their kindness with half a hair-breadth of truth4 ,he who is surety for ,his servant for good doth powerfully overrule all that4 ,i see my prison hath neither lock nor door3 ,i am free in my bonds1 and my chains are made of rotten straw2 they shall not bide one pull of faith4 ,i am sure that there are those in hell who would exchange their torments with our crosses1 suppose they should never be delivered1 and give twenty thousand years' torment to boot1 to be in our bonds for ever4 ,and1 therefore1 we wrong ,christ who sigh1 and fear1 and doubt1 and despond in them4 ,our sufferings are washen in ,christ's blood1 as well as our souls2 for ,christ's merits brought a blessing to the crosses of the sons of ,god4 ,and ,jesus hath a back-bond of all our temptations1 that the free-warders shall come out by law and justice1 in respect of the infinite and great sum that the ,redeemer paid4 ,our troubles owe us a free passage through them4 ,devils1 and men1 and crosses1 are our debtors1 death and all storms are our debtors1 to blow our poor tossed bark over the water fraught-free1 and to set the travellers on their own known ground4 ,therefore we shall die1 and yet live4 ,we are over the water some way already4 ,we are married1 and our tocher-good is paid4 ,we are already more than conquerors4 ,if the devil and the world knew how the court with our ,lord shall go1 ,i am sure they would hire death to take us off their hand4 ,our sufferings are only the wreck and ruin of the black kingdom2 and yet a little1 and the ,antichrist must play himself with bones and slain bodies of the ,lamb's followers2 but withal we stand with the hundred forty and four thousand1 who are with the ,lamb1 upon the top of ,mount ,zion4 ,antichrist and his followers are down in the valley ground3 we have the advantage of the hill2 our temptations are always beneath4 ,our waters are beneath our breath3#cgh as dying1 and behold we live4 ,i never heard before of a living death1 or a quick death1 but ours3 our death is not like the common death4 ,christ's skill1 ,his handywork1 and a new cast of ,christ's admirable art1 may be seen in our quick death4 ,i bless the ,lord1 that all our troubles come through ,christ's fingers1 and that ,he casteth sugar among them1 and casteth in some ounce-weights of heaven1 and of the ,spirit of glory that resteth on suffering believers1 into our cup1 in which there is no taste of hell4 ,my dear brother1 ye know all these better than ,i4 ,i send water to the sea1 to speak of these things to you2 but it easeth me to desire you to help me to pay my tribute of praise to ,jesus4 ,oh what praises ,i owe ,him6 ,i would ,i were in my free heritage1 that ,i might begin to pay my debts to ,jesus4 ,i entreat for your prayers and praises4 ,i forget not you4 ,your brother and fellow-sufferer in and for ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #ag1 #afcg4 #cgh ,our head is high enough above the waters to let us breathe4 ,,cclxvi4--,to ,,john ,,fleming1 ,bailie of ,leith4 7,,comfort ,,abounding ,,under ,,trials47 ,,worthy ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,the ,lord hath brought me safe to this strange town4 ,blessed be ,his holy name1 ,i find ,his cross easy and light1 and ,i hope that ,he will be with ,his poor sold ,joseph1 who is separated from his brethren4 ,his comforts have abounded towards me1 as if ,christ thought shame 7if ,i may speak so7 to be in the common of such a poor man as ,i am1 and would not have me lose anything in ,his errands4 ,my enemies have1 beside their intention1 made me more blessed1 and have put me in a sweeter possession of ,christ than ever ,i had before2 only the memory of the fair days ,i had with my ,well-beloved1 amongst the flock intrusted to me1 keepeth me low1 and soureth my unseen joy 7#a ,cor4 ii4 #i74 ,but it must be so1 and ,he is wise who tutoreth me in this way4 ,for#cgi that which my brethren have1 and ,i want1 and others of this world have1 ,i am content2 my faith will frist ,god my happiness4 ,no son is offended that his father give him not hire twice a-year2 for he is to abide in the house1 when the inheritance is to be divided4 ,it is better that ,god's children live upon hope1 than upon hire4 #cgi ,as for that which4 ,thus remembering my love to your worthy and kind wife1 ,i bless you and her1 and all yours1 in the ,lord's name4 ,yours1 in his only1 only ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #bj1 #afcg4 ,,cclxvii4--,to ,,william ,,glendinning1 ,bailie of ,kirkcudbright4 7,,the ,,past ,,and ,,the ,,future--,,present ,,happiness47 ,,worthy ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i am well1 honour be to ,god6 as well as a rejoicing prisoner of ,christ can be1 hoping that one day ,he1 for whom ,i now suffer1 will enlarge me1 and put me above the threatenings of men4 ,i am sometimes sad1 heavy1 and casten down1 at the memory of the fair days ,i had with ,christ in ,anwoth1 ,kirkcudbright1 etc4 ,the remembrance of a feast increaseth hunger in a hungry man4 ,but who knoweth1 but our ,lord will yet cover a table in the wilderness to ,his hungry bairns1 and build the old waste places in ,scotland1 and bring home ,zion's captives8 ,i desire to see no more glorious sight1 till ,i see the ,lamb on ,his throne1 than to see ,mount ,zion all green with grass1 and the dew lying upon the tops of the grass1 and the crown put upon ,christ's head in ,scotland again4 ,and ,i believe it shall be so1 and that ,christ will mow down ,his enemies1 and fill the pits with their dead bodies4 ,i find people here dry and unco4 ,a man pointed at for suffering dare not to be countenanced2 so that ,i am like to sit my lone upon the ground4 ,but my ,lord payeth me well home again2 for ,i have neither tongue1 nor pen1 nor heart to express the sweetness and excellency of the love of ,christ4 ,christ's honeycombs drop honey and floods of consolation upon my soul4 ,my chains are gold3 ,christ's cross is all over-gilded and perfumed3 ,his prison is the garden and orchard of my delights4 ,i would go through burning quick to my lovely ,christ4 ,i sleep in ,his arms all the night1 and my head betwixt ,his breasts4 ,my ,well-beloved is altogether lovely4 ,this is all nothing to that which my soul hath felt4 ,let no man1 for my cause1 scaur at ,christ's cross4 ,if my stipend1 place1 country1 credit1 had been an earldom1 a kingdom1 ten kingdoms1 and a whole earth1 all were too little for the crown and sceptre of my royal ,king4 ,mine enemies1 mine enemies have made me blessed6 ,they have sent me to the ,bridegroom's chamber4 ,love is ,his banner over me4 ,i live a king's life2 ,i want nothing but heaven1 and possession of the crown4 ,my earnest is great2 ,christ is no niggard to me4 ,dear ,brother1 be for the ,lord ,jesus1 and ,his heart-broken bride4 ,i need not1 ,i hope1 remember my distressed brother to your care4 ,remember my love to your wife4 ,let ,christ want nothing of us2 ,his garments shall be rolled in the blood of the slain of ,scotland4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,pray for ,christ's prisoner4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #ba1 #afcg4 ,,cclxviii4--,to the ,,earl ,,of ,,cassillis4 ,letter ,,cxxviii4 7,,anxiety ,,for ,,the ,,prosperity ,,of ,,zion--,,encouragement ,,for ,,the ,,nobles ,,to ,,support ,,it--,,the ,,vanity ,,of ,,this ,,world1 ,,and ,,the ,,folly ,,and ,,misery ,,of ,,forsaking ,,christ--,,the ,,one ,,way ,,to ,,heaven47 ,,my ,,very ,,honourable ,,and ,,noble ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to your ,lordship4--,pardon me to express my earnest desire to your ,lordship1 for ,zion's sake1 for whom we should not hold our peace4 ,i know that your ,lordship will take my pleading on this behalf in the better part1 because the necessity of a falling and weak church is urgent4 ,i believe that your ,lordship is one of ,zion's friends1 and that by obligation4 ,for when the ,lord shall count and write up the people1 it shall be written1 ,this man was born there2 therefore1 because your ,lordship is a born son of the house1 ,i hope your desire is1 that the beauty and glory of the ,lord may dwell in the midst of the city1 whereof your ,lordship is a son4 ,it must be1 without all doubt1 the greatest honour of your place and house1 to kiss the ,son of ,god1 and for ,his sake to be kind to ,his oppressed and wronged ,bride1 who now1 in the day of her desolation1 beggeth help of you that are the shields of the earth4 ,i am sure many kings1 princes1 and nobles1 in the day of ,christ's ,second ,coming1 would be glad to run errands for ,christ1 even barefooted1 through fire and water4 ,but in that day ,he will have none of their service4 ,now1 ,he is asking if your ,lordship will help ,him against the mighty of the earth1 when men are setting their shoulders to ,christ's fair and beautiful tent in this land1 to loose its stakes and to break it down4 ,and certainly such as are not with ,christ are against ,him3 and blessed shall your ,lordship be of the ,lord1 blessed shall your house and seed be1 and blessed shall your honour be1 if ye empawn and lay in ,christ's hand the ,earldom of ,cassillis 7and it is but a shadow in comparison of the city made without hands671 and lay it even at the stake1 rather than ,christ and borne-down truth want a witness of you1 against the apostacy of this land4 ,ye hold your lands of ,christ2 your charters are under ,his seal2 and ,he who hath many crowns on ,his head1 dealeth1 cutteth1 and carveth pieces of this clay-heritage to men1 at ,his pleasure4 ,it is little your ,lordship hath to give ,him2 ,he will not sleep long in your common1 but shall surely pay home your losses for ,his cause4 ,it is but our bleared eyes that look through a false glass to this idol-god of clay1 and think something of it4 ,they who are past with their last sentence to heaven or hell1 and have made their reckoning1 and departed out of this smoky inn1 have now no other conceit of this world1 but as a piece of beguiling well-lustred clay4 ,and how fast doth time 7like a flood in motion7 carry your ,lordship out of it6 ,and is not eternity coming with wings8 ,court goeth not in heaven as it doth here4 ,our ,lord 7who hath all you1 the nobles1 lying in the shell of ,his balance7 esteemeth you according as ye are the ,bridegroom's friends or foes4 ,your honourable ancestors1 with the hazard of their lives1 brought ,christ to our land2#chj and it shall be cruelty to the posterity if ye lose ,him to them4 ,one of our tribes1 ,levi's sons1 the watchmen1 are fallen from the ,lord1 and have sold their mother1 and their father also1 and the ,lord's truth1 for their new velvet-world and their satin-church4 ,if ye1 the nobles1 play ,christ the slip now1 when ,his back is at the wall 7if ,i may so speak71 then may we say that the ,lord hath casten water upon ,scotland's smoking coal4 ,but we hope better things of you4 ,it is no wisdom 7however it be the state-wisdom now in request7 to be silent1 when they are casting lots for a better thing than ,christ's coat4 ,all this land1 and every man's part of the play for ,christ1 and the tears of poor and friendless ,zion 7now going dool-like in sackcloth71 are up in heaven before our ,lord2 and there is no question1 but our ,king and ,lord shall be master of the fields at length4 ,and we would all be glad to divide the spoil with ,christ1 and to ride in triumph with ,him2 but oh how few will take a cold bed of straw in the camp with ,him6 ,how fain would men have a well-thatched house above their heads1 all the way to heaven6 ,and many now would go to heaven the land-way 7for they love not to be sea-sick71 riding up to ,christ upon foot-mantles1 and rattling coaches1 and rubbing their velvet with the princes of the land1 in the highest seats4 ,if this be the way ,christ called strait and narrow1 ,i quit all skill of the way to salvation4 ,are they not now rouping ,christ and the ,gospel8 ,have they not put our ,lord ,jesus to the market1 and he who outbiddeth his fellow shall get ,him8 ,o my dear and noble ,lord1 go on 7howbeit the wind be in your face7 to back our princely ,captain4 ,be courageous for ,him4 ,fear not those who have no subscribed lease of days4 ,the worms shall eat kings4 ,let the ,lord ,jehovah be your fear1 and then1 as the ,lord liveth1 the victory is yours4 ,it is true1 many are striking up a new way to heaven2 but1 my soul for theirs1 if they find it1 and if this be not the only way1 whose end is ,christ's ,father's house4 ,and my weak experience1 since the day ,i was first in bonds1 hath confirmed me in the truth and assurance of this4 ,let doctors and learned men cry the contrary1 ,i am persuaded that this is the way4 ,the bottom hath fallen out of both their wit and conscience at once2 their book hath beguiled them1 for we have fallen upon the true ,christ4 ,i dare hazard1 if ,i alone had ten souls1 my salvation upon this ,stone that many now break their bones upon4#cha ,let them take this fat world4 ,oh1 poor and hungry is their paradise6 ,therefore let me entreat your ,lordship1 by your compearance before ,christ1 now while this piece of the afternoon of your day is before you 7for ye know not when your sun will turn1 and eternity shall benight you71 let your worldly glory1 honour1 and might1 be for our ,lord ,jesus4 ,and to ,his rich grace1 and tender mercy1 and to the never-dying comforts of ,his gracious ,spirit1 ,i recommend your ,lordship and noble house4 ,your ,lordship's1 at all obedience1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #i1 #afcg4 #chj ,it is hands in old editions4 #cha ,alluding to ,matt4 xxi4 #dd4 ,,cclxix4--,to his ,parishioners at ,anwoth4 7,,exhortation ,,to ,,abide ,,in ,,the ,,truth1 ,,in ,,prospect ,,of ,,christ',s ,,coming--,,scriptural ,,mode ,,of ,,observing ,,ordinances ,,such ,,as ,,the ,,sabbath1 ,,family ,,prayer1 ,,and ,,the ,,lord',s ,,supper--,,judgments ,,anticipated47 ,,dearly ,,beloved ,,in ,,our ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace from ,god our ,father1 and from our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 be multiplied upon you4 ,i long exceedingly to hear of your on-going and advancement in your journey to the kingdom of ,god4 ,my only joy1 out of heaven1 is to hear that the seed of ,god sown among you is growing and coming to a harvest4 ,for ,i ceased not1 while ,i was among you1 in season and out of season 7according to the measure of grace given unto me71 to warn and stir up your minds3 and ,i am free from the blood of all men1 for ,i have communicated to you the whole counsel of ,god4 ,and ,i now again charge and warn you1 in the great and dreadful name1 and in the sovereign authority of the ,king of kings1 and ,lord of lords1 and ,i beseech you also by the mercies of ,god1 and by the bowels of ,christ1 by your appearance before ,christ ,jesus our ,lord1 by all the plagues that are written in ,god's book1 by your part of the holy city1 the ,new ,jerusalem1 that ye keep the truth of ,god1 as ,i delivered it to you1 before many witnesses1 in the sight of ,god and ,his holy angels4 ,for now the last days are come and coming1 when many forsake ,christ ,jesus2 and ,he saith to you1 ,will ye also leave ,me8 ,remember that ,i forewarned you to forbear the dishonouring of the ,lord's blessed name1 in swearing1 blaspheming1 cursing1 and the profaning of the ,lord's ,sabbath2 willing you to give that day1 from morning to night1 to praying1 praising1 hearing of the word1 conferring1 and speaking not your own words but ,god's words1 thinking and meditating on ,god's nature1 word1 and work2 and that every day1 at morning and at night 7at least71 ye should sanctify the ,lord by praying in your houses1 publicly in the hearing of all4 ,that ye should in any sort forbear the receiving of the ,lord's ,supper but after the form that ,i delivered it to you1 according to the example of ,christ our ,lord1 that is1 that ye should sit as banqueters1 at one table with our ,king1 and eat1 and drink1 and divide the elements1 one to another4 7,the timber and stones of the church-wall shall bear witness1 that my soul was refreshed with the comforts of ,god in that supper67 ,and that crossing in baptism was unlawful1 and against ,christ's ordinance4 ,and that no day besides the ,sabbath 7which is of ,his own appointment7 should be kept holy1 and sanctified with preaching and the public worship of ,god1 for the memory of ,christ's birth1 death1 resurrection1 and ascension2 seeing such days so observed are unlawful1 will-worship1 and not warranted in ,christ's word4 ,and that everything1 in ,god's worship1 not warranted by ,christ's ,testament and word1 was unlawful4 ,also1 that ,idolatry1 worshipping of ,god before hallowed creatures1 and adoring of ,christ by kneeling before bread and wine1 was unlawful4 ,and that ye should be humble1 sober1 modest1 forbearing pride1 envy1 malice1 wrath1 hatred1 contention1 debate1 lying1 slandering1 stealing1 and defrauding your neighbours in grass1 corn1 or cattle1 in buying or selling1 borrowing or lending1 taking or giving1 in bargains or covenants2 that ye should work with your own hands1 and be content with that which ,god hath given you4 ,that ye should study to know ,god and ,his will1 and keep in mind the doctrine of the ,catechism1 which ,i taught you carefully1 and speak of it in your houses1 and in the fields1 when ye lie down at night1 and when ye rise in the morning2 and that ye should believe in the ,son of ,god1 and obey ,his commandments1 and learn to make your accounts in time with your ,judge1 because death and judgment are before you4 ,and if ye have now penury and want of that word1 which ,i delivered to you in abundance 7yea to ,god's honour ,i speak it1 without arrogating anything to myself1 who am but a poor empty man1 ye had as much of the word in nine years1 while ,i was among you1 as some others have had in many71 mourn for your loss of time1 and repent4 ,my soul pitieth you1 that ye should suck dry breasts1 and be put to draw at dry wells4 ,oh that ye would esteem highly the ,lamb of ,god1 your well-beloved ,christ ,jesus1 whose virtues and praises ,i preached unto you with joy1 and which ,he did countenance and accompany with some power2 and that ye would call to mind the many fair days1 and glorious feasts in our ,lord's house-of-wine1 that ye and ,i have had with ,christ ,jesus6 ,but if there be any among you that take liberty to sin because ,i am removed from amongst you1 and forget that word of truth which ye heard1 and turn the grace of ,god into wantonness1 ,i here1 under my hand1 in the name of ,christ my ,lord1 write to such persons all the plagues of ,god1 and the curses that ever ,i preached in the pulpit of ,anwoth1 against the children of disobedience6 ,and1 as the ,lord liveth1 the ,lord ,jesus shall make good what ,i write unto you4 ,therefore1 dearly beloved1 fulfil my joy4 ,fear the great and dreadful name of the ,lord4 ,seek ,god with me4 ,scotland's judgment sleepeth not3 awake and repent4 ,the sword of the ,lord shall go from the north to the south1 from the east to the west1 and through all the corners of the land1 and that sword shall be drunk with your blood amongst the first2 and ,i shall stand up as a witness against you1 if you do not amend your ways and your doings1 and turn to the ,lord with all your heart4 ,i beseech you also1 my beloved in the ,lord1 my joy1 and my crown1 be not offended at the sufferings of me1 the prisoner of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i am filled with joy and with the comforts of ,god4 ,upon my salvation1 ,i know and am persuaded it is for ,god's truth1 and the honour of my ,king and royal ,prince ,jesus1 ,i now suffer4 ,and howbeit this town be my prison1 yet ,christ hath made it my palace1 a garden of pleasures1 a field and orchard of delights4 ,i know likewise1 albeit ,i be in bonds1 that yet the word of ,god is not in bonds4 ,my spirit also is in free ward4 ,sweet1 sweet have ,his comforts been to my soul3 my pen1 tongue1 and heart have not words to express the kindness4 love1 and mercy of my ,well-beloved to me1 in this house of my pilgrimage4 ,i charge you to fear and love ,christ1 and to seek a house not made with hands1 but your ,father's house above4 ,this laughing and white-skinned world beguileth you2 and if ye seek it more than ,god1 it shall play you a slip1 to the endless sorrow of your heart4 ,alas6 ,i could not make many of you fall in love with ,christ1 howbeit ,i endeavoured to speak much good of ,him and to commend ,him to you2 which as it was your sin1 so it is my sorrow6 ,yet1 once again suffer me to exhort1 beseech1 and obtest you in the ,lord1 to think of ,his love1 and to be delighted with ,him1 who is altogether lovely4 ,i give ye the word of a ,king1 that ye shall not repent it4 ,ye are in my prayers night and day4 ,i cannot forget you3 ,i do not eat1 ,i do not drink1 but ,i pray for you all4 ,i entreat you all and every one of you1 to pray for me4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,your lawful and loving pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #bc1 #afcg4 ,,cclxx4--,to the ,,lady ,,busbie4 ,letter ,,cxxxiii4 7,,his ,,experience ,,of ,,christ',s ,,love--,,state ,,of ,,the ,,land ,,and ,,church--,,christ ,,not ,,duly ,,esteemed--,,desires ,,after ,,him1 ,,and ,,for ,a ,,revival47 ,,mistress1--,although not acquaint1 yet because we are ,father's children1 ,i thought good to write unto you4 ,howbeit my first discourse and communing with you of ,christ be in paper1 yet ,i have cause1 since ,i came hither1 to have no paper thoughts of ,him4 ,for1 in my sad days1 ,he is become the flower of my joys2 and ,i but lie here living upon ,his love1 but cannot get so much of it as fain ,i would have2 not because ,christ's love is lordly1 and looketh too high1 but because ,i have a narrow vessel to receive ,his love1 and ,i look too low4 ,but ,i give1 under my own hand-write1 to you a testimonial of ,christ and ,his cross1 that they are a sweet couple1 and that ,christ hath never yet been set in ,his own due chair of honour amongst us all4 ,oh1 ,i know not where to set ,him6 ,oh1 for a high seat to that royal princely ,one6 ,oh that my poor withered soul had once a running-over flood of that love to put sap into my dry root1 and that that flood would spring out to the tongue and pen1 to utter great things1 to thehigh and due commendation of such a fair ,one6 ,o holy1 holy1 holy ,one6 ,alas1 there are too many dumb tongues in the world1 and dry hearts1 seeing there is employment in ,christ for them all1 and ten thousand worlds of men and angels more1 to set on high and exalt the greatest ,prince of the kings of the earth6 ,woe is me that bits of living clay dare come out to rush hard-heads with ,him2#chb and that my unkind mother1 this harlot-kirk1 hath given her sweet half-marrow such a meeting4 ,for this land hath given up with ,christ1 and the ,lord is cutting ,scotland in two halves1 and sending the worst half1 the harlot-sister1 over to ,rome's brothel-house1 to get her fill of ,egypt's love4 ,i would my sufferings 7nay1 suppose ,i were burnt quick to ashes7 might buy an agreement betwixt ,his fairest and sweetest love1 and ,his gaddy 7,jer4 ii4 #cf7 lewd wife4 ,fain would ,i give ,christ ,his welcome-home to ,scotland again1 if ,he would return4 ,this is a black day1 a day of clouds and darkness2 for the roof-tree of the fair temple of my ,lord ,jesus is fallen1 and ,christ's back is towards ,scotland4 ,oh1 thrice blessed are they who would hold ,christ with their tears and prayers6 ,i know ye will help to deal with ,him2 for ,he shall return again to this land4 ,the next day shall be ,christ's1 and there shall be a fair green young garden for ,christ in this land1 and ,god's summer-dew shall lie on it all the night1 and we shall sing again our new marriage-song to our ,bridegroom1 concerning ,his vineyard4 ,but who knoweth whether we shall live and see it8 #chb ,perhaps referring to ,job xv4 #bf1 though some have referred to a game wherein ,hard-heads1 a small ,scotch coin1 was used4 ,in his ,christ ,dying and ,drawing1 p4 #agh1 he writes1 ,is it wisdom to knock hard-heads with ,god8 ,so in ,sermon on ,zech4 xiii4 #g1 #h4 ,i hear the ,lord hath taken pains to afflict and dress you1 as a fruitful vine for ,himself4 ,grow and be green1 and cast out your branches1 and bring forth fruit4 ,fat and green and fruitful may ye be1 in the true and sappy root4 ,grace1 grace1 free grace be your portion4 ,remember my bonds with prayers and praises4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cclxxi4--,to ,,earlston1 ,younger4 7,,prosperity ,,under ,,the ,,cross--,,need ,,of ,,sincerity1 ,,and ,,being ,,founded ,,on ,,christ47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i am well4 ,christ triumpheth in me1 blessed be ,his name4 ,i have all things4 ,i burden no man4 ,i see that this earth and the fulness thereof is my ,father's4 ,sweet1 sweet is the cross of my ,lord4 ,the blessing of ,god upon the cross of my ,lord ,jesus6 ,my enemies have contributed 7beside their design7 to make me blessed4 ,this is my palace1 not my prison2 especially1 when my ,lord shineth and smileth upon ,his poor afflicted and sold ,joseph1 who is separated from his brethren4 ,but often ,he hideth ,himself2 and there is a day of law1 and a court of challenges within me2 ,i know not if fenced in ,god's name4 ,but1 oh1 my neglects6 oh1 my unseen guiltiness6 ,i imagined that a sufferer for ,christ kept the keys of ,christ's treasure1 and might take out his heart-full of comforts when he pleased2 but ,i see1 a sufferer and a witness shall be holden at the door1 as well as another poor sinner1 and be glad to eat with the bairns1 and to take the by-board4 ,this cross hath let me see that heaven is not at the next door1 and that it is a castle not soon taken4 ,i see1 also1 that it is neither pain nor art to play the hypocrite4 ,we have all learned to sell ourselves for double price2 and to make the people 7who call ten twenty1 and twenty an hundred7 esteem us half gods1 or men fallen out of the clouds4 ,but1 oh1 sincerity1 sincerity1 if ,i knew what sincerity meaneth6 ,sir1 lay the foundation thus1 and ye shall not soon shrink1 nor be shaken4 ,make tight work at the bottom1 and your ship shall ride against all storms1 if withal your anchor be fastened on good ground2 ,i mean within the vail4 ,and verily ,i think this is all1 to gain ,christ4 ,all other things are shadows1 dreams1 fancies1 and nothing4 ,sir1 remember my love to your mother4 ,i pray for mercy and grace to her2 ,i wish her on-going toward heaven4 ,as ,i promised to write1 so shew her that ,i want nothing in my ,lord's service4 ,christ will not be in such a poor man's common as mine4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #bb1 #afcg4 ,,cclxxii4--,to ,,john ,,gordon4 ,letter ,,cxlvii4 7,,christ ,,all ,,worthy--,,this ,,world ,a ,,clay ,,prison--,,desire ,,for ,a ,,revival ,,of ,,christ',s ,,cause47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i have been too long in writing to you1 but multitude of letters taketh much time from me4 ,i bless ,his great name whom ,i serve in the spirit1 that if it come to voting1 amongst angels and men1 how excellent and sweet ,christ is1 even in ,his reproaches and in ,his cross1 ,i cannot but vote with the first that all that is in ,him1 both cross and crown1 kisses and glooms1 embracements1 and frownings1 and strokes1 is sweet and glorious4 ,god send me no more happiness in heaven1 or out of heaven1 than ,christ6 for ,i find this world1 when ,i have looked upon it on both sides1 within and without1 and when ,i have seen even the laughing and lovely side of it1 to be but a fool's idol1 a clay prison4 ,lord1 let it not be the nest that my hope buildeth in4 ,i have now cause to judge my part of this earth not worth a blast of smoke1 or a mouthful of brown bread4 ,i wish that my hope may take a running-leap1 and skip over time's pleasure1 sin's plastering and gold-foil1 this vain earth1 and rest upon my ,lord4 ,oh1 how great is our night-darkness in this wilderness6 ,to have any conceit at all of this world is1 as if a man should close his handful of water1 and1 holding his hand in the river1 to say that all the water of the flood is his2 as if it were1 indeed1 all within the compass of his hand4 ,who would not laugh at the thoughts of such a crack-brain8 ,verily1 they have but an handful of water1 and are but like a child clasping his two hands about a night-shadow1 who idolize any created hope1 but ,god4 ,i now lightly1 and put the price of a dream1 or fable1 or black nothing1 upon all things but ,god1 and that desirable and love-worthy ,one1 my ,lord ,jesus4 ,let all the world be nothing 7for nothing was their seed and mother71 and let ,god be all things4 ,my very dear brother1 know that ye are as near heaven as ye are far from yourself1 and far from the love of a bewitching and whorish world4 ,for this world1 in its gain and glory1 is but the great and notable common whore1 that all the sons of men have been in fancy and lust withal these #ejjj years4 ,the children that they have begotten with this uncouth and lustful lover are but vanity1 dreams1 gold imaginations1 and night-thoughts4 ,there is no good ground here1 under the covering of heaven1 for men and poor wearied souls to set down their foot upon4 ,oh1 ,he who is called ,god1 that ,one whom they term ,jesus ,christ1 is worth the having indeed1 even if ,i had given away all without1 my eye-holes1 my soul1 and myself1 for sweet ,jesus my ,lord6 ,oh1 let the claim be cancelled that the creatures have to me1--except that claim my ,lord ,jesus hath to me6 ,oh that ,he would claim poor me1 my silly1 light1 and worthless soul6 ,oh that ,he would pursue ,his claim to the utmost point1 and not want me6 for it is my pain and remediless sorrow to want ,him4 ,i see nothing in this life but sinks1 and mires1 and dreams1 and beguiling ditches1 and ill ground for us to build upon4 ,i am fully persuaded of ,christ's victory in ,scotland2 but ,i fear that this land be not yet ripe and white 7,john iv4 #ce7 for mercy4 ,yet ,i dare be halver 7upon my salvation7 with the losses of the ,church of ,scotland1 that her foes1 after noon1 shall sing dool and sorrow for evermore1 and that her joy shall once again be cried up1 and her sky shall clear4 ,but vengeance and burning shall be to her adversaries1 and the sinners of this land4 ,oh that we could be awakened to prayers and humiliation6 ,then should our sun shine like seven suns in the heaven6 then should the temple of ,christ be builded upon the mountain-tops1 and the land1 from coast to coast1 should be filled with the glory of the ,lord4 ,brother1 your day-task is wearing short2 your hour-glass of this span-length and hand-breadth of life will quickly pass2 and1 therefore1 take order and course with matters betwixt you and ,christ1 before it come to open pleading4 ,there are no quarters to be had of ,christ1 in open judgment4 ,i know1 that ye see your thread wearing short1 and that there are not many inches to the thread's end2 and1 therefore1 lose not time4 ,remember me1 ,his prisoner1 that it would please the ,lord to bring me again amongst you with abundance of the ,gospel4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cclxxiii4--,to ,,william ,,rigge of ,athernie4 7,,comfort ,,in ,,trials ,,from ,,the ,,knowledge ,,of ,,christ',s ,,power ,,and ,,work--,,that ,,will ,,soon ,,be ,,over--,,corruption--,,free ,,grace47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,much ,,honoured ,,sir1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,how sad a prisoner should ,i be1 if ,i knew not that my ,lord ,jesus had the keys of the prison ,himself1 and that ,his death and blood have bought a blessing to our crosses1 as well as to ourselves6 ,i am sure that troubles have no prevailing right over us1 if they be but our ,lord's serjeants to keep us in ,his ward1 while we are on this side of heaven4 ,i am persuaded1 also1 that they shall not go over the bound-road1 nor enter into heaven with us4 ,for they find no welcome there1 where there is no more death1 neither sorrow1 nor crying1 neither any more pain2 and1 therefore1 we shall leave them behind us4 ,oh1 if ,i could get as good a gate of sin1#chc even this woful and wretched body of sin1 as ,i get of ,christ's cross6 ,nay1 indeed1 ,i think the cross beareth both me and itself1 rather than ,i it1 in comparison of the tyranny of the lawless flesh1 and wicked neighbour1 that dwelleth beside ,christ's new creature4 ,but1 oh6 this is that which presseth me down1 and paineth me4 ,jesus ,christ in ,his saints sitteth neighbour with an ill second1 corruption1 deadness1 coldness1 pride1 lust1 worldliness1 self-love1 security1 falsehood1 and a world of more the like1 which ,i find in me1 that are daily doing violence to the new man4 ,oh1 but we have cause to carry low sails1 and to cleave fast to free grace1 free1 free grace6 ,blessed be our ,lord that ever that way was found out4 ,if my one foot were in heaven and my soul half in1 if free-will and corruption were absolute lords of me1 ,i should never win wholly in4 ,oh1 but the sweet1 new1 and living way1 that ,christ hath struck up to our home1 is a safe way6 ,i find now1 presence and access a greater dainty than before2 but yet the ,bridegroom looketh through the lattice1 and through the hole of the door4 ,oh1 if ,he and ,i were on fair dry land together1 on the other side of the water6 #chc ,manner of dealing with sin4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,sept4 #cj1 #afcg4 ,,cclxxiv4--,to ,,james ,,murray4 ,this may be ,james ,murray of whom ,livingstone1 in his ,characteristics1 writes1 ,an ,israelite indeed1 in whom was no guile4 ,he was a writer in ,edinburgh2 hence1 perhaps1 the expectation of news as to what ,government was doing1 in the close of the letter4 7,,the ,,christian ,,life ,a ,,mystery ,,to ,,the ,,world--,,christ',s ,,kindness47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,i received your letter4 ,i am in good health of body1 but far better in my soul4 ,i find my ,lord no worse than ,his word4 ,i will be with him in trouble1 is made good to me now4 ,he heareth the sighing of the prisoner4 ,brother1 ,i am comforted in my royal ,prince and ,king4 ,the world knoweth not our life2 it is a mystery to them4 ,we have the sunny side of the world1 and our paradise is far above theirs2 yea1 our weeping is above their laughing1 which is but like the crackling of thorns under a pot4 ,and1 therefore1 we have good cause to fight it out1 for the day of our laureation is approaching4 ,i find my prison the sweetest place that ever ,i was in4 ,my ,lord ,jesus is kind to me1 and hath taken the mask off ,his face1 and is content to quit me all bygones4 ,i dare not complain of ,him4 ,and for my silence1 ,i lay it before ,christ3 ,i hope it will be a speaking silence4 ,he who knoweth what ,i would1 knoweth that my soul desireth no more than that ,king ,jesus may be great in the north of ,scotland1 in the south1 and in the east and west1 through my sufferings for the freedom of my ,lord's house and kingdom4 ,if ,i could keep good quarters1 in time to come1 with ,christ1 ,i would fear nothing4 ,but1 oh1 oh1 ,i complain of my woful outbreakings6 ,i tremble at the remembrance of a new outcast betwixt ,him and me2 and ,i have cause1 when ,i consider what sickness and sad days ,i have had for ,his absence who is now come6 ,i find that ,christ dow not be long unkind3 our ,joseph's bowels yearn within ,him2 ,he cannot smother love long2 it must break out at length4 ,praise1 praise with me1 brother1 and desire my acquaintance to help me4 ,i dare not conceal ,his love to my soul4 ,i wish you all a part of my feast1 that my ,lord ,jesus may be honoured4 ,i allow you not to hide ,christ's bounty to me1 when ye meet with such as know ,christ4 ,ye write nothing to me4 ,what are the cruel mercies of the prelates towards me8 ,the ministers of this town1 as ,i hear1 intend that ,i shall be more strictly confined1 or else transported1 because they find some people affect me4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in the sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,nov4 #ba1 #afcg4 ,,cclxxv4--,to ,,mr4 ,,john ,,fergushill4 ,letter ,,cxii4 7,,spiritual ,,longings ,,under ,,christ',s ,,cross--,,how ,,to ,,bear ,,it--,,christ ,,precious1 ,,and ,,to ,,be ,,had ,,without ,,money--,,the ,,church47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,well-,,beloved ,,in ,,our ,,lord ,,jesus1--,i must still provoke you to write by my lines4 ,whereat ye need not wonder1 for the cross is full of talk1 and speak it must1 either good or bad3 neither can grief be silent4 ,i have no dittay nor indictment to bring against ,christ's cross1 seeing ,he hath made a friendly agreement betwixt me and it1 and we are in terms of love together4 ,if my former miscarriages1 and my now silent ,sabbaths1 seem to me to speak wrath from the ,lord1 ,i dare say it is but ,satan borrowing the use and loan of my cowardly and feeble apprehensions1 which start at straws4 ,i know that faith is not so faint and foolish as to tremble at every false alarm4 ,yet ,i gather this out of it3 ,blessed are they who are graced of ,god to guide a cross well1 and1 that there is some art required therein4 ,i pray ,god that ,i may not be so ill friendstead1 as that ,christ my ,lord should leave me to be my own tutor1 and my own physician4 ,shall ,i not think that my ,lord ,jesus1 who deserveth ,his own place very well1 will take ,his own place upon ,him as it becometh ,him1 and that ,he will fill ,his own chair8 ,for in this is ,his office1 to comfort us1 and those that are casten down1 in all their tribulations 7#b ,cor4 i4 #d74 ,alas6 ,i know that ,i am a fool to seek a hole or defect in ,christ's way with my soul4 ,if ,i have not a stock to present to ,christ at ,his appearance1 yet ,i pray ,god that ,i may be able1 with joy and faith and constancy1 to shew the ,captain of my salvation1 in that day1 a bloody head#chd which ,i received in ,his service4 ,howbeit my faith hang by a small tack and thread1 ,i hope that the tack shall not break2 and1 howbeit my ,lord got no service of me but broken wishes1 yet ,i trust that those will be accepted upon ,christ's account4 ,i have nothing to comfort me1 but that ,i say1 ,oh6 will the ,lord disappoint an hungry on-waiter8 ,the smell of ,christ's wine and apples 7which surpass the uptaking of dull sense7 bloweth upon my soul1 and ,i get no more for the meantime4 ,i am sure1 that to let a famishing body see meat and give him none of it1 is a double pain4 ,our ,lord's love is not so cruel as to let a poor man see ,christ and heaven1 and never give him more1 for want of money to buy3 nay1 ,i rather think ,christ to be such fair market wares1 as buyers may have without money and without price4 ,and thus ,i know that it shall not stand upon my want of money2 for ,christ upon ,his own charges must buy my wedding-garment1 and redeem the inheritance which ,i have forfeited1 and give ,his word for one the like of me1 who am not law-biding of myself4 ,poor folks must either borrow or beg from the rich2 and the only thing that commendeth sinners to ,christ is extreme necessity and want4 ,christ's love is ready to make and provide a ransom1 and money for a poor body who hath lost his purse4 ,ho1 ye that have no money1 come and buy 7,isa4 lv4 #a71 that is the poor man's market4 #chd ,any wound4 ,now1 brother1 ,i see that old crosses would have done nothing to me2 and1 therefore1 ,christ hath taken a new1 fresh rod to me1 that seemeth to talk with my soul#che and make me tremble4 ,i have often more ado now with faith1 when ,i lose my compass and am blown on a rock1 than those who are my beholders1 standing upon the shore1 are aware of4 ,a counsel to a sick man is sooner given than taken4 ,lord1 send the wearied man a borrowed bed from ,christ6 ,i think often that it is after supper with me1 and ,i am heavy4 ,oh1 but ,i would sleep soundly with ,christ's left hand under my head1 and ,his right hand embracing me4 ,the devil could not spill that bed4 ,when ,i consider how tenderly ,christ hath cared for me in this prison1 ,i think that ,he hath handled me as the bairn that is pitied and bemoaned4 ,i desire no more till ,i be in heaven1 but such a feast and fill of ,christ's love as ,i would have2 this love would be fair and adorning passments which would beautify and set forth my black1 unpleasant cross4 ,i cannot tell1 my dear brother1 what a great load ,i would bear1 if ,i had a hearty fill of the love of that lovely ,one1 ,christ ,jesus4 ,oh1 if ye would seek and pray for that to me6 ,i would give ,christ all ,his love-styles and titles of honour1 if ,he would give me but this2 nay1 ,i would sell myself1 if ,i could1 for that love4 #che ,see the first paragraph in this letter4 ,i have been waiting to see what friends of place and power would do for us4 ,but when the ,lord looseneth the pins of ,his own tabernacle1 ,he will have ,himself to be acknowledged as the only builder-up thereof2 and1 therefore1 ,i would take back again my hope that ,i lent and laid in pawn in men's hands1 and give it wholly to ,christ4 ,it is no time for me now to set up idols of my own4 ,it were a pity to give an ounce-weight of hope to any besides ,christ4 ,i think ,him well worthy of all my hope1 though it were as weighty as both heaven and earth4 ,happy were ,i if ,i had anything that ,christ would seek or accept of2 but now1 alas6 ,i see not what service ,i can do to ,him1 except it be to talk a little1 and babble upon a piece of paper1 concerning the love of ,christ4 ,i am often as if my faith were wadset1 so that ,i cannot command it2 and then1 when ,he hideth ,himself1 ,i run to the other extreme1 in making each wing and toe of my case as big as a mountain of iron2 and then misbelief can spin out an hell of heavy and desponding thoughts4 ,then ,christ seeketh law-borrows of my unbelieving apprehensions1 and chargeth me to believe ,his daylight at midnight4 ,but ,i make pleas with ,christ1 though it be ill my common#chf so to do4 ,it were my happiness1 when ,i am in this house-of-wine and when ,i find a feast-day1 if ,i could hearken1 and hear for the time to come 7,isa4 xlii4 #bc74 ,but ,i see that we must be off our feet in wading a deep water2 and then ,christ's love findeth timeous employment1 at such a dead-lift as that2 and1 besides1 after broken brows1 bairns learn to walk more circumspectly4 ,if ,i come to heaven any way1 howbeit like a tired traveller upon my ,guide's shoulder1 it is good enough for those who have no legs of their own for such a journey4 ,i never thought there had been need of so much wrestling to win to the top of that steep mountain1 as now ,i find4 #chf ,perhaps we should read3 though it ill becometh me4 ,wo is me for this broken and backsliding church6 ,it is like an old bowing wall1 leaning to the one side1 and there are none of all her sons who will set a prop under her4 ,i know that ,i need not bemoan ,christ2 for ,he careth for ,his own honour more than ,i can do2 but who can blame me to be wo 7if ,i had grace so to be7 to see my ,well-beloved's fair face spitted upon1 and ,his own crown plucked off ,his head1 and the ark of ,god taken and carried in the ,philistines' cart1 and the kine put to carry it1 which will let it fall to the ground8 ,the ,lord put to ,his own helping hand6 ,i would desire you to prepare yourself for a fight with beasts 7#a ,cor4 xv4 #cb73 ye will not get leave to steal quietly to heaven1 in ,christ's company1 without a conflict and a cross4 ,remember my bonds2 and praise my ,second1 and ,fellow-prisoner1 ,christ4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in ,christ ,jesus his ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cclxxvi4--,to ,,william ,,glendinning4 ,letter ,,cxxxvii4 7,,sweetness ,,of ,,trial--,,swiftness ,,of ,,time--,,prevalence ,,of ,,sin47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,your case is unknown to me1 whether ye be yet our ,lord's prisoner at ,wigtown1 or not4 ,however it be1 ,i know that our ,lord ,jesus hath been inquiring for you2 and that ,he hath honoured you to bear ,his chains1 which is the golden end of ,his cross2 and so hath waled out a chosen and honourable cross for you4 ,i wish you much joy and comfort of it2 for ,i have nothing to say of ,christ's cross but much good4 ,i hope that my ill word shall never meet either ,christ or ,his sweet and easy cross4 ,i know that ,he seeketh of us an outcast with this house of clay1 this mother prison1 this earth1 that we love full well4 ,and verily1 when ,christ snuffeth my candle1 and causeth my light to shine upward1 it is one of my greatest wonders1 that dirt and clay hath so much court with a soul not made of clay2 and that our soul goeth out of kind so far as to make an idol of this earth1 such a deformed harlot1 as that it should wrong ,christ of our love4 ,how fast1 how fast doth our ship sail6 and how fair a wind hath time1 to blow us off these coasts and this land of dying and perishing things6 ,alas6 our ship saileth one way1 and fleeth many miles in one hour1 to hasten us upon eternity1 and our love and hearts are sailing close backover and swimming towards ease1 lawless pleasure1 vain honour1 perishing riches2 and to build a fool's nest ,i know not where1 and to lay our eggs within the sea-mark1 and fasten our bits of broken anchors upon the worst ground in the world1 this fleeting and perishing life6 ,and in the meanwhile1 time and tide carry us upon another life1 and there is daily less and less oil in our lamps1 and less and less sand in our watch-glass4 ,oh what a wise course were it for us to look away from the false beauty of our borrowed prison1 and to mind1 and eye1 and lust for our country6 ,lord1 ,lord1 take us home6 ,and for myself3 ,i think1 if a poor1 weak1 dying sheep seek for an old dyke1 and the lee-side of an hill1 in a storm1 ,i have cause to long for a covert from this storm1 in heaven4 ,i know none will take my room over my head there4 ,but1 certainly sleepy bodies would be at rest and a well-made bed1 and an old crazed bark at a shore1 and a wearied traveller at home1 and a breathless horse at the rink's end4 ,i see nothing in this life but sin1 and the sour fruits of sin3 and1 oh1 what a burden is sin6 ,and what a slavery and miserable bondage is it1 to be at the nod1 and yeas and nays1 of such a lord-master as a body of sin6 ,truly1 when ,i think of it1 it is a wonder that ,christ maketh not fire and ashes of such a dry branch as ,i am4 ,i would often lie down under ,christ's feet1 and bid ,him trample upon me1 when ,i consider my guiltiness4 ,but seeing ,he hath sworn that sin shall not loose ,his unchangeable covenant1 ,i keep house-room amongst the rest of the ill-learned bairns1 and must cumber the ,lord of the house with the rest1 till my ,lord take the fetters off legs and arms1 and destroy this body of sin1 and make a hole or breach in this cage of earth1 that the bird may fly out1 and the imprisoned soul be at liberty4 ,in the meantime1 the least intimation of ,christ's love is sweet1 and the hope of marriage with the ,bridegroom holdeth me in some joyful on-waiting1 that1 when ,christ's summer-birds shall sing upon the branches of the ,tree of ,life1 ,i shall be tuned by ,god ,himself to help them to sing the home-coming of our ,well-beloved and ,his bride to their house together4 ,when ,i think of this1 ,i think winters and summers1 and years and days1 and time1 do me a pleasure that they shorten this untwisted and weak thread of my life1 and that they put sin and miseries by-hand1 and that they shall carry me to my ,bridegroom in a clap4 ,dear brother1 pray for me1 that it would please the ,lord of the vineyard to give me room to preach ,his righteousness again to the great congregation4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,remember me to your wife4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cclxxvii4--,to my ,,lady ,,boyd4 7,,sense ,,of ,,unworthiness--,,obligation ,,to ,,grace--,,christ',s ,,absence--,,state ,,of ,,the ,,land47 ,,madam1--,i would have written to your ,ladyship ere now1 but people's believing there is in me that which ,i know there is not1 hath put me out of love with writing to any4 ,for it is easy to put religion to a market and public fair2 but1 alas6 it is not so soon made eye-sweet for ,christ4 ,my ,lord seeth me a tired man1 far behind4 ,i have gotten much love from ,christ1 but ,i give ,him little or none again4 ,my white side cometh out on paper to men2 but at home and within ,i find much black work1 and great cause of a low sail1 and of little boasting4 ,and yet1 howbeit ,i see challenges to be true1 the manner of the tempter's pressing of them is unhonest1 and1 in my thoughts1 knavish-like4 ,my peace is1 that ,christ may find outing and sale of ,his wares1 in the like of me2 ,i mean for saving grace4 ,i wish all professors to fall in love with grace4 ,all our songs should be of ,his free grace4 ,we are but too lazy and careless in seeking of it2 it is all our riches we have here1 and glory in the bud4 ,i wish that ,i could set out free grace4 ,i was the law's man1 and under the law1 and under a curse2 but grace brought me from under that hard lord1 and ,i rejoice that ,i am grace's freeholder4 ,i pay tribute to none for heaven1 seeing my land and heritage holdeth of ,christ1 my new ,king4 ,infinite wisdom hath devised this excellent way of free-holding for sinners4 ,it is a better way to heaven than the old way that was in ,adam's days4 ,it hath this fair advantage1 that no man's emptiness and want layeth an inhibition upon ,christ1 or hindereth ,his salvation2 and that is far best for me4 ,but our new ,landlord putteth the names of dyvours1 and ,adam's forlorn heirs1 and beggars1 and the crooked and blind1 in the free charters4 ,heaven and angels may wonder that we have got such a gate of sin and hell4 ,such a back-entry out of hell as ,christ made1 and brought out the captives by1 is more than my poor shallow thoughts can comprehend4 ,i would think sufferings glory 7and ,i am sometimes not far from it71 if my ,lord would give me a new alms of free grace4 ,i hear that the prelates are intending banishment for me2 but1 for more grace1 and no other hire1 ,i would make it welcome4 ,the bits of this clay house1 the earth1 and the other side of the sea1 are my ,father's4 ,if my sweet ,lord ,jesus would bud my sufferings with a new measure of grace1 ,i were a rich man4 ,but ,i have not now1 of a long time1 found such high spring-tides as formerly4 ,the sea is out1 the wind of ,his ,spirit calm2 and ,i cannot buy a wind1 or1 by requesting the sea1 cause it to flow again2 only ,i wait on upon the banks and shore-side1 till the ,lord send a full sea1 that with upsails ,i may lift up ,christ4 ,yet sorrow for ,his absence is sweet2 and sighs1 with ,saw ye ,him whom my soul loveth8 have their own delights4 ,oh that ,i may gather hunger against ,his long-looked-for return6 ,well were my soul1 if ,christ were the element 7mine own element71 and that ,i loved and breathed in ,him1 and if ,i could not live without ,him4 ,i allow not laughter upon myself when ,he is away2 yet ,he never leaveth the house1 but ,he leaveth drink-money behind ,him1 and a pawn that ,he will return4 ,wo1 wo to me1 if ,he should go away and take all ,his flitting with ,him6 ,even to dream of ,him is sweet4 ,to build a house of pining wishes for ,his return1 to spin out a web of sorrow1 and care1 and languishing1 and sighs1 either dry or wet1 as they may be 7because ,he hath no leisure1 if ,i may speak so1 to make a visit1 or to see a poor friend71 sweeteneth and refresheth the thoughts of the heart4 ,a misty dew will stand for rain1 and do some good1 and keep some greenness in the herbs1 till our ,lord's clouds rue upon the earth1 and send down a watering of rain4 ,truly ,i think ,christ's misty dew a welcome message from heaven till my ,lord's rain fall4 ,wo1 wo is me for the ,lord's vineyard in ,scotland6 ,howbeit the ,father of the house embrace a child1 and feed him1 and kiss him2 yet it is sorrow and sadness to the children that our poor mother hath gotten her leave1 and that our ,father hath given up house4 ,it is an unheartsome thing to see our ,father and mother agree so ill2 yet the bastards1 if they be fed1 care not1 ,o ,lord1 cast not water on ,scotland's smoking coal4 ,it is a strange gate the saints go to heaven4 ,our enemies often eat and drink us1 and we go to heaven through their bellies and stomachs1 and they vomit the church of ,god undigested among their hands4 ,and even while we are shut up in prisons by them1 we advance in our journey4 ,remember my service to my lord your son1 who was kind to me in my bonds1 and was not ashamed to own me4 ,i would be glad that ,christ got the morning service of his life1 now in his young years4 ,it would suit him well to give ,christ his young and green love4 ,christ's stamp and seal would go far down in a young soul1 if he would receive the thrust of ,christ's stamp4 ,i would desire him to make search for ,christ2 for nobles are now but dry friends to ,christ4 ,the grace of ,god our ,father1 and the good-will of ,him who dwelt in the bush1 be with your ,ladyship4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cclxxviii4--,to the ,,earl ,,of ,,cassillis4 7,,ambition--,,christ',s ,,royal ,,prerogative--,,prelacy47 ,,right ,,honourable ,,and ,,very ,,good ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to your ,lordship4--,i hope that your ,lordship will be pleased to pardon my boldness1 if1 upon report of your zealous and forward mind1 which ,i hear our ,lord hath given you in this ,his honourable cause1 when ,christ and ,his ,gospel are so foully wronged1 ,i speak to your ,lordship on paper1 entreating your ,lordship to go on in the strength of the ,lord1 toward1 and against a storm of antichristian wind1 that bloweth upon the face of this your poor mother-church1 ,christ's lily among the thorns4 ,it is your ,lordship's glory and happiness1 when ye see such a blow coming upon ,christ1 to cast up your arm to prevent it4 ,neither is it a cause that needeth to blush before the sun1 or to flee the sentence or censure of impartial beholders1 seeing the question1 indeed 7if it were rightly stated71 is about the prerogative-royal of our princely and royal ,lawgiver1 our ,lord ,jesus1 whose ancient march-stones and land-bounds1 our bastard lords and earthly generation of tyrannizing prelates have boldly and shamefully removed4 ,and they who have but half an eye may see1 that it is the greedy desires of time-idolizing ,demases1 and the itching scab of ambitious and climbing ,diotrepheses 7who love the goat's life1 to climb till they cannot find a way to set their soles on ground again71 that hath made such a wide breach in our ,zion's beautiful walls4 ,and these are the men who seek no hire for the crucifying of ,christ1 but ,his coat4 ,oh1 how forlorn and desolate is the bride of ,christ made to all passers-by6 ,who seeth not ,christ buried in this land1 ,his prophets hidden in caves1 silenced1 banished and imprisoned8 truth weeping in sackcloth before the judges1 ,parliament1 and the rulers of the land8 ,but her bill is cast by them1 and holiness hideth itself1 fearing in the streets for the reproaches and persecution of men4 ,justice is fallen aswoon in the gate2 and the long shadows of the evening are stretched out upon us4 ,wo1 wo to us1 for our day flieth away6 ,what remaineth1 but that ,antichrist set down his tent in the midst of us1 except that your ,lordship1 and others with you1 read ,christ's supplication1 and give ,him that which the most lewd and scandalous wretches in this land may have before a judge1 even the poor man's due1 law and justice for ,god's sake8 ,oh1 therefore1 my noble and dear ,lord1 as ye have begun1 go on1 in the mighty power and strength of the ,lord1 to cause our ,lord1 in ,his ,gospel1 and afflicted members1 to laugh1 and to cause the ,christian churches 7whose eyes are all now upon you7 to sing for joy when ,scotland's moon shall shine like the light of the sun1 and the sun like the light of seven days in one4 ,ye can do no less than run and bear up the head of your swooning and dying mother-church1 and plead for the production of her ancient charters4 ,they hold out and put out1 they hold in and bring in1 at their pleasure1 men in ,god's house4 ,they stole the keys from ,christ and ,his church1 and came in like the thief and the robber1 not by the door1 ,christ2 and now their song is1 ,authority1 authority6 obedience to church-governors6 ,when such a bastard and lawless pretended step-dame1 as our ,prelacy1 is gone mad1 it is your place1 who are the nobles1 to rise and bind them4 ,at least1 law should fetter such wild bulls as they are1 who push all who oppose themselves to their domination4 ,alas6 what have we lost1 since prelates were made master-coiners1 to change our gold into brass1 and to mix the ,lord's wine with water6 ,blessed for ever shall ye be of the ,lord1 if ye help ,christ against the mighty1 and shall deliver the flock of ,god1 scattered upon the mountains in the dark and cloudy day1 out of the hands of these idol-shepherds4 ,fear not men who shall be moth-eaten clay1 that shall be rolled up in a chest1 and casten under the earth3 let the ,holy ,one of ,israel be your fear1 and be courageous for the ,lord and ,his truth4 ,remember1 that your accounts are coming upon you1 with wings1 as fast as time posteth4 ,remember1 what peace with ,god in ,christ1 and the presence of the ,son of ,god 7the revealed and felt sweetness of ,his love71 will be to you1 when eternity shall put time to the door1 and ye shall take good-night of time1 and this little shepherd's tent of clay1 this inn of a borrowed earth4 ,i hope that your ,lordship is now and then sending out thoughts to view this world's naughtiness1#chg and vanity1 and the hoped-for glory of the life to come2 and that ye resolve that ,christ shall have yourself1 and all yours1 at command for ,him1 ,his honour and ,gospel4 #chg ,some editions read nothingness4 ,thus trusting that your ,lordship will pardon my boldness1 ,i pray that the only wise ,god1 the very ,god of peace1 may preserve1 strengthen1 and establish you to the end4 ,your ,lordship's1 at all command and obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cclxxix4--,for ,,marion ,m',,naught4 7,a ,,spring-,,tide ,,of ,,christ',s ,,love47 ,,my ,,dear ,,and ,,well-,,beloved ,,sister1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i am well2 honour to ,god4 ,i have been before a court set up within me of terrors and challenges2 but my sweet ,lord ,jesus hath taken the mask off ,his face1 and said1 ,kiss thy fill6 and ,i will not smother nor conceal the kindness of my ,king ,jesus4 ,he hath broken in upon the poor prisoner's soul1 like the swelling of ,jordan4 ,i am bank and brim full2 a great1 high spring-tide of the consolations of ,christ have overflowed me4 ,i would not give my weeping for the fourteen prelates' laughter4 ,they have sent me here to feast with my ,king4 ,his spikenard casteth a sweet smell4 ,the ,bridegroom's love hath run away with my heart4 ,o love1 love1 love6 ,oh1 sweet are my royal ,king's chains6 ,i care not for fire nor torture4 ,how sweet were it to me to swim the salt sea for my new ,lover1 my second ,husband1 my first ,lord6 ,i charge you in the name of ,god1 not to fear the wild beasts that entered into the vineyard of the ,lord of ,hosts4 ,the false prophet is the tail4 ,god shall cut the tail from ,scotland4 ,take your comfort and droop not1 despond not4 ,pray for my poor flock3 ,i would take a penance on my soul for their salvation4 ,i fear that the entering of a hireling upon my labours there will cut off my life with sorrow4 ,there ,i wrestled with the ,angel and prevailed4 ,wood1#chh trees1 meadows1 and hills are my witnesses1 that ,i drew on a fair meeting betwixt ,christ and ,anwoth4 #chh ,perhaps specially referring to the wood adjoining ,bushy ,bield1 the spot still called ,rutherford's ,walk4 ,my love to your husband1 to dear ,carleton1 to my beloved brother ,knockbrex4#chi ,forget not ,christ's prisoner4 ,i long for a letter under your own hand4 ,your friend and ,christ's prisoner1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,nov4 #bb1 #afcg4 #chi ,gordon of ,knockbrex4 ,,cclxxx4--,to ,,john ,,gordon1 at ,rusco4#cij ,letter ,,cclxxii4 7,,heaven ,,hard ,,to ,,be ,,won--,,many ,,come ,,short ,,in ,,attaining--,,idol ,,sins ,,to ,,be ,,renounced--,,likeness ,,to ,,christ47 #cij ,this seems to have been the letter referred to by ,mrs4 ,veitch1 wife of ,mr4 ,william ,veitch1 minister of ,dumfries1 when she says3 ,one day1 having been at prayer1 and coming into the room1 where one was reading a letter of ,mr4 ,rutherford's 7then only in ,,ms471 directed to one ,john ,gordon of ,rusco1 giving an account how far one might go1 and yet prove a hypocrite and miss heaven1 it occasioned great exercise to me 7,memoir of the ,life of ,mrs4 ,william ,veitch1 p4 #a74 ,,dear ,,brother1--,i earnestly desire to know the case of your soul1 and to understand that ye have made sure work of heaven and salvation4 #a4 ,remember1 salvation is one of ,christ's dainties ,he giveth but to a few4 #b4 ,that it is violent sweating and striving that taketh heaven4 #c4 ,that it cost ,christ's blood to purchase that house to sinners1 and to set mankind down as the ,king's free tenants and freeholders4 #d4 ,that many make a start toward heaven who fall on their back1 and win not up to the top of the mount4 ,it plucketh heart and legs from them1 and they sit down and give it over1 because the devil setteth a sweet-smelled flower to their nose 7this fair busked world71 wherewith they are bewitched1 and so forget or refuse to go forward4 #e4 ,remember1 many go far on and reform many things1 and can find tears1 as ,esau did2 and suffer hunger for truth1 as ,judas did2 and wish and desire the end of the righteous1 as ,balaam did2 and profess fair1 and fight for the ,lord1 as ,saul did2 and desire the saints of ,god to pray for them1 as ,pharaoh and ,simon ,magus did2 and prophesy and speak of ,christ1 as ,caiaphas did2 and walk softly and mourn for fear of judgments1 as ,ahab did2 and put away gross sins and idolatry1 as ,jehu did2 and hear the word of ,god gladly1 and reform their life in many things according to the word1 as ,herod did2 and say to ,christ1 ,master1 ,i will follow ,thee whithersoever ,thou goest1 as the man who offered to be ,christ's servant 7,matt4 viii4 #ai72 and may taste of the virtues of the life to come1 and be partaker of the wonderful gifts of the ,holy ,spirit1 and taste of the good word of ,god1 as the apostates who sin against the ,holy ,ghost 7,heb4 vi474 ,and yet all these are but like gold in clink and colour1 and watered brass1 and base metal4 ,these are written that we should try ourselves1 and not rest till we be a step nearer ,christ than sun-burnt and withering professors can come4 #f4 ,consider1 it is impossible that your idol-sins and ye can go to heaven together2 and that they who will not part with these can1 indeed1 love ,christ at the bottom but only in word and show1 which will not do the business4 #g4 ,remember1 how swiftly ,god's post time flieth away2 and that your forenoon is already spent1 your afternoon will come1 and then your evening1 and at last night1 when ye cannot see to work4 ,let your heart be set upon finishing of your journey1 and summing and laying your accounts with your ,lord4 ,oh how blessed shall ye be to have a joyful welcome of your ,lord at night6 ,how blessed are they who1 in time1 take sure course with their souls6 ,bless ,his great name for what you possess in goods and children1 ease and worldly contentment1 that ,he hath given you2 and seek to be like ,christ in humility and lowliness of mind4 ,and be not great and entire#cia with the world4 ,make it not your god1 nor your lover that ye trust unto1 for it will deceive you4 #cia ,as in ,letter ,,cxix41 ,your heart wholly there4 ,i recommend ,christ and ,his love to you1 in all things2 let ,him have the flower of your heart and your love4 ,set a low price upon all things but ,christ1 and cry down in your thoughts clay and dirt1 that will not comfort you when ye get summons to remove1 and compear before your ,judge to answer for all the deeds done in the body4 ,the ,lord give you wisdom in all things4 ,i beseech you sanctify ,god in your speaking1 for holy and reverend is ,his name2 and be temperate and sober4 ,companionry with the bad is a sin1 that holdeth many out of heaven4 ,i will not believe that you will receive the ministry of a stranger1 who will preach a new and uncouth doctrine to you4 ,let my salvation stand for it1 if ,i delivered not the plain and whole counsel of ,god to you in ,his word4 ,read this letter to your wife1 and remember my love to her1 and request her to take heed to do what ,i write to you4 ,i pray for you and yours4 ,remember me in your prayers to our ,lord1 that ,he would be pleased to send me amongst you again4 ,grace be with you4 ,your lawful and loving pastor1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 #afcg4 ,,cclxxxi4--,to my ,,lord ,,loudoun4 7,,true ,,honour ,,in ,,maintaining ,,christ',s ,,cause--,,prelacy--,,light ,,of ,,eternity47 ,,right ,,honourable ,,and ,,very ,,worthy ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,hearing of your ,lordship's zeal and courage for ,christ our ,lord in ,his honourable cause1 ,i am bold 7and plead pardon for it7 to speak in paper by a line or two to your ,lordship1 since ,i have not access any other way1 beseeching your ,lordship1 by the mercies of ,god1 and by the everlasting peace of your soul1 and by the tears and prayers of our mother-church1 to go on1 as ye have worthily begun1 in purging of the ,lord's house in this land1 and plucking down the sticks of ,antichrist's filthy nest1 this wretched ,prelacy1 and that black kingdom whose wicked aims have ever been1 and still are1 to make this fat world the only compass they would have ,christ and religion to sail by1 and to mount up the ,man of ,sin1 their godfather the ,pope of ,rome1 upon the highest stair of ,christ's throne1 and to make a velvet church 7in regard of ,parliament grandeur and worldly pomp1 whereof always their stinking breath smelleth71 and to put ,christ and truth in sackcloth and prison1 and to eat the bread of adversity and drink the water of affliction4 ,half an eye of any1 not misted with the darkness of antichristian smoke1 may see it thus in this land4 ,and now our ,lord hath begun to awaken the nobles and others to plead for borne-down ,christ and ,his weeping ,gospel4 ,my dear and noble ,lord1 the eye of ,christ is upon you2 the eyes of many noble1 many holy1 many learned and worthy ones1 in our neighbouring churches about1 are upon you4#cib ,this poor church1 your mother and ,christ's spouse1 is holding up her hands and heart to ,god for you1 and doth beseech you with tears to plead for her ,husband1 ,his kingly sceptre1 and for the liberties that her ,lord and ,king hath given to her1 as to a free kingdom that oweth spiritual tribute to none on earth1 as being the freeborn princess and daughter to the ,king of kings4 ,this is a cause that1 before ,god1 ,his angels1 the world1 before sun and moon1 needeth not to blush4 ,oh1 what glory and true honour is it to lend ,christ your hand and service1 and to be amongst the repairers of the breaches of ,zion's walls1 and to help to build the old waste places1 and stretch forth the curtains1 and strengthen the stakes of ,christ's tent in this land6 ,oh1 blessed are they who1 when ,christ is driven away1 will bring ,him back again1 and lend ,him lodging6 ,and blessed are ye of the ,lord6 ,your name and honour shall never rot nor wither 7in heaven at least71 if ye deliver the ,lord's sheep1 that have been scattered in the dark and cloudy day1 out of the hands of strange lords and hirelings1 who with rigour and cruelty have caused them to eat the pastures trodden upon with their foul feet1 and to drink muddy water2 and who have spun out such a world of yards of indifferences in ,god's worship1 to make and weave a web for the ,antichrist 7which shall not keep any from the cold72 as they mind nothing else1 but that1 by the bringing in of the ,pope's foul tail first upon us 7their wretched and beggarly ceremonies71 they may thrust in after them the ,antichrist's legs and thighs1 and his belly1 head1 and shoulders2 and then cry down ,christ and the ,gospel1 and up the merchandise and wares of the great whore4 ,fear not1 my worthy ,lord1 to give yourself1 and all ye have1 out for ,christ and ,his ,gospel4 ,no man dare say 7who did ever thus hazard for ,christ71 that ,christ paid him not his hundred-fold in this life duly1 and1 in the life to come1 life everlasting4 ,this is ,his own truth that ye now plead for2 for ,god and man cannot but commend you to beg justice from a just prince for oppressed ,christ1 and to plead that ,christ1 who is the ,king's ,lord1 may be heard in a free court to speak for ,himself1 when the standing and established laws of our nation can strongly plead for ,christ's crown in the pulpits1 and ,his chair as ,lawgiver in the free government of ,his own house4 ,but ,christ will never be content and pleased with this land1 neither shall ,his hot1 fiery indignation be turned away1 so long as the prelate 7the man that lay in ,antichrist's foul womb1 and the ,antichrist's lord-bailiff7 shall sit lord-carver in the courts of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,the prelate is both the egg and the nest to cleck and bring forth ,popery4 ,plead1 therefore1 in ,christ's behalf1 for the plucking down of the nest1 and the crushing of the egg2 and let ,christ's kingly office suffer no more unworthy indignities4 ,be valiant for your royal ,king1 ,jesus2 contend for ,him3 your adversaries shall be moth-eaten worms1 and die as men4 ,christ and ,his honour now lie on your shoulders1 let ,him not fall to the ground4 ,cast your eye upon ,him who is quickly coming to decide all the controversies in ,zion4 ,and remember that the sand in your night-glass will run out2 time with wings will flee away4 ,eternity is hard upon you2 and what will ,christ's love-smiles1 and the light of ,his lovely and soul-delighting countenance1 be to you in that day1 when ,god shall take up in ,his right hand this little lodge of heaven 7like as a shepherd lifteth up his little tent71 and fold together the two leaves of ,his tent1 and put the earth and all the plenishing of it into a fire1 and turn this clay-idol1 the god of ,adam's sons1 into smoke and white ashes6 ,oh1 what hire and how many worlds would many then give to have a favourable decreet of the ,judge6 ,oh1 what moneys would they not give1 to buy a mountain to be a grave above both soul and body1 to hide them from the awesome looks of an angry ,lord and ,judge6 ,i hope that your ,lordship thinketh upon this1 and that ye mind loyalty to ,christ1 and to the ,king both4 #cib ,we have already seen 7note to ,letter ,,cxvi47 that ,john1 ,earl of ,loudon1 was one of the ,scottish nobles who most zealously espoused the cause of the ,second ,reformation4 ,in all the measures of the ,covenanters for promoting the cause of the ,covenant1 he took a leading part2 and from his high character1 as well as his distinguished talents1 his party reposed in him with the utmost confidence4 ,wodrow describes him as a nobleman of excellent endowments1 great learning1 singular wisdom and conduct1 bewitching eloquence1 joined with remarkable resolution and courage4 ,now the very ,god of peace1 the only wise ,god1 establish and strengthen you upon the rock laid in ,zion4 ,your ,lordship's at all obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,jan4 #d1 #afch4 ,,cclxxxii4--,to the ,,lady ,,robertland4 ,this is probably the ,lady ,robertland 7her own name was ,fleming7 mentioned in ,livingstone's ,characteristics as one deeply exercised in mind1 who often got as rare outgates4 ,she was a great help to the poor people of ,stewarton1 during the time of the awakening there4 ,one of her sayings was1 ,with ,god1 the most of mosts is lighter than nothing2 and without ,god1 the least of leasts is heavier than any burden4 7,,afflictions ,,purify--,,the ,,world',s ,,vanity--,,christ',s ,,wise ,,love47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i shall be glad to hear that your soul prospereth1 and that fruit groweth upon you1 after the ,lord's husbandry and pains1 in ,his rod that hath not been a stranger to you from your youth4 ,it is the ,lord's kindness that ,he will take the scum off us in the fire4 ,who knoweth how needful winnowing is to us1 and what dross we must want ere we enter into the kingdom of ,god8 ,so narrow is the entry to heaven1 that our knots1 our bunches and lumps of pride1 and self-love1 and idol-love1 and world-love1 must be hammered off us1 that we may thring in1 stooping low1 and creeping through that narrow and thorny entry4 ,and now for myself1 ,i find it the most sweet and heavenly life to take up house and dwelling at ,christ's fireside1 and set down my tent upon ,christ1 that ,foundation-stone1 who is sure and faithful ground and hard under foot4 ,oh if ,i could win to it1 and proclaim myself not the world's debtor1 nor a lover obliged to it1 and that ,i mind not to hire or bud this world's love any longer2 but defy both the kindness and feud of ,god's whole creation whatsomever6 especially the lower vault and clay part of ,god's creatures1 this vain earth6 ,for what hold ,i of ,his world8 ,a borrowed lodging and some years' house-room1 and bread and water1 and fire1 and bed and candle1 are all a part of the pension of my ,king and ,lord2 to whom ,i owe thanks1 and not to a creature4 ,i thank ,god that ,god is ,god1 and ,christ is ,christ1 and the earth the earth1 and the devil the devil1 and the world the world1 and that sin is sin1 and that everything is what it is2 because ,he hath taught me in my wilderness not to shuffle my ,lord ,jesus1 nor to intermix ,him with creature-vanities1 nor to spin or twine ,christ or ,his sweet love in one web1 or in one thread1 with the world and the things thereof4 ,oh1 if ,i could hold and keep ,christ all alone1 and mix ,him with nothing6 ,oh1 if ,i could cry down the price and weight of my cursed self1 and cry up the price of ,christ1 and double1 and triple1 and augment1 and heighten to millions the price and worth of ,christ6 ,i am 7if ,i durst speak so1 and might lawfully complain7 so hungredly tutored by ,christ ,jesus my liberal ,lord1 that ,his nice love1 which my soul would be in hands with1 flieth me2 and yet ,i am trained on to love ,him1 and lust1 and long1 and die for ,his love whom ,i cannot see4 ,it is a wonder to pine away with love for a covered and hid lover1 and to be hungered with ,his love1 so as a poor soul cannot get his fill of hunger for ,christ4 ,it is hard to be hungered of hunger1#cic whereof such abundance for other things is in the world4 ,but sure1 if we were tutors1 and stewards1 and masters1 and lord-carvers of ,christ's love1 we should be more lean and worse fed than we are4 ,our meat doeth us the more good1 that ,christ keepeth the keys1 and that the wind and the air of ,christ's sweet breathing1 and of the influence of ,his ,spirit1 is locked up in the hands of the good pleasure of ,him who bloweth where ,he listeth4 #cic ,not to get even enough of hunger for ,christ4 ,i see there is a sort of impatient patience required in the want of ,christ as to ,his manifestations1 and waiting on4 ,they thrive who wait on ,his love1 and the blowing of it1 and the turning of ,his gracious wind2 and they thrive who1 in that on-waiting1 make haste and din and much ado for their lost and hidden ,lord ,jesus4 ,however it be1 ,god feed me with ,him any way4 ,if ,he would come in1 ,i shall not dispute the matter1 where ,he get a hole1 or how ,he opened the lock4 ,i should be content that ,christ and ,i met1 suppose ,he should stand on the other side of hell's lake and cry to me1 ,either put in your foot and come through1 or else ye shall not have ,me at all4 ,but what fools are we in the taking up of ,him and of ,his dealing6 ,he hath a gate of ,his own beyond the thoughts of men1 that no foot hath skill to follow ,him4 ,but we are still ill scholars1 and will go in at heaven's gates wanting the half of our lesson2 and shall still be bairns1 so long as we are under time's hands1 and till eternity cause a sun to arise in our souls that shall give us wit4 ,we may see how we spill and mar our own fair heaven and our salvation1 and how ,christ is every day putting in one bone or other1 in these fallen souls of ours1 in the right place again2 and that on this side of the ,new ,jerusalem1 we shall still have need of forgiving and healing grace4 ,i find crosses ,christ's carved work that ,he marketh out for us1 and that with crosses ,he figureth and portrayeth us to ,his own image1 cutting away pieces of our ill and corruption4 ,lord cut1 ,lord carve1 ,lord wound1 ,lord do anything that may perfect ,thy ,father's image in us1 and make us meet for glory4 ,pray for me 7,i forget not you7 that our ,lord would be pleased to lend me house-room to preach ,his righteousness1 and tell what ,i have heard and seen of ,him4 ,forget not ,zion that is now in ,christ's caums1 and in ,his forge4 ,god bring her out new work4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,jan4 #d1 #afch4 ,,cclxxxiii4--,to his ,reverent and ,respected ,friend1 ,,thomas ,,macculloch of ,nether ,ardwell4 ,see ,ardwell in notice at ,letter ,,ci4 ,this letter is given from the ,christian ,instructor for ,january #ahci1 furnished by one who had the ,,ms4 ,why ,rutherford calls his correspondent reverent1 we do not know4 ,it seems to mean ,,revered1 as in the address of ,letter ,,cclxxxiv4#cid #cid ,the contributor who furnishes this letter to the ,christian ,instructor says3 ,the paper is small and dingy1 and the mode of folding is not exactly in modern style4 ,but the wax and the impression on it are entire4 7,,earnest ,,call ,,to ,,diligence--,,circumspect ,,walking47 ,,reverent ,,and ,,much ,,respected1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i long to hear how your soul prospereth1 and ,i expected you would have written to me4 ,my earnest desire to you is1 that you would seek the ,lord and ,his face4 ,i know that you are not ignorant that your daylight is going fast away1 and your sun declining4 ,i beseech you by the mercies of ,god1 and by the wounds of your redeeming ,lord1 and your dreadful compearance before the awesome ,judge of quick and dead1 make your account clear and plain with your ,judge and ,lord1 while ye have fair daylight1 for your night is coming on4 ,therefore1 ,i pray you1 judge more of the worth of your soul1 and know that if you are in ,christ1 and secure your own soul1 you are blessed for ever4 ,few1 few1 yea very few1 are saved4 ,grace is not casten down at every man's door2 therefore speed yourself and others upon seeking ,christ and salvation2 and learn to overcome1 in the bitterness of your soul1 your sins in time4 ,it is not easy to take heaven1 as the word saith1 by violence4 ,keep your tongue from cursing and swearing2 refrain from wrath and malice2 forgive all men for ,christ's sake1 as you would have your ,lord forgive you4 ,i pray you1 seeing your time is short1 make speed in your journey to heaven1 that you may secure a lodging to your soul against night4 ,remember my love to your wife1 ,william your son1 and the rest of your children4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 at all hours1 in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,jan4 #e1 #afch4 ,,cclxxxiv4--,to the ,honourable1 ,reverend1 and ,well-beloved ,professors of ,christ and ,his truth in sincerity1 in ,ireland4 ,at the date of this letter the ,presbyterian ,church of ,ireland was in a very depressed condition4 ,in #afcd ,robert ,blair1 with some other ministers1 were deposed for nonconformity2 in the autumn of #afcf five more were dealt with in the same manner1 for the same cause2 and all of them were ultimately forced to leave the country4 ,the ,presbyterians in ,ireland were thus left to a great extent destitute of the ministry of the ,word1 which had been so eminently blessed of ,god4 ,this letter was intended to confirm them in their adherence to the cause for which their ministers and themselves were suffering4 7,,the ,,way ,,to ,,heaven ,,ofttimes ,,through ,,persecution--,,christ',s ,,worth--,,making ,,sure ,,our ,,profession--,,self-,,denial--,,no ,,compromise--,,tests ,,of ,,sincerity--,,his ,,own ,,desire ,,for ,,christ',s ,,glory47 ,,dearly ,,beloved ,,in ,,our ,,lord1 ,,and ,,partakers ,,of ,,the ,,heavenly ,,calling1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you1 and from ,god our ,father1 and from our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,i always1 but most of all now in my bonds 7most sweet bonds for ,christ my ,lord71 rejoice to hear of your faith and love1 and to hear that our ,king1 our ,well-beloved1 our ,bridegroom1 without tiring1 stayeth still to woo you as ,his wife2 and that persecutions1 and mockings of sinners1 have not chased away the ,wooer from the house4 ,i persuade you in the ,lord1 that the men of ,god1 now scattered and driven from you1 put you upon the right scent and pursuit of ,christ3 and1 my salvation on it 7if ten heavens were mine71 if this way1 this way that ,i now suffer for1 this way that the world nicknameth and reproacheth1 and no other way1 be not the ,king's gate to heaven6 ,and ,i shall never see ,god's face 7and1 alas1 ,i were a beguiled wretch if it were so67 if this be not the only saving way to heaven4 ,oh that you would take a prisoner of ,christ's word for it 7nay1 ,i know you have the greatest ,king's word for it71 that it shall not be your wisdom to speer out another ,christ1 or another way of worshipping ,him1 than is now savingly revealed to you4 ,therefore1 though ,i never saw your faces1 let me be pardoned to write to you 7ye honourable persons1 ye faithful pastors1 yet amongst the flocks1 and ye sincere professors of ,christ's truth1 or any weak1 tired strayers1 who cast but half an eye after the ,bridegroom71 if possibly ,i could1 by any weak experience1 confirm and strengthen you in this good way1 everywhere spoken against4 ,i can with the greatest assurance 7to the honour of our highest1 and greatest1 and dearest ,lord1 let it be spoken67 assert 7though ,i be but a child in ,christ1 and scarce able to walk but by a hold1 and the meanest1 and less than the least of saints71 that we do not come nigh1 by twenty degrees1 to the due love and estimation of that fairest among the sons of men4 ,for if it were possible that heaven1 yea1 ten heavens1 were laid in the balance with ,christ1 ,i would think the smell of ,his breath above them all4 ,sure ,i am that ,he is the far best half of heaven1 yea1 ,he is all heaven1 and more than all heaven2 and my testimony of ,him is1 that ten lives of black sorrow1 ten deaths1 ten hells of pain1 ten furnaces of brimstone1 and all exquisite torments1 were all too little for ,christ1 if our suffering could be a hire to buy ,him4 ,therefore1 faint not in your sufferings and hazards for ,him4 ,i proclaim and cry1 hell1 sorrow1 and shame upon all lusts1 upon all by-lovers1 that would take ,christ's room over ,his head1 in this little inch of love of these narrow souls of ours1 that is due to sweetest ,jesus4 ,o highest1 ,o fairest1 ,o dearest ,lord ,jesus1 take ,thine own from all bastard lovers4 ,oh that we could wadset and sell all our part of time's glory1 and time's good things1 for a lease and tack of ,christ for all eternity6 ,oh how are we misted and mired with the love of things that are on this side of time1 and on this side of death's water6 ,where can we find a match to ,christ1 or an equal1 or a better than ,he1 among created things8 ,oh this world is out of all conceit1 and all love1 with our ,well-beloved4 ,oh that ,i could sell my laughter1 joy1 ease1 and all for ,him2 and be content with a straw bed1 and bread by weight1 and water by measure1 in the camp of our weeping ,christ6 ,i know that ,his sackcloth and ashes are better than the fool's laughter1 which is like the crackling of thorns under a pot4 ,but1 alas6 we do not harden our faces against the cold north storms which blow upon ,christ's fair face4 ,we love well summer-religion1 and to be that which sin has made us1 even as thin-skinned as if we were made of white paper2 and would fain be carried to heaven in a close-covered chariot1 wishing from our hearts that ,christ would give us surety1 and ,his handwrite1 and ,his seal1 or nothing but a fair summer until we be landed in at heaven's gates6 ,how many of us have been here deceived1 and have fainted in the day of trial6 ,amongst you there are some of this stamp4 ,i shall be sorry if my acquaintance ,a4 ,t4 hath left you3 ,i will not believe that he dare to stay away from ,christ's side4 ,i desire that ye shew him this from me2 for ,i loved him once in ,christ1 neither can ,i change my mind suddenly of him4 ,but the truth is1 that many of you1 and too many also of your neighbour ,church of ,scotland1 have been like a tenant that sitteth mail-free and knoweth not his holding whill his rights be questioned4 ,and now ,i am persuaded1 that it will be asked at every one of us1 on what terms we brook ,christ2 for we have sitten long mail-free4 ,we found ,christ without a wet foot2 and ,he and ,his ,gospel came upon small charges to our doors3 but now we must wet our feet to seek ,him4 ,our evil manners1 and the bad fashions of a people at ease from our youth1 and like ,moab not casten from vessel to vessel 7,jer4 xlviii4 #aa71 have made us 7like the standing waters71 to gather a foul scum1 and1 when we are jumbled1 our dregs come up1 and are seen4 ,many take but half a grip of ,christ1 and the wind bloweth them and ,christ asunder4 ,indeed1 when the mast is broken and blown into the sea1 it is an art#cie then to swim upon ,christ to dry land4 ,it is even possible that the children of ,god1 in a hard trial1 lay themselves down as hidden in the lee-side of a bush whill ,christ their ,master be taken1 as ,peter did2 and lurk there1 whill the storm be over-past4 ,all of us know the way to a whole skin2 and the singlest heart that is hath a by-purse that will contain the denial of ,christ1 and a fearful backsliding4 ,oh1 how rare a thing it is to be loyal and honest to ,christ1 when ,he hath a controversy with the shields of the earth6 ,i wish all of you would consider1 that this trial is from ,christ2 it is come upon you unbought4 7,indeed1 when we buy a temptation with our own money1 no marvel that we be not easily free of it1 and that ,god be not at our elbow to take it off our hand47 ,this is ,christ's ordinary house-fire1 that ,he maketh use of to try all the vessels of ,his house withal4 ,and ,christ is now about to bring ,his treasure out before sun and moon1 and to tell ,his money1 and1 in the telling1 to try what weight of gold1 and what weight of watered copper1 is in ,his house4 ,do not now jouk1 or bow1 or yield to your adversaries in a hair-breadth4 ,christ and ,his truth will not divide2 and ,his truth hath not latitude and breadth1 that ye may take some of it and leave other some of it4 ,nay1 the ,gospel is like a small hair1 that hath no breadth1 and will not cleave in two4 ,it is not possible to twist and compound a matter betwixt ,christ and ,antichrist2 and1 therefore1 ye must either be for ,christ1 or ye must be against ,him4 ,it was but man's wit1 and the wit of prelates and their godfather the ,pope 7that man without law#cif71 to put ,christ and ,his prerogatives royal1 and ,his truth1 or the smallest nail-breadth of ,his latter will1 in the new calender of indifferences1 and to make a blank of uninked paper in ,christ's testament that men may fill up2 and to shuffle the truth1 and matters which they call indifferent1 through other1 and spin both together1 that ,antichrist's wares may sell the better4 ,this is but the device and forged dream of men whose consciences are made of stoutness1 and who have a throat that a graven image1 greater than the bounds of the kirk-door1 would get free passage into4 ,i am sure that when ,christ shall bring us all out in our blacks and whites1 at that day when ,he shall cry down time and the world1 and when the glory of it shall lie in white ashes1 like a ,may-flower cut down and which hath lost the blossom1 there shall be few1 yea none1 that dare make any point1 which toucheth the worship and honour of our ,king and ,lawgiver1 to be indifferent4 ,oh that this misled and blindfolded world would see that ,christ doth not rise and fall1 stand or lie1 by men's apprehensions6 ,what is ,christ the lighter1 that men do with ,him1 by open proclamation1 as men do with clipped and light money8 ,they are now crying down ,christ some grain-weights1 and some pounds or shillings2 and they will have ,him lie#cig for a penny or a pound1 for one or for a hundred1 according as the wind bloweth from the east or from the west4 ,but the ,lord hath weighed ,him1 and balanced ,him already3 ,this is my beloved ,son in whom ,i am well pleased2 hear ye ,him6 ,his worth and ,his weight stand still4 ,it is our part to cry1 ,up1 up with ,christ1 and down1 down with all created glory before ,him4 ,oh that ,i could heighten ,him1 and heighten ,his name1 and heighten ,his throne6 ,i know1 and am persuaded1 that ,christ shall again be high and great in this poor1 withered1 and sun-burnt ,kirk of ,scotland2 and that the sparks of our fire shall fly over the sea1 and round about1 to warm you and other sister churches2 and that this tabernacle of ,david's house1 that is fallen1 even the ,son of ,david's waste places1 shall be built again4 ,and ,i know the prison1 crosses1 persecutions1 and trials of the two slain witnesses1 that are now dead and buried 7,rev4 xi4 #i71 and of the faithful professors1 have a back-door and back-entry of escape2 and that death and hell1 and the world1 and the tortures1 shall all cleave and split in twain1 and give us free passage and liberty to go through toll-free3 and we shall bring all ,god's good metal out of the furnace again1 and leave behind us but our dross and our scum4 ,we may then beforehand proclaim ,christ to be victorious4 ,he is crowned ,king of ,mount ,zion3 ,god did put the crown upon ,his head 7,ps4 ii4 #f1 and xxi4 #c71 and who dare take it off again8 ,out of question1 ,he hath sore and grievous quarrels against ,his church3 and therefore ,he is called1 ,he whose fire is in ,zion1 and whose furnace is in ,jerusalem 7,isa4 xxxi4 #i74 ,but when ,he hath performed ,his work on ,mount ,zion1 all ,zion's haters shall be as the hungry and thirsty man1 that dreameth he is eating and drinking1 and behold1 when he awakeneth1 he is faint1 and his soul empty4 ,and this advantage we have also1 that ,he will not bring before sun and moon all the infirmities of ,his wife4 ,it is the modesty of marriage-anger or husband-wrath1 that our sweet ,lord ,jesus will not come with chiding to the streets1 to let all the world hear what is betwixt ,him and us4 ,his sweet glooms stay under roof1 and that because ,he is ,god4 #cie ,it requires skill4 #cif ,alluding to #b ,thess4 ii4 #h4 1 that ,lawless one4 #cig ,stand for4 ,two special things ye are to mind3 #a4 ,try and make sure your profession2 that ye carry not empty lamps4 ,alas6 security1 security is the bane and the wrack of the most part of the world4 ,oh1 how many professors go with a golden lustre1 and are gold-like before men 7who are but witnesses to our white skin71 and yet are but bastard and base metal6 ,consider how fair before the wind some do ply with up-sails and white1 even to the nick of illumination1 and tasting of the heavenly gift2 and a share and part of the ,holy ,ghost2 and the tasting of the good word of ,god1 and the powers of the world to come 7,heb4 vi4 #d1 #e74 ,and yet this is but a false nick of renovation1 and1 in a short time1 such are quickly broken upon the rocks1 and never fetch the harbour1 but are sanded in the bottom of hell4 ,oh1 make your haven sure1 and try how ye come by conversion2 that it be not stolen goods1 in a white and well-lustred profession6 ,a white skin over old wounds maketh an under-coating conscience4 ,false under water1 not seen1 is dangerous1 and that is a leak and rift in the bottom of an enlightened conscience2 often falling and sinning against light4 ,wo1 wo is me that the holy profession of ,christ is made a stage garment by many1 to bring home a vain fame1 and ,christ is made to serve men's ends6 ,this is1 as it were1 to stop an oven with a king's robes4 ,know1 #b4 ,except men martyr and slay the body of sin in sanctified self-denial1 they shall never be ,christ's martyrs and faithful witnesses4 ,oh1 if ,i could be master of that house-idol1 myself1 my own mind1 my own will1 wit1 credit1 and ease1 how blessed were ,i6 ,oh1 but we have need to be redeemed from ourselves1 rather than from the devil and the world6 ,learn to put out yourselves1 and to put in ,christ for yourselves4 ,it would make a sweet bartering and niffering1 and give old for new1 if ,i could shuffle out self1 and substitute ,christ my ,lord1 in place of myself2 to say1 ,not ,i1 but ,christ2 not my will1 but ,christ's2 not my ease1 not my lust1 not my feckless credit1 but ,christ1 ,christ4 ,but1 alas6 in leaving ourselves1 in setting ,christ before our idol1 self1 we have yet a glaiked back-look to our old idol4 ,o wretched idol1 myself6 when shall ,i see thee wholly decourted1 and ,christ wholly put in thy room8 ,oh1 if ,christ1 ,christ had the full place and room of myself1 that all my aims1 purposes1 thoughts1 and desires would coast and land upon ,christ1 and not upon myself6 ,and1 howbeit we cannot attain to this denial of me and mine1 that we can say1 ,i am not myself1 myself is not myself1 mine own is no longer mine own1 yet our aiming at this in all we do shall be accepted3 for alas6 ,i think ,i shall die but minting and aiming to be a ,christian4 ,is it not our comfort1 that ,christ1 the ,mediator of the ,new ,covenant1 is come betwixt us and ,god in the business1 so that green and young heirs1 the like of sinners1 have now a ,tutor that is ,god6 ,and now1 ,god be thanked1 our salvation is bottomed on ,christ4 ,sure ,i am1 the bottom shall never fall out of heaven and happiness to us4 ,i would give over the bargain a thousand times1 were it not that ,christ's free grace hath taken our salvation in hand4 ,pray1 pray and contend with the ,lord1 for your sister-church2 for it would appear that the ,lord is about to speer for ,his scattered sheep1 in the dark and cloudy day4 ,oh that it would please our ,lord to set up again ,david's old wasted and fallen tabernacle in ,scotland1 that we might see the glory of the second temple in this land6 ,oh that my little heaven were wadset1 to redeem the honour of my ,lord ,jesus among the ,jews and ,gentiles6 ,let never dew lie upon my branches1 and let my poor flower wither at the root1 so that ,christ were enthroned1 and ,his glory advanced in all the world1 and especially in these three kingdoms4 ,but ,i know that ,he hath no need of me2 what can ,i add to ,him8 ,but oh that ,he would cause ,his high and pure glory to run through such a foul channel as ,i am6 ,and1 howbeit ,he hath caused the blossom to fall off my one poor joy1 that was on this side of heaven1 even my liberty to preach ,christ to ,his people1 yet ,i am dead to that now1 so that ,he would hew and carve glory1 glory for evermore1 to my royal ,king out of my silence and sufferings4 ,oh that ,i had my fill of ,his love6 ,but ,i know ill-manners make an unco and strange bridegroom4 ,i entreat you earnestly for the aid of your prayers1 for ,i forget not you2 and ,i salute1 with my soul in ,christ1 the faithful pastors1 and honourable and worthy professors in that land4 ,now the ,god of peace1 that brought again our ,lord ,jesus from the dead1 the great ,shepherd of the sheep1 by the blood of the everlasting covenant1 make you perfect in every good work1 to do ,his will1 working in you that which is well-pleasing in ,his sight4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweetest ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,feb4 #d1 #afch4 ,,cclxxxv4--,to ,,robert ,,gordon of ,knockbrex4 7,,not ,,our ,,cross1 ,,but ,,christ1 ,,the ,,object ,,of ,,attraction--,,too ,,little ,,expected ,,from ,,him--,,spiritual ,,deadness47 ,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be unto you4--,i thought to have answered your two letters on this occasion1 though ,i cannot say all that ,i would4 ,your timeous word1 not to delight in the cross1 but in ,him who sweeteneth it1 came to me in due time4 ,i find the consolation and off-fallings that follow the cross of ,christ so sweet1 that ,i almost forget myself4 ,my desire and purpose is1 when ,christ's honeycombs drop1 neither to refuse to receive and feed upon ,his comforts1 nor yet to make joy my bastard-god1 or my new-found heaven4 ,but what shall ,i say8 ,christ very often in ,his sweet comforts cometh unsent for1 and it were a sin to close the door upon ,him4 ,it is not unlawful to love and delight in ,christ's apples1 when ,i am not dotingly wooing1 nor eagerly begging kisses2 but when they come clean from the timber#cih 7like kindness itself1 that cometh of its own accord71 then ,i cannot but laugh upon ,him who laugheth upon me4 ,if joy and comforts come single and alone1 without ,christ ,himself1 ,i think ,i would send them back again the gate they came1 and not make them welcome2 but1 when the ,king's train cometh1 and the ,king in the midst of the company1 oh how ,i am overjoyed with floods of love6 ,i fear not that too great spaits of love wash away the growing corn1 and loose my plants at the roots4 ,christ doeth no skaith1 where ,he cometh2 but certainly1 ,i would wish such spiritual wisdom1 as to love the ,bridegroom better than ,his gifts1 ,his propines1 or drink-money4 ,i would be further in upon ,christ than at ,his joys4 ,they but stand in the outer side of ,christ2 ,i would wish to be in1 as a seal upon ,his heart1 in where ,his love and mercy lodgeth1 beside ,his heart4 ,my ,well-beloved hath ravished me2 but it is done with consent of both parties1 and it is allowable enough4 ,but1 my dear brother1 ere ,i part with this subject1 ,i must tell you 7that ye may lift up my ,king in praises with me71 ,christ hath been keeping something these fourteen years for me1 that ,i have now gotten in my heavy days that ,i am in for ,his name's sake1 even an opened coffer of perfumed comforts1 and fresh joys1 coming new1 and green1 and powerful1 from the fairest face of ,christ my ,lord4 ,let the sour law1 let crosses1 let hell be cried down2 love1 love hath shamed me from my old ways4 ,whether ,i have a race to run1 or some work to do1 ,i see not2 but ,i think ,christ seemeth to leave heaven 7to say so71 and ,his court1 and come down to laugh1 and play1 and sport with a daft bairn4 #cih ,the tree4 ,i am not thus plain with many ,i write to4 ,it is possible ,i be misconstructed1 and deemed to seek a name4 ,but my witness above knoweth that ,i seek to have a good name raised upon ,christ4 ,i observe it to be our folly1 to seek little from ,christ1 because our four-hours may not be our supper1 nor our propines sent by the ,bridegroom our tocher-good1 nor our earnest our principal sum4 ,but ,i trow that few of us know how much may be had of ,christ for a four-hours1 and a propine1 and an earnest4 ,we are like the young heir1 who knoweth not the whole bounds of his own lordship4 ,certainly it is more than my part to say1 ,o sweetest ,lord ,jesus1 what howbeit ,i were split and broken into five thousand shreds or bits of clay1 so being that every shred had a heart to love ,thee1 and every one as many tongues as there are in heaven to sing praises to ,thee1 before men and angels for evermore6 ,therefore1 if my sufferings cry goodness1 and praise1 and honour upon ,christ1 my stipend is well paid4 ,each one knoweth not what a life ,christ's love is4 ,scaur not at suffering for ,christ2 for ,christ hath a chair1 and a cushion1 and sweet peace for a sufferer4 ,christ's trencher from the first mess of the high table is for a sinful witness4 ,oh1 then1 brother1 who but ,christ6 who but ,christ6 ,hold your tongue off lovers1 where ,he cometh out4 ,o all flesh1 ,o dust and ashes1 ,o angels1 ,o glorified spirits1 ,o all the shields of the world1 be silent before ,him6 ,come hither1 and behold our ,bridegroom2 stand still and wonder for evermore at ,him6 ,why cease we to love and wonder1 to kiss and adore ,him8 ,it is a hard matter1 that days lie betwixt ,him and me1 and hold us asunder4 ,oh1 how long1 how long6 ,oh1 how many miles are there to my ,bridegroom's dwelling-house6 ,it is a pain to frist ,christ's love any longer4 ,but1 it may be that a drunken man lose his feet1 and miss a step4 ,ye write to me ,hall-binks are slippery4 ,i do not think my dawting world will still#cii last1 and that feasts will be my ordinary food4 ,i would have humility1 patience1 and faith to set down both my feet1 when ,i come to the north side of the cold and thorny hill4 ,it is ill my common to be sweer to go an errand for ,christ1 and to take the wind upon my face for ,him4 ,lord1 let me never be a false witness1 to deny that ,i saw ,christ take the pen in ,his hand1 and subscribe my writs4 #cii ,always4 ,my dear brother1 ye complain to me that ye cannot hold sight of me4 ,but were ,i a footman1 ,i would go at leisure2 but sometimes the ,king taketh me into ,his coach1 and draweth me1 and then ,i outrun myself4 ,but1 alas6 ,i am still a forlorn transgressor4 ,oh how unthankful6 ,i will not put you off your sense of darkness2 but let me say this1 ,who gave you proctor-fee1 to speak for the law1 which can speak for itself better than ye can do8 ,i would not have you to bring your dittay in your own bosom with you to ,christ4 ,let the old man and the new man be summoned before ,christ's white throne1 and let them be confronted before ,christ1 and let each of them speak for themselves4 ,i hope1 howbeit the new man complain of his lying among pots1 which maketh the believer look black1 yet he can also say1 ,i am comely as the tents of ,kedar4 ,ye shall not have my advice not to bemoan your deadness2 but ,i find by some experience 7which ye knew before ,i knew ,christ71 that it suiteth not a ransomed man1 of ,christ's buying1 to go and plea for the sour law1 our old forcasten husband2 for we are not now under the law 7as a covenant71 but under grace4 ,ye are in no man's common1 but ,christ's4 ,i know that ,he bemoaneth you more than you do yourself4 ,i say this1 because ,i am wearied of complaining4 ,i thought it had been humility to imagine that ,christ was angry with me1 both because of my dumb ,sabbaths1 and my hard heart2 but ,i feel now nothing but aching wounds4 ,my grief1 whether ,i will or not1 swelleth upon me4 ,but let us die in grace's hall-floor1 pleading before ,christ4 ,i deny nothing that the ,mediator will challenge me of2 but ,i turn it all back upon ,himself4 ,let ,him look ,his own old accounts1 if ,he be angry2 for ,he will get no more of me4 ,when ,christ saith1 ,i want repentance1 ,i meet ,him with this3 ,true1 ,lord1 but ,thou art made a ,king and a ,prince to give me repentance 7,acts v4 #cd74 ,when ,christ bindeth a challenge upon us1 we must bind a promise back upon ,him4 ,be wo1 and lay yourself in the dust before ,god 7which is suitable71 but withal let ,christ take the payment in ,his own hand1 and pay ,himself off the first end of ,his own merits2 else ,he will come behind for anything that we can do4 ,i am every way in your case1 as hard-hearted and dead as any man2 but yet ,i speak to ,christ through my sleep4 ,let us then proclaim a free market for ,christ1 and swear ourselves bare1 and cry on ,him to come without money and buy us1 and take us home to our ,ransom-payer's fireside1 and let us be ,christ's free-boarders4 ,because we dow not pay the old1 we may not refuse to take on ,christ's new debt of mercy2 let us do our best1 ,christ will still be behind with us1#djj and many terms will run together4 ,for my part1 let me stand for evermore in ,his book1 as a forlorn dyvour4 ,i must desire to be thus far in ,his common of new1 as to kiss ,his feet4 ,i know not how to win to a heartsome fill and feast of ,christ's love2 for ,i dow neither buy1 nor beg1 nor borrow1 and yet ,i cannot want it4 ,i dow not want it6 ,oh1 if ,i could praise ,him6 yea ,i would rest content with a heart submissive and dying of love for ,him4 ,and1 howbeit ,i never win personally in at heaven's gates1 oh1 would to ,god ,i could send in my praises to my incomparable ,well-beloved1 or cast my love-songs of that matchless ,lord ,jesus over the walls1 that they might light in ,his lap1 before men and angels6 #djj ,will not have got from us all ,he claims4 ,now1 grace1 grace be with you4 ,remember my love to your wife and daughter1 and brother ,john4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,aberdeen1 ,june #aa1 #afch4 ,,cclxxxvi4--,to the ,parishioners of ,kilmalcolm4#dja #dja ,kilmalcolm is a rural parish in ,renfrewshire1 and one of the most sequestered4 ,it was once a favoured vineyard4 ,shortly after the ,reformation1 ,knox dispensed the communion there when on a visit to ,lord ,glencairn1 who resided within its bounds4 ,in the days of the ,covenant1 ,porterfield of ,duchal1 another heritor1 exposed himself to much loss in maintaining the cause of truth4 ,and1 as is evident from ,rutherford's letter1 the number of those who feared the ,lord1 and thought upon ,his name1 must have been considerable4 ,there is nothing in history about them4 ,their life was hid1 but their names are in the ,lamb's ,book of ,life4 7,,spiritual ,,sloth--,,advice ,,to ,,beginners--,a ,,dead ,,ministry--,,languor--,,obedience--,,wa nt ,,of ,,christ',s ,,felt ,,presence--,,assurance ,,important--,,prayer-,,meetings47 ,,worthy1 ,,and ,,well-,,beloved ,,in ,,christ ,,jesus ,,our ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,your letters could not come to my hand in a greater throng of business that ,i am now pressed with at this time1 when our kirk requireth the public help of us all4 ,yet ,i cannot but answer the heads of both your letters1 with provision that ye choose1 after this1 a fitter time for writing4 #a4 ,i would not have you to pitch upon me1 as the man able by letters to answer doubts of this kind1 while there are in your bounds men of such great parts1 most able for this work4 ,i know that the best are unable2 yet it pleaseth that ,spirit of ,jesus to blow ,his sweet wind through a piece of dry stick1 that the empty reed may keep no glory to itself4 ,but a minister can make no such wind as this to blow2 he is scarce able to lend it a passage to blow through ,him4 #b4 ,know that the wind of this ,spirit hath a time when it bloweth sharp1 and pierceth so strongly1 that it would blow through an iron door2 and this is commonly rather under suffering for ,christ than at any other time4 ,sick children get of ,christ's pleasant things1 to play them withal1 because ,jesus is most tender of the sufferer1 for ,he was a sufferer ,himself4 ,oh1 if ,i had but the leavings and the drawing of the bye-board of a sufferer's table6 ,but ,i leave this to answer yours4 ,i4 ,ye write1 that ,god's vows are lying on you2 and security1 strong and sib to nature1 stealing on you who are weak4 ,i answer3 #a4 ,till we be in heaven1 the best have heavy heads1 as is evident4 ,cant4 v4 #a2 ,ps4 xxx4 #f2 ,job xxix4 #ah2 ,matt4 xxvi4 #cc4 ,nature is a sluggard1 and loveth not the labour of religion2 therefore1 rest should not be taken1 till we know that the disease is over1 and in the way of turning1 and that it is like a fever past the cool4 ,and the quietness and the calms of the faith of victory over corruption should be entertained1 in place of security2 so that if ,i sleep1 ,i should desire to sleep faith's sleep in ,christ's bosom4 #b4 ,know1 also1 that none who sleep sound can seriously complain of sleepiness4 ,sorrow for a slumbering soul is a token of some watchfulness of spirit4 ,but this is soon turned into wantonness1 as grace in us too often is abused2 therefore1 our waking must be watched over1 else sleep will even grow out of watching1 and there is as much need to watch over grace as to watch over sin4 ,full men will soon sleep1 and sooner than hungry men4 #c4 ,for your weakness to keep off security1 that like a thief stealeth upon you1 ,i would say two things3--7#a47 ,to want complaints of weakness is for heaven1 and angels that never sinned1 not for ,christians in ,christ's camp on earth4 ,i think that our weakness maketh us the church of the redeemed ones1 and ,christ's field that the ,mediator should labour in4 ,if there were no diseases on earth1 there need be no physicians on earth4 ,if ,christ had cried down weakness1 ,he might have cried down ,his own calling2 but weakness is our ,mediator's world2 sin is ,christ's only1 only fair and market4 ,no man should rejoice at weakness and diseases2 but ,i think that we may have a sort of gladness at boils and sores1 because1 without them1 ,christ's fingers 7as a slain ,lord7 would never have touched our skin4 ,i dare not thank myself1 but ,i dare thank ,god's depth of wise providence1 that ,i have an errand in me while ,i live1 for ,christ to come and visit me1 and bring with ,him ,his drugs and ,his balm4 ,oh1 how sweet is it for a sinner to put his weakness into ,christ's strengthening hand1 and to father a sick soul upon such a ,physician1 and to lay weakness before ,him to weep upon ,him1 and to plead and pray6 ,weakness can speak and cry1 when we have not a tongue4 ,and when ,i passed by thee1 and saw thee polluted in thine own blood1 ,i said unto thee1 when thou wast in thy blood1 ,live 7,ezek4 xvi4 #f74 ,the kirk could not speak one word to ,christ then3 but blood and guiltiness out of measure spake1 and drew out of ,christ pity1 and a word of life and love4 7#b47 ,as for weakness1 we have it that we may employ ,christ's strength because of our weakness4 ,weakness is to make us the strongest things2 that is1 when1 having no strength of our own1 we are carried upon ,christ's shoulders1 and walk as it were upon ,his legs4 ,if our sinful weakness swell up to the clouds1 ,christ's strength will swell up to the sun1 and far above the heaven of heavens4 ,,ii4 ,ye tell me1 that there is need of counsel for strengthening of new beginners4 ,i can say little to that1 who am not well begun myself3 but ,i know that honest beginnings are nourished by ,him1 even by lovely ,jesus1 who never yet put out a poor man's dim candle that is wrestling betwixt light and darkness4 ,i am sure1 that if new beginners would urge themselves upon ,christ1 and press their souls upon ,him1 and importune ,him for a draught of ,his sweet love1 they could not come wrong to ,christ4 ,come once in upon the right nick and step of ,his lovely love1 and ,i defy you to get free of ,him again4 ,if any beginners fall off ,christ again1 and miss ,him1 they never lighted upon ,christ as ,christ3 it was but an idol1 like ,jesus1 which they took for ,him4 ,,iii4 ,whereas ye complain of a dead ministry in your bounds2 ye are to remember that the ,bible among you is the contract of marriage2 and the manner of ,christ's conveying ,his love to your heart is not so absolutely dependent upon even lively preaching1 as that there is no conversion at all1 no life of ,god1 but that which is tied to a man's lips4 ,the daughters of ,jerusalem have done often that which the watchman could not do4 ,make ,christ your minister4 ,he can woo a soul at a dykeside in the field4 ,he needeth not us1 howbeit the flock be obliged to seek ,him in the shepherds' tents4 ,hunger1 of ,christ's making1 may thrive even under stewards who mind not the feeding of the flock4 ,o blessed soul1 that can leap over a man1 and look above a pulpit up to ,christ1 who can preach home to the heart1 howbeit we were all dead and rotten4 ,,iv4 ,so to complain of yourselves1 as to justify ,god1 is right2 providing ye justify ,his ,spirit in yourselves4 ,for men seldom advocate against ,satan's work and sin in themselves1 but against ,god's work in themselves4 ,some of the people of ,god slander ,god's grace in their souls2 as some wretches used to do1 who complain and murmur of want 7,i have nothing1 say they2 all is gone1 the ground yieldeth but weeds and windlestraws71 whenas their fat harvest1 and their money in bank1 maketh them liars4 ,but for myself1 alas6 ,i think it is not my sin2 ,i have scarce wit to sin this sin4 ,but ,i advise you to speak good of ,christ1 for ,his beauty and sweetness1 and speak good of ,him for ,his grace to yourselves4 ,v4 ,light remaineth1 ye say1 but ye cannot attain to painfulness4 ,see if this complaint be not booked in the ,new ,testament2 and the place is like this1 ,to will is present with me1 but how to perform that which is good ,i know not 7,rom4 vii4 #ah74 ,but every one hath not ,paul's spirit in complaining3 for often1 in us1 complaining is but an humble backbiting and traducing of ,christ's new work in the soul4 ,but for the matter of the complaint2 ,i would say1 that the light of glory is perfectly obeyed in loving1 and praising1 and rejoicing1 and resting in a seen and known ,lord2 but that light is not hereaway in any clay body4 ,for while we are here1 light is 7in the most7 broader and longer than our narrow and feckless obedience4 ,but if there be light1 with a fair train and a great back 7,i mean1 armies7 of challenging thoughts1 and sorrow for coming short of performance in what we know and see ought to be performed1 then that sorrow for not doing is accepted of our ,lord for doing4 ,our honest sorrow and sincere aims1 together with ,christ's intercession1 pleading that ,god would welcome that which we have1 and forgive what we have not1 must be our life1 till we be over the bound-road1 and in the other country1 where the law will get a perfect soul4 ,,vi4 ,in ,christ's absence1 there is1 as ye write1 a willingness to use means1 but heaviness after the use of them1 because of formal and slight performance4 ,in ,christ's absence1 ,i confess1 the work lieth behind4 ,but if ye mean absence of comfort1 and absence of sense of ,his sweet presence1 ,i think that absence is ,christ's trying of us1 not simply our sin against ,him4 ,therefore1 howbeit our obedience be not sugared and sweetened with joy 7which is the sweetmeat bairns would still be at71 yet the less sense1 and the more willingness in obeying1 the less formality in our obedience4 ,howbeit1 we think not so2 for ,i believe that many think obedience formal and lifeless1 except the wind be fair in the west1 and sails filled with joy and sense1 till souls1 like a ship fair before the wind1 can spread no more sail4 ,but ,i am not of their mind1 who think so4 ,but if ye mean1 by absence of ,christ1 the withdrawing of ,his working grace1 ,i see not how willingness to use means can be at all1 under such an absence4 ,therefore1 be humbled for heaviness in that obedience1 and thankful for willingness2 for the ,bridegroom is busking ,his spouse oftentimes1 while she is half sleeping2 and your ,lord is working and helping more than ye see4 ,also1 ,i recommend to you heaviness for formality1 and for lifeless deadness in obedience4 ,be casten down1 as much as ye will or can1 for deadness2 and challenge that dull and slow carcase of sin1 that will neither lead nor drive1 in your spiritual obedience4 ,oh1 how sweet to lovely ,jesus are bills and grievances1 given in against corruption and the body of sin6 ,i would have ,christ1 in such a case1 fashed 7if ,i may speak so71 and deaved with our cries1 as ye see the ,apostle doeth1 ,oh1 wretched man that ,i am1 who shall deliver me from the body of this death8 7,rom4 vii4 #bd74 ,protestations against the law of sin in you are law-grounds why sin can have no law against you4 ,seek to have your protestation discussed and judged1 and then shall ye find ,christ on your side of it4 ,,vii4 ,ye hold1 that ,christ must either have hearty service1 or no service at all4 ,if ye mean that ,he will not have half a heart1 or have feigned service1 such as the hypocrites give ,him1 ,i grant you that2 ,christ must have honesty or nothing4 ,but if ye mean1 ,he will have no service at all where the heart draweth back in any measure1 ,i would not that were true for my part of heaven1 and all that ,i am worth in the world4 ,if ye mind to walk to heaven without a cramp or a crook1#djb ,i fear that ye must go your lone4 ,he knoweth our dross and defects2 and sweet ,jesus pitieth us1 when weakness and deadness in our obedience is our cross1 and not our darling4 #djb ,halting of any kind4 ,,viii4 ,the ,liar 7,john viii4 #dd71 as ye write1 challengeth the work as formal2 yet ye bless your ,cautioner for the ground-work ,he hath laid1 and dare not say but ye have assurance in some measure4 ,to this ,i say3 #a4 ,it shall be no fault to save ,satan's labour1 and challenge it yourselves1#djc or at least examine and censure2 but beware of ,satan's ends in challenging1 for he mindeth to put ,christ and you at odds4 #b4 ,welcome home faith in ,jesus1 who washeth still1 when we have defiled our souls and made ourselves loathsome2 and seek still the blood of atonement for faults little or meikle4 ,know the gate to the well1 and lie about it4 #c4 ,make meikle of assurance1 for it keepeth your anchor fixed4 #djc ,to anticipate ,satan by jealously searching into it yourselves4 ,,ix4 ,outbreakings1 ye say1 discourage you1 so that ye know not if ever ye shall win again to such overjoying consolations of the ,spirit in this life1 as formerly ye had2 and1 therefore1 a question may be1 ,if1 after assurance and mortification1 the children of ,god be ordinarily fed with sense and joy8 ,i answer3 ,i see no inconvenience to think it is enough1 in a race1 to see the goal at the starting-place1 howbeit the runners never get a view of it till they come to the rink's end2 and that our wise ,lord thinketh it fittest that we should not always be fingering and playing with ,christ's apples4 ,our ,well-beloved1 ,i know1 will sport and play with ,his bride1 as much as ,he thinketh will allure her to the rink's end4 ,yet ,i judge it not unlawful to seek renewed consolations1 providing1 #a4 ,the heart be submissive1 and content to leave the measure and timing of them to ,him4 #b4 ,providing they be sought to excite us to praise1 and strengthen our assurance1 and sharpen our desires after ,himself4 #c4 ,let them be sought1 not for our humours or swellings of nature1 but as the earnest of heaven4 ,and ,i think many do attain to greater consolations after mortification1 than ever they had formerly4 ,but ,i know that our ,lord walketh here still by a sovereign latitude1 and keepeth not the same way1 as to one hair-breadth1 without a miss1 toward all ,his children4 ,as for the ,lord's people with you1 ,i am not the man fit to speak to them4 ,i rejoice exceedingly that ,christ is engaging souls amongst you2 but ,i know that1 in conversion1 all the winning is in the first buying1 as we used to say4 ,for many lay false and bastard foundations1 and take up conversion at their foot1 and get ,christ for as good as half-nothing1 and had never a sick night for sin2 and this maketh loose work4 ,i pray you to dig deep4 ,christ's palace-work1 and ,his new dwelling1 laid upon hell felt and feared1 is most firm3 and heaven1 grounded and laid upon such a hell1 is surest work1 and will not wash away with winter storms4 ,it were good that professors were not like young heirs1 that come to their rich estate long ere they come to their wit2 and so is seen on it4 ,the tavern1 and the cards1 and the harlots steal their riches#djd from them1 ere ever they be aware what they are doing4 ,i know that a ,christ bought with strokes is sweetest4 #d4 ,i recommend to you conference and prayer at private meetings2 for warrant whereof1 see ,isa4 ii4 #c2 ,jer4 l4 #d1 #e2 ,hos4 ii4 #a1 #b2 ,zech4 viii4 #bj-bc2 ,mal4 iii4 #af2 ,luke xxiv4 #ac-ag2 ,john xx4 #ai2 ,acts xii4 #ab2 ,col4 iii4 #af1 and iv4 #f2 ,ephes4 iv4 #bi2 #a ,pet4 iv4 #aj2 #a ,thess4 v4 #ad2 ,heb4 iii4 #ac1 and x4 #be4 ,many coals make a good fire1 and that is a part of the communion of saints4 #djd ,some read ridges1 q4d41 their acres of land4 ,i must entreat you1 and your ,christian acquaintance in the parish1 to remember me to ,god in your prayers1 and my flock and ministry1 and my transportation#dje and removal from this place1 which ,i fear at this ,assembly1#djf and be earnest with ,god for our mother-kirk4 ,for want of time1 ,i have put you all in one letter4 ,the rich grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ be with you all4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 ,aug4 #e1 #afci4 #dje ,my being transferred to another part of the land4 #djf ,about this time ,rutherford 7who1 it will be observed from the place whence this letter is dated1 was now relieved from confinement at ,aberdeen7 had received two separate calls1 one from ,edinburgh1 to become one of the city ministers1 and the other from ,st4 ,andrews1 to the theological chair in that ,university4 ,these competing calls were to come before the ,assembly4 ,,cclxxxvii4--,to the ,,viscountess ,,of ,,kenmure4 7,,on ,,the ,,death ,,of ,,her ,,child--,,christ ,,shares ,,in ,,his ,,people',s ,,sorrows47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i know that ye are near many comforters1 and that the promised ,comforter is near at hand also4 ,yet1 because ,i found your ,ladyship comfortable to myself in my sad days1 which are not yet over my head1 it is my part and more1 in many respects 7howbeit ,i can do little1 ,god knoweth1 in that kind71 to speak to you in your wilderness lot4 ,i know1 dear and noble ,lady1 that this loss of your dear child#djg came upon you1 one piece and part of it after another2 and that ye were looking for it1 and that now the ,almighty hath brought on you that which ye feared2 and that your ,lord gave you lawful warning4 ,and ,i hope that for ,his sake who brewed and masked this cup in heaven1 ye will gladly drink1 and salute and welcome the cross4 ,i am sure1 that it is not your ,lord's mind to feed you with judgment and wormwood1 and to give you waters of gall to drink 7,ezek4 xxxiv4 #af2 ,jer4 ix4 #ae74 ,i know that your cup is sugared with mercy2 and that the withering of the bloom1 the flower1 even the white and red of worldly joys1 is for no other end than to buy out at the ground the reversion of your heart and love4 #djg ,john1 second ,viscount ,kenmure who died in #afci4 ,madam1 subscribe to the ,almighty's will2 put your hand to the pen1 and let the cross of your ,lord ,jesus have your submissive and resolute ,amen4 ,if ye ask and try whose this cross is1 ,i dare say that it is not all your own1 the best half of it is ,christ's4 ,then your cross is no born-bastard1 but lawfully begotten2 it sprang not out of the dust 7,job v4 #f74 ,if ,christ and ye be halvers of this suffering1 and ,he say1 ,half mine1 what should ail you8 ,and ,i am sure that ,i am here right upon the style of the word of ,god3 ,the fellowship of ,christ's sufferings 7,phil4 iii4 #aj72 ,the remnant of the afflictions of ,christ 7,col4 i4 #bd72 ,the reproach of ,christ 7,heb4 ii4 #f74 ,it were but to shift the comforts of ,god1 to say1 ,christ had never such a cross as mine3 ,he had never a dead child1 and so this is not ,his cross2 neither can ,he1 in that meaning1 be the owner of this cross4 ,but ,i hope that ,christ1 when he married you1 married you and all the crosses and wo hearts that follow you4 ,and the word maketh no exception4 ,in all their afflictions ,he was afflicted 7,isa4 lxiii4 #i74 ,then ,christ bore the first stroke of this cross2 it rebounded off ,him upon you1 and ye get it at the second hand1 and ye and ,he are halvers in it4 ,and ,i shall believe1 for my part1 that ,he mindeth to distil heaven out of this loss1 and all others the like2 for wisdom devised it1 and love laid it on1 and ,christ owneth it as ,his own1 and putteth your shoulder beneath only a piece of it4 ,take it with joy1 as no bastard cross1 but as a visitation of ,god1 well-born2 and spend the rest of your appointed time1 till your change come1 in the work of believing4 ,and let faith1 that never yet made a lie to you1 speak for ,god's part of it1 ,he will not1 ,he doth not1 make you a sea or a whale-fish1 that ,he keepeth you in ward 7,job vii4 #ab74 ,it may be1 that ye think not many of the children of ,god in such a hard case as yourself2 but what would ye think of some1 who would exchange afflictions8 and give you to the boot8 ,but ,i know that yours must be your own alone1 and ,christ's together4 ,i confess it seemed strange to me1 that your ,lord should have done that which seemed to ding out the bottom of your worldly comforts2 but we see not the ground of the ,almighty's sovereignty4 ,he goeth by on our right hand1 and on our left hand1 and we see ,him not4 ,we see but pieces of the broken links of the chains of ,his providence2 and ,he coggeth the wheels of ,his own providence1 that we see not4 ,oh1 let the ,former work ,his own clay into what frame ,he pleaseth6 ,shall any teach the ,almighty knowledge8 ,if ,he pursue the dry stubble1 who dare say1 ,what doest ,thou8 ,do not wonder to see the ,judge of the world weave1 into one web1 your mercies and the judgments of the house of ,kenmure4 ,he can make one web of contraries4 ,but my weak advice 7with reverence and correction71 were1 for you1 dear and worthy ,lady1 to see how far mortification goeth on1 and what scum the ,lord's fire casteth out of you4 ,i know that ye see your knottiness1 since our ,lord whiteth1 and heweth1 and plaineth you4 ,and the glancing of the furnace#djh is to let you see what scum or refuse ye must want1 and what froth is in nature1 that must be boiled out and taken off in the fire of your trials4 ,i do not say that heavier afflictions prophesy heavier guiltiness2 a cross is often but a false prophet in this kind4 ,but ,i am sure that our ,lord would have the tin and the bastard metal in you removed1 lest the ,lord say1 ,the bellows are burnt1 the lead is consumed in the fire1 the ,founder melteth in vain 7,jer4 vi4 #bi74 ,and ,i shall hope that grief will not so far smother your light1 as not to practise this so necessary a duty1 to concur with ,him in this blessed design4 #djh ,the brightness of glowing heat4 ,i would gladly plead for the ,comforter's part of it1 not against you1 ,madam 7for ,i am sure ye are not his party#dji71 but against your grief1 which will have its own violent incursions in your soul3 and ,i think it be not in your power to help it4 ,but ,i must say1 there are comforts allowed upon you2 and1 therefore1 want them not4 ,when ye have gotten a running-over soul with joy now1 that joy will never be missed out of the infinite ocean of delight1 which is not diminished by drinking at it1 or drawing out of it4 ,it is a ,christian art to comfort yourself in the ,lord2 to say1 ,i was obliged to render back again this child to the ,giver3 and if ,i have had four years' loan of him1 and ,christ eternity's possession of him1 the ,lord hath kept condition with me4 ,if my ,lord would not have him and me to tryst both in one hour at death's door-threshold together1 it is ,his wisdom so to do2 ,i am satisfied4 ,my tryst is suspended1 not broken off1 nor given up4 ,madam1 ,i would that ,i could divide sorrow with you1 for your ease4 ,but ,i am but a beholder3 it is easy to me to speak2 the ,god of comfort speak to you1 and allure you with ,his feasts of love4 #dji ,an opposing party to him4 ,my removal from my flock is so heavy to me1 that it maketh my life a burden to me2 ,i had never such a longing for death4 ,the ,lord help and hold up sad clay4 ,i fear that ye sin in drawing ,mr4 ,william ,dalgleish from this country1 where the labourers are few1 and the harvest great4 ,madam1 desire my ,lord ,argyle to see for provision to a pastor for his poor people4 ,grace be with you4 ,your ,ladyship's at all obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,kirkcudbright1 ,oct4 #a1 #afci4 ,,cclxxxviii4--,to the persecuted ,church in ,ireland4#daj #daj ,when the ,national ,covenant had been solemnly renewed throughout almost the whole of ,scotland1 every means was used to prevent the ,presbyterians in ,ireland from entering into it4 ,to accomplish this1 an oath was imposed in ,may #afci1 known by the name of the ,black ,oath1 from the calamities which it occasioned4 ,the oath is as follows3--,i1 ----1 do faithfully swear1 profess1 and promise1 that ,i will honour and obey my sovereign ,lord1 ,king ,charles1 and will bear faith and true allegiance unto him1 and defend and maintain his royal power and authority2 and that ,i will not bear arms1 or do any rebellious or hostile act against his ,majesty1 ,king ,charles1 or protest against any his royal commands1 but submit myself in all due obedience thereunto2 and that ,i will not enter into any covenant1 oath1 or band of mutual defence and assistance against any person whatsoever by force1 without his ,majesty's sovereign and legal authority4 ,and ,i do renounce and abjure all covenants1 oaths1 and bands whatsoever1 contrary to what ,i have herein sworn1 professed1 and promised4 ,so help me ,god1 in ,jesus ,christ4 ,all ,scottish residents in ,ulster1 above the age of sixteen1 were required to take this oath2 and it was imposed equally on women and on men4 ,great numbers refusing to take it1 the highest penalties of the law1 short of death1 were inflicted on them1 and that1 too1 under circumstances of great cruelty4 ,such was the condition of the ,presbyterians in ,ireland at the date of this letter1 which was written to comfort them under persecution1 and to encourage their stedfastness 7,reid's ,history of the ,presbyterian ,church in ,ireland74 7,,christ',s ,,legacy ,,of ,,trouble--,,god',s ,,dealings ,,with ,,scotland ,,in ,,giving ,,prosperity--,,christ ,,takes ,,half ,,of ,,all ,,sufferings--,,stedfastness ,,for ,,his ,,crown--,,his ,,love ,,should ,,lead ,,to ,,holiness47 ,,much ,,honoured1 ,,reverend1 ,,and ,,dearly ,,beloved ,,in ,,our ,,lord1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you all4--,i know that there are many in this nation more able than ,i to speak to the sufferers for1 and witnesses of1 ,jesus ,christ2 yet pardon me to speak a little to you1 who are called in question for the ,gospel once committed to you4 ,i hope that ye are not ignorant that1 as peace was left to you in ,christ's testament1 so the other half of the testament was a legacy of ,christ's sufferings4 ,these things have ,i spoken1 that in ,me ye might have peace2 in the world ye shall have trouble 7,john xvi4 #cc74 ,because1 then1 ye are made assignees and heirs to a liferent of ,christ's cross1 think that fiery trial no strange thing2 for the ,lord ,jesus shall be no loser by purging the dross and tin out of ,his church in ,ireland4 ,his wine-press is but squeezing out the dregs1 the scum1 the froth1 and refuse of that church4 ,i had once the proof of the sweet smell1 and the honest and honourable peace1 of that slandered thing1 the cross of our ,lord ,jesus4 ,but though1 alas6 these golden days that then ,i had be now in a great part gone1 yet ,i dare say1 that the issue and outgate of your sufferings shall be the advantage1 the golden reign and dominion of the ,gospel1 and the high glory of the never-enough-praised ,prince of the kings of the earth2 and the changing of the brass of the ,lord's temple among you into gold1 and the iron into silver1 and the wood into brass4 ,your officers shall yet be peace1 and your exactors righteousness 7,isa4 lx4 #ag1 #ah74 ,your old1 fallen walls shall get a new name1 and the gates of your ,jerusalem shall get a new style4 ,they shall call your walls ,salvation1 and your gates ,praise4 ,i know that ,deputy1#daa prelates1 ,papists1 temporizing lords1 and proud mockers of our ,lord1 crucifiers of ,christ for ,his coat1 and all your enemies1 have neither fingers nor instruments of war to pick out one stone out of your wall2 for each stone of your wall is ,salvation4 ,i dare give you my royal and princely ,master's word for it1 that ,ireland shall be a fair bride to ,jesus1 and ,christ will build on her a palace of silver 7,cant4 viii4 #i74 ,therefore1 weep not as if there were no hope2 fear not1 put on strength1 put on your beautiful garments 7,isa4 lii4 #a74 ,your foundation shall be sapphires1 your windows and gates precious stones 7,isa4 liv4 #aa1 #ab74 ,look over the water1 and behold and see who is on the dry land waiting for your landing4 ,your deliverance is concluded1 subscribed1 and sealed in heaven4 ,your goods1 that are taken from you for ,christ and ,his truth's sake1 are but arrested and laid in pawn1 and not taken away4 ,there is much laid up for you in ,his storehouse1 whose the earth and the fulness thereof is4 ,your garments are spun1 and your flocks are feeding in the fields1 your bread is laid up for you1 your drink is brewn1 your gold and silver is at the bank1 and the interest goeth on and groweth3 and yet ,i hear that your taskmasters do rob and spoil you1 and fine you4 ,your prisons1 my brethren1 have two keys4 ,the ,deputy1 prelates1 and officers keep but the iron keys of the prison wherein they put you2 but ,he that hath created the smith1 hath other keys in heaven2 therefore ye shall not die in the prison4 ,other men's ploughs are labouring for your bread2 your enemies are gathering in your rents4 ,he that is kissing ,his bride on this side of the sea1 in ,scotland1 is beating her beyond the sea in ,ireland1 and feeding her with the bread of adversity and the water of affliction2 and yet ,he is the same ,lord to both4 #daa ,wentworth1 ,earl of ,stafford1 was at this time ,deputy or ,lord ,lieutenant of ,ireland4 ,previous to his appointment to that office1 which was in #afcb1 the ,scottish settlers in ,ireland were not troubled on account of their nonconformity4 ,after the ,black ,oath was imposed in this year1 he declared that he would prosecute to the blood all who refused to take it1 and drive them root and branch out of the kingdom4 ,his violent and unconstitutional proceedings at length issued in his being arraigned for high treason before the ,english ,parliament1 and beheaded on ,tower ,hill1 ,may #ab1 #afda1 in the forty-ninth year of his age4 ,alas6 ,i fear that ,scotland be undone and slain with this great mercy of reformation1 because there is not here that life of religion1 answerable to the huge greatness of the work that dazzleth our eyes4 ,for the ,lord is rejoicing over us in this land1 as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride3 and the ,lord hath changed the name of ,scotland4 ,they call us now no more ,forsaken1 nor ,desolate2 but our land is called ,hephzibah and ,beulah 7,isa4 lxii4 #d74 ,for the ,lord delighteth in us1 and this land is married to ,himself4 ,there is now an highway made through our ,zion1 and it is called the ,way of holiness2 the unclean shall not pass over it2 the wayfaring men1 though fools1 shall not err in it4 ,the wilderness doth rejoice and blossom as the rose2 ,the ransomed of the ,lord are returned back unto ,zion1 with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads 7,isa4 xxxv4 #aj72 the ,canaanite is put out of our ,lord's house3 there is not a beast left to do hurt 7at least1 professedly7 in all the holy mountain of the ,lord4 ,our ,lord is fallen to wrestle with ,his enemies1 and hath brought us out of ,egypt2 we have the strength of an unicorn 7,num4 xxiii4 #bb74 ,the ,lord hath eaten up the sons of ,babel2 ,he hath broken their bones1 and hath pierced them through with ,his arrows4 ,we take them captives whose captives we were1 and we rule over our oppressors 7,isa4 xiv4 #b74 ,it is not brick1 nor clay1 nor ,babel's cursed timber and stones1 that is in our second temple2 but our princely ,king ,jesus is building ,his house all palace-work and carved stones4 ,it is the habitation of the ,lord4 ,we do welcome ,ireland and ,england to our ,well-beloved4 ,we invite you1 ,o daughters of ,jerusalem1 to come down to our ,lord's garden1 and seek our ,well-beloved with us2 for ,his love will suffice both you and us4 ,we do send you love-letters over the sea1 to request you to come and to marry our ,king1 and to take part of our bed4 ,and we trust our ,lord is fetching a blow upon the ,beast1 and the scarlet-coloured ,whore1 to the end that ,he may bring in ,his ancient widow-wife1 our dear sister1 the church of the ,jews4 ,oh1 what a heavenly heaven were it to see them come in by this mean1 and suck the breasts of their little sister1 and renew their old love with their first ,husband1 ,christ our ,lord6 ,they are booked in ,god's word1 as a bride contracted unto ,jesus6 ,oh for a sight1 in this flesh of mine1 of the prophesied marriage between ,christ and them6 ,the kings of ,tarshish1 and of the isles1 must bring presents to our ,lord ,jesus 7,ps4 lxxii4 #aj74 ,and ,britain is one of the chiefest isles2 why then but we may believe that our kings of this island shall come in1 and bring their glory to the ,new ,jerusalem1 wherein ,christ shall dwell in the latter days8 ,it is our part to pray1 ,that the kingdoms of the earth may become ,christ's4 ,now ,i exhort you1 in the ,lord ,jesus1 not to be dismayed nor afraid for the two tails of these smoking firebrands1 the fierce anger of the ,deputy with civil power1 and of the bastard prelates with the power of the ,beast2 for they shall be cut off4 ,they may well eat you and drink you1 but they shall be forced to vomit you out again alive4 ,if two things were firmly believed1 sufferings would have no weight4 ,if the fellowship of ,christ's sufferings were well known1 who would not gladly take part with ,jesus8 ,for ,christ and we are halvers and joint-owners of one and the same cross3 and1 therefore1 he that knew well what sufferings were1 as he esteemed all things but loss for ,christ1 and did judge them but dung1 so did he also judge of them1 that he might know the fellowship of ,his sufferings 7,phil4 iii4 #aj74 ,oh1 how sweet a sight is it1 to see a cross betwixt ,christ and us1 to hear our ,redeemer say1 at every sigh1 and every blow1 and every loss of a believer1 ,half mine6 ,so they are called ,the sufferings of ,christ1 and the reproach of ,christ 7,col4 i4 #bd2 ,heb4 xi4 #bf74 ,as1 when two are partners and owners of a ship1 the half of the gain and half of the loss belong to each of the two2 so ,christ in our sufferings is half-gainer and half-loser with us4 ,yea1 the heaviest end of the black tree of the cross lieth on your ,lord3 it falleth first upon ,him1 and it but reboundeth off ,him upon you3 ,the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon ,me 7,ps4 lxix4 #i74 ,your sufferings are your treasure1 and are greater riches than the treasures of ,egypt 7,heb4 xi4 #bf74 ,and if your cross come through ,christ's fingers ere it come to you1 it receiveth a fair lustre from ,him2 it getteth a taste and relish of the ,king's spikenard1 and of heaven's perfume4 ,and the half of the gain1 when ,christ's shipful of gold cometh home1 shall be yours4 ,it is an augmenting of your treasure to be rich in suffering1 to be in labours abundant1 in stripes above measure 7#b ,cor4 xi4 #bc72 and to have the sufferings of ,christ abounding in you 7#b ,cor4 i4 #e7 is a part of heaven's stock4 ,your goods are not lost which they have plucked from you1 for your ,lord hath them in keeping2 they are but arrested and seized upon4 ,he shall loose the arrest4 ,ye shall be fed with the heritage of ,jacob1 your father2 for the mouth of the ,lord hath spoken it 7,isa4 lviii4 #ad74 ,till ,i shall be on the hall-floor of the highest palace1 and get a draught of glory out of ,christ's hand1 above and beyond time and beyond death1 ,i shall never 7it is like7 see fairer days than ,i saw under that blessed tree of my ,lord's cross4 ,his kisses then were king's kisses4 ,those kisses were sweet and soul-reviving2 one of them1 at that time1 was worth two and a half 7if ,i may speak so7 of ,christ's week-day kisses4 ,oh1 sweet1 sweet for evermore1 to see a rose of heaven growing in as ill ground as hell6 and to see ,christ's love1 ,his embracements1 ,his dinners and suppers of joy1 peace1 faith1 goodness1 long-suffering1 and patience1 growing and springing like the flowers of ,god's garden1 out of such stony and cursed ground as the hatred of the prelates1 and the malice of their ,high ,commission1 and the ,antichrist's bloody hand and heart6 ,is not here art and wisdom8 ,is not here heaven indented in hell 7if ,i may say so71 like a jewel set with skill in a ring with the enamel of ,christ's cross8 ,the ruby and riches of glory1 that grow up out of the cross1 are beyond telling4 ,now1 the blackest and hottest wrath1 and most fiery and all-devouring indignation of the ,judge of men and angels1 shall come upon them who deny our sweet ,lord ,jesus1 and put their hand to that oath of wickedness now pressed4 ,the ,lord's coal at their heart shall burn them up both root and branch4 ,the estates of great men that have done so1 if they do not repent1 shall consume away1 and the ravens shall dwell in their houses1 and their glory shall be shame4 ,oh1 for the ,lord's sake6 keep fast by ,christ1 and fear not man that shall die and wither as the grass4 ,the ,deputy's bloom shall fall1 and the prelates shall cast their flower1 and the east wind of the ,lord1 of the ,lord strong and mighty1 shall blast and break them2 therefore1 fear them not4 ,they are but idols1 that can neither do evil nor good4 ,walk not in the way of those people that slander the footsteps of our royal and princely anointed ,king ,jesus1 now riding upon ,his white horse in ,scotland4 ,let ,jehovah be your fear4 ,that decree of ,zion's deliverance1 passed and sealed up before the throne1 is now ripe and shall bring forth a child1 even the ruin and fall of the prelates' black kingdom1 and the ,antichrist's throne1 in these kingdoms4 ,the ,lord hath begun1 and ,he shall make an end4 ,who did ever hear the like of this8 ,before ,scotland travailed1 she brought forth2 and before her pain came1 she was delivered of a man-child 7,isa4 lxvi4 #g1 #h74 ,and when all is done1 suppose there were no sweetness in our ,lord's cross1 yet it is sweet for ,his sake1 for that lovely ,one1 ,jesus ,christ1 whose crown and royal supremacy is the question this day in ,great ,britain1 betwixt us and our adversaries4 ,and who would not think ,him worthy of the suffering for8 ,what is burning quick1 what is drinking of our own heart's blood1 and what is a draught of melted lead1 for ,his glory8 ,less than a draught of cold water to a thirsty man1 if the right price and due value were put on that worthy1 worthy ,prince1 ,jesus6 ,oh1 who can weigh ,him6 ,ten thousand thousand heavens would not be one scale1 or the half of the scale1 of the balance to lay ,him in4 ,o black angels1 in comparison of ,him6 ,o dim1 and dark1 and lightless sun1 in regard of that fair ,sun of righteousness6 ,o feckless and worthless heaven of heavens1 when they stand beside my worthy1 and lofty1 and high1 and excellent ,well-beloved6 ,o weak and infirm clay-kings6 ,o soft and feeble mountains of brass1 and weak created strength1 in regard of our mighty and strong ,lord of armies6 ,o foolish wisdom of men and angels1 when it is laid in the balance beside that spotless1 substantial ,wisdom of the ,father6 ,if heaven and earth1 and ten thousand heavens even 7round about these heavens that now are71 were all in one garden of paradise1 decked with all the fairest roses1 flowers1 and trees that can come forth from the art of the ,almighty ,himself2 yet set but our one ,flower that groweth out of the root of ,jesse beside that orchard of pleasure1 one look of ,him1 one view1 one taste1 one smell of ,his sweet ,godhead would infinitely exceed and go beyond the smell1 colour1 beauty1 and loveliness of that paradise4 ,oh to be with child of ,his love6 and to be suffocated 7if that could be7 with the smell of ,his sweetness were a sweet fill and a lovely pain4 ,o worthy1 worthy1 worthy loveliness6 ,oh1 less of the creatures1 and more of ,thee6 ,oh1 open the passage of the well of love and glory on us1 dry pits and withered trees6 ,oh1 that ,jewel and ,flower of heaven6 ,if our ,beloved were not mistaken by us1 and unknown to us1 ,he would have no scarcity of wooers and suitors4 ,he would make heaven and earth both see that they cannot quench ,his love1 for ,his love is a sea4 ,oh to be a thousand fathoms deep in this sea of love6 ,he1 ,he ,himself is more excellent than heaven2 for heaven1 as it cometh into the souls and spirits of the glorified1 is but a creature2 and ,he is something 7and a great something7 more than a creature4 ,oh1 what a life were it to sit beside this ,well of love1 and drink and sing1 and sing and drink6 and then to have desires and soul-faculties stretched and extended out1 many thousand fathoms in length and breadth1 to take in seas and rivers of love6 ,i earnestly desire to recommend this love to you1 that this love may cause you to keep ,his commandments1 and to keep clean fingers1 and make clean feet1 that ye may walk as the redeemed of the ,lord4 ,wo1 wo be to them who put on ,his name1 and shame this love of ,christ1 with a loose and profane life6 ,their feet1 tongue1 and hands1 and eyes1 give a shameless lie to the holy ,gospel1 which they profess4 ,i beseech you in the ,lord1 to keep ,christ and walk with ,him3 let not ,his fairness be spotted and stained by godless living4 ,oh1 who can find in their heart to sin against love8 and such a love as the glorified in heaven shall delight to dive into1 and drink of for ever8 ,for they are evermore drinking in love1 and the cup is still at their head2 and yet without loathing1 for they still drink1 and still desire to drink for ever and ever4 ,is not this a long-lasting supper8 ,now1 if any of our country people1 professing ,christ ,jesus1 have brought themselves under the stroke and wrath of the ,almighty1 by yielding to ,antichrist in an hair-breadth1 but especially by swearing and subscribing that blasphemous oath 7which is the ,church of ,ireland's black hour of temptation71 ,i would entreat them1 by the mercies of ,god at their last summons1 to repent1 and openly confess before the world to the glory of the ,lord their denial of ,christ4 ,or otherwise1 if either man or woman will stand and abide by that oath1 then1 in the name and authority of the ,lord ,jesus1 ,i let them see that they forfeit their part of heaven6 ,and let them look for no less than a back-burden of the pure1 unmixed wrath of ,god1 and the plague of apostates and deniers of our ,lord ,jesus4 ,let not me1 a stranger to you1 who never saw your face in the flesh1 be thought bold in writing to you3 for the hope ,i have of a glorious church in that land1 and the love of ,christ1 constraineth me4 ,i know that the worthy servants of ,christ1 who once laboured among you1 cease not to write to you also2 and ,i shall desire to be excused that ,i do join with them4 ,pray for your sister-church in ,scotland2 and let me entreat you for the aid of your prayers for myself1 and flock1 and ministry1 and my fear of a transportation from this place of the ,lord's vineyard4#dab ,now the very ,god of peace sanctify you throughout4 ,grace be with you all4 #dab ,see note1 ,letter ,,cclxxxvi4 ,the decision of the ,commission was1 to translate him from ,anwoth to the professorship at ,st4 ,andrews4 ,your brother and companion1 in the kingdom and patience of ,jesus ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,anwoth1 #afci4 ,,cclxxxix4--,to his ,reverend and much honoured ,brother1 ,,dr4 ,,alexander ,,leighton1 ,christ's ,prisoner in bonds at ,london4 ,,dr4 ,,alexander ,,leighton was descended of an ancient family in ,forfarshire1 whose chief seat was ,ulys-haven1 or ,usen1 near ,montrose4 ,besides studying for the ,christian ministry1 he qualified himself as a physician1 and1 during the reign of ,james ,i41 and the commencement of that of ,charles ,i41 practised medicine in ,london1 as well as exercised his ministry there2 but whether he had any fixed charge we are not informed4 ,in his zeal for ,presbyterian principles1 and against the innovations of ,laud1 he published a work entitled ,an ,appeal to the ,parliament2 or1 ,zion's ,plea against the ,prelacy4 ,for this work he was arrested in #afbi1 and thrown into an abominable cell in ,newgate4 ,after lying there sixteen weeks in great misery1 he was served with an information of the crimes of which he was accused1 and charged to appear before the ,star ,chamber4 ,he was then unable to attend1 being under severe distress that had brought skin and hair almost wholly off his body2 but the ,star ,chamber condemned the afflicted and aged divine to be degraded as a minister1 to have one of his ears cut off1 and one side of his nose slit1 to be branded on the face with a red-hot iron1 to stand in the pillory1 to be whipped at a post1 to pay a fine of #ajjj1 and to suffer imprisonment till the fine was paid4 ,when this inhuman sentence was pronounced1 ,laud took off his hat1 and holding up his hands1 gave thanks to ,god1 who had given the church victory over her enemies6 ,the sentence was executed without mercy2 and ,leighton lay in prison until the meeting of the ,long ,parliament1 that is1 upwards of ten years4 ,when liberated1 he could hardly walk1 see1 or hear4 ,he died in #afdi4 ,he was the father of the celebrated ,robert ,leighton1 ,archbishop of ,glasgow4 ,when this letter was written to him by ,rutherford1 he had languished many years in prison4 7,,public ,,blessings ,,alleviate ,,private ,,sufferings--,,trials ,,light ,,when ,,viewed ,,in ,,the ,,light ,,of ,,heaven--,,christ ,,worthy ,,of ,,suffering ,,for47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,much ,,honoured ,,prisoner ,,of ,,hope1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4-- ,it was not my part 7whom our ,lord hath enlarged7 to forget you ,his prisoner4 ,when ,i consider how long your night hath been1 ,i think ,christ hath a mind to put you in free grace's debt so much the deeper1 as your sufferings have been of so long continuance4 ,but what if ,christ mind you no joy but public joy1 with enlarged and triumphing ,zion4 ,i think1 ,sir1 that ye would love best to share and divide your song of joy with ,zion1 and to have mystical ,christ in ,britain halfer and copartner with your enlargement4 ,i am sure that your joy1 bordering and neighbouring with the joy of ,christ's bride1 would be so much the sweeter that it were public4 ,i thought if ,christ had halved my mercies1 and delivered ,his bride and not me1 that ,his praises should have been double to what they are2 but now two rich mercies conjoined in one have stolen from our ,lord more than half-praises4 ,oh that mercy should so beguile us1 and steal away our counts and acknowledgment6 ,worthy ,sir1 ,i hope that ,i need not exhort you to go on in hoping for the salvation of ,god4 ,there hath not been so much taken from your time of ease and created joys1 as eternity shall add to your heaven4 ,ye know when one day in heaven hath paid you 7yea1 and overpaid your blood1 bonds1 sorrow1 and sufferings71 that it would trouble angels' understanding to lay the count of that surplus of glory which eternity can and will give you4 ,oh but your sand-glass of sufferings and losses cometh to little1 when it shall be counted and compared with the glory that abideth you on the other side of the water6 ,ye have no leisure to rejoice and sing here1 while time goeth about you1 and where your psalms will be short2 therefore1 ye will think eternity1 and the long day of heaven that shall be measured with no other sun1 nor horologe1 than the long life of the ,ancient of ,days1 to measure your praises1 little enough for you4 ,if your span-length of time be cloudy1 ye cannot but think that your ,lord can no more take your blood and your bands without the income and recompense of free grace1 than ,he would take the sufferings of ,paul and ,his other dear servants1 that were well paid home beyond all counting 7,rom4 viii4 #ah74 ,if the wisdom of ,christ hath made you ,antichrist's eyesore and his envy1 ye are to thank ,god that such a piece of clay1 as ye are1 is made the field of glory to work upon4 ,it was the ,potter's aim that the clay should praise ,him1 and ,i hope it satisfieth you that your clay is for ,his glory4 ,oh1 who can suffer enough for such a ,lord6 and who can lay out in bank1 enough of pain1 shame1 losses1 and tortures to receive in again the free interest of eternal glory6 7#b ,cor4 iv4 #ag74 ,oh1 how advantageous a bargaining is it with such a rich ,lord6 ,if your hand and pen had been at leisure to gain glory on paper1 it had been but paper glory3 but the bearing of a public cross so long1 for the now controverted privileges of the crown and sceptre of free ,king ,jesus1 the ,prince of the kings of the earth1 is glory booked in heaven4 ,worthy and dear brother1 if ye go to weigh ,jesus1 ,his sweetness1 excellency1 glory1 and beauty1 and lay foregainst ,him your ounces or drachms of suffering for ,him1 ye shall be straitened two ways4 #a4 ,it will be a pain to make the comparison1 the disproportion being by no understanding imaginable3 nay1 if heaven's arithmetic and angels' were set to work1 they should never number the degrees of difference4 #b4 ,it would straiten you to find a scale for the balance to lay that high and lofty ,one 7that over-transcending ,prince of excellency7 in4 ,if your mind could fancy as many created heavens as time hath had minutes1 trees have had leaves1 and clouds have had raindrops1 since the first stone of the creation was laid1 they should not make half a scale in which to bear and weigh boundless excellency4 ,and1 therefore1 the ,king whose marks ye are bearing1 and whose dying ye carry about with you in your body1 is1 out of all cry and consideration1 beyond and above all our thoughts4 ,for myself1 ,i am content to feed upon wondering1 sometimes1 at the beholding but of the borders and skirts of the incomparable glory which is in that exalted ,prince4 ,and ,i think ye could wish for more ears to give than ye have1 since ye hope these ears ye now have given ,him shall be passages to take in the music of ,his glorious voice4 ,i would fain both believe and pray for a new bride of ,jews and ,gentiles to our ,lord ,jesus1 after the land of graven images shall be laid waste2 and that our ,lord ,jesus is on horseback1 hunting and pursuing the ,beast2 and that ,england and ,ireland shall be well-sweeped chambers for ,christ and ,his righteousness to dwell in2 for ,he hath opened our graves in ,scotland1 and the two dead and buried witnesses are risen again1 and are prophesying4 ,oh that princes would glory and boast themselves in carrying the train of ,christ's robe royal in their arms6 ,let me die within half an hour after ,i have seen the temple of the ,son of ,god enlarged1 and the cords of ,jerusalem's tent lengthened1 to take in a more numerous company for a bride to the ,son of ,god6 ,oh1 if the corner or foundation-stone of that house1 that new house1 were laid above my grave6 ,oh6 who can add to ,him who is that great ,all6 ,if ,he would create suns and moons1 new heavens1 thousand and thousand degrees more perfect than these that now are2 and again1 make a new creation ten thousand thousand degrees in perfection beyond that new creation2 and again1 still for eternity multiply new heavens1 they should never be a perfect resemblance of that infinite excellency1 order1 weight1 measure1 beauty1 and sweetness that is in ,him4 ,oh1 how little of ,him do we see6 ,oh1 how shallow are our thoughts of ,him6 ,oh1 if ,i had pain for ,him1 and shame and losses for ,him1 and more clay and spirits for ,him6 and that ,i could go upon earth without love1 desire1 hope1 because ,christ hath taken away my love1 desire1 and hope to heaven with ,him6 ,i know1 worthy ,sir1 your sufferings for ,him are your glory2 and1 therefore1 weary not4 ,his salvation is near at hand1 and shall not tarry4 ,pray for me4 ,his grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,nov4 #bb1 #afci4 ,,ccxc4--,to a ,person unknown1 anent ,private ,worship in time and place of public4#dac #dac ,from a copy among the ,wodrow ,,mss41 vol4 xxix4 #dto1 ,no4 #ac4 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i do not know a private worship1 set and intended1 compatible with a public worship set and intended4 ,ejaculations are fruits of public worship and breathings of the spirit in public speaking1 but they are aliquid cultus publici1 non cultus publicus 7something akin to public worship1 but not public worship74 #b4 ,i know not a member in the kirk who should have a worship in specie 7in kind7 different from the worship of the whole kirk2 and so ,i do not see 7saving better judgment7 a lawfulness of private set praying1 when there is another set worship of praising1 reading1 etc4 #c4 ,i doubt if there should be any set worship in the kirk to which all the hearers should not say ,amen1 even the rude and unbelievers 7#a ,cor4 xiv4 #bc-be74 ,but to a private prayer1 when the worship is public1 who can say ,amen8 #d4 ,i think the people may all fall to their private prayers and private reading1 in time the minister preacheth1 if he fall to praying when they are praising or hearing the word read4 #e4 ,i dare not say they have a ,pharisee's mind who pray in public after a private manner1 and join not with the public service of the kirk4 ,but in natura operis 7in regard to the nature of the work71 ,i think them more pharisaical than the other case is ,brownish4#dad #f4 ,brownism's life is in separation2 but the private supplicator1 when the kirk is praising and hearing the word read1 in my weak judgment1 is in the act of separation2 that ,i should not say1#dae they are ignorant of ,brownism1 who object this to such as will not kneel in pulpit4 #g4 ,neither ,scripture nor ,act of our ,assemblies doth allow this human custom4 ,i think they dare not be answerable to a ,general ,assembly who dare call on them to censure for a human and unorderly custom against the word of ,god so directly4 #h4 ,if such as go not to private pulpit prayer neglect private prayer before they come in public1 they deserve censure4 ,whatever hath been my practice before ,i examined this custom1 ,i purpose now no more to confound worships4 ,and thus recommending you to the grace of ,god1 ,i rest1 ,s4 ,r4 ,january #af1 #afdj4 #dad ,savours of the sect called ,brownists4 #dae ,while at the same time ,i may add4 ,,ccxci4--,to ,,mr4 ,,henry ,,stuart1 his ,wife1 and two ,daughters1 all ,prisoners of ,christ at ,dublin4 ,,henry ,,stuart was a gentleman of considerable property in ,ireland4 ,he himself1 his wife1 and family1 consisting of two daughters and a domestic servant named ,james ,gray1 having refused to swear the ,black ,oath1 were carried to ,dublin by a serjeant-at-arms1 and placed in close and rigorous confinement4 ,on the #ajth of ,august #afci1 all of them were brought to trial in the ,star ,chamber4 ,stuart1 being permitted to speak in his own defence1 declared before the court1 that he had no objection whatever to take the former part of the oath1 promising civil allegiance1 but that he could not take the latter part1 which he conceived bound the swearer to yield unlimited ecclesiastical obedience to the ,king4 ,wentworth1 who presided at the trial1 in reply1 admitted that this interpretation of the oath was quite correct1 and concluded by pronouncing the sentence of the court4 ,stuart was fined #ejjj1 and his wife a similar sum2 his daughters1 #bjjj each2 and ,gray although only a servant1 #bjjj2 a sum of #af1jjj in all2 and they were to be detained at ,dublin in prison till these exorbitant fines were paid4 ,they were at length liberated by the ,irish ,parliament1 which set itself in #afda to remedy the evils of ,strafford's ,government1 after they had suffered an imprisonment of a year and three months4 ,but ,stuart's property having been confiscated by ,strafford1 the family were reduced to great poverty4 ,he retired to ,scotland1 of which he was a native1 and applied1 in the month of ,september #afda1 to the ,parliament sitting at ,edinburgh1 to recommend to the ,english ,parliament to take measures for enabling him to recover his property4 ,the ,scottish ,parliament did so1 but the result of their application is unknown 7,reid's ,history of the ,presbyterian ,church in ,ireland1 vol4 i474 7,,faith',s ,,preparation ,,for ,,trial--,,the ,,world',s ,,rage ,,against ,,christ--,,the ,,immensity ,,of ,,his ,,glorious ,,beauty--,,folly ,,of ,,persecution--,,victory ,,sure47 ,fear none of these things1 which ye shall suffer1 etc4--,,rev4 ii4 #aj4 ,,truly ,,honoured1 ,,and ,,dearly ,,beloved1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you from ,god our ,father1 and our ,lord ,jesus4 ,think it not strange1 beloved in our ,lord ,jesus1 that ,satan can command keys of prisons1 and bolts1 and chains4 ,this is a piece of the devil's princedom that he hath over the world4 ,interpret and understand our ,lord well in this4 ,be not jealous of ,his love1 though ,he make devils and men ,his under-servants to scour the rust off your faith1 and purge you from your dross4 ,and let me charge you1 ,o prisoners of hope1 to open your window1 and to look out by faith1 and behold heaven's post 7that speedy and swift salvation of ,god71 that is coming to you4 ,it is a broad river that faith will not look over3 it is a mighty and a broad sea1 that they of a lively hope cannot behold the furthest bank and other shore thereof4 ,look over the water2 your anchor is fixed within the vail2 the one end of the cable is about the prisoner of ,christ1 and the other is entered within the vail1 whither the ,forerunner is entered for you 7,heb4 vi4 #ai1 #bj74 ,it can go straight through the flames of the fire of the wrath of men1 devils1 losses1 tortures1 death1 and not a thread of it be singed or burnt3 ,men and devils have no teeth to bite it in two4 ,hold fast till ,he come4 ,your cross is of the colour of heaven and ,christ1 and passmented over with the faith and comforts of the ,lord's faithful covenant with ,scotland3 and that dye and colour will abide foul weather1 and neither be stained nor cast the colour4 ,yet1 it reflects a scad like the cross of ,christ1 whose holy hands1 many a day lifted up to ,god1 praying for sinners1 were fettered and bound1 as if those blessed hands had stolen1 and shed innocent blood4 ,when your lovely1 lovely ,jesus had no better than the thief's doom1 it is no wonder that your process be lawless and turned upside down2 for ,he was taken1 fettered1 buffeted1 whipped1 spitted upon1 before ,he was convicted of any fault1 or sentenced4 ,oh1 such a pair of sufferers and witnesses1 as high and royal ,jesus and a poor piece of guilty clay marrowed together under one yoke6 ,oh1 how lovely is the cross with such a second6 ,i believe that your prison is enacted in ,god's court not to keep you till your hope breathe out its life and last4 ,your cross is under law to restore you again safe to your brethren and sisters in ,christ4 ,take heaven's and ,christ's back-bond for a fair back-door out of your suffering4 ,the ,saviour is on ,his journey with salvation and deliverance for ,mount ,zion2 and the sword of the ,lord is drunk with blood1 and made fat with fatness4 ,his sword is bathed in heaven against ,babylon1 for it is the day of the ,lord's vengeance1 and the year of recompense for the controversy of ,zion3 and persuade yourselves the streams of the river of ,babylon shall be pitch1 and the dust of the land brimstone and burning pitch 7,isa4 xxxiv4 #h1 #i74 ,and if your deliverance be joined with the deliverance of ,zion1 it shall be two salvations to you4 ,it were good to be armed beforehand for death or bodily tortures for ,christ2 and to think what a crown of honour it is1 that ,god hath given you pieces of living clay to be tortured witnesses for saving truth2 and that ye are so happy1 as to have some pints of blood to give out for the crown of that royal ,lord1 who hath caused you to avouch ,himself before men4 ,if ye can lend fines of three thousand pounds sterling for ,christ1 let heaven's register and ,christ's count-book keep in reckoning your depursements for ,him4 ,it shall be engraven and printed in great letters upon heaven's throne1 what you are willing to give for ,him4 ,christ's papers of that kind cannot be lost1 or fall by4 ,do not wonder to see clay boist the great ,potter1 and to see blinded men threaten the ,gospel with death and burial1 and to raze out truth's name4 ,but where will they make a grave for the ,gospel1 and the ,lord's bride8 ,earth and hell shall be but little bounds for their burial4 ,lay all the clay and rubbish of this inch of the whole earth above our ,lord's ,spouse1 yet it will not cover her nor hold her down2 she shall live and not die2 she shall behold the salvation of ,god4 ,let your faith frist ,god a little1 and not be afraid for a smoking firebrand4 ,there is more smoke in ,babylon's furnace than there is fire4 ,till doomsday shall come1 they shall never see the kirk of ,scotland and our ,covenant burnt to ashes2 or1 if it should be thrown into the fire1 yet it cannot be so burnt or buried as not to have a resurrection4 ,angry clay's wind shall shake none of ,christ's corn3 ,he will gather in all ,his wheat into ,his barn4 ,only let your fellowship with ,christ be renewed4 ,ye are sibber to ,christ now1 when you are imprisoned for ,him1 than before2 for now the strokes laid on you do come in remembrance before our ,lord1 and ,he can own ,his own wounds4 ,a drink of ,christ's love1 which is better than wine1 is the drink-silver which suffering for ,his majesty leaveth behind it4 ,it is not your sins which they persecute in you1 but ,god's grace1 and loyalty to ,king ,jesus4 ,they see no treason in you to your prince the ,king of ,britain1 albeit they say so2 but it is heaven in you that earth is fighting against4 ,and ,christ is owning ,his own cause4 ,grace is a party that fire will not burn1 nor water drown4 ,when they have eaten and drunken you1 their stomach shall be sick1 and they shall spue you out alive4 ,oh1 what glory is it to be suffering abjects 7,ps4 xxxv4 #ae7 for the ,lord's glory and royalty6 ,nay1 though ,his servants had a body to burn for ever for this ,gospel1 so being that the high glory of triumphing and exalted ,jesus did rise out of these flames1 and out of that burning body1 oh what a sweet fire6 oh what soul-refreshing torment would that be6 ,what if the pickles of dust and ashes of the burnt and dissolved body were musicians to sing ,his praises1 and the highness of that never-enough-exalted ,prince of ages8 ,oh1 what love is it in ,him that ,he will have such musicians as we are1 to tune that psalm of ,his everlasting praises in heaven6 ,oh1 what shining and burning flames of love are these1 that ,christ will divide ,his share of life1 of heaven and glory1 with you6 7,luke xxii4 #bi2 ,john xvii4 #bd2 ,rev4 iii4 #ba74 ,a part of ,his throne1 one draught of ,his wine 7,his wine of glory and life that cometh from under the throne of ,god and of the ,lamb71 and one apple of the tree of life1 will do more than make up all the expenses and charges of clay1 lent out for heaven4 ,oh6 oh6 but we have short1 and narrow1 and creeping thoughts of ,jesus1 and do but shape ,christ in our conceptions according to some created portraiture6 ,o angels1 lend in your help to make love-books and songs of our fair1 and white1 and ruddy ,standard-bearer amongst ten thousand6 ,o heavens6 ,o heaven of heavens6 ,o glorified tenants1 and triumphing house-holders with the ,lamb1 put in new psalms and love-sonnets of the excellency of our ,bridegroom1 and help us to set ,him on high6 ,o indwellers of earth and heaven1 sea and air1 and ,o all ye created beings within the bosom of the utmost circle of this great world1 oh come help to set on high the praises of our ,lord6 ,o fairness of creatures1 blush before ,his uncreated beauty6 ,o created strength1 be amazed to stand before your strong ,lord of hosts6 ,o created love1 think shame of thyself before this unparalleled love of heaven6 ,o angel-wisdom1 hide thyself before our ,lord1 whose understanding passeth finding out6 ,o sun in thy shining beauty1 for shame put on a web of darkness1 and cover thyself before thy brightest ,master and ,maker6 ,oh1 who can add glory1 by doing or suffering1 to the never-enough admired and praised ,lover6 ,oh we can but bring our drop to this sea1 and our candle1 dim and dark as it is1 to this clear and lightsome ,sun of heaven and earth6 ,oh but we have cause to drink ten deaths in one cup dry1 to swim through ten seas1 to be at that land of praises1 where we shall see that wonder of wonders1 and enjoy this ,jewel of heaven's jewels6 ,o death1 do thy utmost against us6 ,o torments1 ,o malice of men and devils1 waste your strength on the witnesses of our ,lord's ,testament6 ,o devils1 bring hell to help you in tormenting the followers of the ,lamb6 ,we will defy you to make us too soon happy1 and to waft us too soon over the water to the land where the noble ,plant1 the ,plant of ,renown1 groweth4 ,o cruel time1 that tormenteth us1 and suspendeth our dearest enjoyments that we wait for1 when we shall be bathed and steeped1 soul and body1 down in the depths of this ,love of ,loves6 ,o time1 ,i say1 run fast6 ,o motions1 mend your pace8 ,o well-beloved1 be like a young roe on the mountains of separation6 ,post1 post1 and hasten our desired and hungered-for meeting4 ,love is sick to hear tell of to-morrow4 ,and what1 then1 can come wrong to you1 ,o honourable witnesses of ,his kingly truth8 ,men have no more of you to work upon than some inches and span-lengths of sick1 coughing1 and phlegmatic clay4 ,your spirits are above their ,benches1 ,courts1 or ,high ,commissions4 ,your souls1 your love to ,christ1 your faith1 cannot be summoned nor sentenced1 nor accused nor condemned1 by pope1 deputy1 prelate1 ruler1 or tyrant4 ,your faith is a free lord1 and cannot be a captive4 ,all the malice of hell and earth can but hurt the scabbard of a believer2 and death1 at the worst1 can get but a clay pawn#daf in keeping till your ,lord make#dag the ,king's keys1 and open your graves4 ,therefore1 upon luck's head 7as we use to say7 take your fill of ,his love1 and let a post-way or causeway be laid betwixt your prison and heaven1 and go up and visit your treasure4 ,enjoy your ,beloved1 and dwell upon ,his love1 till eternity come in time's room1 and possess you of your eternal happiness4 ,keep your love to ,christ1 lay up your faith in heaven's keeping1 and follow the ,chief of the house of the martyrs that witnessed a fair confession before ,pontius ,pilate4 ,your cause and ,his is all one4 ,the opposers of ,his cause are like drunken judges and transported1 who1 in their cups1 would make acts and laws in their drunken courts that the sun should not rise and shine on the earth1 and send their officers and pursuivants to charge the sun and moon to give no more light to the world2 and would enact in their court-books1 that the sea1 after once ebbing1 should never flow again4 ,but would not the sun1 moon1 and sea break these acts1 and keep their ,creator's directions8 ,the devil 7the great fool1 and father of these under-fools7 is older and more malicious than wise1 that setteth the spirits in earth on work to contend and clash with heaven's wisdom1 and to give mandates and law-summons to our ,sun1 to our great ,star of heaven1 ,jesus1 not to shine in the beauty of ,his ,gospel to the chosen and bought ones4 ,o thou fair and fairest ,sun of righteousness1 arise and shine in ,thy strength1 whether earth or hell will or not4 ,o victorious1 ,o royal1 ,o stout1 princely ,soul-conqueror1 ride prosperously upon truth2 stretch out ,thy sceptre as far as the sun shineth1 and the moon waxeth and waneth4 ,put on ,thy glittering crown1 ,o ,thou ,maker of kings1 and make but one stride1 or one step of the whole earth1 and travel in the greatness of ,thy strength 7,isa4 lxii4 #a1 #b74 ,and let ,thy apparel be red1 and all dyed with the blood of ,thy enemies4 ,thou art fallen righteous ,heir by line to the kingdoms of the world4 #daf ,a security of clay or earth4 ,often1 in his sermon on ,dan4 vi4 #bf1 before the ,house of ,commons1 #afdd1 he uses such expressions as1 ,clay triumpheth over angels and hell1 through the strength of ,jesus 7p4 #h72 ,men are but pieces of breathing1 laughing1 and then dying1 clay 7p4 #da74 #dag ,is it not take8 ,laugh ye at the giddy-headed clay pots1 and stout1 brain-sick worms1 that dare say in good earnest1 ,this man shall not reign over us6 as though they were casting the dice for ,christ's crown1 which of them should have it4 ,i know that ye believe the coming of ,christ's kingdom2 and that there is a hole out of your prison1 through which ye see daylight4 ,let not faith be dazzled with temptations from a dying ,deputy1#dah and from a sick ,prelate4 ,believe under a cloud1 and wait for ,him when there is no moonlight nor starlight4 ,let faith live and breathe1 and lay hold on the sure salvation of ,god1 when clouds and darkness are about you1 and appearance of rotting in the prison before you4 ,take heed of unbelieving hearts1 which can father lies upon ,christ4 ,beware of ,doth ,his promise fail for evermore8 7,ps4 lxxvii4 #h74 ,for it was a man1 and not ,god1 that said it1 who dreamed that a promise of ,god could fail1 fall aswoon1 or die4 ,we can make ,god sick1 or ,his promises weak1 when we are pleased to seek a plea with ,christ4 ,o sweet1 ,o stout word of faith1 ,though ,he may slay me1 yet will ,i trust in ,him6 7,job xiii4 #ae74 ,o sweet epitaph1 written upon the grave-stone of a dying believer1 namely1 ,i died hoping1 and my dust and ashes believe in life6 ,faith's eyes1 that can see through a mill-stone1 can see through a gloom of ,god1 and under it read ,god's thoughts of love and peace4 ,hold fast ,christ in the dark2 surely ye shall see the salvation of ,god4 ,your adversaries are ripe and dry for the fire4 ,yet a little while1 and they shall go up in a flame2 the breath of the ,lord1 like a river of brimstone1 shall kindle about them 7,isa4 xxx4 #cc74 #dah ,deputy1 or ,lord ,lieutenant of ,ireland4 ,what ,i write to one1 ,i write to you all that are sound-hearted in that kingdom1 whom1 in the bowels of ,christ1 ,i would exhort not to touch that oath4 ,albeit the adversaries put a fair meaning on it1 yet the swearer must swear according to the professed intent and godless practice of the oath-makers1 which is known to the world4 ,otherwise ,i might swear that the ,creed is false1 according to this private meaning and sense put upon it4 ,oh1 let them not be beguiled to wash perjury and the denial of ,christ and the ,gospel with ink water1 some foul and rotten distinctions4 ,wash1 and wash again and again1 the devil and the lie1 it will be long ere their skin be white4 ,i profess it should beseem men of great parts rather than me to write to you4 ,but ,i love your cause1 and desire to be excused2 and must entreat for the help of your prayers1 in this my weighty charge here for the university and pulpit1 and that ye would intreat your acquaintance also to help me4 ,grace be with you all4 ,amen4 ,your brother and companion1 in the patience and kingdom of ,jesus ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 #afdj4 ,,ccxcii4--,to ,,mrs4 ,,pont1 ,prisoner at ,dublin4 ,,mrs4 ,,pont1 whose maiden name was ,isabel ,stewart1 was the wife of ,mr4 ,pont1 minister of a parish in the diocese of ,raphoe4 ,pont declined to use the prescribed ceremonies of the church1 and condemned the increasing severities towards nonconformists1 together with the unscriptural jurisdiction of the prelates4 ,it appears that he had also held meetings for worship and public preaching1 contrary to the canons2 and that his wife had in some way signalized herself by her opposition to ,prelacy1 and her frequenting these more private assemblies4 ,john ,leslie1 ,bishop of ,raphoe1 reporting the matter to ,wentworth1 was recommended to deprive ,pont of his benefice1 and to proceed against his wife in such way as her fault deserves1 and the laws will bear4 ,pont himself escaped to ,scotland1 but his wife was imprisoned in the castle of ,dublin4 ,she lay in prison nearly three years1 not being liberated till #afda by the ,irish ,parliament4 ,in ,may #afda she presented a petition to the ,irish ,house of ,commons against the ,bishop of ,raphoe1 for committing her to prison1 and charging her with high treason1 solely on his own authority4 ,the ,house resolved that the ,bishop1 by his illegal conduct1 had involved himself in the penalties of the statute of prmunire2 but no further proceedings appear to have been taken against him4 ,in these proceedings1 says ,dr4 ,reid1 ,mrs4 ,pont is styled1 ',mrs4 ,isabel ,pont alias ,stewart1 widow2' whence it appears that her husband must have died soon after he had fled to ,scotland 7,reid's ,history of the ,presbyterian ,church in ,ireland1 vol4 i474 ,this lady afterwards came over to ,scotland1 and died on the #ith of ,november #agjd4 ,wodrow visited her repeatedly under her last illness4 ,he calls her this extraordinary person4 ,on visiting her the night preceding her death1 she said to him1 ,i never had so few temptations as now4 ,i am only waiting ,god's time of departure4 ,again calling upon her next morning1 he says1 ,i think her last breath went out just when ,i resigned her to ,god1 as far as ,i could notice1 about seven in the morning 7,analecta1 vol4 i4 p4 #ee74 7,,support ,,under ,,trials--,,the ,,master',s ,,reward47 ,,worthy ,,and ,,dear ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,the cause which ye suffer for1 and your willingness to suffer1 is ground enough of acquaintance for me to write to you2 although ,i do confess myself unable to speak for the encouragement of a prisoner of ,christ4 ,i know that ye have advantage beyond us who are not under sufferings2 for your sighing 7,ps4 cii4 #bj7 is a written bill for the ears of your ,head1 the ,lord ,jesus2 and your breathing 7,lam4 iii4 #ef71 and your looking up 7,ps4 v4 #c1 and lxix4 #c74 ,and1 therefore1 your meaning1 half-spoken1 half-unspoken1 will seek no jailor's leave1 but will go to heaven without leave of prelate or deputy1 and be heartily welcome2 so that ye may sigh and groan out your mind to ,him who hath all the keys of the king's three kingdoms and dominions4 ,i dare believe that your hope shall not die4 ,your trouble is a part of ,zion's burning2 and ye know who guideth ,zion's furnace1 and who loveth the ashes of ,his burnt bride1 because ,his servants love them 7,ps4 cii4 #ad74 ,i believe that your ashes1 if ye were burnt for this cause1 shall praise ,him3 for the wrath of men and their malice shall make a psalm to praise the ,lord 7,ps4 lxxvi4 #aj74 ,and1 therefore1 stand still1 and behold and see what the ,lord is to do for this island4 ,his work is perfect 7,deut4 xxxii4 #d74 ,the nations have not seen the last end of ,his work2 ,his end is more fair and more glorious than the beginning4 ,ye have more honour than ye can be able to guide well1 in that your bonds are made heavy for such an honourable cause4 ,the seals of a controlled#dai ,gospel1 and the seals by bonds1 and blood1 and sufferings1 are not committed to every ordinary professor4 ,some that would back ,christ honestly in summer-time1 would but spill the beauty of the ,gospel if they were put to suffering4 ,and1 therefore1 let us believe that ,wisdom dispenseth to every one here1 as ,he thinketh good1 who beareth them up that bear the cross4 ,and since our ,lord hath put you to that part which was the flower of ,his own sufferings1 we all expect that1 as ye have in the strength of our ,captain begun1 so ye will go on without fainting4 ,providence maketh use of men and devils for the refining of all the vessels of ,god's house1 small and great1 and for doing of two great works at once in you1 both for smoothing a stone to make it take band with ,christ in ,jerusalem's wall1 and for witnessing to the glory of this reproached and borne-down ,gospel1 which cannot die though hell were made a grave about it4 ,it shall be timeous joy for you1 to divide joy betwixt you and ,christ's laughing bride in these three kingdoms4 ,and what if your mourning continue till mystical ,christ 7in ,ireland and in ,great ,britain7 and ye laugh both together8 ,your laughing and joy were the more blessed1 that one sun should shine upon ,christ1 the ,gospel1 and you1 laughing altogether in these three kingdoms4 ,your time is measured1 and your days and hours of suffering from eternity were1 by infinite ,wisdom1 considered4 ,if heaven recompense not to your own mind inches of sorrow1 then ,i must say that infinite ,mercy cannot get you pleased2 but if the first kiss of the white and ruddy cheek of the ,standard-bearer and ,chief among ten thousand thousand 7,cant4 v4 #aj71 shall overpay your prison at ,dublin1 in ,ireland1 then ye shall have no counts unanswered to give in to ,christ4 ,if your faith cannot see a nearer term-day1 yet let me charge your hope to give ,christ a new day1 till eternity and time meet in one point4 ,a paid sum1 if ever paid1 is paid if no day be broken to the hungry creditor4 ,take heaven's bond and subscribed obligation for the sum 7,john xiv4 #c74 ,if hope can trust ,christ1 ,i know that ,he can1 and will pay4 ,but when all is done and suffered by you1 ten hundred deaths for lovely1 lovely ,jesus is but eternity's halfpenny2 figures and cyphers cannot lay the proportion4 ,oh1 but the surplus of ,christ's glory is broad and large6 ,christ's items of eternal glory are hard and cumbersome to tell2 and if ye borrow1 by faith and hope1 ten days or ten hundred years from that eternity of glory that abideth you1 ye are paid and more1 in your own hand4 ,therefore1 ,o prisoner of hope1 wait on2 posting1 hasting salvation sleepeth not4 ,antichrist is bleeding1 and in the way to death2 and he biteth the sorest1 when he bleedeth the fastest4 ,keep your intelligence betwixt you and heaven1 and your court with ,christ4 ,he hath in heaven the keys of your prison1 and can set you at liberty when ,he pleaseth4 ,his rich grace support you4 ,i pray you to help me with your prayers4 ,grace be with you4 #dai ,the ,gospel1 the preaching of which men are seeking to hinder4 ,your brother1 in the patience and kingdom of ,jesus ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 #afdj4 ,,ccxciii4--,to ,,mr4 ,,james ,,wilson4 ,there was a cotemporary of that name1 the minister of ,inch1 in the ,presbytery of ,stranraer4 ,there was also a ,james ,wilson who was a friend of ,blair1 and minister of ,dysart in #afec4 7,see ,row's ,life of ,blair47 ,this letter indicates that the correspondent was a man of thought and education4 7,,advices ,,to ,a ,,doubting ,,soul--,,mistakes ,,about ,,his ,,interest ,,in ,,god',s ,,love--,,temptation--,,perplexity ,,about ,,prayer--,,want ,,of ,,feeling47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be multiplied upon you4--,i bless our rich and only wise ,lord1 who careth so for ,his new creation that ,he is going over it again1 and trying every piece in you1 and blowing away the motes of ,his new work in you4 ,alas6 ,i am not so fit a physician as your disease requireth4 ,sweet1 sweet1 lovely ,jesus be your physician1 where ,his under-chirurgeons cannot do anything for putting in order the wheels1 paces1 and goings of a marred#dbj soul4 ,i have little time2 but yet the ,lord hath made me so to concern myself in your condition1 that ,i dow not1 ,i dare not1 be altogether silent4 #dbj ,a soul that has been put out of order4 ,the edition of #afge1 and some others1 has married soul4 ,first3 ye doubt1 from #b ,cor4 xiii4 #e1 whether ye be in ,christ or not8 and so1 whether you are a reprobate or not8 ,i answer three things to the doubt4--#a4 ,ye owe charity to all men1 but most of all to lovely and loving ,jesus1 and some also to your self2 especially to your renewed self1 because your new self is not yours1 but another ,lord's1 even the work of ,his own ,spirit4 ,therefore1 to slander ,his work is to wrong ,himself4 ,love thinketh no evil3 if ye love grace1 think not ill of grace in yourself4 ,and ye think ill of grace in yourself when ye make it but a bastard and a work of nature2 for a holy fear that ye be not ,christ's1 and withal a care and a desire to be ,his1 and not your own1 is not1 nay cannot be1 bastard nature4 ,the great ,advocate pleadeth hard for you2 be upon the ,advocate's side1 ,o poor feared client of ,christ6 ,stay1 and side with such a ,lover1 who pleadeth for no other man's goods than ,his own2 for ,he 7if ,i may say so7 scorneth to be enriched with unjust conquest4 ,and yet ,he pleadeth for you1 whereof your letter 7though too1 too full of jealousy7 is a proof4 ,for1 if ye were not ,his1 your thoughts 7which1 ,i hope1 are but the suggestions of ,his ,spirit1 that only bringeth the matter into debate to make it sure to you7 would not be such1 nor so serious as these1 ,am ,i ,his8 or ,whose am ,i8 #b4 ,dare ye forswear your ,owner1 and say in cold blood1 ,i am not ,his8 ,what nature or corruption saith at starts in you1 ,i regard not4 ,your thoughts of yourself1 when sin and guiltiness round you in the ear1 and when you have a sight of your deservings1 are ,apocrypha1 and not ,scripture1 ,i hope4 ,hear what the ,lord saith of you3 ,he will speak peace4 ,if your ,master say1 ,i quit you1 ,i shall then bid you eat ashes for bread1 and drink waters of gall and wormwood4 ,but1 however ,christ out of ,his own mouth should seem to say1 ,i come not for thee1 as ,he did1 ,matt4 xv4 #bd2 yet let me say that the words of the tempting ,jesus#dba are not to be stretched as ,scripture1 beyond ,his intention1 seeing ,his intention in speaking them is to strengthen1 not to deceive4 ,and1 therefore1 here faith may contradict what ,christ seemeth at first to say1 and so may ye4 ,i charge you by the mercies of ,god1 be not that cruel to grace and the new birth as to cast water on your own coal by misbelief4 ,if ye must die 7as ,i know ye shall not71 it were a folly to slay yourself4 #c4 ,i hope that ye love the new birth and a claim to ,christ1 howbeit ye do not make it good2 and if ye were in hell1 and saw the heavenly face of lovely1 ten thousand times lovely ,jesus1 that hath ,god's hue1 and ,god's fair1 fair and comely red and white1 wherewith it is beautified beyond comparison and imagination1 ye could not forbear to say1 ,oh1 if ,i could but blow a kiss from my sinful mouth from hell up to heaven1 upon ,his cheeks that are a bed of spices as sweet flowers6 7,cant4 v4 #ac74 ,i hope ye dare say1 ,o fairest sight of heaven6 ,o boundless mass of crucified and slain love for me1 give me leave to wish to love ,thee6 ,o ,flower and ,bloom of heaven and earth's love6 ,o angels' ,wonder6 ,o ,thou1 the ,father's eternal1 sealed ,love6 and ,o ,thou1 ,god's old ,delight6 give me leave to stand beside ,thy love1 and look in and wonder2 and give me leave to wish to love ,thee1 if ,i can do no more4 #d4 ,we being born in atheism1 and bairns of the house that we are come of1 it is no new thing1 my dear brother1 for us to be under jealousies and mistakes about the love of ,god4 ,what think ye of this1 that the man1 ,christ1 was tempted to believe there were but two persons in the blessed ,godhead1 and that the ,son of ,god1 the substantial and coeternal ,son1 was not the lawful ,son of ,god8 ,did not ,satan say1 ,if ,thou be the ,son of ,god8 #dba ,jesus1 when ,he puts us to trial 7,gen4 xxii474 ,secondly3 ,ye say1 that ye know not what to do4 ,your ,head said once the same word1 or not far from it4 ,now is ,my soul troubled1 and what shall ,i say8 7,john xii4 #bg74 ,and faith answered ,christ's ,what shall ,i say8 with these words3 ,o tempted ,saviour1 askest ,thou1 ',what shall ,i say8' ,say1 ',pray1 ,father1 save ,me from this hour4' ,what course can ye take but pray and frist ,christ ,his own comforts8 ,he is no dyvour2 take ,his word4 ,oh1 say ye1 ,i cannot pray8 ,answer--,honest sighing is faith breathing and whispering ,him in the ear4 ,the life is not out of faith where there is sighing1 looking up with the eyes1 and breathing toward ,god4 ,hide not ,thine ear at my breathing 7,lam4 iii4 #ef74 ,but what shall ,i do in spiritual exercises8 ye say4 ,answer--#a4 ,if ye knew particularly what to do1 it were not a spiritual exercise4 #b4 ,in my weak judgment1 ye should first say1 ,i would glorify ,god in believing ,david's salvation1 and the ,bride's marriage with the ,lamb1 and love the church's slain ,husband1 although ,i cannot for the present believe mine own salvation4 #c4 ,say1 ,i will not pass from my claim3 suppose ,christ should pass from ,his claim to me1 it shall not go back upon my side4 ,howbeit my love to ,him be not worth a drink of water1 yet ,christ shall have it1 such as it is4 #d4 ,say1 ,i shall rather spill twenty prayers1 than not pray at all4 ,let my broken words go up to heaven3 when they come up into the ,great ,angel's golden censer1 that compassionate ,advocate will put together my broken prayers1 and perfume them4 ,words are but the accidents#dbb of prayer4 #dbb ,the incidental accompaniments4 ,oh1 say ye1 ,i am slain with hardness of heart1 and troubled with confused and melancholious thoughts4 ,answer--,my dear brother1 what would ye conclude thence8 ,that ye know not well who aughteth you8 ,i grant3 ,oh1 my heart is hard6 oh1 my thoughts of faithless sorrow6 ,ergo1 ,i know not who aughteth me1 were good logic in heaven amongst angels and the glorified2 but down in ,christ's hospital1 where sick and distempered souls are under cure1 it is not worth a straw4 ,give ,christ time to end ,his work in your heart4 ,hold on1 in feeling and bewailing your hardness2 for that is softness to feel hardness4 #b4 ,i charge you to make psalms of ,christ's praises for ,his begun work of grace4 ,make ,christ your music and your song2 for complaining and feeling of want doth often swallow up your praises4 ,what think ye of those who go to hell never troubled with such thoughts8 ,if your exercises be the way to hell1 ,god help me6 ,i have a cold coal to blow at1 and a blank paper for heaven4 ,i give you ,christ caution1 and my heaven surety1 for your salvation4 ,lend ,christ your melancholy1 for ,satan hath no right to make a chamber in your melancholy4 ,borrow joy and comfort from the ,comforter4 ,bid the ,spirit do ,his office in you2 and remember that faith is one thing1 and the feeling and notice of faith another4 ,god forbid that feeling were proprium quarto modo#dbc to all the saints2 and that this were good reasoning1 ,no feeling1 no grace4 ,i am sure ye were not always1 these twenty years by-past1 actually knowing that ye live6 yet all this time ye are living4 ,so it is with the life of faith4 #dbc ,this is a term of logic1 and refers to the fourth kind of categorical proposition1 in which some particular point is proved in the negative4 ,but1 alas6 dear brother1 it is easy for me to speak words and syllables of peace2 but ,isaiah telleth you1 ,i create peace 7,isa4 lvii4 #ai74 ,there is but one ,creator1 ye know4 ,oh that ye may get a letter of peace sent you from heaven6 ,pray for me1 and for grace to be faithful1 and for gifts to be able1 with tongue and pen1 to glorify ,god4 ,i forget you not4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,jan4 #h1 #afdj4 ,,ccxciv4--,to my ,,lady ,,boyd4 7,,sins ,,of ,,the ,,land--,,dwelling ,,in ,,christ--,,faith ,,awake ,,sees ,,all ,,well47 ,,madam1--,i received your ,ladyship's letter2 but because ,i was still going through the country for the affairs of the church1 ,i had no time to answer it4 ,i had never more cause to fear than ,i have now1 when my ,lord hath restored me to my second created heaven on earth1 and hath turned my apprehended fears into joys1 and great deliverance to ,his church1 whereof ,i have my share and part4 ,alas6 that weeping prayers1 answered and sent back from heaven with joy1 should not have laughing praises6 ,oh that this land would repent1 and lay burdens of praises upon the top of the fair ,mount ,zion6 ,madam1 except this land be humbled1 a ,reformation is rather my wonder than belief1 at this time4 ,but surely it must be a wonder1 and what is done already is a wonder4 ,our ,lord must restore beauty to ,his churches without hire2 for we are sold without money1 and now our buyers repent them of the bargain1 and would gladly give again better-cheap than they bought us4 ,they devoured ,jacob1 and eat up ,his people as bread2 now ,jacob is growing a living child in their womb1 and they would fain be delivered of the child1 and render the birth4 ,our ,lord shall be midwife4 ,oh that this land be not like ,ephraim1 ,an unwise son1 that stayeth too long in the place of the breaking forth of children6 ,your ,ladyship is blessed with children who are honoured to build up ,christ's waste places again4 ,i believe that your ,ladyship will think them well bestowed on that work1 and that ,zion's beauty is your joy4 ,this is a mark and evidence from heaven1 which helpeth weak ones to hold their grip1 when other marks fail them4 ,i hope that your ,ladyship is at a good understanding with ,christ1 and that1 as becometh a ,christian1 ye take ,him up aright2 for many mistake and misshape ,christ in ,his comings and goings4 ,your wants and falls proclaim that ye have nothing of your own but what ye borrow2 nay1 yourself is not your own1 but ,christ hath given ,himself to you4 ,put ,christ to the bank1 and heaven shall be your interest and income4 ,love ,him1 for ye cannot over-love ,him4 ,take up your house in ,christ4 ,let ,him dwell in you1 and abide in ,him2 and then ye may look out of ,christ1 and laugh at the clay-heavens that the sons of men are seeking after on this side of the water4 ,christ mindeth to make your losses grace's great advantage4 ,christ will lose nothing of you2 nay1 not even your sins1 for ,he hath a use for them1 as well as for your service2 howbeit ye are to loathe yourself for these4 ,i hope that ye fetch all the heaven ye have here in this life from that which is up above1 and that your anchor is casten as high and deep as ,christ4 7,oh1 but it is far and many a mile to the bottom67 ,if ,i had known long since1 as ,i do now 7though still1 alas6 ,i am ignorant71 what was in ,christ1 ,i would not have been so late in starting to the gate to seek ,him4 ,oh what can ,i do or say to ,him who hath made the ,north render me back again6 ,a grave is no sure prison to ,him for the keeping of dry bones4 ,wo is me1 that my foolish sorrow and unbelief1 being on horseback1 did ride so proudly and witlessly over my ,lord's providence6 ,but when my faith was asleep1 ,christ was awake2 and now1 when ,i am awake1 ,i say ,he did all things well4 ,o infinite wisdom6 ,o incomparable loving-kindness6 ,alas1 that the heart ,i have is so little and worthless for such a ,lord as ,christ is6 ,oh what odds find the saints in hard trials1 when they feel sap at their roots1 betwixt them and sun-burned1 withered professors6 ,crosses and storms cause them to cast their blooms and leaves4 ,poor worldlings1 what will ye do when the span-length of your forenoon's laughter is ended1 and when the weeping side of providence is turned to you8 ,i put all the favours which ye have bestowed on my brother upon ,christ's score2 in whose books are many such counts1 and who will requite them4 ,i wish you to be builded more and more upon the stone laid in ,zion1 and then ye shall be the more fit to have a hand in rebuilding our ,lord's fallen tabernacle in this land2 in which ye shall find great peace when ye come to grips with death1 the king of terrors4 ,the ,god of peace be with your ,ladyship1 and keep you blameless till the day of our ,lord ,jesus4 ,your ,ladyship's1 at all obedience in his sweet ,lord and ,master1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews4 ,,ccxcv4--,to his very dear ,friend1 ,,john ,,fenwick4 ,,mr4 ,,john ,,fenwick was an ,englishman1 who suffered considerably for nonconformity4 ,he is mentioned in ,row's ,life of ,r4 ,blair1 where it is said that ,john ,fenwick was one of the best of the ,commissioners sent by ,cromwell to visit the ,universities4 ,he was a ,puritan and ,nonconformist4 7,,christ ,,the ,,fountain--,,freeness ,,of ,,god',s ,,love--,,faith ,,to ,,be ,,exercised ,,under ,,frowns--,,grace ,,for ,,trials--,,christ ,,yet ,,to ,,be ,,exalted ,,on ,,the ,,earth47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,dear ,,friend1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,the necessary impediments of my calling have hitherto kept me from making a return to your letter1 the heads whereof ,i shall now briefly answer4 ,i approve of your going to the ,fountain1 when your own cistern is dry4 ,a difference there must be betwixt ,christ's well and your borrowed water2 and why but ye have need of emptiness and drying up1 as well as ye have need of the well8 ,want and a hole there must be in our vessel1 to leave room to ,christ's art4 ,his well hath its own need of thirsty drinkers1 to commend infinite love which1 from eternity1 did brew such a cellar of living waters for us4 ,ye commend ,his free love2 and it is well done4 ,oh1 if ,i could help you6 and if ,i could be master-convener to gather an earth-full and an heaven-full of tongues1 dipped and steeped in my ,lord's well of love1 or ,his wine of love1 even tongues drunken with ,his love1 to raise a song of praises to ,him1 betwixt the east and west end1 and furthest points of the broad heavens6 ,if ,i were in your case 7as1 alas6 my dry and dead heart is not now in that garden71 ,i would borrow leave to come and stand upon the banks and coasts of that sea of love1 and be a feasted soul to see love's fair tide1 free love's high and lofty waves1 each of them higher than ten earths1 flowing in upon pieces of lost clay4 ,oh1 welcome1 welcome1 great sea6 ,oh1 if ,i had as much love1 for wideness and breadth1 as twenty outmost shells and spheres of the heaven of heavens1 that ,i might receive in a little flood of ,his free love6 ,come1 come1 dear friend1 and be pained that the ,king's wine-cellar of free love1 and ,his banqueting-house 7oh so wide1 so stately6 oh so ,god-like1 so glory-like67 should be so abundant1 so overflowing1 and your shallow vessel so little to take in some part of that love4 ,but since it cannot come into you for want of room1 enter yourself into this sea of love1 and breathe under these waters1 and die of love2 and live as one dead and drowned of this love4 ,but why do ye complain of waters going over your soul1 and that the smoke of the terrors of a wrathful ,lord do almost suffocate you1 and bring you to death's brink8 ,i know that the fault is in your eyes1 not in ,him4 ,it is not the rock that fleeth and moveth1 but the green sailor4 ,if your sense and apprehension be made judge of ,his love1 there is a graven image made presently1 even a changed god1 and a foe-god1 who was once 7,when ye washed your steps with butter1 and the rock poured you out rivers of oil1 ,job xxix4 #f7 a ,friend-,god4 ,either now or never1 let ,god work4 ,ye had never1 since ye were a man1 such a fair field for faith2 for a painted hell1 and an apprehension of wrath in your ,father1 is faith's opportunity to try what strength is in it4 ,now1 give ,god as large a measure of charity as ye have of sorrow4 ,now1 see faith to be faith indeed1 if ye can make your grave betwixt ,christ's feet1 and say1 ,though ,he should slay me1 ,i will trust in ,him4 ,his believed love shall be my winding-sheet1 and all my grave-clothes2 ,i shall roll and sew in my soul1 my slain soul1 in that web1 ,his sweet and free love2 and let ,him write upon my grave1 ',here lieth a believing dead man1 breathing out and making a hole in death's broadside1 and the breath of faith cometh forth through the hole4' ,see now if ye can overcome and prevail with ,god1 and wrestle ,god's tempting to death1 quite out of breath1 as that renowned wrestler did3 ,and by his strength he had power with ,god2 yea1 he had power over the angel and prevailed 7,hosea xii4 #c1 #d74 ,he is a strong man indeed who overmatcheth heaven's ,strength1 and the ,holy ,one of ,israel1 the strong ,lord3 which is done by a secret supply of divine strength within1 wherewith the weakest1 being strengthened1 overcome and conquer4 ,it shall be great victory1 to blow out the flame of that furnace ye are now in1 with the breath of faith4 ,and when hell1 men1 malice1 cruelty1 falsehood1 devils1 the seeming glooms of a sweet ,lord1 meet you in the teeth1 if ye then1 as a captive of hope1 as one fettered in hope's prison1 run to your stronghold1 even from ,god glooming to ,god glooming1 and believe the salvation of the ,lord in the dark1 which is your only victory1 your enemies 7that are but pieces of malicious clay7 shall die as men1 and be confounded4 ,but1 that your troubles are many at once1 and arrows come in from all airths1 from country1 friends1 wife1 children1 foes1 estate1 and right down from ,god who is the hope and stay of your soul1 ,i confess is more1 and very heavy to be borne4 ,yet all these are not more than grace2 all these bits of coals casten into your sea of mercy cannot dry it up4 ,your troubles are many and great2 yet not an ounce-weight beyond the measure of infinite wisdom1 ,i hope1 nor beyond the measure of grace that ,he is to bestow4 ,for our ,lord never yet brake the back of ,his child1 nor spilled ,his own work4 ,nature's plastering and counterfeit work ,he doth often break in shreds1 and putteth out a candle not lighted at the ,sun of righteousness2 but ,he must cherish ,his own reeds 7,isa4 xlii4 #c71 and handle them softly 7never a reed getteth a thrust with the ,mediator's hand671 to lay together the two ends of the reed4 ,oh1 what bands and ligaments hath our ,chirurgeon of broken spirits1 to bind up all ,his lame and bruised ones with6 ,cast your disjointed spirit into ,his lap2 and lay your burden upon ,one who is so willing to take your cares and your fears off you1 and to exchange and niffer your crosses1 and to give you new for old1 and gold for iron2 even to give you garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness4 ,it is true1 in great part1 what ye write of this kirk1 that the letter of religion only is reformed1 and scarce that4 ,i do not believe our ,lord will build ,his ,zion in this land upon this skin of reformation4 ,so long as our scum remaineth1 and our heart-idols are kept1 this work must be at a stand2 and1 therefore1 our ,lord must yet sift this land1 and search us with candles4 ,and ,i know that ,he will give and not sell us ,his kingdom4 ,his grace and our remaining guiltiness must be compared2 and the one must be seen in the glory of it1 and the other in the sinfulness of it4 ,but ,i desire to believe1 and would gladly hope to see1 that the glancing and shining lustre of glory coming from the diamonds and stones set in the crown of our ,lord ,jesus shall cast rays and beams many thousand miles about4 ,i hope that ,christ is upon a great marriage2 and that ,his wooing and suiting of ,his excellent ,bride doth take its beginning from us1 the ends of the earth4 ,oh1 what joy and what glory would ,i judge it1 if my heaven should be suspended till ,i might have leave to run on foot to be a witness of that marriage-glory1 and see ,christ put on the glory of ,his last-married bride1 and ,his last marriage-love on earth2 when ,he shall enlarge ,his love-bed1 and set it upon the top of the mountains1 and take in the ,elder ,sister1 the ,jews1 and the fulness of the ,gentiles6 ,it were heaven's honour and glory upon earth to be ,his lackey1 to run at ,his horse's foot1 and hold up the train of ,his marriage-robe royal1 in the day of our high and royal ,solomon's espousals4 ,but oh1 what glory to have a seat1 or bed1 in the chariot of ,king ,jesus1 that is bottomed with gold1 and paved1 and lined over1 and floored within with love1 for the daughters of ,jerusalem 7,cant4 iii4 #aj74 ,to lie upon such a ,king's love1 were a bed next to the flower of heaven's glory4 ,i am sorry to hear you speak in your letter of a ,god angry at you1 and of the sense of ,his indignation2 which only ariseth from suffering for ,jesus all that is now come upon you4 ,indeed1 apprehended wrath flameth out of such ashes as apprehended sin1 but not from suffering for ,christ4 ,but1 suppose ye were in hell for bygones and for old debt1 ,i hope ye owe ,christ a great sum of charity1 to believe the sweetness of ,his love4 ,i know what it is to sin in that kind4 ,it is to sin 7if it were possible7 the unchangeableness of a ,godhead out of ,christ1 and to sin away a lovely and unchangeable ,god4 ,put more honest apprehensions upon ,christ4 ,put on ,his own mask upon ,his face1 and not your vail made of unbelief1 which speaketh as if ,he borrowed love to you1 from you and your demerits and sinful deservings4 ,oh1 no6 ,christ is man1 but ,he is not like man4 ,he hath man's love in heaven1 but it is lustred with ,god's love1 and it is very ,god's love ye have to do with4 ,when your wheels go about1 ,he standeth still4 ,let ,god be ,god4 ,and be ye a man1 and have ye the deserving of man1 and the sin of one who hath suffered your ,well-beloved to slip away1 nay1 hath refused ,him entrance when ,he was knocking1 till ,his head and locks were frozen3 yet what is that to ,him8 ,his book keepeth your name1 and is not printed and reprinted1 and changed1 and corrected4 ,and why but ,he should go to ,his place1 and hide ,himself8 ,howbeit ,his departure be ,his own good work1 yet the belief of it1 in that manner1 is your sin4 ,but wait on till ,he return with salvation1 and cause you to rejoice in the latter end4 ,it is not much to complain2 but rather believe than complain1 and sit in the dust1 and close your mouth1 till ,he make your sown light#dbd grow again4 ,for your afflictions are not eternal2 time will end them1 and so shall ye at length see the ,lord's salvation4 ,his love sleepeth not1 but is still working for you4 ,his salvation will not tarry nor linger2 and suffering for ,him is the noblest cross that is out of heaven4 ,your ,lord had the wale and choice of ten thousand other crosses beside this1 to exercise you withal2 but ,his wisdom and ,his love waled and choosed out this for you1 beside them all4 ,and take it as a choice one1 and make use of it so as ye look to this world as your stepmother1 in your borrowed prison4 ,for it is a love-look to heaven and the other side of the water that ,god seeketh2 and this is the fruit1 the flower and bloom growing out of your cross1 that ye be a dead man to time1 to clay1 to gold1 to country1 to friends1 wife1 children1 and all pieces of created nothings2 for in them there is not a seat nor bottom for soul's love4 ,oh1 what room is for your love 7if it were as broad as the sea7 up in heaven1 and in ,god6 ,and what would not ,christ give for your love8 ,god gave so much for your soul2 and blessed are ye if ye have a love for ,him1 and can call in your soul's love from all idols1 and can make a ,god of ,god1 a ,god of ,christ1 and draw a line betwixt your heart and ,him4 ,if your deliverance came not1 ,christ's presence and ,his believed love must stand as caution and surety for your deliverance1 till your ,lord send it in ,his blessed time4 ,for ,christ hath many salvations1 if we could see them2 and ,i would think it better-born comfort and joy that cometh from the faith of deliverance1 and the faith of ,his love1 than that which cometh from deliverance itself4 ,it is not much matter1 if ye find ease to your afflicted soul1 what be the means1 either of your own wishing or of ,god's choosing4 ,the latter1 ,i am sure1 is best1 and the comforts strongest and sweetest4 ,let the ,lord absolutely have the ordering of your evils and troubles2 and put them off you by recommending your cross and your furnace to ,him who hath skill to melt ,his own metal1 and knoweth well what to do with ,his furnace4 ,let your heart be willing that ,god's fire have your tin1 and brass1 and dross4 ,to consent to want corruption is a greater mercy than many professors do well know2 and to refer the manner of ,god's physic to ,his own wisdom1 whether it be by drawing blood1 or giving sugared drinks4 ,that ,he cureth sick folks without pain1 is a great point of faith2 and to believe ,christ's cross to be a friend1 as ,he ,himself is a ,friend1 is also a special act of faith4 ,but when ye are over the water1 this case shall be a yesterday past a hundred years ere ye were born2 and the cup of glory shall wash the memory of all this away1 and make it as nothing4 ,only now take ,christ in with you under your yoke1 and let patience have her perfect work2 for this haste is your infirmity4 ,the ,lord is rising up to do you good in the latter end2 put on the faith of ,his salvation1 and see ,him posting and hasting towards you4 #dbd ,ps4 xcvii4 #aa4 ,sir1 my employments 7being so great7 hinder me to write at more length4 ,excuse me2 ,i hope to be mindful of you4 ,i shall be obliged to you1 if ye help me with your prayers for this people1 this college1 and my own poor soul4 ,grace be with you4 ,remember my love to your wife4 ,yours1 in ,christ ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,feb4 #ac1 #afdj4 ,,ccxcvi4--,to the much honoured ,,peter ,,stirling4 ,he may have been related to ,james ,stirling1 minister of ,paisley1 who1 along with ,sir ,j4 ,stuart of ,goodtrees1 wrote ,naphtali2 or to ,john ,stirling1 minister of ,edinburgh1 one who suffered much1 and is referred to in the notice to ,letter ,,xci4 7,,believers' ,,graces ,,all ,,from ,,christ--,,aspiration ,,after ,,more ,,love ,,to ,,him--,,his ,,reign ,,desired47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,worthy ,,sir1--,i received yours1 and cannot but be ashamed that mistaken love hath brought me into court#dbe and account in the heart of ,god's children1 especially of another nation4 ,i should not make a lie of the grace of ,god1 if ,i should think ,i have little share of it myself4 ,oh1 how much better were it for me to stand in the counting-table of many for a halfpenny1 and to be esteemed a liker1 rather than a lover of ,christ6 ,if ,i were weighed1 vanity would bear down the scale1 as having weight in the balance above me1 except my lovely ,saviour should cast in beside me some of ,his borrowed worth4 ,and oh if ,i were writing now sincerely in this extenuation1 which may be 7and ,i fear is7 subtle and cozening pride6 ,i would ,i could love something of heaven's worth1 in you and all of your metal4 ,oh how happy were ,i1 if ,i could regain and conquer back from the creature my sold and lost love1 that ,i might lay it upon heaven's ,jewel1 that ever1 ever blooming ,flower of the highest garden1 even my soul-redeeming and never-enough prized ,lord ,jesus6 ,oh that ,he would wash my love1 and put it on the ,mediator's wheel1 and refine it from its dross and tin1 that ,i might propine and gift that ,lord1 so love-worthy1 with all my love6 ,oh1 if ,i could set a lease of thousands of years1 and a suspension of my part of heaven's glory1 and frist1 till a long day1 my desired salvation1 so being that ,i could1 in this lower kitchen and undervault of ,his creation1 be feasted with ,his love1 and that ,i might be a footstool to ,his glory before men and angels6 ,oh1 if ,he would let out heaven's fountain upon withered me1 dry and sapless me6 ,if ,i were but sick of love for ,his love4 ,and oh1 how would that sickness delight me6 ,how sweet should that easing and refreshing pain be to my soul6 #dbe ,favour4 ,i shall be glad to be a witness1 to behold the kingdoms of the world become ,christ's4 ,i could stay out of heaven many years to see that victorious triumphing ,lord act that prophesied part of ,his soul-conquering love1 in taking into ,his kingdom the greater sister1 that kirk of the ,jews1 who sometime courted our ,well-beloved for her little sister 7,cant4 viii4 #h72 to behold ,him set up as an ensign and banner of love1 to the ends of the world4 ,and truly we are to believe that ,his wrath is ripe for the land of graven images1 and for the falling of that millstone into the midst of the sea4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,march #f4 #afdj4 ,,ccxcvii4--,to the ,,lady ,,fingask4 ,this lady has been supposed to be ,,lady ,,anne ,,moncrieff1 wife of ,sir ,john ,dundas of ,fingask in ,perthshire4 ,she was daughter of ,william ,moncrieff of that ilk1 and her mother was one of the ,murrays of ,abercarnie4 ,see notice prefixed to the letter to ,the ,laird of ,moncrieff4 ,at the same time1 it is not impossible that ,rutherford1 who was then at ,st4 ,andrews1 may be writing to a lady in the neighbourhood2 for we find 7,inquisit4 ,retornat4 ,abbreviat47 that the ancestors of the martyr ,thomas ,forret possessed the estate of ,fyngask1 in regalitate ,sanct ,andre4 7,,faith',s ,,misgivings--,,spiritual ,,darkness ,,not ,,grace--,,christ',s ,,love ,,inimitable47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,though not acquainted1 yet1 at the desire of a ,christian1 ,i make bold to write a line or two unto you1 by way of counsel1 howbeit ,i be most unfit for that4 ,i hear1 and ,i bless the ,father of lights for it1 that ye have a spirit set to seek ,god1 and that the posture of your heart is to look heavenward1 which is a work and cast of the ,mediator ,christ's right hand1 who putteth on the heart a new frame4 ,for the which ,i would have your ,ladyship to see a tie and bond of obedience laid upon you1 that all may be done1 not so much from obligation of law1 as from the tie of free love2 that the law of ransom-paying by ,christ may be the chief ground of all our obedience1 seeing that ye are not under the law1 but under grace4 ,withal1 know that unbelief is a spiritual sin1 and so not seen by nature's light2 and that all which conscience saith is not ,scripture4 ,suppose that your heart bear witness against you for sins done long ago3 yet1 because many have pardon with ,god that have not peace with themselves1 ye are to stand and fall by ,christ's esteem and verdict of you1 and not by that which your heart saith4 ,suppose it may1 by accident1 be a good sign to be jealous of your heavenly ,husband's love1 yet it is a sinful sign2 as there be some happy sins 7if ,i may speak so71 not of themselves1 but because they are neighboured with faith and love4 ,and so1 worthy ,lady1 ,i would have you to hold by this1 that the ancient love of an old husband standeth firm and sure4 ,and let faith hing by this small thread1 that ,he loved you before ,he laid the corner-stone of the world1 and therefore ,he cannot change ,his mind2 because ,he is ,god1 and resteth in ,his love4 ,neither is sin in you a good reason wherefore ye should doubt of ,him1 or think1 because sin hath put you in the courtesy and reverence of justice1 that therefore ,he is wroth with you3 neither is it presumption in you to lay the burden of your salvation on ,one mighty to save1 so being that ye lay aside all confidence in yourself1 your worth and righteousness4 ,true faith is humble1 and seeth no way to escape but only in ,christ4 ,and ,i believe that ye have put an esteem and high price upon ,christ3 and they cannot but believe1 and so be saved1 who love ,christ1 and to whom ,he is precious2 for the love of ,christ has chosen ,christ as a lover4 ,and it were not like ,god1 if ye should choose ,him as your liking1 and ,he not choose you again4 ,nay1 ,he hath prevented you in that1 for ye have not chosen ,him1 but ,he hath chosen you4 ,o consider ,his loveliness and beauty1 and that there is nothing which can commend and make fair heaven1 or earth1 or the creature1 that is not in ,him in infinite perfection2 for fair sun and fair moon are black1 and think shame to shine before ,his fairness 7,isa4 xxiv4 #bc2 ,job xxv4 #e74 ,base heavens1 and excellent ,jesus6 weak angels1 and strong and mighty ,jesus6 foolish angel-wisdom1 and only wise ,jesus6 short-living creature1 and long-living and ever-living ,ancient of days6 ,miserable1 and sickly1 and wretched are those things that are within time's circle1 and only1 only blessed ,jesus6 ,if ye can wind-in into ,his love 7and ,he giveth you leave to love ,him1 and allurements also71 what a second heaven's paradise1 a young heaven's glory1 is it to be hot and burned with fevers of love-sickness for ,him6 ,and the more your ,ladyship drink of this love1 there is the more room1 and the greater delight and desire for this love4 ,be homely1 and hunger for a feast and fill of ,his love2 for that is the borders and march of heaven4 ,nothing hath a nearer resemblance to the colour1 and hue1 and lustre of heaven than ,christ loved1 and to breathe out love-words and love-sighs for ,him4 ,remember what ,he is4 ,when twenty thousand millions of heaven's lovers have worn their hearts threadbare of love1 all is nothing1 yea1 less than nothing1 to ,his matchless worth and excellency4 ,oh so broad and so deep as the sea of ,his desirable loveliness is6 ,glorified spirits1 triumphing angels1 the crowned and exalted lovers of heaven1 stand without ,his loveliness 7,ps4 xvi4 #b71 and cannot put a circle on it4 ,oh if sin and time were from betwixt us and that royal ,king's love6 that high ,majesty 7eternity's ,bloom and ,flower of high lustred beauty7 might shine upon pieces of created spirits1 and might bedew and overflow us1 who are portions of endless misery and lumps of redeemed sin4 ,alas6 what do ,i8 ,i but spill and lose words in speaking highly of ,him who will bide and be above the music and songs of heaven1 and never be enough praised by us all2 to whose boundless and bottomless love ,i recommend your ,ladyship1 and am1 ,your ,ladyship's1 in ,christ ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,march #bg1 #afdj4 ,,ccxcviii4--,to his ,reverend and dear ,brother1 ,,mr4 ,,david ,,dickson1 on the ,death of his ,son4 ,when told that ,mr4 ,dickson had some children removed by death1 ,mr4 ,s4 ,rutherford presently called for a pen1 and wrote a profitable letter to ,mr4 ,dickson2 'for' 7said he7 'when one arm is broken off and bleeds1 it makes the other bleed with it' 7,wodrow's ,analecta74 7,,god',s ,,sovereignty1 ,,and ,,discipline ,,by ,,affliction47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,ye look like the house whereof ye are a branch3 the cross is a part of the liferent that lieth to all the sons of the house4 ,i desire to suffer with you1 if ,i could take a lift of your house-trial off you2 but ye have preached it ere ,i knew anything of ,god4 ,your ,lord may gather ,his roses1 and shake ,his apples1 at what season of the year ,he pleaseth4 ,each husbandman cannot make harvest when he pleaseth1 as ,he can do4 ,ye are taught to know and adore ,his sovereignty1 which ,he exerciseth over you1 which yet is lustred with mercy4 ,the child hath but changed a bed in the garden1 and is planted up higher1 nearer the sun1 where he shall thrive better than in this outfield muir-ground4 ,ye must think your ,lord would not want him one hour longer2 and since the date of your loan of him was expired 7as it is1 if ye read the lease71 let ,him have ,his own with gain1 as good reason were4 ,i read on it an exaltation and a richer measure of grace1 as the sweet fruit of your cross2 and ,i am bold to say1 that that college where your ,master hath set you now shall find it4 ,i am content that ,christ is so homely with my dear brother ,david ,dickson1 as to borrow and lend1 and take and give with him4 ,and ye know what are called the visitations of such a friend3 it is1 ,come to the house1 and be homely with what is yours4 ,i persuade myself1 upon ,his credit1 that ,he hath left drink-money1 and that ,he hath made the house the better of ,him4 ,i envy#dbf not ,his waking love1 who saw that this water was to be passed through1 and that now the number of crosses lying in your way to glory are fewer by one than when ,i saw you4 ,they must decrease4 ,it is better than any ancient or modern commentary on your text1 that ye preach upon in ,glasgow4 ,read and spell right1 for ,he knoweth what ,he doeth4 ,he is only lopping and snedding a fruitful tree1 that it may be more fruitful4 ,i congratulate heartily with you ,his new welcome to your new charge4 #dbf ,read envy not1 that is1 fret not at ,his love1 which is fully awake to what it is doing4 ,dearest brother1 go on1 and faint not4 ,something of yours is in heaven1 beside the flesh of your exalted ,saviour2 and ye go on after your own4 ,time's thread is shorter by one inch than it was4 ,an oath is sworn and past the seals1 whether afflictions will or not1 ye must grow1 and swell out of your shell1 and live1 and triumph1 and reign1 and be more than a conqueror4 ,for your ,captain1 who leadeth you on1 is more than conqueror1 and ,he maketh you partaker of ,his conquest and victory4 ,did not love to you compel me1 ,i would not fetch water to the well1 and speak to one who knoweth better than ,i can do what ,god is doing with him4 ,remember my love to your wife1 to ,mr4 ,john1#dbg and all friends there4 ,let us be helped by your prayers1 for ,i cease not to make mention of you to the ,lord1 as ,i can4 #dbg ,dickson's eldest son1 who became ,clerk to the ,exchequer of ,scotland4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,may #bh1 #afdj4 ,,ccxcix4--,to my ,,lady ,,boyd1 on the loss of several ,friends4 7,,trust ,,even ,,though ,,slain--,,second ,,causes ,,not ,,to ,,be ,,regarded--,,god',s ,,thoughts ,,of ,,peace ,,therein--,,all ,,in ,,mercy47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,impute it not to a disrespective forgetfulness of your ,ladyship1 who ministered to me in my bonds1 that ,i write not to you4 ,i wish that ,i could speak or write what might do good to your ,ladyship2 especially now when ,i think we cannot but have deep thoughts of the deep and bottomless ways of our ,lord1 in taking away1 with a sudden and wonderful stroke1 your brethren and friends4 ,ye may know1 that all who die for sin die not in sin2 and that none can teach the ,almighty knowledge4 ,he answereth none of our courts1#dbh and no man can say1 ,what doest ,thou8 ,it is true that your brethren saw not many summers2 but adore and fear the sovereignty of the great ,potter1 who maketh and marreth ,his clay-vessels when and how it pleaseth ,him4 #dbh ,when we summon ,him into our court to explain4 ,the under-garden is absolutely ,his own1 and all that groweth in it4 ,his absolute liberty is law-biding4 ,the flowers are ,his own4 ,if some be but summer apples1 ,he may pluck them down before others4 ,oh what wisdom is it to believe1 and not to dispute2 to subject the thoughts to ,his court1 and not to repine at any act of ,his justice8 ,he hath done it3 all flesh be silent6 ,it is impossible to be submissive and religiously patient1 if ye stay your thoughts down among the confused rollings and wheels of second causes2 as1 ,oh the place6 ,oh the time6 ,oh if this had been1 this had not followed6 ,oh the linking of this accident with this time and place6 ,look up to the master-motion and the first wheel4 ,see and read the decree of ,heaven and the ,creator of man1 who breweth death to ,his children1 and the manner of it4 ,and they see far into a millstone1 and have eyes that make a hole to see through the one side of a mountain to the other1 who can take up ,his ways4 ,how unsearchable are ,his judgments1 and ,his ways past finding out6 ,his providence halteth not1 but goeth with even and equal legs4 ,yet are they not the greatest sinners upon whom the tower of ,siloam fell4 ,was not time's lease expired8 and the sand of heaven's sand-glass1 set by our ,lord1 run out8 ,is not he an unjust debtor who payeth due debt with chiding8 ,i believe1 ,christian lady1 your faith leaveth that much charity to our ,lord's judgments as to believe 7howbeit ye be in blood sib to that cross7 that yet ye are exempted and freed from the gall and wrath that is in it4 ,i dare not deny but the king of terrors dwelleth in the wicked man's tabernacle3 brimstone shall be scattered on his habitation 7,job xviii4 #ae72 yet1 ,madam1 it is safe for you to live upon the faith of ,his love whose arrows are over-watered and pointed with love and mercy to ,his own1 and who knoweth how to take you and yours out of the roll and book of the dead4 ,our ,lord hath not the eyes of flesh in distributing wrath to the thousandth generation without exception4 ,seeing ye are not under the law1 but under grace1 and married to another ,husband1 wrath is not the court that you are liable to4 ,as ,i would not wish1 neither do ,i believe1 that your ,ladyship doth despise1 so neither faint 7,prov4 iii4 #aa74 ,read and spell aright all the words and syllables in the visitation1 and miscall neither letter nor syllable in it4 ,come along with the ,lord1 and see2 and lay no more weight upon the law than your ,christ hath laid upon it4 ,if the law's bill get an answer from ,christ1 the curses of it can do more4 ,and ,i hope you have resolved that1 if ,he should grind you to powder1 your dust and powder will believe ,his salvation4 ,and who can tell what thoughts of love and peace our ,lord hath to your children8 ,i trust ,he will make them famous in executing the written judgments upon the enemies of the ,lord 7this honour hath all the saints1 ,ps4 cxlix4 #i71 and that they shall bear stones on their shoulders for building that fair city that is called ,the ,lord is there 7,ezek4 xlviii4 #ce74 ,and happy shall they be who have a hand in the sacking of ,babel1 and come out in the year of vengeance for the controversy of ,zion1 against the land of graven images4 ,therefore1 ,madam1 let the ,lord make out of your father's house any work1 even of judgment1 that ,he pleaseth4 ,what is wrath to others is mercy to you and your house4 ,it is faith's work to claim and challenge loving-kindness out of all the roughest strokes of ,god4 ,do that for the ,lord which ye will do for time3 time will calm your heart at that which ,god hath done1 and let our ,lord have it now4 ,what love ye did bear to friends now dead1 seeing they stand now in no need of it1 let it fall as just legacy to ,christ4 ,oh how sweet to put out many strange lovers1 and to put in ,christ6 ,it is much for our half-slain affections to part with that which we believe we have right unto2 but the servant's will should be our will1 and he is the best servant who retaineth least of his own will and most of his ,master's4 ,that much wisdom must be ascribed to our ,lord1 that ,he knoweth how to lead ,his own1 in-through and out-through the little time-hells and the pieces of time-during wraths in this life2 and yet keep safe ,his love1 without any blur upon the old and great seal of free election4 ,and1 seeing ,his mountains of brass1#dbi the mighty and strong decrees of free grace in ,christ1 stand sure1 and the covenant standeth fast for ever as the days of heaven1 let ,him strike and nurture4 ,his striking must be a very act of saving1 seeing strokes upon ,his secret ones come from the soft and heavenly hand of the ,mediator1 and ,his rods are steeped and watered in that flood and river of love that cometh from the ,god-man's heart of our soul-loving and soul-redeeming ,,jesus4 #dbi ,zech4 vi4 #a4 ,i hope that ye are content to frist the ,cautioner of mankind ,his own conquest1 heaven1 till ,he pay to you1 and bring you to a state of glory1 where ,he will never crook a finger upon1 nor lift a hand to you again4 ,and be content1 and withal greedily covetous of grace1 the interest and pledge of glory4 ,if ,i did not believe your crop to be on the ground1 and 7your part of that heaven of the saints-heaven7 white and ruddy1 fair1 fair1 and beautiful ,jesus were come to the bloom and the flower1 and near your hook1 ,i would not write this4 ,but1 seeing time's thread is short1 and ye are upon the entry of heaven's harvest1 and ,christ1 the field of heaven's glory1 is white and ripe-like1 the losses that ,i wrote of to your ,ladyship are but summer-showers that will only wet your garments for an hour or two1 and the sun of the ,new ,jerusalem shall quickly dry the wet coat2 especially seeing rains of affliction cannot stain the image of ,god1 or cause grace to cast colour4 ,and1 since ye will not alter upon ,him who will not change upon you1 ,i durst1 in my weakness1 think myself no spiritual seer if ,i should not prophesy that daylight is near1 when such a morning-darkness is upon you2 and that this trial of your ,christian mind towards ,him 7whom you dare not leave1 howbeit ,he should slay you7 shall close with a doubled mercy4 ,it is time for faith to hold fast as much of ,christ as ever ye had1 and to make the grip stronger1 and to cleave closer to ,him1 seeing ,christ loveth to be believed in and trusted to4 ,the glory of laying strength upon one that is mighty to save is more than we can think4 ,that piece of service1 believing in a smiting ,redeemer1 is a precious part of obedience4 ,oh what glory to ,him to lay over the burden of our heaven upon ,him that purchased for us an eternal kingdom6 ,o blessed soul1 who can adore and kiss ,his lovely free grace6 ,the rich grace of ,christ be with your spirit4 ,yours1 at all obedience in ,christ ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,oct4 #ae1 #afdj4 ,,ccc4--,to ,,agnes ,,macmath1 on the ,death of a ,child4 ,,agnes ,,macmath was the daughter of ,mr4 ,macmath1 a merchant in ,edinburgh1 and the sister of ,rutherford's second wife4 7,,reason ,,for ,,resignation47 ,,dear ,,sister1--,if our ,lord hath taken away your child1 your lease of him is expired2 and seeing that ,christ would want him no longer1 it is your part to hold your peace1 and worship and adore the sovereignty and liberty that the ,potter hath over the clay1 and pieces of clay-nothings1 that ,he gave life unto4 ,and what is man to call and summon the ,almighty to ,his lower court down here8 for ,he giveth account of none of ,his doings4 ,and if ye will take the loan of a child1 and give him back again to our ,lord laughing 7as ,his borrowed goods should return to ,him71 believe that he is not gone away1 but sent before2 and that the change of the country should make you think1 that he is not lost to you who is found to ,christ1 and that he is now before you2 and that the dead in ,christ shall be raised again4 ,a going-down star is not annihilated1 but shall appear again4 ,if he hath casten his bloom and flower1 the bloom is fallen in heaven1 into ,christ's lap4 ,and as he was lent a while to time1 so is he given now to eternity1 which will take yourself4 ,the difference of your shipping and his to heaven and ,christ's shore1 the land of life1 is only in some few years1 which weareth every day shorter2 and some short and soon-reckoned summers will give you a meeting with him4 ,but what6 ,with him8 ,nay1 but with a better company2 with the ,chief and ,leader of the heavenly troops1 that are riding on white horses1 that are triumphing in glory4 ,if death were a sleep that had no wakening1 we might sorrow3 but our ,husband shall quickly be at the bedsides of all that lie sleeping in the grave1 and shall raise their mortal bodies4 ,christ was death's ,cautioner1 who gave ,his word to come and loose all the clay-pawns1 and set them at ,his own right hand2 and our ,cautioner1 ,christ1 hath an act of law-surety upon death1 to render back his captives4 ,and that ,lord ,jesus1 who knoweth the turnings and windings that are in that black trance of death1 hath numbered all the steps of the stair up to heaven4 ,he knoweth how long the turnpike is1 or how many pair of stairs high it is2 for ,he ascended that way ,himself3 ,i was dead and am alive 7,rev4 i4 #ah74 ,and now ,he liveth at the right hand of ,god1 and ,his garments have not so much as a smell of death4 ,your afflictions smell of the children's case2 the bairns of the house are so nurtured 7,heb4 xii4 #f1 #g1 #h74 ,and suffering is no new life1 it is but the rent of the sons2 bastards have not so much of the rent4 ,take kindly and heartsomely with ,his cross1 who never yet slew a child with the cross4 ,he breweth your cup3 therefore1 drink it patiently and with the better will4 ,stay and wait on1 till ,christ loose the knot that fasteneth ,his cross on your back2 for ,he is coming to deliver4 ,and ,i pray you1 sister1 learn to be worthy of ,his pains who correcteth4 ,and let ,him wring1 and be ye washen2 for ,he hath a ,father's heart1 and a ,father's hand1 who is training you up1 and making you meet for the high hall4 ,this school of suffering is a preparation for the ,king's higher house2 and let all your visitations speak all the letters of your ,lord's summons4 ,they cry--#a4 ,o vain world6 #b4 ,o bitter sin6 #c4 ,o short and uncertain time6 #d4 ,o fair eternity that is above sickness and death6 #e4 ,o kingly and princely ,bridegroom1 hasten glory's marriage1 shorten time's short-spun and soon-broken thread1 and conquer sin6 #f4 ,o happy and blessed death1 that golden bridge laid over by ,christ my ,lord1 between time's clay-banks and heaven's shore6 ,and the ,spirit and the ,bride say1 ,come6 and answer ye with them1 ,even so1 come1 ,lord ,jesus6 come quickly6 ,grace be with you4 ,your ,brother1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,oct4 #ae1 #afdj4 ,,ccci4--,to ,,mr4 ,,matthew ,,mowat4 7,,worthiness ,,of ,,god',s ,,love ,,as ,,manifested ,,in ,,christ--,,heaven ,,with ,,christ47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,what am ,i to answer you8 ,alas6 my books are all bare1 and show me little of ,god4 ,i would fain go beyond books into ,his house-of-love to ,himself4 ,dear brother1 neither you nor ,i are parties worthy of ,his love or knowledge4 ,ah6 how hath sin bemisted and blinded us1 that we cannot see ,him4 ,but for my poor self2 ,i am pained and like to burst1 because ,he will not take down the wall1 and fetch ,his uncreated beauty1 and bring ,his matchless1 white1 and ruddy face out of heaven once-errand1 that ,i may have heaven meeting me1 ere ,i go to it1 in such a wonderful sight4 ,ye know that majesty and love do humble2 because homely love to sinners dwelleth in ,him with majesty4 ,ye should give ,him all ,his own court-styles1 ,his high and heaven-names4 ,what am ,i1 to shape conceptions of my highest ,lord8 ,how broad1 and how high1 and how deep ,he is above and beyond what these conceptions are1 ,i cannot tell3 but for my own weak practice 7which alas6 can be no rule to one so deep in love-sickness with ,christ as ye are71 ,i would fain add to my thoughts and esteem of ,him1 and make ,him more high1 and would wish a heart and love ten thousand times wider than the utmost circle and curtain that goeth about the heaven of heavens1 to entertain ,him in that heart1 and with that love4 ,but that which is your pain1 my dear brother1 is mine also4 ,i am confounded with the thoughts of ,him4 ,i know that ,god is casten 7if ,i may speak so7 in a sweet mould1 and lovely image1 in the person of that ,heaven's ,jewel1 the ,man ,christ2 and that the steps of that steep ascent and stairs to the ,godhead is the flesh of ,christ1 the ,new and ,living ,way2 and there is footing for faith in that curious ,ark of the humanity1 wherein dwelleth the ,godhead1 married upon our humanity4 ,i would be in heaven1 suppose ,i had not another errand than to see that dainty golden ,ark1 and ,god personally looking out at ears and eyes and a body such as we sinners have1 that ,i might wear my sinful mouth in kisses on ,him for evermore4 ,and ,i know all the ,three blessed ,persons would be well pleased that my piece of faint and created love should first coast upon the ,man ,christ4 ,i should see them all through ,him4 ,i am called from writing by my great employments in this town1 and have said nothing4 ,but what can ,i say of ,him8 ,let us go and see4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 #afdj4 ,,cccii4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure1 on her ,husband's ,death4 7,,god',s ,,method ,,in ,,affliction--,,future ,,glory47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to your ,ladyship4--,i am heartily sorry that your ,ladyship is deprived of such a husband1 and the ,lord's kirk of so active and faithful a friend4#dcj ,i know your ,ladyship long ago made acquaintance with that wherein ,christ will have you to be joined in a fellowship with ,himself 7even with ,his own cross71 and hath taught you to stay your soul upon the ,lord's good-will1 who giveth not account of ,his matters to any of us4 ,when ,he hath led you through this water that was in your way to glory1 there are fewer behind3 and ,his order in dismissing us1 and sending us out of the market1 one before another1 is to be reverenced4 ,one year's time of heaven shall swallow up all sorrows1 even beyond all comparison4 ,what1 then1 will not a duration of blessedness so long as ,god shall live1 fully and abundantly recompense6 ,it is good that our ,lord hath given a debtor1 obliged by gracious promises1 far more in eternity than time can take from you4 ,and ,i believe that your ,ladyship hath been1 now many years1 advising and thinking what that glory will be1 which is abiding the pilgrims and strangers on the earth when they come home1 and which we may think of1 love1 and thirst for4 ,but we cannot comprehend it nor conceive of it as it is2 far less we can over-think or over-love it4 ,oh1 so long a ,chapter1 or rather so large a ,volume1 as ,christ is1 in that ,divinity of ,glory6 ,there is no more of ,him let down now to be seen and enjoyed by ,his children1 than as much as may feed hunger in this life1 but not satisfy it4 ,your ,ladyship is a debtor to the ,son of ,god's cross1 that is wearing out love and affiance in the creature out of your heart by degrees4 ,or rather the obligation standeth to ,his free grace who careth for your ,ladyship in this gracious dispensation2 and who is preparing and making ready the garments of salvation for you2 and who calleth you with a new name1 that the mouth of the ,lord hath named2 and purposeth to make you a crown of glory1 and a royal diadem in the hand of your ,god 7,isa4 lxii4 #b1 #c74 ,ye are obliged to frist ,him more than one heaven2 and yet ,he craveth not a long day2 it is fast coming1 and is sure payment4 ,though ye give no hire for ,him1 yet hath ,he given a great price and ransom for you2 and if the bargain were to make again1 ,christ would give no less for you than what ,he hath already given4 ,he is far from ruing4 ,i shall wish you no more 7till time be gone out of the way71 than the earnest of that which ,he hath purchased and prepared for you1 which can never be fully preached1 written1 or thought of1 since it hath not entered into the heart to consider it4 #dcj ,hon4 ,sir ,henry ,montgomery of ,giffen1 her ,ladyship's second husband1 died about this time4 ,see ,letter ,,iii4 ,so1 recommending your ,ladyship to the rich grace of our ,lord ,jesus1 ,i am1 and rest1 your ,ladyship's at all respectful observance in ,christ ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews4 ,,ccciii4--,for the ,right ,honourable1 my ,,lady ,,boyd4 7,,sin ,,of ,,the ,,land--,,read ,,prayers--,,brownism47 ,,madam1--,i doubt not but the debt of many more than ordinary favours to this land layeth guiltiness upon this nation4 ,the ,lord hath put us in ,his books as a favoured people in the sight of the nations1 but we pay not to ,him the rent of the vineyard4 ,and we might have had a gospel at an easier rate than this ,gospel2 but it would have had but as much life as ink and paper have4 ,we stand obliged to ,him who hath in a manner forced ,his love on us1 and would but love us against our will4 ,anent read prayers4 ,madam1 ,i could never see precept1 promise1 or practice for them1 in ,god's word4 ,our church never allowed them1 but men took them up at their own choice4 ,the word of ,god maketh reading 7#a ,tim4 iv4 #c7 and praying 7#a ,thess4 v4 #ag7 two different worships4 ,in reading1 ,god speaketh to us 7#b ,kings xxii4 #aj1 #aa72 in praying1 we speak to ,god 7,ps4 xxii4 #b1 xxviii4 #a74 ,i had never faith to think well of them4 ,in my weak judgment1 it were good if they were out of the service of ,god4 ,i cannot think them a fruit or effect of the ,spirit of adoption1 seeing the user cannot say of such prayers1 ,let the words of my mouth1 and the meditations of my heart1 be acceptable in ,thy sight1 ,o ,lord1 my ,strength and my ,redeemer1 which the servants of ,god ought to say of their prayers 7,ps4 xix4 #ad74 ,for such prayers are meditations set down in paper and ink1 and cannot be his heart-meditations who useth them4 ,the saints never used them1 and ,god never commanded them2 and a promise to hear any prayers1 except the pouring out of the soul to ,god1 we can never read4 ,as for separation from worship for some errors of a church1 the independency of single congregations1 a church of visible saints1 and other tenets of ,brownists1#dca they are contrary to ,god's word4 ,i have a treatise at the press at ,london against these conceits1 as things which want ,god's word to warrant them4#dcb ,the ,lord lay it not to their charge1 who depart from the covenant of ,god with this land to follow such lying vanities4 #dca ,the ,brownists were a sect which owed their origin to ,robert ,brown1 who studied at ,cambridge4 ,he maintained that every single congregation ought to have the complete power of jurisdiction within itself4 ,in the year #aeha he organized a sect according to those principles4 ,yet afterwards he returned to the ,church of ,england1 and was presented to a living in ,northamptonshire1 of which he received the emoluments without discharging the duties4 ,the sect he formed remained2 but in process of time the name of ,brownists was merged in that of ,congregationalists or ,independents4 #dcb ,the treatise to which ,rutherford here refers is1 no doubt1 his work entitled1 ,a ,peaceable and ,temperate ,plea for ,paul's ,presbytery in ,scotland1 or a ,modest ,dispute of the ,government of the ,church of ,scotland1 wherein our ,discipline is demonstrated to be the true ,apostolic way of ,divine ,truth1 and the arguments on the contrary are friendly dissolved1 the grounds of separation1 and the independency of particular congregations1 in defence of ,ecclesiastical ,presbyteries1 ,synods1 and ,assemblies1 are examined and tried4 ,it was printed at ,london in #afdb4 ,this1 says ,murray1 is one of the most temperate1 judicious1 and best written works he ever gave to the world4 ,it corresponds in every respect with the promise which its title holds out2 with this exception1 that it is much more learned1 dispassionate1 and conclusive than the promise implies4 ,it must have had a very considerable effect on public sentiment1 and have served to pave the way for that introduction of the ,presbyterian system into ,england which soon took place4 ,i did see lately your daughter1 the ,lady ,ardross4#dcc ,the ,lord hath given her a child and deliverance4 #dcc ,see notice on this lady prefixed to a subsequent ,letter4 ,now1 recommending your ,ladyship to the rich grace of ,christ1 ,i rest yours at all respectful observance in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews4 ,,ccciv4--,to ,,james ,,murray',s ,,wife4 ,see ,letter ,,cclxxiv4 7,,heaven ,a ,,reality--,,stedfastness ,,to ,,be ,,grounded ,,on ,,christ47 ,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,and ,,worthy ,,sister1--,you are truly blessed in the ,lord1 however a sour world gloom and frown on you1 if ye continue in the faith settled and grounded1 and be not moved away from the hope of the ,gospel4 ,it is good that there is a heaven1 and it is not a night-dream and a fancy4 ,it is a wonder that men deny not that there is a heaven1 as they deny there is any way to it but of men's making4 ,you have learned of ,christ that there is a heaven2 contend for it and for ,christ4 ,bear well and submissively the hard thrust of this stepmother world1 which ,god will not have to be yours4 ,i confess it is hard1 and1 would to ,god1 ,i were able to lighten you of your burden2 but believe me1 this world1 which the ,lord will not have to be yours1 is but the dross1 refuse1 and scum of ,god's creation1 the portion of the ,lord's poor hired servants1 the moveables1 not the heritage1 a hard bone cast to the dogs holden out of the ,new ,jerusalem1 whereupon they rather break their teeth than satisfy their appetite4 ,it is your father's blessing and ,christ's birthright that our ,lord is keeping for you2 and persuade yourself also that 7if it be good for them and you7 your seed also shall inherit the earth2 for that is promised to them1 and ,god's bond is as good as if ,he would give every one of them a bond for thousand thousands4 ,ere ye were born1 crosses in number1 measure and weight1 were written for you2 and your ,lord will lead you through them4 ,make ,christ sure1 and the world and the blessings of the earth shall be at ,christ's back and beck4 ,i see many professors for the fashion1 professors of glass2 ,i would make a little knock of persecution ding them in twenty pieces1 and the world would laugh at the shreds4 ,therefore1 make fast work2 see that ,christ be the ground-stone of your profession4 ,the sore wind and rain will not wash away ,his building2 ,his work hath no less date than to stand for evermore4 ,i should twenty times have perished in my affliction1 if ,i had not laid my weak back and pressing burden1 both1 upon the ,stone1 the ,corner-stone laid in ,zion4 ,i am not twice fain 7as the proverb is71 but once and for ever1 of this ,stone4 ,now the ,god of peace establish you to the day of the appearance of ,jesus ,christ4 ,yours1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews4 ,,cccv4--,for the ,right ,honourable ,lady1 my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,sins ,,of ,,the ,,times--,,practical ,,atheism47 ,,madam1--,i am a little moved at your infirmity of body and health2 ,i hope it is to you a real warning4 ,and if in this life only we had hope1 we should be of all men the most miserable4 ,sure the huge#dcd generations of the seekers of the face of ,jacob's ,god must be in a life above the things that are now much taking with us2 such as1 to see the sun1 to enjoy this life in health1 and some good worldly accommodations too4 ,and if we be making that#dce sure1 it is our wisdom4 ,the times would make any that love the ,lord sick and faint1 to consider how iniquity aboundeth1 and how dull we are in observing sins in ourselves1 and how quick-sighted to find them out in others1 and what bondage we are in4 ,and yet very often1 when we complain of times1 we are secretly slandering the ,lord's work and wise government of the world1 and raising a hard report of ,him4 ,he is good1 and doeth good1 and all ,his ways are equal4 #dcd ,must even here be in possession of a life far superior to the things that at present attract us4 ,huge may mean vast as to number 7,isa4 xlviii4 #ai71 and also1 great in other respects4 #dce ,if we are making this living above the world sure4 ,madam1 ,i have been holding out to some others 7oh1 if ,i could to myself67 some more of this1 to read and study ,god well1 and make the serious thoughts of a ,godhead1 and a ,godhead in ,christ1 the work1 and the only work1 all the day4 ,oh1 we are little with ,god6 and do all without ,god6 ,we sleep and wake without ,him2 we eat1 we speak1 we journey1 we go about worldly business and our calling without ,god6 and1 considering what deadness is upon the hearts of many1 it were good that some did not pray without ,god1 and preach and praise1 and read and confer of ,god without ,god6 ,it is universally complained of1 that there is a strange deadness upon the land1 and on the hearts of ,his people4 ,oh1 if we could help it6 ,but ,he that watereth every moment ,his garden of red wine must help it4 ,i believe that ,he will burn the briers and the thorns that come against ,him4 ,i desire to remember your ,ladyship to ,god2 but little can ,i do that way4 ,his everlasting goodness will be with you4 ,yours1 in the ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,july #bd4 ,,cccvi4--,to ,,mr4 ,,thomas ,,wylie1 ,minister of ,borgue4 ,,mr4 ,,thomas ,,wylie was minister of ,borgue1 a parish in the stewartry of ,kirkcudbright1 in which are to be seen1 close to the sea-shore1 the remains of what is supposed to have been one of the old ,culdee churches1 ,kirk ,andrews4 ,he was afterwards translated to ,mauchline1 a parish in ,ayrshire2 but he remained there only a short time1 having soon after his translation to it accepted a call to ,kirkcudbright4 ,but he was not allowed long to prosecute his useful labours in that place4 ,shortly after the restoration of ,charles ,,ii41 his fidelity to his ,presbyterian principles rendering him obnoxious to the ,government1 he was1 by a particular act of ,privy ,council1 ejected from his charge1 and banished to the north of ,tay1 with his family4 ,in #afgj he went over to ,ireland 7where some of his relatives appear to have resided71 and officiated in a congregation at ,coleraine for nearly three years1 when he returned to ,scotland1 and was settled minister of ,fenwick1 in the ,presbytery of ,irvine1 under the second ,indulgence4 ,he died on ,july #bj1 #afgf4 7,,sufficiency ,,of ,,divine ,,grace--,,call ,,to ,,england ,,to ,,assist ,,at ,,westminster ,,assembly--,,felt ,,unworthiness47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i neither can nor dow write to you anent the business1 in respect it is my case more as yours1 and ye write to me that which ,i should write to you4 ,if grace pay not our debts and bond-surety for us1 ,i see not how ,i shall make a reckoning for one soul1 far less for multitudes2 only it is ,god's will that we put grace to the utmost1 and engage ,christ for ,his own work4 ,if ,he refuse charges to ,his own factors1 the lost bankruptcy will redound to ,him4 ,but ,he must not be a loser1 nor can ,his glory suffer4 ,but ,i must entreat you for the help of your prayers1 as you will do for me anything out of heaven1 and possible to you4 ,i am now called for to ,england2 the government of the ,lord's house in ,england and ,ireland is to be handled4#dcf ,my heart beareth me witness1 and the ,lord who is greater knoweth1 my faith was never prouder than to be a common rough country barrowman in ,anwoth2 and that ,i could not look at the honour of being a mason to lay the foundation for many generations1 and to build the waste places of ,zion in another kingdom1 or to have a hand or finger in that carved work in the cedar and almug trees in that new temple4 ,i desire but to lend a shut1#dcg and cry1 ,grace1 grace upon the building4 ,i hope ye will help my weakness in this2 and seek help to me from others as if ,i had named them1 and intercede for the favour of my ,father's seas1 winds1 and tides1 and for the victory of strong and prevailing truth4 #dcf ,on the #ahth of ,august #afdc1 the ,general ,assembly appointed a committee to proceed to ,london1 to consult1 treat1 and conclude with the ,assembly of ,divines then sitting at ,westminster1 in all matters which might further the union of the churches of ,scotland and ,england in one form of ,church ,government1 one ,confession of ,faith1 one ,catechism1 and one ,directory for the worship of ,god4 ,of this committee ,rutherford was one4 ,the others were--,mr4 ,alexander ,henderson1 ,mr4 ,robert ,douglas1 ,mr4 ,robert ,baillie1 and ,mr4 ,george ,gillespie1 ministers2 ,john ,earl of ,cassillis1 ,john ,lord ,maitland1 and ,sir ,archibald ,johnston of ,warriston1 elders4 #dcg ,a push2 but probably we should read shout4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 #bjth ,oct4 #afdc4 ,,cccvii4--,to a ,young ,man in ,anwoth4 ,this letter is from the ,christian ,instructor of ,january #ahci1 furnished by one who was in possession of the ,,ms4 ,it was written at ,st4 ,andrews1 but both date and address are lost4 ,it is supposed to have been addressed to one of his former parishioners1 a young man in ,anwoth1 of some influence4 7,,necessity ,,of ,,godliness ,,in ,,its ,,power47 ,,worthy ,,sir1--,i am heartily glad that you have any mind of me1 or my ministry while ,i was with you4 ,i wish you the fruit of it4 ,i trust that you strive for the power of godliness1 that has been so preached in the land2 for salvation cometh not to every man's door1 and the way to heaven is a straiter and narrower passage than each man thinketh4 ,and you are now in the most glassy part of your life1 when it is easy to follow1 and when the lusts of youth are rank and strong4 ,and happy are you that can pass through these dangers with a good conscience4 ,so my real advice is1 that you acquaint yourself with prayer1 and with searching the ,scriptures of ,god1 that ,he may show you that good way that bringeth rest to the soul4 ,the ordinary faith and the country godliness will not save you4 ,there must be more nor the righteousness of the scribes and ,pharisees ere ever a man enter the kingdom of ,god4 ,and ,i shall desire that you will take to heart the worth and price of an immortal soul1 and the necessity of dying1 and the fearful account of judgment at the back of death1 that you may be saved4 ,as for my ministry among you again1 ,i can easier desire it than see through it4 ,the ,lord of the harvest take care for you1 and send you a pastor according to ,god's heart2 and that's as rare as ever1 for all our reformation4 ,remember my heart's love and respect to your mother and sister4 ,grace be with you4 ,your sometime pastor and still friend in ,god1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews4 ,,cccviii4--,for the ,right ,honourable1 my ,lady ,,viscountess ,,of ,,kenmure4 7,,westminster ,,assembly--,,religious ,,sects47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i am glad to hear that your ,ladyship is in any tolerable health2 and shall pray that the ,lord may be your ,strength and ,rock4 ,sure ,i am1 that ,he took you out of the womb2 and you have been casten on ,him from the breasts4 ,i am confident that ,he will not leave you till ,he crown the work begun in you4 ,there is nothing here but divisions in the ,church and ,assembly2#dch for beside ,brownists and ,independents#dci 7who1 of all that differ from us1 come nearest to walkers with ,god71 there are many other sects here1 of ,anabaptists1#ddj ,libertines who are for all opinions in religion1 fleshly and abominable ,antinomians1#dda and ,seekers1#ddb who are for no church-ordinances1 but expect apostles to come and reform churches2 and a world of others1 all against the government of presbyteries4#ddc ,luther observed1 when he studied to reform1 that two-and-thirty sundry sects arose2 of all which ,i have named a part1 except those called ,seekers1 who were not then arisen4 ,he said1 ,god should crush them1 and that they should rise again3 both which we see accomplished4 ,in the ,assembly1 we have well near ended the government1 and are upon the power of ,synods1 and ,i hope near at an end with them2 and so ,i trust to be delivered from this prison shortly4 ,the ,king hath dissolved the treaty of peace at ,uxbridge1 and adhereth to his sweet prelates1 and would abate nothing but a little of the rigour of their courts1 and a suspending of laws against the ceremonies1 not a taking away of them4#ddd ,the not prospering of our armies there in ,scotland is ascribed here to the sins of the land1 and particularly to the divisions and back-slidings of many from the cause1 and the not executing of justice against bloody malignants4 #dch ,the ,assembly of ,divines at ,westminster4 #dci ,the ,independents are well known4 ,their real founder is considered to have been one ,mr4 ,john ,robinson1 who became a ,brownist and was admitted pastor of the ,english church at ,leyden4 ,when he died1 many of his congregation went from ,leyden into ,new ,england1 whither they carried his opinions1 which spread widely there1 and then by letters and other means were conveyed back into ,old ,england4 #ddj ,the ,anabaptists of ,england at that time are not to be confounded with the fanatics of the same name who appeared in ,germany in #aeba1 soon after the dawn of the ,reformation4 ,the peculiar opinions of ,english ,anabaptists were1 that baptism ought to be administered only to adults1 and that the mode of it ought to be by immersion1 or dipping4 ,they were divided into ,general and ,particular1 the former holding ,arminian views of ,christian doctrine1 while the latter were strictly ,calvinistic4 #dda ,the ,antinomians professed to hold doctrinal sentiments rigidly ,calvinistic2 but they deduced from them conclusions deeply injurious to the interests of religion and morality4 #ddb ,of the ,seekers or ,expecters1 ,pagitt has given the following account3--,they deny that there is any true church1 or any true minister1 or any ordinances3 some of them affirm the church to be in the wilderness1 and they are asking for it there2 others say that it is in the smoke of the temple1 and that they are groping for it there 7,heresiography1 p4 #ada74 #ddc ,thomas ,edwards1 in his ,gangrna1 enumerates sixteen sorts of sectaries of that time4 #a4 ,independents2 #b4 ,brownists2 #c4 ,chiliasts1 or ,millennaries2 #d4 ,antinomians2 #e4 ,anabaptists2 #f4 ,manifestarians1 or ,arminians2 #g4 ,libertines2 #h4 ,familists2 #i4 ,enthusiasts2 #aj4 ,seekers and ,waiters2 #aa4 ,perfectists2 #ab4 ,socinians2 #ac4 ,arians2 #ad4 ,antitrinitarians2 #ae4 ,antiscripturists2 #af4 ,sceptics and ,questionists1 who question everything in matters of religion4 ,in these different sects there were many subdivisions4 #ddd ,in the contest between ,charles ,i4 and his ,english ,parliament1 ,charles was induced to make proposals of a treaty to the ,parliament4 ,uxbridge was fixed on as the place for conducting the treaty2 and commissioners from the ,king1 the ,parliament1 and ,scotland1 were appointed4 ,but they found it impracticable to come to any agreement4 ,he alludes to this in his sermon before the ,house of ,lords4 ,my wife here1 under the physicians1 remembereth her service to your ,ladyship4 ,so recommending you to the rich grace of ,christ1 ,i rest1 your ,ladyship's1 at all obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,london1 ,march #d1 #afdd4 ,,cccix4--,for the ,right ,honourable1 my ,,lady ,,boyd4 7,,proceedings ,,of ,,the ,,westminster ,,assembly47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i received your letter on ,may #aith4 ,we are here debating1 with much contention of disputes1 for the just measures of the ,lord's temple4 ,it pleaseth ,god1 that sometimes enemies hinder the building of the ,lord's house2 but now friends1 even gracious men 7so ,i conceive of them71 do not a little hinder the work4 ,thomas ,goodwin1#dde ,jeremiah ,burroughs1#ddf and some others1 four or five1 who are for the ,independent way1 stand in our way1 and are mighty opposites to presbyterial government4 ,we have carried through some propositions for the ,scripture right of presbytery1 especially in the church of ,jerusalem 7,acts ii4 iv4 v4 vi4 and xv471 and the church of ,ephesus1 and are going on upon other grounds of truth2 and by the way have proven1 that ordination of pastors belongeth not to a single congregation1 but to a college of presbyters1 whose it is to lay hands upon ,timothy and others 7#a ,tim4 iv4 #ad1 v4 #ag2 ,acts xiii4 #a1 #b1 #c1 vi4 #e1 #f74 ,we are to prove that one single congregation hath not power to excommunicate1 which is opposed not only by ,independent men1 but by many others4 ,the truth is1 we have at times grieved spirits with the work2 and for my part1 ,i often despair of the reformation of this land1 which saw never anything but the high places of their fathers1 and the remnants of ,babylon's pollutions2 and except that1 not by might1 nor by power1 but by the ,spirit of the ,lord1 ,i should think ,god hath not yet thought it time for ,england's deliverance4 ,for the truth is1 the best of them almost have said1 ,a half reformation is very fair at the first2 which is no other thing than1 ,it is not time yet to build the house of the ,lord4 ,and for that cause1 many houses1 great and fair in the land1 are laid desolate4 #dde ,thomas ,goodwin1 a distinguished ,puritan divine1 and latterly pastor of a church in ,london1 styled by ,anthony ,wood one of the ,atlasses and patriarchs of ,independency4 ,he was in high favour with ,cromwell4 ,he was born at ,rolesby1 in ,norfolk1 in #afjj1 and died in #afgi4 ,his works extended to five volumes folio1 and are invaluable4 ,in his exposition of the first and part of the second chapter of the ,epistle to the ,ephesians1 there is an admirable defence of ,calvinism4 #ddf ,jeremiah ,burroughs1 another eminent ,puritan divine1 was also a minister in ,london4 ,he was born in #aeii1 and died in #afdf4 ,he is the author of numerous theological works1 which1 if not important1 are useful4 ,it is said that the divisions of the times broke his heart4 ,multitudes of ,anabaptists1 ,antinomians1 ,familists1#ddg ,separatists1#ddh are here4 ,the best of the people are of the ,independent way4 ,as for myself1 ,i know no more if there be a sound ,christian 7setting aside some1 yea1 not a few learned1 some zealous and faithful ministers whom ,i have met with7 at ,london 7though ,i doubt not but there are many71 than if ,i were in ,spain2 which maketh me bless ,god that the communion of saints1 how desirable soever1 yet is not the thing1 even that great thing1 ,christ and the remission of sins4 ,if ,jesus were unco1#ddi as ,his members are here1 ,i should be in a sad and heavy condition4 #ddg ,the sect of the ,familists or ,family of ,love1 have been associated with one ,david ,george of ,delft1 who1 in #aedd1 fled out of ,holland to ,basle1 giving it out that he was banished from the ,low ,countries1 and changed his name1 calling himself ,john of ,brugg4 ,he affirmed that he was the true ,david whom ,god had promised to send to restore again the kingdom of ,israel1 and wrote various books in support of his pretensions4 ,he died on the #afth of ,september #aeef4 ,after him rose up one ,henry ,nicholas1 born in ,amsterdam1 who maintained the same doctrine1 but applied it to himself and not to ,david ,george4 7,see ,works of ,greenham1 p4 #bai1 ,h4 ,n47 ,one ,christopher ,vivet1 a joiner dwelling in ,southwark1 who had been in ,queen ,mary's days an ,arian1 translated out of ,dutch into ,english several of the books of ,henry ,nicholas1 among which was his ,evangelium ,regni4 ,the claims of ,nicholas were those of a fanatic1 and his system was a lie4 7,pagitt's ,heresiography1 pp4 #ha-ia47 #ddh ,the ,separatists were a kind of ,anabaptists1 so called because they pretended to be separate from the rest of the world4 ,they condemned fine clothes4 ,to them that laughed they would cry1 ,woe be to you that laugh1 for hereafter ye shall mourn4 ,they did look sadly1 and fetched deep sighs2 they avoided marriage meetings1 feasts1 music2 and condemned the bearing of arms and ,covenants4 7,pagitt's ,heresiography1 p4 #cj47 #ddi ,strange4 ,the ,house of ,peers are rotten men1 and hate our ,commissioners and our cause both4 ,the life that is is in the ,house of ,commons1 and many of them also have their religion to choose4 ,the sorrows of a travailing woman are come on the land4 ,our army is lying about ,york1 and have blocked up them of ,newcastle1#dej and six thousand ,papists and ,malignants1 with ,mr4 ,thomas ,sydserf1 and some ,scottish prelates2 and if ,god deliver them into their hands 7considering how strong the ,parliament's armies are1 how many victories ,god hath given them since they entered into covenant with ,him1 and how weak the ,king is71 it may be thought the land is near a deliverance4 ,but ,i rather desire it than believe it4 #dej ,in the end of the year #afdc1 the ,scottish army raised by the ,convention of ,estates for the assistance of the ,english ,parliament marched into ,england1 and1 having joined the ,parliamentary forces1 blockaded ,newcastle1 as ,rutherford here describes4 ,we offered this day to the ,assembly a part of a directory for worship1 to shoulder out the service-book4 ,it is taken into consideration by the ,assembly4 ,your son ,lindsay#dea is well3 ,i receive letters from him almost every week4 ,yours at all obedience in ,god1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,london1 ,may #be1 #afdd4 #dea ,afterwards ,earl of ,crawford4 ,see notice of1 ,letter ,,ccxxxi4 ,,cccx4--,to ,,mistress ,,taylor1 on her son's death4 ,her son was a parishioner of ,mr4 ,blair4 7,,suggestions ,,for ,,comfort ,,under ,,sorrow47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,though ,i have no relation worldly or acquaintance with you1 yet 7upon the testimony and importunity of your elder son now at ,london1 where ,i am1 but chiefly because ,i esteem ,jesus ,christ in you to be in place of all relations7 ,i make bold1 in ,christ1 to speak my poor thoughts to you concerning your son lately fallen asleep in the ,lord1 who was sometime under the ministry of the worthy servant of ,christ1 my fellow-labourer1 ,mr4 ,blair1 by whose ministry ,i hope he reaped no small advantage4 ,i know that grace rooteth not out the affections of a mother1 but putteth them on ,his wheel who maketh all things new1 that they may be refined3 therefore1 sorrow for a dead child is allowed to you1 though by measure and ounce-weights4 ,the redeemed of the ,lord have not a dominion1 or lordship1 over their sorrow and other affections1 to lavish out ,christ's goods at their pleasure4 ,for ye are not your own1 but bought with a price2 and your sorrow is not your own4 ,nor hath ,he redeemed you by halves2 and therefore1 ye are not to make ,christ's cross no cross4 ,he commandeth you to weep3 and that princely ,one1 who took up to heaven with ,him a man's heart to be a compassionate ,high ,priest1 became your fellow and companion on earth by weeping for the dead 7,john xi4 #ce74 ,and1 therefore1 ye are to love that cross1 because it was once at ,christ's shoulders before you3 so that by ,his own practice ,he hath over-gilded and covered your cross with the ,mediator's lustre4 ,the cup ye drink was at the lip of sweet ,jesus1 and ,he drank of it2 and so it hath a smell of ,his breath1 and ,i conceive that ye love it not the worse that it is thus sugared4 ,therefore1 drink1 and believe the resurrection of your son's body4 ,if one coal of hell could fall off the exalted head1 ,jesus 7,jesus the ,prince of the kings of the earth671 and burn me to ashes1 knowing ,i were a partner with ,christ1 and a fellow-sharer with ,him 7though the unworthiest of men71 ,i think that ,i should die a lovely death in that fire with ,him4 ,the worst things of ,christ1 even ,his cross1 have much of heaven from ,himself2 and so hath your ,christian sorrow1 being of kin to ,christ in that kind4 ,if your sorrow were a bastard 7and not of ,christ's house because of the relation ye have to ,him1 in conformity to ,his death and sufferings71 ,i should the more compassionate your condition2 but the kind and compassionate ,jesus1 at every sigh you give for the loss of your now glorified child 7so ,i believe1 as is meet71 with a man's heart crieth1 ,half mine4 ,i was not a witness to his death1 being called out of the kingdom2 but1 if you will credit those whom ,i do credit 7and ,i dare not lie71 he died comfortably4 ,it is true1 he died before he did so much service to ,christ on earth1 as ,i hope and heartily desire that your son ,mr4 ,hugh 7very dear to me in ,jesus ,christ7 will do4 ,but that were a real matter of sorrow if this were not to counterbalance it1 that he hath changed service-houses1 but hath not changed services or ,master4 ,and there shall be no more curse2 but the throne of ,god and of the ,lamb shall be in it2 and ,his servants shall serve ,him 7,rev4 xxii4 #c74 ,what he could have done in this lower house1 he is now upon that same service in the higher house2 and it is all one3 it is the same service and the same ,master1 only there is a change of conditions4 ,and ye are not to think it a bad bargain for your beloved son1 where he hath gold for copper and brass1 eternity for time4 ,i believe that ,christ hath taught you 7for ,i give credit to such a witness of you as your son ,mr4 ,hugh7 not to sorrow because he died4 ,all the knot must be1 ,he died too soon1 he died too young1 he died in the morning of his life4 ,this is all2 but sovereignty must silence your thoughts4 ,i was in your condition2 ,i had but two children1 and both are dead since ,i came hither4#deb ,the supreme and absolute ,former of all things giveth not an account of any of ,his matters4 ,the good ,husbandman may pluck ,his roses1 and gather in ,his lilies at mid-summer1 and1 for aught ,i dare say1 in the beginning of the first summer month2 and ,he may transplant young trees out of the lower ground to the higher1 where they may have more of the sun1 and a more free air1 at any season of the year4 ,what is that to you or me8 ,the goods are ,his own4 ,the ,creator of time and winds did a merciful injury 7if ,i dare borrow the word7 to nature1 in landing the passenger so early4 ,they love the sea too well who complain of a fair wind1 and a desirable tide1 and a speedy coming ashore1 especially a coming ashore in that land where all the inhabitants have everlasting joy upon their heads4 ,he cannot be too early in heaven4 ,his twelve hours were not short hours4 ,and withal if ye consider this2 had ye been at his bed-side1 and should have seen ,christ coming to him1 ye would not1 ye could not1 have adjourned ,christ's free love1 who would want him no longer4 #deb ,he had lost two children before going to ,london1 and the above is in reference to the death of other two after he came thither4 ,and dying in another land1 where his mother could not close his eyes1 is not much4 ,who closed ,moses' eyes8 ,and who put on his winding-sheet8 ,for aught ,i know1 neither father1 nor mother1 nor friend1 but ,god only4 ,and there is as expeditious1 fair1 and easy a way betwixt ,scotland and heaven1 as if he had died in the very bed he was born in4 ,the whole earth is his ,father's2 any corner of his ,father's house is good enough to die in4 ,it may be that the living child 7,i speak not of ,mr4 ,hugh7 is more grief to you than the dead4 ,ye are to wait on1 if at any time ,god will give him repentance4 ,christ waited as long possibly on you and me1 certainly longer on me2 and if ,he should deny repentance to him1 ,i could say something to that4 ,but ,i hope better things of him4 ,it seemeth that ,christ will have this world your stepdame4 ,i love not your condition the worse4 ,it may be a proof that ye are not a child of this lower house1 but a stranger4 ,christ seeth it not good only1 but your only good1 to be led thus to heaven4 ,and think this a favour1 that ,he hath bestowed on you free1 free grace1 that is1 mercy without hire3 ye paid nothing for it4 ,and who can put a price upon anything of royal and princely ,jesus ,christ8 ,and ,god hath given to you to suffer for ,him the spoiling of your goods4 ,esteem it as an act of free grace also4 ,ye are no loser1 having ,himself2 and ,i persuade myself1 that if ye could prize ,christ1 nothing could be bitter to you4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,your brother and well-wisher1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,london1 #afde4 ,,cccxi4--,to ,,barbara ,,hamilton4 ,,barbara ,,hamilton was the wife of ,mr4 ,john ,mein1 merchant1 ,edinburgh1 noticed before 7see ,letter ,,cli471 and sister to the first wife of the famous ,mr4 ,robert ,blair4 ,she was a woman of eminent piety1 and also distinguished for her public spirit4 ,when ,mr4 ,blair1 and other ,presbyterian ministers1 who had been deposed by the bishops in ,ireland for nonconformity1 had come over to ,scotland in #afcg1 she1 finding that they were threatened with still harsher treatment from the ,scottish prelates1 suggested a petition to the ,privy ,council1 for liberty to these ministers to preach the ,gospel publicly1 engaging that she and some other like-minded women would put it into the hands of the ,treasurer as he went into the ,council4 ,blair drew it up2 upon which she convened a considerable number of the religious matrons of ,edinburgh1 and ranged them in a line from the ,council-house door to the street4 ,the oldest matron was appointed to present the petition to the ,treasurer4 ,the ,treasurer1 suspecting that it was something which would be disagreeable to the ,council1 put the aged petitioner aside1 and went quickly from her towards the ,council-house door4 ,observing this1 ,barbara ,hamilton immediately stepped forward1 and1 taking the paper out of the old feeble woman's hand1 came up to the ,treasurer1 and did with her strong arm and big hand fast grip his gardie 7i4e4 arm71 saying1 ,stand1 my ,lord6 in ,christ's name1 ,i charge you1 till ,i speak to you4 ,his ,lordship1 looking back1 replies1 ,good woman1 what would you say to me8 ,there is1 said she1 a humble supplication of ,mr4 ,blair's4 ,all that he petitions for1 is that he may have liberty to preach the ,gospel4 ,i charge you to befriend the matter1 as you would expect ,god to befriend you in your distress1 and at your death6 ,he replied1 ,i shall do my endeavour1 and what ,i can in it4 ,the result was1 that ,blair's supplication was granted by the ,council4 ,the following letter1 which ,rutherford addresses to this lady1 was written on the occasion of the death of her son-in-law1 probably ,mr4 ,william ,hume1 minister1 who was married to her daughter ,barbara ,mein4 7,see ,letter ,,cccxii47 7,,on ,,death ,,of ,,her ,,son-,,in-,,law--,,god',s ,,purposes47 ,,worthy ,,friend1--,grace be to you4 ,i do unwillingly write unto you of that which ,god hath done concerning your son-in-law2 only1 ,i believe ye look not below ,christ1 and the highest and most supreme act of ,providence1 which moveth all wheels4 ,and certainly1 what came down enacted and concluded in the great book before the throne1 and signed and subscribed with the hand which never did wrong1 should be kissed and adored by us4 ,we see ,god's decrees when they bring forth their fruits1 all actions1 good and ill1 sweet and sour1 in their time2 but we see not presently the after-birth of ,god's decree1 namely1 ,his blessed end1 and the good that ,he bringeth out of the womb of ,his holy and spotless counsel4 ,we see ,his working1 and we sorrow2 the end of ,his counsel and working lieth hidden1 and underneath the ground1 and therefore we cannot believe4 ,even amongst men1 we see hewn stones1 timber1 and an hundred scattered parcels and pieces of an house1 all under-tools1 hammers1 and axes1 and saws2 yet the house1 the beauty and use#dec of so many lodgings and ease-rooms1 we neither see nor understand for the present2 these are but in the mind and head of the builder1 as yet4 ,we see red earth1 unbroken clods1 furrows1 and stones2 but we see not summer1 lilies1 roses1 the beauty of a garden4 #dec ,ease in older editions4 ,if ye give the ,lord time to work 7as often#ded he that believeth maketh haste1 but not speed71 ,his end is under ground1 and ye shall see it was your good1 that your son hath changed dwelling-places1 but not his ,master4 ,christ thought good to have no more of his service here2 yet1 ,his servants shall serve ,him 7,rev4 xxii4 #c74 ,he needeth not us nor our service1 either on earth or in heaven4 ,but ye are to look to ,him who giveth the hireling both his leave and his wages1 for his naked aim and purpose to serve ,christ1 as well as for his labours4 ,it is put up in ,christ's account1 that such a labourer did sweat forty years in ,christ's vineyard2 howbeit he got not leave to labour so long1 because ,he who accepteth of the will for the deed counteth so4 ,none can teach the ,lord to lay an account4 #ded ,q4d41 ,you need this advice1 as too often even believers make haste4 ,he numbereth the drops of rain1 and knoweth the stars by their names2 it would take us much studying to give a name to every star in the firmament1 great or small4 ,see ,lev4 x4 #c1 ,and ,aaron held his peace4 ,ye know his two sons were slain1 whilst they offered strange fire to the ,lord4 ,command your thoughts to be silent4 ,if the soldiers of ,newcastle had done this1 ye might have stomached2 but the weapon was in another hand4 ,hear the rod what it preacheth1 and see the name of ,god 7,micah vi4 #i71 and know that there is somewhat of ,god and heaven in the rod4 ,the majesty of the unsearchable and bottomless ways and judgments of ,god is not seen in the rod2 and the seeing of them requireth the eyes of the man of wisdom4 ,if the sufferings of some other with you in that loss could ease you1 ye want them not4 ,but ,he can do no wrong4 ,he cannot halt2 ,his goings are equal who hath done it4 ,i know our ,lord aimeth at more mortification2 let ,him not come in vain to your house1 and lose the pains of a merciful visit4 ,god1 the ,founder1 never melteth in vain2 howbeit to us ,he seemeth often to lose both fire and metal4 ,but ,i know ye are more in this work than ,i can be4 ,there is no cause to faint or be weary4 ,grace be with you2 and the rich consolations of ,jesus ,christ sweeten your cross1 and support you under it4 ,i rest1 ,yours1 in his ,lord and ,master1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,london1 ,oct4 #ae1 #afde4 ,,cccxii4--,to ,,mistress ,,hume1 on her ,husband's ,death4 ,this lady1 it is highly probable1 was ,barbara ,mein1 the daughter of ,barbara ,hamilton1 noticed above1 and the wife of ,mr4 ,william ,hume1 minister1 who had gone to ,england with the ,covenanters' army1 and who died at ,newcastle1 probably from wounds inflicted by the army4 ,in the ,index of the unprinted ,acts of the ,general ,assembly of #afde1 there is an ,act entitled1 ,recommendation of ,barbara ,mein's ,petition to the ,parliament2 and in the ,index of the unprinted ,acts of the ,general ,assembly of #afdf1 there is an ,act entitled1 ,act in favours of ,barbara ,mein1 relict of umwhile ,mr4 ,william ,hume1 minister4 ,the object of this letter is to comfort ,mrs4 ,hume under that painful bereavement4 7,,god',s ,,voice ,,in ,,the ,,rod47 ,,loving ,,sister1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,if ye have anything better than the husband of your youth1 ye are ,jesus ,christ's debtor for it4 ,pay not then your debts with grudging4 ,sorrow may diminish from the sweet fruit of righteousness2 but quietness1 silence1 submission1 and faith1 put a crown upon your sad losses4 ,ye know whose voice the voice of a crying rod is 7,micah vi4 #i74 ,the name and majesty of the ,lord is written on the rod2 read and be instructed4 ,let ,christ have the room of the husband4 ,he hath now no need of you1 or of your love2 for he enjoyeth as much of the love of ,christ as his heart can be capable of4 ,i confess that it is a dear-bought experience1 to teach you to undervalue the creature2 yet it is not too dear if ,christ think it so4 ,i know that the disputing of your thoughts against his going thither1 the way and manner of his death1 the instruments1 the place1 the time1 will not ease your spirits2 except ye rise higher than second causes1 and be silent because the ,lord hath done it4 ,if we measure the goings of the ,almighty1 and ,his ways 7the bottom whereof we see not71 we quite mistake ,god4 ,oh1 how little a portion of ,god do we see6 ,he is far above our ebb and narrow thoughts4 ,he ruled the world in wisdom1 ere we1 creatures of yesterday1 were born2 and will rule it when we shall be lodging beside the worm and corruption4 ,only learn heavenly wisdom1 self-denial1 and mortification1 by this sad loss4 ,i know that it is not for nothing 7except ye deny ,god to be wise in all ,he doeth7 that ye have lost one on earth4 ,there hath been too little of your love and heart in heaven1 and therefore the jealousy of ,christ hath done this4 ,it is a mercy that ,he contendeth with you and all your lovers4 ,i should desire no greater favour for myself than that ,christ laid a necessity1 and took on such bonds upon ,himself3 ,such a one ,i must have1 and such a soul ,i cannot live in heaven without 7,john x4 #af74 ,and1 believe it2 it is incomprehensible love that ,christ saith1 ,if ,i enjoy the glory of ,my ,father and the crown of heaven1 far above men and angels1 ,i must use all means1 though ever so violent1 to have the company of such a one for ever and ever4 ,if1 with the eyes of wisdom1 as a child of wisdom1 ye justify your mother1 the ,wisdom of ,god 7whose child ye are71 ye will kiss and embrace this loss1 and see much of ,christ in it4 ,believe and submit2 and refer the income of the consolations of ,jesus1 and the event of the trial1 to your heavenly ,father1 who numbereth all your hairs4 ,and put ,christ into ,his own room in your love2 it may be ,he hath either been out of ,his own place1 or in a place of love inferior to ,his worth4 ,repair ,christ in all ,his wrongs done to ,him1 and love ,him for a ,husband2 and ,he that is a ,husband to the widow will be that to you which ,he hath taken from you4 ,grace be with you4 ,your sympathizing brother1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,london1 ,oct4 #ae1 #afde4 ,,cccxiii4--,to the ,,viscountess ,,kenmure4 7,,christ',s ,,designs ,,in ,,sickness ,,and ,,sorrow47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to your ,ladyship4--,though ,christ lose no time1 yet1 when sinful men drive ,his chariot1 the wheels of ,his chariot move slowly4 ,the woman1 ,zion1 as soon as she travailed1 brought forth her children2 yea1 before she travailed1 she brought forth2 before her pain came1 she was delivered of a man-child 7,isa4 lxvi4 #g73 yet the deliverance of the people was with the woman's going with child seventy years4 ,that is more than nine months4 ,there be many oppositions in carrying on the work2 but ,i hope that the ,lord will build ,his own ,zion1 and evidence to us that it is done1 not by might nor by power1 but by the ,spirit of the ,lord4 ,madam1 ,i have heard of your infirmities of body1 and sickness4 ,i know the issue shall be mercy to you1 and that ,god's purpose1 which lieth hidden under ground to you1 is to commend the sweetness of ,his love and care to you from your youth4 ,and if all the sad losses1 trials1 sicknesses1 infirmities1 griefs1 heaviness1 and inconstancy of the creature1 be expounded 7as sure ,i am they are7 the rods of the jealousy of an ,husband in heaven1 contending with all your lovers on earth1 though there were millions of them1 for your love1 to fetch more of your love home to heaven1 to make it single1 unmixed1 and chaste1 to the ,fairest in heaven and earth1 to ,jesus the ,prince of ages1 ye will forgive 7to borrow that word7 every rod of ,god1 and not let the sun go down on your wrath against any messenger of your afflicting and correcting ,father4 ,since your ,ladyship cannot but see that the mark at which ,christ hath aimed these twenty-four years and above1 is1 to have the company and fellowship of such a sinful creature in heaven with ,him for all eternity2 and1 because ,he will not 7such is the power of ,his love7 enjoy ,his ,father's glory1 and that crown due to ,him by eternal generation1 without you1 by name 7,john xvii4 #bd1 x4 #af1 xiv4 #c71 therefore1 ,madam1 believe no evil of ,christ3 listen to no hard reports that ,his rods make of ,him to you4 ,he hath loved you1 and washed you from your sins2 and what would ye have more8 ,is that too little1 except ,he adjourn all crosses1 till ye be where ye shall be out of all capacity to sigh or be crossed8 ,i hope that ye can desire no more1 no greater1 nor more excellent suit1 than ,christ and the fellowship of the ,lamb for evermore4 ,and if that desire be answered in heaven 7as ,i am sure it is1 and ye cannot deny but it is made sure to you71 the want of these poor accidents1 of a living husband1 of many children1 of an healthful body1 of a life of ease in the world1 without one knot in the rush1 are nobly made up1 and may be comfortably borne4 ,grace1 grace be with your ,ladyship4 ,your ,ladyship's1 at all obedience in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,london1 ,oct4 #af1 #afde4 ,,cccxiv4--,to ,,barbara ,,hamilton1 on her ,son-in-law slain in battle4 ,letter ,,cccxii4 7,,god ,,does ,,all ,,things ,,well1 ,,and ,,with ,,design47 ,,loving ,,sister1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i have heard with grief that ,newcastle hath taken one more in a bloody account than before1 even your son-in-law and my friend4 ,but ,i hope you have learned that much of ,christ as not to look to wheels rolled round about on earth4 ,earthen vessels are not to dispute with their ,former4 ,pieces of shining clay may1 by reasoning and contending with the potter1 mar the work of ,him who hath ,his fire in ,zion1 and ,his furnace in ,jerusalem2 as bullocks sweating and wrestling in the furrow make their yoke more heavy4 ,in quietness and rest ye shall be saved4 ,if men do anything contrary to your heart1 we may ask both1 ,who did it8 and ,what is done8 and ,why8 ,when ,god hath done any such thing1 we are to inquire1 ,who hath done it8 and to know that this cometh from the ,lord1 who is wonderful in counsel2 but we are not to ask1 ,what8 or ,why8 ,if it be from the ,lord as certainly there is no evil in the city without ,him 7,amos iii4 #f71 it is enough2 the fairest face of ,his spotless way is but coming1 and ye are to believe ,his works as well as ,his word4 ,violent death is a sharer with ,christ in ,his death1 which was violent4 ,it maketh not much what way we go to heaven3 the happy home is all1 where the roughness of the way shall be forgotten4 ,he is gone home to a ,friend's house1 and made welcome1 and the race is ended3 time is recompensed with eternity1 and copper with gold4 ,god's order is in wisdom2 the husband goeth home before the wife4 ,and the throng of the market shall be over ere it be long1 and another generation be where we now are1 and at length an empty house1 and not one of mankind shall be upon the earth1 within the sixth part of an hour after the earth and works that are therein shall be burnt up with fire4 ,i fear more that ,christ is about to remove1 when ,he carrieth home so much of ,his plenishing beforehand4 ,we cannot teach the ,almighty knowledge4 ,when ,he was directing the bullet against ,his servant to fetch out the soul1 no wise man could cry to ,god1 ,wrong1 wrong1 ,lord1 for he is ,thine own6 ,there is no mist over ,his eyes who is wonderful in counsel4 ,if ,zion be builded with your son-in-law's blood1 the ,lord 7deep in counsel7 can glue together the stones of ,zion with blood1 and with that blood which is precious in ,his eyes4 ,christ hath fewer labourers in ,his vineyard than ,he had1 but more witnesses for ,his cause and the ,lord's covenant with the three nations4 ,what is ,christ's gain is not your loss4 ,let not that1 which is ,his holy and wise will1 be your unbelieving sorrow4 ,though ,i really judge that ,i had interest in ,his dead servant1 yet1 because he now liveth to ,christ1 ,i quit the hopes which ,i had of his successful labouring in the ministry4 ,i know he now praiseth the grace that he was to preach2 and if there were a better thing on his head now in heaven than a crown1 or anything more excellent than heaven1 he would cast it down before ,his feet who sitteth on the throne4 ,give glory1 therefore1 to ,christ1 as he now doeth1 and say1 ,thy will be done4 ,the grace and consolation of ,christ be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,london1 ,nov4 #ae1 #afde4 ,,cccxv4--,to a ,christian ,friend1 upon the death of his ,wife4 7,,god ,,the ,,first ,,cause--,,the ,,end ,,of ,,affliction47 ,,worthy ,,friend1--,i desire to suffer with you1 in the loss of a loving and good wife1 now gone before 7according to the method and order of ,him of whose understanding there is no searching out7 whither ye are to follow4 ,he that made yesterday to go before this day1 and the former generation1 in birth and life1 to have been before this present generation1 and hath made some flowers to grow and die and wither in the month of ,may1 and others in ,june1 cannot be challenged in the order ,he hath made of things without souls2 and some order ,he must keep also here1 that one might bury another4 ,therefore ,i hope ye shall be dumb and silent1 because the ,lord hath done it4 ,what creatures or under-causes do1 in sinful mistakes1 is ordered in wisdom by your ,father1 at whose feet your own soul and your heaven lieth2 and so the days of your wife4 ,if the place she hath left were any other than a prison of sin1 and the home she is gone to any other than where her ,head and ,saviour is ,king of the land1 your grief had been more rational4 ,but ,i trust your faith of the resurrection of the dead in ,christ to glory and immortality1 will lead you to suspend your longing for her1 till the morning and dawning of that day when the archangel shall descend with a shout1 to gather all the prisoners out of the grave1 up to ,himself4 ,to believe this is best for you2 and to be silent1 because ,he hath done it1 is your wisdom4 ,it is much to come out of the ,lord's school of trial wiser1 and more experienced in the ways of ,god2 and it is our happiness1 when ,christ openeth a vein1 that ,he taketh nothing but ill blood from ,his sick ones4 ,christ hath skill to do2 and 7if our corruption mar not7 the art of mercy in correcting4 ,we cannot of ourselves take away the tin1 the lead1 and the scum that remaineth in us2 and if ,christ be not ,master-of-work1 and if the furnace go its lone 7,he not standing nigh the melting of ,his own vessel71 the labour were lost1 and the ,founder should melt in vain4 ,god knoweth some of us have lost much fire1 sweating1 and pains1 to our ,lord ,jesus2 and the vessel is almost marred1 the furnace and rod of ,god spilled1 the daylight#dee burnt1 and the reprobate metal not taken away1 so as some are to answer to the ,majesty of ,god for the abuse of many good crosses1 and rich afflictions lost without the quiet fruit of righteousness4 ,it is a sad thing when the rod is cursed1 that never fruit shall grow on it4 ,and except ,christ's dew fall down1 and ,his summer-sun shine1 and ,his grace follow afflictions to cause them to bring forth fruit to ,god1 they are so fruitless to us1 that our evil ground 7rank and fat enough for briers7 casteth up a crop of noisome weeds4 ,the rod 7as the prophet saith7 blossometh1 pride buddeth forth1 violence riseth up into a rod of wickedness 7,ezek4 vii4 #aj1 #aa74 ,and all this hath been my case under many rods since ,i saw you4 #dee ,the allusion is to ,jer4 vi4 #bi1 and in that passage daylight is a variation from our common version4 ,could ,rutherford have been reading ,jeremiah in the ,septuagint ,greek version8 ,there the word is 1 blowpipe1 or bellows2 but we might suppose that his eye mistook the word for 1 lightgiver1 window-light4 ,the ,scotch phrase1 to burn daylight1 means to waste time and opportunity4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,london1 #afde4 ,,cccxvi4--,to a ,christian ,brother1 on the death of his ,daughter4 7,,consolation ,,in ,,her ,,having ,,gone ,,before--,,christ ,,the ,,best ,,husband47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,beloved ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,it may be that ,i have been too long silent1 but ,i hope that ye will not impute it to forgetfulness of you4 ,as ,i have heard of the death of your daughter with heaviness of mind on your behalf1 so am ,i much comforted that she hath evidenced to yourself and other witnesses the hope of the resurrection of the dead4 ,as sown corn is not lost 7for there is more hope of that which is sown than of that which is eaten7 7#a ,cor4 xv4 #db1 #dc71 so also is it in the resurrection of the dead3 the body is sown in corruption1 it is raised in incorruption2 it is sown in dishonour1 it is raised in glory4 ,i hope that ye wait for the crop and harvest2 for if we believe that ,jesus died and rose again1 even so them also which sleep in ,jesus will ,god bring with ,him 7#a ,thess4 iv4 #ad74 ,then they are not lost who are gathered into that congregation of the first-born1 and the general assembly of the saints4 ,though we cannot outrun nor overtake them that are gone before1 yet we shall quickly follow them2 and the difference is1 that she hath the advantage of some months or years of the crown before you and her mother4 ,as we do not take it ill if our children outrun us in the life of grace1 why then are we sad if they outstrip us in the attainment of the life of glory8 ,it would seem that there is more reason to grieve that children live behind us1 than that they are glorified and die before us4 ,all the difference is in some poor hungry accidents of time1 less or more1 sooner or later4 ,so the godly child1 though young1 died an hundred years old2 and ye could not now have bestowed her better1 though the choice was ,christ's1 not yours4 ,and ,i am sure1 ,sir1 ye cannot now say that she is married against the will of her parents4 ,she might more readily1 if alive1 fall into the hands of a worse husband2 but can ye think that she could have fallen into the hands of a better8 ,and if ,christ marry with your house1 it is your honour1 not any cause of grief1 that ,jesus should portion any of yours1 ere she enjoy your portion4 ,is it not great love8 ,the patrimony is more than any other could give2 as good a husband is impossible2 to say a better is blasphemy4 ,the ,king and ,prince of ages can keep them better than ye can do4 ,while she was alive1 ye could entrust her to ,christ1 and recommend her to ,his keeping2 now1 by an after-faith1 ye have resigned her unto ,him in whose bosom do sleep all that are dead in the ,lord4 ,ye would have lent her to glorify the ,lord upon earth1 and ,he hath borrowed her 7with promise to restore her again7 7#a ,cor4 xv4 #ec2 #a ,thess4 iv4 #ae1 #af7 to be an organ of the immediate glorifying of ,himself in heaven4 ,sinless glorifying of ,god is better than sinful glorifying of ,him4 ,and sure your prayers concerning her are fulfilled4 ,i shall desire1 if the ,lord shall be pleased the same way to dispose of her mother1 that ye have the same mind4 ,christ cannot multiply injuries upon you4 ,if the fountain be the love of ,god 7as ,i hope it is71 ye are enriched with losses4 ,ye knew all ,i can say better1 before ,i was in ,christ1 than ,i can express it4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 in ,christ ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,london1 ,jan4 #f1 #afdf4 ,,cccxvii4--,to a ,christian ,gentlewoman4 7,,views ,,of ,,death ,,and ,,heaven--,,aspirations47 ,,mistress1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,if death1 which is before you and us all1 were any other thing than a friendly dissolution1 and a change1 not a destruction of life1 it would seem a hard voyage to go through such a sad and dark trance1#def so thorny a valley1 as is the wages of sin4 ,but ,i am confident the way ye know1 though your foot never trod in that black shadow4 ,the loss of life is gain to you4 ,if ,christ ,jesus be the period1 the end1 and lodging-home1 at the end of your journey1 there is no fear2 ye go to a friend4 ,and since ye have had communion with ,him in this life1 and ,he hath a pawn or pledge of yours1 even the largest share of your love and heart1 ye may look death in the face with joy4 #def ,passage4 ,if the heart be in heaven1 the remnant of you cannot be kept the prisoner of the second death4 ,but though ,he be the same ,christ in the other life that ye found ,him to be here1 yet ,he is so far in ,his excellency1 beauty1 sweetness1 irradiations1 and beams of majesty1 above what ,he appeared here1 when ,he is seen as ,he is1 that ye shall misken ,him1 and ,he shall appear a new ,christ4 ,and ,his kisses1 breathings1 embracements1 the perfume1 the ointment of ,his name poured out on you1 shall appear to have more of ,god1 and a stronger smell of heaven1 of eternity1 of a ,godhead1 of majesty and glory1 there than here2 as water at the fountain1 apples in the orchard and beside the tree1 have more of their native sweetness1 taste1 and beauty1 than when transported to us some hundred miles4 ,i mean not that ,christ can lose any of ,his sweetness in the carrying1 or that ,he1 in ,his ,godhead and loveliness of presence1 can be changed to the worse1 betwixt the little spot of the earth that ye are in1 and the right hand of the ,father far above all heavens4 ,but the change will be in you1 when ye shall have new senses1 and the soul shall be a more deep and more capacious vessel1 to take in more of ,christ2 and when means 7the chariot1 the ,gospel1 that ,he is now carried in1 and ordinances that convey ,him7 shall be removed4 ,sure ye cannot now be said to see ,him face to face2 or to drink of the wine of the highest fountain1 or to take in seas and tides of fresh love immediately1 without vessels1 midses1 or messengers1 at the ,fountain itself1 as ye will do a few days hence1 when ye shall be so near as to be with ,christ 7,luke xxiii4 #dc2 ,john xvii4 #bd2 ,phil4 i4 #bc2 #a ,thess4 iv4 #ag74 ,ye would1 no doubt1 bestow a day's journey1 yea1 many days' journey on earth1 to go up to heaven1 and fetch down anything of ,christ2 how much more may ye be willing to make a journey to go in person to heaven 7it is not lost time1 but gained eternity7 to enjoy the full ,godhead6 ,and then1 in such a manner as ,he is there6 not in ,his week-day's apparel1 as ,he is here with us1 in a drop or the tenth part of a night's dewing of grace and sweetness2 but ,he is there in ,his marriage-robe of glory1 richer1 more costly1 more precious1 in one hem or button of that garment of ,fountain majesty than a million of worlds4 ,oh1 the well is deep6 ,ye shall then think that preachers1 and sinful ambassadors on earth1 did but spill and mar ,his praises1 when they spoke of ,him and preached ,his beauty4 ,alas6 we but make ,christ black and less lovely1 in making such insignificant1 and dry1 and cold1 and low expressions of ,his highest and transcendent super-excellency to the daughters of ,jerusalem4 ,sure ,i have often1 for my own part1 sinned in this thing4 ,no doubt angels do not fulfil their task1 according to their obligation1 in that ,christ keeps their feet from falling with the lost devils2 though ,i know they are not behind in going to the utmost of created power4 ,but there is sin in our praising1 and sin in the quantity1 besides other sins4 ,but ,i must leave this2 it is too deep for me4 ,go and see1 and we desire to go with you2 but we are not masters of our own diet4#deg ,if1 in that last journey1 ye tread on a serpent in the way1 and thereby wound your heel1 as ,jesus ,christ did before you1 the print of the wound shall not be known at the resurrection of the just4 ,death is but an awesome step1 over time and sin1 to sweet ,jesus ,christ1 who knew and felt the worst of death1 for death's teeth hurt ,him4 ,we know death hath no teeth now1 no jaws1 for they are broken4 ,it is a free prison2 citizens pay nothing for the grave4 ,the jailor who had the power of death is destroyed3 praise and glory be to the ,first-begotten of the dead4 #deg ,diet1 used for fixed time4 ,the worst possible that may be is1 that ye leave behind you children1 husband1 and the church of ,god in miseries4 ,but ye cannot get them to heaven with you for the present4 ,ye shall not miss them1 and ,christ cannot miscount one of the poorest of ,his lambs4 ,no lad1 no girl1 no poor one shall be a-missing1 ere#deh ye see them again1 in the day that the ,son shall render up the kingdom to ,his ,father4 #deh ,none shall be longer missed than just till the time when ye shall see them again4 ,the evening and the shadow of every poor hireling is coming4 ,the sun of ,christ's church in this life is declining low4 ,not a soul of the militant company will be here within a few generations2 our ,husband will send for them all4 ,it is a rich mercy that we are not married to time longer than the course be finished4 ,ye may rejoice that ye go not to heaven till ye know that ,jesus is there before you2 that when ye come thither1 at your first entry ye may feel the smell of ,his ointments1 ,his myrrh1 aloes1 and cassia4 ,and this first salutation of ,his will make you find it is no uncomfortable thing to die4 ,go and enjoy your gain2 live on ,christ's love while ye are here1 and all the way4 ,as for the church which ye leave behind you1 the government is upon ,christ's shoulders1 and ,he will plead for the blood of ,his saints4 ,the ,bush hath been burning above five thousand years1 and we never yet saw the ashes of this fire4 ,yet a little while1 and the vision shall not tarry3 it will speak1 and not lie4 ,i am more afraid of my duty1 than of the ,head ,christ's government4 ,he cannot fail to bring judgment to victory4 ,oh that we could wait for our hidden life6 ,oh that ,christ would remove the covering1 draw aside the curtain of time1 and rend the heavens1 and come down6 ,oh that shadows and night were gone1 that the day would break1 and that ,he who feedeth among the lilies would cry to ,his heavenly trumpeters1 ,make ready1 let us go down and fold together the four corners of the world1 and marry the bride6 ,his grace be with you4 ,now1 if ,i have found favour with you1 and if ye judge me faithful1 my last suit to you is that ye would leave me a legacy2 and that is1 that my name may be1 at the very last1 in your prayers3 as ,i desire also1 it may be in the prayers of those of your ,christian acquaintance with whom ye have been intimate4 ,your brother1 in his own ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,london1 ,jan4 #i1 #afdf4 ,,cccxviii4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,christ ,,never ,,in ,,our ,,debt--,,riches ,,of ,,christ--,,excellence ,,of ,,the ,,heavenly ,,state47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,it is the least of the princely and royal bounty of ,jesus ,christ to pay a king's debts1 and not to have ,his servants at a loss4 ,his gold is better than yours1 and ,his hundred-fold is the income and rent of heaven1 and far above your revenues4 ,ye are not the first who have casten up your accounts that way4 ,better have ,christ your factor than any other2 for ,he tradeth to the advantage of ,his poor servants4 ,but if the hundred-fold in this life be so well told 7as ,christ cannot pay you with miscounting or deferred hope71 oh1 what must the rent of that land be which rendereth 7every day and hour of the years of long eternity7 the whole rent of a year1 yea1 of more than thousand thousands of ages1 even the weighty income of a rich kingdom1 not every summer once1 but every moment6 ,that sum of glory will take you and all the angels telling4#dei ,to be a tenant to such a ,landlord1 where every berry and grape of the large field beareth no worse fruit than glory1 fulness of joy1 and pleasures that endure for evermore6 ,i leave it to yourself to think what a summer1 what a soil1 what a garden must be there2 and what must be the commodities of that highest land1 where the sun and the moon are under the feet of the inhabitants6 ,surely the land cannot be bought with gold1 blood1 banishment1 loss of father and mother1 husband1 wife1 children4 ,we but dwell here because we can do no better4 ,it is need1 not virtue1 to be sojourners in a prison2 to weep and sigh1 and1 alas6 to sin sixty or seventy years in a land of tears4 ,the fruits that grow here are all seasoned and salted with sin4 #dei ,will require all your power1 and that of angels too1 to unfold4 ,oh how sweet is it that the company of the first-born should be divided into two great bodies of an army1 and some in their country1 and some in the way to their country6 ,if it were no more than once to see the face of the ,prince of this good land1 and to be feasted for eternity with the fatness1 sweetness1 dainties of the rays and beams of matchless glory1 and incomparable fountain-love1 it were a well-spent journey to creep hands and feet through seven deaths and seven hells1 to enjoy ,him up at the well-head4 ,only let us not weary3 the miles to that land are fewer and shorter than when we first believed4 ,strangers are not wise to quarrel with their host1 and complain of their lodging4 ,it is a foul way1 but a fair home4 ,oh that ,i had but such grapes and clusters out of the land as ,i have sometimes seen and tasted in the place whereof your ,ladyship maketh mention6 ,but the hope of it in the end is a heartsome convoy in the way4 ,if ,i see little more of the gold#dfj till the race be ended1 ,i dare not quarrel4 ,it is the ,lord6 ,i hope ,his chariot will go through these three kingdoms1 after our sufferings shall be accomplished4 #dfj ,in a sermon preached at ,kircudbright1 in #afcd1 on ,heb4 xii4 #a-c1 he says1 ,this condemns those who will not run one foot in the race except the gold be in their hand4 ,grace be with you4 ,your ,ladyship's1 in ,jesus ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,london1 ,jan4 #bf1 #afdf4 ,,cccxix4--,to ,mr4 ,j4 ,g4#dfa #dfa ,perhaps ,mr4 ,james ,guthrie1 minister of ,stirling2 afterwards beheaded in #affa1 at the ,cross of ,edinburgh1 and his head fixed on the ,nether ,bow4 7,,prospects ,,for ,,scotland--,,his ,,own ,,darkness--,,ability ,,of ,,christ47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i shall with my soul desire the peace of these kingdoms1 and ,i do believe it will at last come1 as a river and as the mighty waves of the sea2 but oh that we were ripe and in readiness to receive it6 ,the preserving of two or three1 or four or five berries1 in the utmost boughs of the olive-tree1 after the vintage1 is like to be a great matter ere all be done2 yet ,i know that a cluster in both kingdoms shall be saved1 for a blessing is in it4 ,but it is not1 ,i fear1 so near to the dawning of the day of salvation but the clouds must send down more showers of blood to water the vineyard of the ,lord1 and to cause it to blossom4 ,scotland's scum is not yet removed2 nor is ,england's dross and tin taken away2 nor the filth of our blood purged by the spirit of judgment1 and the spirit of burning4 ,but ,i am too much on this sad subject4 ,as for myself1 ,i do esteem nothing out of heaven1 and next to a communion with ,jesus ,christ1 more than to be in the hearts and prayers of the saints4 ,i know that ,he feedeth there among the lilies1 till the day break2 but ,i am at low ebb1 as to any sensible communion with ,christ2 yea1 as low as any soul can be1 and do scarce know where ,i am2 and do now make it a question1 if any can go to ,him1 who dwelleth in light inaccessible1 through nothing but darkness4 ,sure1 all that come to heaven have a stock in ,christ2 but ,i know not where mine is4 ,it cannot be enough for me to believe the salvation of others1 and to know ,christ to be the ,honeycomb1 the ,rose of ,sharon1 the ,paradise and ,eden of the saints1 and ,first-born written in heaven1 and not to see afar the borders of that good land4 ,but what shall ,i say8 ,either this is the ,lord1 making grace a new creation1 where there is pure nothing and sinful nothing to work upon1 or ,i am gone4 ,i should count my soul engaged to yourself1 and others there with you1 if ye would but carry to ,christ for me a letter of cyphers and nonsense 7for ,i know not how to make language of my condition71 only showing that ,i have need of ,his love2 for ,i know many fair and washen ones stand now in white before the throne1 who were once as black as ,i am4 ,if ,christ pass ,his word to wash a sinner1 it is less to ,him than a word to make fair angels of black devils6 ,only let the art of free grace be engaged4 ,i have not a cautioner to give surety1 nor doth a ,mediator1 such as ,he is in all perfection1 need a mediator4 ,but what ,i need1 ,he knoweth2 only1 it is ,his depth of wisdom to let some pass millions of miles over score in debt1 that they may stand between the winning and the losing1 in need of more than ordinary free grace4 ,christ hath been multiplying grace by mercy above these five thousand years2 and the later born heirs have so much greater guiltiness1 that ,christ hath passed more experiments and multiplied essays of heart-love on others1 by misbelieving 7after it is past all question1 many hundreds of ages71 that ,christ is the undeniable and now uncontroverted treasurer of multiplied redemptions4 ,so now ,he is saying1 ,the more of the disease there is1 the more of the physician's art of grace and tenderness there must be4 ,only1 ,i know that no sinner can put infinite grace to it1#dfb so as the ,mediator shall have difficulty1 or much ado1 to save this or that man4 ,millions of hells of sinners cannot come near to exhaust infinite grace4 #dfb ,to put one to it1 is a phrase equivalent to1 ,cause him to be at a loss how to act4 ,i pray you 7remembering my love to your wife1 and friends there71 let me find that ,i have solicitors there amongst your acquaintance2 and forget not ,scotland4 ,your brother in ,jesus ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,london1 ,jan4 #cj1 #afdf4 ,,cccxx4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,trials ,,cannot ,,injure ,,saints--,,blessedness ,,in ,,seeing ,,christ47 ,,madam1--,it is too like that the ,lord's controversy with these two nations is but yet beginning1 and that we are ripened and white for the ,lord's sickle4 ,for the particular condition your ,ladyship is in1 another might speak 7if they would say all7 of more sad things4 ,if there was not a fountain of free grace to water dry ground1 and an uncreated wind to breathe on withered and dry bones1 we were gone4 ,the wheels of ,christ's chariot 7to pluck us out of the womb of many deaths7 are winged like eagles4 ,all ,i have is1 to desire to believe that ,christ will show all good-will to save2 and as for your ,ladyship1 ,i know that our ,lord ,jesus carrieth on no design against you1 but seeketh to save and redeem you4 ,he lieth not in wait for your falls1 except it be to take you up4 ,his way of redeeming is ravishing and taking4 ,there are more miracles of glorified sinners in heaven than can be on earth4 ,nothing of you1 ,madam1 nay1 not even your leaf1 can wither4 ,verily1 it is a king's life to follow the ,lamb4 ,but when ye see ,him in ,his own country at home1 ye will think ye never saw ,him before3 ,he shall be admired of all them that believe 7#b ,thess4 i4 #aj74 ,ye may judge how far all your now sad days1 and tossings1 changes1 losses1 wants1 conflicts1 shall then be below you4 ,ye look to the cross3 now it is above your head1 and seemeth to threaten death1 as having a dominion2 but it shall then be so far below your thoughts1 or your thoughts so far above it1 that ye shall have no leisure to lend one thought to old-dated crosses1 in youth1 in age1 in this country or in that1 from this instrument or from another1 except it be to the heightening of your consolation1 being now got above and beyond all these4 ,old age1 and waxing old as a garment1 is written on the fairest face of the creation 7,ps4 cii4 #bf74 ,death1 from ,adam to the ,second ,adam's appearance1 playeth the king and reigneth over all4 ,the prime ,heir died2 ,his children1 whom the ,lord hath given1 follow ,him4 ,and we may speak freely of the life which is here2 were it heaven1 there were not much gain in godliness4 ,but there is a rest for the people of ,god4 ,christ-man possesseth it now one thousand six hundred years before many of ,his members2 but it weareth not out4 ,grace be with you4 ,your ,ladyship's1 in ,christ ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,london1 ,feb4 #af1 #afdf4 ,,cccxxi4--,to the ,,lady ,,ardross1 in ,fife4 ,there is an ,ardross near ,ferintosh in ,ross-shire4 ,,lady ,,ardross1 whose maiden name was ,helen ,lindsay1 was the daughter of ,lady ,christian ,hamilton1 eldest daughter of ,thomas1 first ,earl of ,haddington1 by her first husband ,robert1 ninth ,lord ,lindsay of ,byres4 ,she was married to ,sir ,william ,scott of ,ardross1 son of ,sir ,w4 ,scott of ,elie4 ,her daughter1 ,euphemia1 ,countess of ,dundonald1 some thirty years after this1 attended the field conventicles1 and entertained the field preachers at her house4 7,douglas' ,peerage1 vol4 i4 p4 #chf47 ,this letter was written to her on the occasion of the death of her mother1 who was then ,lady ,boyd1 having married for her second husband1 ,robert1 sixth ,lord ,boyd4 7,see notice of ,lady ,boyd1 ,letter ,,lxxvii47 7,,on ,,her ,,mother',s ,,death--,,happiness ,,of ,,heaven1 ,,and ,,blessedness ,,of ,,dying ,,in ,,the ,,lord47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,it hath seemed good1 as ,i hear1 to ,him that hath appointed the bounds for the number of our months1 to gather in a sheaf of ripe corn1 in the death of your ,christian mother1 into ,his garner4 ,it is the more evident that winter is near1 when apples1 without the violence of wind1 fall of their own accord off the tree4 ,she is now above the winter1 with a little change of place1 not of a ,saviour2 only she enjoyeth ,him now without messages1 and in ,his own immediate presence1 from whom she heard by letters and messengers before4 ,i grant that death is to her a very new thing2 but heaven was prepared of old4 ,and ,christ 7as enjoyed in ,his highest throne1 and as loaded with glory1 and incomparably exalted above men and angels1 having such a heavenly circle of glorified harpers and musicians above1 compassing the throne with a song7 is to her a new thing1 but so new as the first summer-rose1 or the first fruits of that heavenly field2 or as a new paradise to a traveller1 broken and worn out of breath with the sad occurrences of a long and dirty way4 ,ye may easily judge1 ,madam1 what a large recompense is made to all her service1 her walking with ,god1 and her sorrows1 with the first cast of the soul's eye upon the shining and admirably beautiful face of the ,lamb1 that is in the midst of that fair and white army which is there1 and with the first draught and taste of the fountain of life1 fresh and new at the well-head2 to say nothing of the enjoying of that face without date1 for more than this term of life which we now enjoy4 ,and it cost her no more to go thither1 than to suffer death to do her this piece of service3 for by ,him who was dead1 and is alive1 she was delivered from the second death4 ,what1 then1 is the first death to the second8 ,not a scratch of the skin of a finger to the endless second death4 ,and now she sitteth for eternity mail-free1 in a very considerable land1 which hath more than four summers in the year4 ,oh1 what spring-time is there6 ,even the smelling of the odours of that great and eternally blooming ,rose of ,sharon for ever and ever6 ,what a singing life is there6 ,there is not a dumb bird in all that large field2 but all sing and breathe out heaven1 joy1 glory1 dominion to the high ,prince of that new-found land4 ,and1 verily1 the land is the sweeter that ,jesus ,christ paid so dear a rent for it4 ,and ,he is the glory of the land3 all which1 ,i hope1 doth not so much mitigate and allay your grief for her part 7though truly this should seem sufficient71 as the unerring expectation of the dawning of that day upon yourself1 and the hope you have of the fruition of that same ,king and kingdom to your own soul4 ,certainly the hope of it1 when things look so dark-like on both kingdoms1 must be an exceedingly great quickening to languishing spirits1 who are far from home while we are here4 ,what misery1 to have both a bad way all the day1 and no hope of lodging at night6 ,but ,he hath taken up your lodging for you4 ,i can say no more now2 but ,i pray that the very ,god of peace may establish your heart to the end4 ,i rest1 ,madam1 ,your ,ladyship's1 at all respective obedience in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,london1 ,feb4 #bd1 #afdf4 ,,cccxxii4--,to ,m4 ,o4 ,perhaps1 as ,letter ,,cxlix41 some one of ,provost ,osburn's family in ,ireland4 7,,gloomy ,,prospects ,,for ,,the ,,backsliding ,,church--,,the ,,misunderstandings ,,of ,,believers ,,cause ,,of ,,great ,,grief--,,the ,,day ,,of ,,christ47 ,,sir1--,i can write nothing for the present concerning these times 7whatever others may think71 but that which speaketh wrath and judgment to these kingdoms4 ,if ever ye1 or any of that land1 received the ,gospel in truth 7as ,i am confident ye and they did71 there is here a great departure from that faith1 and our sufferings are not yet at an end4 ,however1 ,i dare testify and die for it1 that once ,christ was revealed in the power of ,his excellency and glory to the saints there1 and in ,scotland1 of which ,i was a witness4 ,i pray ,god that none deceive you1 or take the crown from you4 ,hell1 or the gates of hell1 cannot ravel1 mar1 nor undo what ,christ hath once done amongst you4 ,it may be that ,i am incapable of new light1 and cannot receive that spirit whereof some vainly boast2 but that which was from the beginning1 which we have heard1 which we have seen with our eyes1 which we have looked upon1 and our hands have handled 7#a ,john i4 #a71 even the word of life1 hath been declared to you4 ,thousands of thousands1 walking in that light and that good old way1 have gone to heaven1 and are now before the throne4 ,truth is but one1 and hath no numbers4 ,christ and ,antichrist are both now in the camp1 and are come to open blows4 ,christ's poor ship saileth in the sea of blood2 the passengers are so sea-sick of a high fever1 that they miscall one another4 ,christ1 ,i hope1 will bring the broken bark to land4 ,i had rather swim for life and death on an old plank1 or a broken board1 to land with ,christ1 than enjoy the rotten peace we have hitherto had4 ,it is like that the ,lord will take a severe course with us1 to cause the children of the family to agree together4 ,i conceive that ,christ hath a great design of free grace to these lands2 but ,his wheels must move over mountains and rocks4 ,he never yet wooed a bride on earth1 but in blood1 in fire1 and in the wilderness4 ,a cross of our own choosing1 honeyed and sugared with consolations1 we cannot have4 ,i think not much of a cross when all the children of the house weep with me and for me2 and to suffer when we enjoy the communion of the saints is not much2 but it is hard when saints rejoice in the suffering of saints1 and redeemed ones hurt 7yea1 even go nigh to hate7 redeemed ones4 ,i confess ,i imagined there had no more been such an affliction on earth1 or in the world1 as that one elect angel should fight against another2 but1 for contempt of the communion of saints1 we have need of new-born crosses1 scarce ever heard of before4 ,the saints are not ,christ3 there is no misjudging in ,him2 there is much in us2 and a doubt it is1 if we shall have fully one heart till we shall enjoy one heaven4 ,our star-light hideth us from ourselves1 and hideth us from one another1 and ,christ from us all4 ,but ,he will not be hidden from us4 ,i shall wish that all the sons of our ,father in that land were of one mind1 and that they be not shaken nor moved from the truth once received4 ,christ was in that ,gospel1 and ,christ is the same now that ,he was in ,the ,prelates' time4 ,that ,gospel cannot sink2 it will make you free1 and bear you out4 ,christ1 the subject of it1 is the chosen of ,god2 and cometh from ,bozrah1 with garments dyed in blood4 ,ireland and ,scotland both must be ,his field1 in which ,he shall feed and gather lilies4 ,suppose 7which yet is impossible7 that some had an eternity of ,christ in ,ireland1 and a sweet summer of the ,gospel1 and a feast of fat things for evermore in ,ireland1 and that one should never come to heaven1 it should be a desirable life6 ,the ,king's spikenard1 ,christ's perfume1 ,his apples of love1 ,his ointments1 even down in this lower house of clay1 are a choice heaven4 ,oh6 what then is the ,king in ,his own land1 where there is such a throne1 so many ,king's palaces1 ten thousand thousands of crowns of glory that want heads yet to fill them8 ,oh1 so much leisure as shall be there to sing6 ,oh1 such a tree as groweth there in the midst of that ,paradise1 where the inhabitants sing eternally under its branches6 ,to look in at a window1 and see the branches burdened with the apples of life1 to be the last man that shall come in thither1 were too much for me4 ,i pray you to remember me to the ,christians there2 and remember our private covenant4 ,grace be with you4 ,your friend in the ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,london1 ,april #ag1 #afdf4 ,,cccxxiii4--,to ,,earlston1 ,elder4 7,,christ',s ,,way ,,of ,,afflicting ,,the ,,best--,,obligation ,,to ,,free ,,grace--,,enduring ,,the ,,cross47 ,,sir1--,i know that ye have learned long ago1 ere ,i knew anything of ,christ1 that if we had the cross at our own election1 we would either have law-surety for freedom from it1 or then we would have it honeyed and sugared with comforts1 so as the sweet should overmaster the gall and wormwood4 ,christ knoweth how to breed the sons of ,his house1 and ye will give ,him leave to take ,his own way of dispensation with you2 and1 though it be rough1 forgive ,him4 ,he defieth you to have as much patience to ,him as ,he hath borne to you4 ,i am sure that there cannot be a dram-weight of gall less in your cup2 and ye would not desire ,he should both afflict you and hurt your soul4 ,when ,his people cannot have a providence of silk and roses1 they must be content with such an one as ,he carveth for them4 ,ye would not go to heaven but with company2 and ye may perceive that the way of those who went before you was through blood1 sufferings1 and many afflictions4 ,nay1 ,christ1 the ,captain1 went in over the door-threshold of ,paradise bleeding to death4 ,i do not think but ye have learned to stoop 7though ye1 as others1 be naturally stiff71 and that ye have found that the apples and sweet fruits1 which grow on that crabbed tree of the cross1 are as sweet as it is sour to bear it2 especially considering that ,christ hath borne the whole complete cross1 and that ,his saints bear but bits and chips2 as the ,apostle saith1 the remnants1 or leavings1 of the cross 7,col4 i4 #bd74 ,i judge you ten thousand times happy1 that ever ye were grace's debtor2 for certainly ,christ hath engaged you over head and ears to free grace4 ,and take the debt with you to eternity1 ,immanuel's highest land1 where ye find before you a houseful of ,christ's everlasting debtors2 the less shame to you4 ,yea1 and this lower kingdom of grace is but ,christ's hospital1 and guest-house of sick folks1 whom the brave and noble ,physician1 ,christ1 hath cured1 upon a venture of life and death4 ,and1 if ye be near the water-side 7as ,i know ye are71 all that ,i can say is this1 ,sir1 that ,i feel by the smell of that land which is before you1 that it is a goodly country1 and it is well paid for to your hand4 ,and ,he is before you who will heartily welcome you4 ,oh1 to suck those breasts of full consolation above1 and to drink ,christ's new wine up in ,his ,father's house1 is some greater matter than is believed2 since it was brewed from eternity for the ,head of the house1 and so many thousand crowned kings4 ,rubs in the way1 where the lodging is so good1 are not much4 ,he that brought again from the dead the ,great ,shepherd of the sheep1 by the blood of the eternal covenant1 establish you to the end4 ,your friend and servant in ,christ ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,london1 ,may #ae1 #afdf4 ,,cccxxiv4--,to his ,reverend and worthy ,brother1 ,,mr4 ,,george ,,gillespie4#dfc #dfc ,gillespie was lying on his deathbed when this letter was written to him by ,rutherford1 who had heard of the dangerous illness of his friend4 ,he died on the #agth of ,december following4 7,,prospect ,,of ,,death--,,christ ,,the ,,true ,,support ,,in ,,death47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i cannot speak to you4 ,the way ye know2 the passage is free and not stopped2 the print of the footsteps of the ,forerunner is clear and manifest2 many have gone before you4 ,ye will not sleep long in the dust1 before ,the ,daybreak4 ,it is a far shorter piece of the hinder-end of the night to you than to ,abraham and ,moses4 ,beside all the time of their bodies resting under corruption1 it is as long yet to their day as to your morning-light of awaking to glory1 though their spirits1 having the advantage of yours1 have had now the fore-start of the shore before you4 ,i dare say nothing against ,his dispensation4 ,i hope to follow quickly4 ,the heirs that are not there before you are posting with haste after you1 and none shall take your lodging over your head4 ,be not heavy4 ,the life of faith is now called for2 doing was never reckoned in your accounts1 though ,christ in and by you hath done more than by twenty1 yea1 an hundred grey-haired and godly pastors4 ,believing now is your last4#dfd ,look to that word1 ,nevertheless ,i live1 yet not ,i1 but ,christ liveth in me 7,gal4 ii4 #bj74 ,ye know the ,i that liveth1 and the ,i that liveth not2 it is not single ,ye that live4 ,christ by law liveth in the broken debtor2 it is not a life by doing or holy walking1 but the living of ,christ in you4 ,if ye look to yourself as divided from ,christ1 ye must be more than heavy4 ,all your wants1 dear brother1 be upon ,him3 ye are ,his debtors2 grace must sum and subscribe your accounts as paid4 ,stand not upon items1 and small or little sanctification4 ,ye know that inherent holiness must stand by1 when imputed is all4 ,i fear the clay house is a-taking down and undermining3 but it is nigh the dawning4 ,look to the east1 the dawning of the glory is near4 ,your ,guide is good company1 and knoweth all the miles1 and the ups and downs in the way4 ,the nearer the morning1 the darker4 ,some travellers see the city twenty miles off1 and at a distance2 and yet within the eighth part of a mile they cannot see it4 ,it is all keeping that ye would now have1 till ye need it2 and if sense and fruition come both at once1 it is not your loss4 ,let ,christ tutor you as ,he thinketh good2 ye cannot be marred1 nor miscarry1 in ,his hand4 ,want is an excellent qualification2 and no money1 no price1 to you 7who1 ,i know1 dare not glory in your own righteousness7 is fitness warrantable enough to cast yourself upon ,him who justifieth the ungodly4 ,some see the gold#dfe once1 and never again till the race's end4 ,it is coming all in a sum together1 when ye are in a more gracious capacity to tell it than now4 ,ye are not come to the mount that burneth with fire1 or unto blackness1 darkness1 and tempest2 but ye are come to ,mount ,zion1 unto the city of the living ,god1 the heavenly ,jerusalem1 and to an innumerable company of angels1 to the general assembly and church of the first-born which are written in heaven1 and to ,god the ,judge of all1 and to the spirits of just men made perfect1 and to ,jesus the ,mediator of the ,new ,covenant1 and to the blood of sprinkling1 etc4 #dfd ,your believing now is your last believing2 closing the whole course4 #dfe ,see ,letter ,,cccxviii4 ,ye must leave the wife to a more choice ,husband1 and the children to a better ,father4 ,if ye leave any testimony to the ,lord's work and ,covenant1 against both ,malignants and ,sectaries 7which ,i suppose may be needful71 let it be under your hand1 and subscribed before faithful witnesses4#dff #dff ,in this matter ,gillespie complied with ,rutherford's advice1 having left behind him a testimony against both ,malignants and ,sectaries1 subscribed by his own hand1 on the #aeth of ,december1 only two days before he died4 ,your loving and afflicted brother1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,sept4 #bg1 #afdh4 ,,cccxxv4--,to ,,sir ,,james ,,stewart1 ,lord ,provost of ,edinburgh4#dfg #dfg ,as an accurate facsimile of this letter from the original1 among the papers of the ,town ,council of ,edinburgh1 is inserted here1 it has been thought proper1 in this instance1 to retain ,rutherford's orthography4 ,,sir ,,james ,,stewart of ,kirkfield and ,cultness1 to whom this letter is addressed1 was a man of high ,christian excellence4 ,sir ,james ,stewart1 said the celebrated ,george ,gillespie1 has more sterling religion in ready cash than any man ever ,i knew2 he is always agreeably composed and recollected1 in a permanent devout frame of spirit1 and such as ,i should wish to have in my last moments 7,coltness ,collections1 p4 #ae74 ,he was a zealous ,covenanter1 and suffered considerably for his principles during the persecution of ,charles ,,ii4 ,he died ,march #ca1 #afha1 at his own house at ,edinburgh1 in the seventy-third year of his age1 in the full assurance of faith4 ,rutherford wrote this letter on occasion of his own election to be ,professor of ,divinity in the ,college of ,edinburgh4 ,richt honorablee ,,the mater of my transportation is so poor a contraversie1 ,i truely not beeing desyrous to be the subject of any dine#dfh in the ,generall ,assemblie of the ,kirk of ,scotland whoe have greater bussines to doe1 and haveing suffered once the paine of transportation1 moist humbly intreat your w4 worships that favour as to cast yor thoughts vpon some fitter man2 for as it is vnbeseemeing me to lie or dissemblee1 so ,i must friely show you it will but mak me the subject of suffereing and passive obedience1 and ,i trust your w4 worships intend not that hurt to me1 and ,i am persuaded it is not yor mind1 it shall be my prayer to ,god1 to send that worthie societie an hable#dfi and pious man4 ,grace be with you4 #dfh ,din1 noise4 ,the superfluous e1 at the end of several of these words1 may possibly have been a dash in the writing4 ,dine1 for din2 whoe1 for who2 humblee1 for humble4 ,compare honorable1 on the address of the letter with the same word in the commencement4 7,a kind friend1 reading this letter carefully over1 maintains that dine1 or din1 is not the word in the autograph1 but that it is drane1 which would mean that he did not wish to be a drain on the time of the ,assembly1 who had greater business to attend to than this personal affair of his4 ,but1 so far as we are aware1 that phrase1 to be a drain1 never occurs elsewhere in ,rutherford's writings4 ,what if the writer1 in the agitation of the moment1 allowed his pen to write drane1 though he meant it to be dine87 #dfi ,from ,french1 habile1 in which we see the etymology of able4 ,yours at all humblee observance in the ,lord ,,samuel ,,rutherfurd for the richt honorable my varie good lord1 ,sr ,james ,steuart proveist of ,edinbrugh and remanent magistrats ,counsellers of the ,citie4 ,s ,andrews the ,last of ,junii #afdi ,,cccxxvi4--,to ,,mistress ,,gillespie1 ,widow of ,george ,gillespie4 7,,on ,,the ,,death ,,of ,a ,,child--,,god ,,afflicts ,,in ,,order ,,to ,,save ,,us ,,from ,,the ,,world47 ,,dear ,,sister1--,i have heard how the ,lord hath visited you1 in removing the child ,archibald4 ,i hope ye see that the setting down of the weight of your confidence and affection upon any created thing1 whether husband or child1 is a deceiving thing2 and that the creature is not able to bear the weight1 but sinketh down to very nothing under your confidence4 ,and1 therefore1 ye are ,christ's debtor for all providences of this kind1 even in that ,he buildeth an hedge of thorns in your way3 for so ye see that ,his gracious intention is1 to save you 7if ,i may say so7 whether ye will or not4 ,it is a rich mercy that the ,lord ,christ will be ,master of your will and of your delights1 and that ,his way is so fair1 for landing of husband and children before-hand in the country whitherto ye are journeying4 ,no matter how little ye be engaged to the world1 since ye have such experience of cross-dealing in it4 ,had ye been a child of the house1 the world would have dealt more warmly with its own4 ,there is less of you out of heaven1 in that the child is there and the husband is there2 but much more that your ,head1 ,kinsman1 and ,redeemer doth fetch home such as are in danger to be lost4 ,and from this time forward1 fetch not your comforts from such broken cisterns and dry wells4 ,if the ,lord pull at the rest1 ye must not be the creature that will hold when ,he draweth4 ,truly1 to me your case is more comfortable than if the fireside were well plenished with ten children4 ,the ,lord saw that ye were able1 by ,his grace1 to bear the loss of husband and child2 and that ye are that weak and tender as not to be able to stand under the mercy of a gracious husband1 living and flourishing in esteem with authority1 and in reputation for godliness and learning4 ,for ,he knoweth the weight of these mercies would crush you and break you4 ,and as there is no searching out of ,his understanding1 so ,he hath skill to know what providence will make ,christ dearest to you2 and let not your heart say1 ,it is an ill-waled dispensation4 ,sure ,christ1 who hath seven eyes1 had before ,him the good of a living husband and children for ,margaret ,murray1 and the good of a removed husband and children translated to glory4 ,now that ,he hath opened ,his decree to you1 say1 ,christ hath made for me a wise and gracious choice1 and ,i have not one word to say to the contrary4 ,let not your heart charge anything1 nor unbelief libel injuries upon ,christ because ,he will not let you alone1 nor give you leave to play the adulteress with such as have not that right to your love that ,christ hath4 ,i should wish that1 at the reading of this1 ye may fall down and make a surrender of those that are gone1 and of those that are yet alive1 to ,him4 ,and for you1 let ,him have all2 and wait for ,himself1 for ,he will come1 and will not tarry4 ,live by faith1 and the peace of ,god guard your heart4 ,he cannot die whose ye are4 ,my wife suffereth with you1#dgj and remembereth her love to you4 ,your brother in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,aug4 #ad1 #afdi4 #dgj ,rutherford was married a second time on #bdth ,march #afdi1 about five months previous to the date of this ,letter1 to ,jean ,m',math4 ,,cccxxvii4--,to the ,,earl ,,of ,,balcarras4 ,,alexander ,,lindsay1 second ,lord ,balcarras1 and first ,earl of ,balcarras1 to whom this letter is addressed1 was a man of superior talents1 and espoused the cause of the ,covenant4 ,he commanded a troop of horse in the ,covenanters' army at the battle of ,alford1 #bnd ,july #afde1 when ,general ,baillie was defeated by ,montrose4 ,he was one of the ,commissioners despatched by the ,parliament of ,scotland1 #aith ,december #afdf1 to ,king ,charles ,i41 with their last proposals1 which his ,majesty rejected2 upon which the ,scottish army surrendered him to the ,english ,parliament1 and retired from ,england4 ,when1 in #afdh1 troops were raised with the design of rescuing the ,king from the ,english ,parliament1 and restoring him to liberty and power1 without requiring from him any concessions to his subjects1 which was called ,the ,engagement1 ,balcarras took an active part in this enterprise1 for which ,rutherford1 by the way1 tenders to him a reproof4 ,on the arrival of ,charles ,,ii4 in ,scotland1 #afej1 he repaired to his ,majesty1 by whom he was advanced to the dignity of ,earl of ,balcarras4 ,he was ,high ,commissioner to the ,general ,assembly of the ,church of ,scotland which met at ,st4 ,andrews1 #afth ,july #afea4 ,in #afeb he settled with his family at ,st4 ,andrews1 keeping up a correspondence with his exiled sovereign2 and in #afec again took arms1 and joined in an ineffectual attempt to uphold the ,royal cause against ,cromwell4 ,his estate1 after this1 being sequestrated1 he withdrew to the ,continent4 ,his ,lordship did not live to see the ,restoration of ,charles1 having died of consumption in the prime of life1 at ,breda1 on the #cjth of ,august #afei4 ,his mortal remains were brought over to ,scotland1 and interred at ,balcarras4 7,douglas' ,peerage of ,scotland47 ,this letter is given from the original1 among the ,balcarras ,papers1 vol4 ix41 ,no4 #ace1 ,advocates' ,library1 ,edinburgh4 ,balcarras ,house is three miles from ,largo4 ,a tower on the crag above it marks it out from a distance4 ,the old mansion has been nearly superseded1 but you see carved on the walls the old motto1 ,astra1 castra1 lumen1 ,numen4 ,in old books it is written ,balcarrs4 7,,regarding ,,some ,,misunderstanding47 ,,my ,,very ,,honourable ,,lord1--,i am sorry that your ,lordship should be offended at any sinistrous misinformation concerning your supposed discountenancing of ministers4 ,for the general ,i can say nothing1 being utterly ignorant thereof4 ,i hope your ,lordship will make the best use of it may be4 ,for myself1 ,i owe no thanks to any that have named me as the object of any discountenancing2 for1 truly1 ,i value not any of these when1 as the conscience of my innocence showeth me 7and1 for aught known to me1 truly7 that ,i offended no nobleman in the kingdom1 far less my ,lord ,balcarras1 whose public deservings have been such as ,i esteem him to have been most instrumental in this work of ,god4 ,i hope1 my ,lord1 you will pardon me to make a little exception in the matter of the late sinful engagement4 ,and therefore1 my ,lord1 ,i entreat you to forget that business2 for since your ,lordship said of me1 in your letter to ,mr4 ,david ,forret1#dga more than ,i deserve1 ,i shall be satisfied with it as an expiation1 more than any discountenancing of me can amount unto by millions of degrees4 ,and therefore entreat your ,lordship to accept of this for anything that any could say to your ,lordship of that business4 ,if ,i had thought so much of myself as the discountenancing of me had been a sinful neglect 7whereas ,i know there is little ground for the contrary71 ,i should have spoken to your ,lordship myself4 ,so trusting your ,lordship will rest satisfied1 ,i am1 your ,lordship's1 at power in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,dec4 #bd1 #afdi4 #dga ,mr4 ,david ,forret1 or ,forrest1 was minister of ,kilconquhar4 ,he had formerly been minister of ,deninno1 where he appears in #afci4 ,he was translated thence to ,forgan in #afdj2 and to ,kilconquhar1 ,may #bg1 #afdf4 ,he refused to conform to ,prelacy in #affb1 but was not ejected1 and died ,february #bf1 #afgb4 ,,cccxxviii4--,to the worthy and much honoured ,,colonel ,,gilbert ,,ker4 ,,colonel ,,gilbert ,,ker was a leading man among the ,covenanters4 ,he was one of the officers of the west country army1 and adhered with great zeal to the ,western ,remonstrance1 sent by that army to the ,committee of ,estates1 which1 among other things1 condemned the treaty with the ,king1 accused many of the ,committee of ,estates of covetousness and oppression1 and opposed the invasion of ,england1 or forcing a king upon that kingdom4 ,in the year #afee he was named ,justice of ,peace for ,roxburghshire1 but declined to accept2 stating as his reasons1 that he considered the employment sinful1 not allowed by the word of ,god1 contrary to the ,solemn ,league and ,covenant1 and an encroachment on the liberty of ,christ's church4 ,at the restoration of ,charles ,,ii41 when those concerned in the ,western ,remonstrance were particularly marked out for the vengenance of the ,government1 he left the country1 but was allowed by the ,privy ,council to return in the beginning of the year #afga4 ,he must have died previous to ,october #e1 #afgg2 for at that date ,mr4 ,james ,row1 merchant in ,edinburgh1 his son-in-law1 presents a petition to the ,privy ,council1 praying that he might obtain the remission of a fine of five hundred merks1 imposed on the deceased ,colonel ,gilbert ,ker upon account of a conventicle1 and for the payment of which the petitioner had become cautioner4 ,this fine was remitted4 7,register of ,acts of ,privy ,council47 7,,singleness ,,of ,,aim--,,judgment ,,in ,,regard ,,to ,,adversaries47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,truly ,,worthy1--,i hope ,i shall not need to show you that ye are in greater hazard from yourself1 and your own spirit 7which should be watched over1 that your actings for ,god may be clean1 spiritual1 purely for ,god1 for the ,prince of the kings of the earth71 than ye can be in danger from your enemies4 ,oh how hard is it to get the intentions so cut off from and raised above the creature1 as to be without mixture of creature and carnal interest1 and to have the soul1 in heavenly actings1 only1 only eyeing ,himself1 and acting from love to ,god1 revealed to us in ,jesus ,christ6 ,ye will find yourself1 your delights1 your solid glory 7far above the air and breathings of mouths1 and the thin1 short1 poor applauses of men71 before you in ,god4 ,all the creatures1 all the swords1 all the hosts in ,britain1 and in this poor globe of the habitable world1 are but under ,him single cyphers making no number2 the product being nothing but painted men1 and painted swords in a brod1 without influence from ,him4 ,and oh what of ,god is in ,gideon's sword1 when it is ,the sword of the ,lord6 ,i wish a sword from heaven to you1 and orders from heaven to you to go out2 and as much peremptoriness of a heavenly will as to say1 and abide by it1 ,i will not1 ,i shall not go out1 unless ,thou goest with me4 ,i desire not to be rash in judging2 but ,i am a stranger to the mind of ,christ1 if our adversaries1 who have unjustly invaded us1 be not now in the camp of those that make war with the ,lamb4 ,but the ,lamb shall overcome them at length2 for ,he is the ,lord of lords1 and ,king of kings1 and they who are with ,him are called1 and chosen1 and faithful4 ,and though ye and ,i see but the dark side of ,god's dispensations this day towards ,britain1 yet the fair1 beautiful1 and desirable close of it must be the confederacy of the nations of the world with ,britain's ,lord of armies4 ,and let me die in the comforts of the faith of this1 that a throne shall be set up for ,christ in this island of ,britain 7which is1 and shall be1 a garden more fruitful of trees of righteousness1 and which payeth and shall pay more thousands to the ,lord of the vineyard than is paid in thrice the bounds of ,great ,britain upon earth71 and there can be neither ,papist1 ,prelate1 ,malignant1 nor ,sectary1 who dare draw a sword against ,him that sitteth upon the throne4 ,sir1 ,i shall wish a clean#dgb army1 so far as may be1 that the shout of a ,king who hath many crowns may be among you2 and that ye may fight in faith1 and prevail with ,god first4 ,think it your glory to have a sword to act1 and suffer1 and die 7if it please ,him71 so being ye may add anything to the declarative glory of ,christ1 the ,plant of ,renown1 ,immanuel1 ,god with us4 ,happy and thrice blessed are they by whose actings1 or blood1 or pain1 or loss1 the diadems and rubies of ,his highest and most glorious crown 7whose ye are7 shall glister and shine in this quarter of the habitable world4 ,though ,he need not ,gilbert ,ker1 nor his sword1 yet this honour have ye with ,his redeemed soldiers1 to call ,christ ,high ,lord-,general1 of whom ye hope for pay and all arrears well told4 ,go on1 worthy ,sir1 in the courage of faith1 following the ,lamb4 ,make not haste unbelievingly2 but in hope and silence keep the watch-tower1 and look out4 ,he will come in ,his own time2 ,his salvation shall not tarry4 ,he will place salvation in ,britain's ,zion for ,israel's glory4 #dgb ,free from malignants4 ,see note1 ,letter ,,cccxxx4 ,his good-will who dwelt in ,the ,bush and it burned not1 be yours1 and with you4 ,i am yours1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,aug4 #aj1 #afej4 ,,cccxxix4--,to the worthy and much honoured ,,colonel ,,gilbert ,,ker4 7,,courage ,,in ,,days ,,of ,,rebuke--,,god',s ,,arrangements ,,all ,,wise47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,worthy ,,sir1--,what ,i wrote to you before1 ,i spake not upon any private warrant4 ,i am where ,i was4 ,cromwell and his army 7,i shall not say but there may be1 and are1 several sober and godly among them1 who have either joined through misinformation1 or have gone alongst with the rest in the simplicity of their hearts1 not knowing anything7 fight in an unjust cause1 against the ,lord's secret ones4 ,and now to the trampling of the worship of ,god1 and persecuting the people of ,god in ,england and ,ireland1 he hath brought upon his score the blood of the people of ,god in ,scotland4 ,i entreat you1 dear ,sir1 as ye desire to be serviceable to ,jesus ,christ1 whose free grace prevented you when ye were ,his enemy1 go on without fainting1 equally eschewing all mixtures with ,sectaries#dgc and ,malignants4#dgd ,neither of the two shall ever be instrumental to save the ,lord's people1 or build ,his house4 ,and without prophesying1 or speaking further than ,he1 whose ,i am and whom ,i desire to serve1 in the ,gospel of ,his ,son1 shall warrant1 ,i desire to hope and to believe there is a glory and a majesty of the ,prince of the kings of the earth1 that shall shine and appear in ,great ,britain1 which shall darken all the glory of men1 confound ,sectaries and ,malignants1 and rejoice the spirits of the followers of the ,lamb1 and dazzle the eyes of the beholders4 #dgc ,the ,independents4 #dgd ,the ,cavaliers4 ,sir1 ,i suppose that ,god is to gather ,malignants and ,sectaries1 ere all be done1 as sheaves in a barn-floor2 and to bid the daughters of ,zion arise1 and thresh4 ,i hope that ye will mix with none of them4 ,i am abundantly satisfied1 that our army1 through the sinful miscarriage of men1 hath fallen2 and dare say it is a better and a more comfortable dispensation1 than if the ,lord had given us the victory and the necks of the reproachers of the way of ,god2 because ,he hath done it4 ,for1 #a4 ,more blood1 blasphemies1 cruelty1 treachery1 must be upon the accounts of the men whose land the ,lord forbade us to invade4 #b4 ,victory is such a burdening and weighty mercy1 that we have not strength to bear it as yet4 #c4 ,that was not the army1 nor ,gideon's three hundred1 by whom ,he is to save us2 we must have one of our ,lord's carving4 #d4 ,our enemies on both sides are not enough hardened1 nor we enough mortified to multitude1 valour1 and creatures4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,your friend and servant1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,sept4 #e1 #afej4 ,,cccxxx4--,to ,,mr4 ,,william ,,guthrie1 when the army was at ,stirling1 after the defeat at ,dunbar1#dge and the godly in the ,west were falsely branded with intended compliance with the usurpers1 about the time when those debates and that difference concerning the ,public ,resolutions arose4#dgf #dge ,the battle was fought between ,cromwell and the ,scots1 and the latter were completely defeated1 with great loss4 ,it was fought on the #crd ,september #afej4 #dgf ,after the battle of ,dunbar1 it was proposed that the restraints by which such as had1 by various ,acts of ,parliament1 been excluded from places of power and trust in the army and state1 on account of their ,malignancy1 or opposition to the ,covenant and liberties of the nation1 should be removed4 ,this was at first refused2 but after the defeat at ,hamilton1 the ,commission agreed to certain resolutions1 for admitting into places of power and trust in the ,army and ,state such as had been excluded by the ,acts of ,parliament referred to4 ,these were called ,public ,resolutions1 and they became a source of much dissension in the church4 ,at last they were formally approved of by the ,general ,assembly held in ,july #afea1 at ,st4 ,andrews1 and adjourned to ,dundee4 ,at the last sederunt at ,st4 ,andrews1 ,rutherford1 who was strongly opposed to the ,resolutions1 gave in a protestation against the lawfulness of that ,assembly4 ,it was subscribed by twenty-one besides himself4 ,hence those opposed to the ,public ,resolutions were called ,protesters1 and those friendly to them1 ,resolutioners4 ,,william ,,guthrie was born at ,pitforthy1 in the shire of ,angus1 in the year #afbj4 ,he was the eldest son of the ,laird of ,pitforthy1 a cadet of the old family of ,guthrie1 and by his mother's side was descended from the ancient house of ,easter-,ogle4 ,he attended the literary and philosophical classes at the ,university of ,st4 ,andrews1 and studied theology under ,rutherford4 ,on the #gth of ,november #afdd1 he was ordained minister of ,fenwick4 ,there he continued successfully to discharge his ministry till the #bdth of ,july #affd1 when1 for nonconformity1 he was suspended from and discharged to exercise his ministry1 and his church declared vacant1 by order of ,bishop ,burnet4 ,he died at ,brechin on the #ajth of ,october #affe4 ,it may be mentioned here that ,william ,guthrie of ,fenwick was cousin to the famous ,james ,guthrie1 and was brought to ,christ by ,samuel ,rutherford's ministry at ,st4 ,andrews1 being one of his first fruits there4 7,life by ,wodrow47 ,it was he who wrote ,the ,trial of a ,saving ,interest in ,christ1 so well known4 7,,depression ,,under ,,dark ,,trials--,,danger ,,of ,,compliance47 ,,reverend ,,brother1--,i did not dream of such shortness of breath1 and fainting in the way toward our country4 ,i thought that ,i had no more to do than die in my nest1 and bow down my sinful head1 and let ,him put on the crown1 and so end4 ,i have suffered much2 but this is the thickest darkness1 and the straitest step of the way ,i have yet trodden4 ,i see more suffering yet behind1 and1 ,i fear1 from the keepers of the vine4 ,let me obtain of you1 that you would press upon the ,lord's people that they would stand far off from these merchants of souls who have come in amongst you4 ,if the way revealed in the word be that way1 we then know that these soul-cowpers and traffickers show not the way of salvation4 ,alas1 alas6 poor ,i am utterly lost1 my share of heaven is gone1 and my hope is poor2 ,i am perished1 and ,i am cut off from the ,lord1 if hitherto out of the way6 ,but ,i dare not judge kind ,christ2 for1 if it may be but permitted 7with reverence to ,his greatness and highness be it spoken71 ,i will1 before witnesses1 produce ,his own hand that ,he said1 ,this is the way1 walk thou in it4 ,and ,he cannot except against ,his own seal4 ,i profess that ,i am almost broken and a little sleepy1 and would fain put off this body4 ,but this is my infirmity1 who would be under the shadow and covert of that ,good ,land1 once#dgg to be without the reach and blast of that terrible ,one4 ,but ,i am a fool3 there is none that can overbid1 or take my lodging over my head1 since ,christ hath taken it for me4 #dgg ,once for all2 completely4 ,dear brother1 help me1 and get me the help of their prayers who are with you in whom is my delight4 ,you are much suspected of intended compliance2 ,i mean1 not of you only1 but of all the people of ,god with you4 ,it is but a poor thing the fulfilling of my joy2 but let me obtest all the serious seekers of ,his face1 ,his secret sealed ones1 by the strongest consolations of the ,spirit1 by the gentleness of ,jesus ,christ1 that ,plant of ,renown1 by your last accounts and appearing before ,god1 when the ,white ,throne shall be set up1 be not deceived with their fair words4 ,though my spirit be astonished at the cunning distinctions which are found out in the matters of the ,covenant1 that help may be had against these men2 yet my heart trembleth to entertain the least thought of joining with those deceivers4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,amen4 ,your own brother1 in our common ,lord and ,saviour1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews4 ,,cccxxxi4--,to the worthy and much honoured ,,colonel ,,gilbert ,,ker4 7,,courage ,,in ,,the ,,lord',s ,,cause--,,duty ,,in ,,regard ,,to ,,providence ,,to ,,be ,,observed--,,safety ,,in ,,this47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,worthy ,,sir1--,it is considerable that the ,lord may1 and often doth call to a work and yet hide ,himself1 and try the faith of ,his own4 ,if ,i conceive aright1 the ,lord hath called you to act against that enemy2 and the withdrawers of their sword 7in my weak apprehension7 add their zeal unto1 and take upon them the guilt of that unjust invasion of this land made by ,cromwell's army1 and of the blood of the ,lord's people in this kingdom2 since the sword1 put into the hand of ,his children1 is to execute wrath and vengeance upon evil-doers4 ,the ,lord's time of appearing for ,his broken land is reserved to the breathings of the ,spirit of the ,lord1 such as came upon ,gideon and ,samson2 and that is an act of princely and royal sovereignty in ,god4 ,ye are1 ,sir1 to lay hold on opportunities of ,providence1 and to wait for ,him4 ,as for your particular treating by yourselves with the invaders of our land1 ,i have no mind to it1 and do look upon their way as a carrying on of the mystery of iniquity2 for ,babylon is a seat of many names4 ,sir1 let#dgh this controversy stand undecided till the ,second ,appearance of ,jesus ,christ1 and our appeal lie before the throne undiscussed till that day1 ,i hope to lie down in the grave in the faith of the justness of our cause4 ,i speak nothing of the maintaining the greatness of men1 not subordinate to the ,prince of the kings of the earth4 ,i judge that the blood of the witnesses of ,jesus is found upon the skirts of this society1 as well as in ,babylon's skirts4 ,i believe that the way of the ,lord is ,colonel ,gilbert ,ker's strength and glory2 and ,i should be content to want my part of him 7which is1 ,i confess1 precious and dear in ,christ71 so that he be spent in the service of ,him who will anon make inquisition for the blood of the truly godly2 which these men have shed1 after fair warning that they were the godly of ,scotland4 #dgh ,supposing that this controversy remains undecided4 ,worthy ,sir1 believe2 faint not4 ,set your shoulder under the glory of ,jesus that is misprised in ,scotland1 and give a testimony for ,him4 ,he hath many names in ,scotland1 who shall walk with ,him in white4 ,this despised ,covenant shall ruin ,malignants1 ,sectaries1 and ,atheists4 ,yet a little while1 and behold ,he cometh1 and walketh#dgi in the greatness of ,his strength1 and ,his garments dyed with blood4 ,oh1 for the sad and terrible day of the ,lord upon ,england1 their ships of ,tarshish1 their fenced cities1 etc41 because of a broken covenant6 #dgi ,the ,hebrew of ,isa4 lxiii4 #a is alluded to 773 marching on in the greatness of ,his strength4 ,rutherford1 in the latter part of his life1 studied ,isaiah very closely4 ,see ,sketch of his ,life4 ,a conference with the enemy1 not to hinder acting 7,oh that the ,lord would thereby1 or by some other way1 remove the cloud that is over you671 if authority should concur1 were to be desired2 but it can hardly be expected4 ,however1 in the way of duty1 and in the silence of faith1 go on4 ,if ye perish1 ye are the first of the creation with whom the ,lord hath taken that dispensation4 ,i should humbly desire you1 ,sir1 to look to that3 ,dying1 and1 behold1 we live2 killed all the day long1 and yet more than conquerors4 ,there shall be the heat and warmness of life in your graves and buried bones4 ,but look not for the ,lord's coming the higher way only1 for ,he may come the lower way4 ,oh1 how little of ,god do we see1 and how mysterious is ,he6 ,christ known is amongst the greatest secrets of ,god4 ,keep yourself in the love of ,god2 and1 in order to that1 as far in obedience and subjection to the ,king 7whose salvation and true happiness my soul desireth71 and to every ordinance of man for the ,lord's sake1 and to the fundamental laws of this kingdom1 as your ,lord requireth4 ,sir1 ye are in the hearts and prayers of the ,lord's people in this kingdom1 and in the other two4#dhj ,the ,lord hath said1 ,there is blessing in the cluster of grapes2 destroy it not4 #dhj ,england and ,ireland4 ,grace1 grace be upon the head of him that is separated from his brethren2 and the good-will of ,him that dwelt in ,the ,bush be with you4 ,your servant1 in his sweet ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,perth1 ,nov4 #bc1 #afej4 ,,cccxxxii4--,to the much honoured and truly worthy ,,colonel ,,gilbert ,,ker4 7,,christs ,,cause ,,deserves ,,service ,,and ,,suffering ,,from ,,us47 ,for the vision is yet for an appointed time2 but at the end it shall speak1 and not lie3 though it tarry1 wait for it4--,,hab4 ii4 #c1 #d4 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,worthy ,,sir1--,your chains now shine as much for ,christ 7the cause being ,his7 as your sword was made famous in acting for that cause2 and blessed are such as can willingly tender to ,christ both action and blood1 doing and suffering4 ,resisting unto blood is little for that precious and never-enough exalted ,redeemer1 who1 when ye were a-buying1 gave blood somewhat dearer than ye gave for ,him1 even the blood of ,god 7,acts xx4 #bh74 ,i know a man1 who1 upon the receipt of a letter that ye were killed and the people of ,god destroyed1 wished that he might be quickly under the wall of the higher palace from under the dint#dha of the storm1 and who longed to have the weather-beaten and crazy bark safely landed in that harbour of eternal quietness4 #dha ,the blow1 ,zachary ,boyd 7,last ,battle7 speaks of the dint of ,god's judgment-stroke4 ,what further service ,christ hath for you1 ,i know not2 it is enough that in your captivity#dhb ye offer your service to ,christ4 ,but if ,i see anything1 it looketh like a merciful defeat4 ,i see the nobles and the state falling off from ,christ1 and the night coming upon the prophets2 which we should pray to prevent1 because it is a rare thing to see a fallen star ever win up again to the firmament to shine4 ,and what if this be the thick darkness going before the break of day8 ,sure1 ,sir1 the sun shall rise upon ,scotland2 but if ,i shall see it1 or how near is it to that day1 ,i leave that to ,him1 even unto ,jehovah1 who createth upon every dwelling-place in ,mount ,zion1 and upon her assemblies1 a cloud and a smoke by day1 and the shining of a flaming fire by night4 ,but1 ,sir1 the wilderness shall rejoice and blossom as a rose3 and happy he who hath a bone1 or an arm1 to put the crown upon the head of our highest ,king1 whose chariot is paved with love4 ,were there ten thousand millions of heavens created above these highest heavens1 and again as many above them1 and as many above them till angels were wearied with counting1 it were but too low a seat to fix the princely throne of that ,lord ,jesus 7whose ye are7 above them all4 ,created heavens are too low a seat of majesty for ,him4 ,since1 then1 there is none equal to your ,master and ,prince who hath chosen out for you 7amongst many sufferings for sin7 that only cross which cometh nearest in likeness to ,his own cross1 watered with consolation1 take courage1 and comfort yourself in ,him who hath chosen you to glory hereafter and to conformity with ,him here4 ,we fools would have a cross of our own choosing1 and would have our gall and wormwood sugared1 our fire cold1 and our death and grave warmed with heat of life2 but ,he who hath brought many children to glory1 and lost none1 is our best ,tutor4 ,i wish that1 when ,i am sick1 ,he may be keeper and comforter4 ,i judge it a blessed ,fall that we are forfeited heirs1 broken and out of credit1 and that ,christ is become a ,tutor in the place of free-will1 and that we are no more our own4 ,i am broken and wasted with the wrath that is on the land1 and have been much tempted with a design to have a pass from ,christ2 which1 if ,i had1 ,i would not stay to be a witness of our defection for any man's intreaty4 ,but ,i know it is my softness and weakness1 who would ever be ashore when a fit of sea-sickness cometh on2 though ,i know ,i shall come soon enough to that desirable country1 and shall not be displaced3 none shall take my lodging4 #dhb ,on the #ast of ,december #afej1 being ,sabbath1 the west country forces of the ,covenanters were scattered at ,hamilton by a party of ,english1 under the conduct of ,lambert4 ,several of them were killed1 and ,colonel ,ker was wounded and taken4 7,lamont's ,diary1 p4 #bd47 ,sir1 many eyes are upon you1 and the godly are exceedingly refreshed that ye listen not to the ways of many about you1 who with fair words make merchandise of souls4 ,sir1 if the way you are in be not the way of ,christ1 then wo to me1 for ,i am eternally lost4 ,but truly1 the ,lord ,christ's dealings with ,colonel ,gilbert ,ker hath proven to me1 that the ,new ,testament and the covenant of grace is a piece that a solemn meeting and assembly of all created angels 7join all their wits together7 could not have devised4 ,since1 ,sir1 ye paid nothing for the change that ,christ made1 and ye will take that debt of free grace to heaven with you 7for what was ,christ ,jesus indebted to you1 more than to all your kindred and name671 therefore1 since ye are made ,his own1 follow no other way4 ,what is my salvation1 though ,i should lay it in pawn 7it is but a poor pledge71 that this1 this only is the way6 ,but ,christ is surety ,himself that it is the way4 ,the ,forerunner went before you1 and ,he is safely landed3 and there is a fair company before you of such as have come out of great tribulation1 and have washed their garments1 and made them white in the blood of the ,lamb1 to whom these promises are now performed3 ,he that overcometh shall eat of the tree of life1 that is in the midst of the paradise of ,god2 and1 ,god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes1 and there shall be no more death1 neither sorrow1 nor crying1 neither shall there be any more pain--,he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them2 they shall hunger no more1 neither thirst any more1 neither shall the sun light on them1 nor any heat2 for the ,lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall feed them1 and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters4 ,i may1 ,sir1 possibly keep you from better work4 ,the ,god of peace1 that brought again from the dead the ,great ,shepherd of the sheep1 through the blood of the eternal covenant1 make you perfect4 ,yours1 in ,jesus ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,jan4 #g1 #afea4 ,,cccxxxiii4--,to the much honoured and truly worthy ,,colonel ,,gilbert ,,ker1 when taken prisoner4 7,,comforting ,,thoughts ,,to ,,the ,,afflicted--,,darkness ,,of ,,the ,,times--,,fellowship ,,in ,,christ',s ,,sufferings--,,satisfaction ,,with ,,his ,,providences47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,worthy ,,sir1--,i have heard of your continued captivity in ,england1 as well as in this afflicted land4 ,but1 go where ye will1 ye cannot go from under your ,shadow1 which is broader than many kingdoms4 ,ye change lodging and countries2 but the same ,lord is before you1 if ye were carried away captive to the other side of the sun1 or as far as the rising of the morning star4 ,it is spoken to your mother 7who hath yet received no bill of divorce71 which was written to ,judah1 ,be in pain1 and labour to bring forth1 ,o daughter of ,zion1 like a woman in travail3 for now shalt thou go forth out of the city1 and thou shalt dwell in the field1 and thou shalt go even to ,babylon2 there shalt thou be delivered2 there the ,lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies 7,micah iv4 #aj74 ,england shall be accountable for you1 to render you back3 ,i will say to the north1 ',give up2' and to the south1 ',keep not back' 7,isa4 xliii4 #f74 ,it is a sermon that flesh and blood laugheth at3 ,prophesy upon these dry bones1 and say unto them1 ',o ye dry bones1 hear the word of the ,lord6' ,it is a preaching to the cold grave3 ,thus saith the ,lord unto the bones1 ',behold1 ,i will cause breath to enter into you1 and ye shall live2 and ,i will lay sinews upon you1 and bring up flesh upon you1 and cover you with skin1 and put breath in you1 and ye shall live' 7,ezek4 xxxvii4 #d1 #e1 #f74 ,and the sea gave up the dead that were in it 7,rev4 xx4 #ac74 ,berwick must render back the ,scottish captives1 and ,colonel ,gilbert ,ker with them4 ,for thus saith the ,lord1 your ,redeemer1 the ,holy ,one of ,israel1 ,for your sake ,i have sent to ,babylon1 and have brought down all their nobles1 and the ,chaldeans whose cry is in the ships 7,isa4 xliii4 #ad74 ,if any of thine be driven out to the utmost parts of heaven1 from thence will the ,lord thy ,god gather thee1 and from thence will ,he fetch thee 7,deut4 xxx4 #d74 ,thus saith the ,lord of hosts1 ,behold1 ,i will save ,my people from the east country and from the west country1 and ,i will bring them1 and they shall dwell in the midst of ,jerusalem1 and they shall be ,my people1 and ,i will be their ,god1 in truth and in righteousness 7,zech4 viii4 #g1 #h74 ,sir1 ye are both booked by the ,lord who writeth up the people 7,ps4 lxxxvii4 #e1 #f71 and counted to the ,lord as one of the house and stock 7,ps4 xxii4 #cj74 ,fear not1 faint not2 all your hairs are numbered4 ,it is the desire of the people of ,god1 that1 as your bonds hitherto have been exemplary to the strengthening of the feeble and to the stopping of the mouth of the adversary1 without any declining to the right or left hand2 so your sufferings in the place ye now go to1 may be 7as we are confident in the ,lord of you1 and in humility boast of ,his grace in you7 savoury1 convincing1 and like unto this honourable cause1 that will prevail in ,britain1 contrary to all the machinations and counsels of devils and men4 ,and though there were no other ink in the pen ,i now write with but some dewing of my last cooling blood1 this ,i purpose 7,his grace1 whose ,i am1 enabling me7 to stand to4 ,sir1 we desire to adore no instruments2 yet we conceive the shining and rays of grace from the ,fountain1 ,jesus ,christ1 the fulness of the ,godhead1 bestowed on sinful men1 hold forth the good thoughts of ,christ to this poor land1 whose multiplied graves1 and whose souls under the altar1 slain by ,sectaries and ,malignants1 cry aloud to heaven4 ,i see nothing1 ,sir1 if the ,lord be not near 7though ,i dare not say how soon7 to awake for the year of ,zion's controversy4 ,for my sword shall be bathed in heaven 7,isa4 xxxiv4 #e74 ,behold1 it shall come down upon ,england1 and on the residue of ,his enemies in ,scotland4 ,wo is me for ,england6 ,that land shall be soaked with blood1 and their dust made fat with fatness2 that pleasant land shall be a wilderness1 and the dust of their land pitch2 a judgment upon their walled towns1 their pleasant fields1 their strong ships1 etc41 if they do not repent4 ,ye have not1 ,i conceive1 seen such searching and trying times as now these are4 ,and yet the question will be drawn to a more narrow state1 and multitudes will yet leave the cause2 for we took all into the covenant that offered to build with us4 ,but ,christ must have but a small remnant 7few nobles1 if any2 few ministers2 few professors71 though our way standeth unchanged4 ,by honour and dishonour1 by good report and evil report3 as deceivers and yet true2 as unknown1 yet well known2 as dying1 and behold we live2 as chastened1 and yet not killed 7#b ,cor4 vi4 #h1 #i74 ,neither is this your condition alone1 but the experienced lot of all the saints that have gone before you4 ,it is one and the same cross of ,christ2 but there be sundry faces and diverse circumstances in the same remnant 7,col4 i4 #bd71 the sufferings of ,christ and yours4 ,sir1 to be delivered to soldiers1 and in captivity1 looketh like ,his suffering of whom ,isaiah saith1 ,he was taken from prison1 and from judgment 7,isa4 liii4 #h73 yea1 and taken bound 7,john xviii4 #ab74 ,when the cause is the truth of ,god1 the lustre and face of suffering is so much the more lovely that it hath the hue and colour of ,christ's sufferings1 who endured contradiction of sinners and despised the shame4 ,oh it is a great word1 ,christ shamed1 and ,christ abased6 ,but thus was the ,head1 and so are the members1 dealt with in the world2 and truly anything of ,christ1 even the worst of ,him 7to speak so71 ,his reproach and shame1 are lovely4 ,though superstitious love to the material cross ,he suffered upon be foolery1 and doting upon the holy grave#dhc be cursed idolatry2 yet is there a communion with ,him in ,his sufferings most desirable4 ,but rejoice1 inasmuch as ye are partakers of ,christ's sufferings 7#a ,pet4 iv4 #ac73 in which sense1 the cup that ,his lip touched hath the sweeter taste1 even though death were in it2 the grave1 because ,he did lie in it1 is so much the softer and the more refreshful a bed of rest2 and that part of the sky and clouds that the ,beloved shall break through1 and come to judgment1 is as lovely a piece of the created heaven as any is1 if we may love the ground ,he goeth on the better4 ,but all this is to be understood in a spiritual manner4 ,the ,lord calleth you1 ,sir1 upon whom the ,spirit of ,god and ,his glory resteth1 to put your soul's ,,amen to this dispensation2 and requireth of us1 that our desires follow the now-declared decree of ,god concerning the desolation of our sinful land1 so many ways guilty of a despised ,gospel1 and a broken ,covenant2 and that with all submission4 ,certainly1 no man hath failed more in this thing1 than he who writeth to you4 ,for ,i have brought my health into great hazard1 and tormented my spirit with excessive grief1 for our present provocations1 and the rendings of our kirk2 and ,i see it is a challenging of1 and a bold pleading against1 ,him upon whose shoulder the government is 7,isa4 xxii4 #bb74 ,the ,father hath put a glorious trust upon ,christ3 ,and ,i will fasten ,him as a nail in a sure place1 and ,he shall be for a glorious throne to ,his ,father's house2 and they shall hang upon ,him all the glory of ,his ,father's house1 the offspring and the issue1 all vessels of small quantity1 from the vessels of cups even to all the vessels of flagons 7,isa4 xxii4 #bc1 #bd74 ,our unbelieving apprehensions do so quarrel at the prosperity of enemies in an evil cause1 that we wrestle with defeats1 spoiling1 captivity of the godly1 killing of ,his people1 the wasting of our land1 starving and famishing of the kingdom1 which is worse than the sword4 ,but this is a sinful contradicting of the ,lord's revealed decree4 ,his wisdom saith1 ,spoiling and desolation is best for ,scotland2 and we say1 ,not1 and so accuse ,christ of misgovernment1 and of not being true to the trust put upon ,him4 ,but since ,he doth not drag the government at ,his heels1 but hath it upon ,his shoulder1 and since the ,nail fastened in a sure place cannot be broken1#dhd nor can the smallest vessel fail to find sweet security in dependence upon ,him1 since all the weight of heaven and earth1 of redeemed saints and confirmed angels1 is upon ,his shoulder1 ,i am a fool1 and brutish to imagine that ,i can add anything to ,christ's special care of and tenderness to ,his people4 ,he who keepeth the basins and knives of ,his house1 and bringeth the vessels again to the second temple 7,ezra i4 #h-aj71 must have a more tender care of ,his redeemed ones than of a spoon1 or of ,peter's old shoes 7,acts xii4 #h71 which yet must not be lost in ,his captivity4 ,oh for grace to suffer ,christ to tutor ,his own minors and young heirs6 ,but we cannot endure to be under the actings of ,his government2 we love too much to be our own4 ,oh1 how sweet to be wholly ,christ's1 and wholly in ,christ6 to be out of the creature's owning1 and made complete in ,christ6 to live by faith in ,christ1 and to be1 once for all1 clothed with the uncreated majesty and glory of the ,son of ,god1 wherein ,he maketh all ,his friends and followers sharers6 to dwell in ,immanuel's high and blessed land1 and live in that sweetest air where no wind bloweth but the breathings of the ,holy ,ghost1 no seas nor floods flow but the pure water of life1 that proceedeth from under the throne and from the ,lamb6 no planting but the ,tree of ,life that yieldeth twelve manner of fruits every month6 ,what do we here but sin and suffer8 ,oh1 when shall the night be gone1 the shadows flee away1 and the morning of that long1 long day1 without cloud or night1 dawn8 ,the ,spirit and the bride say1 ,come4 ,oh1 when shall the ,lamb's wife be ready1 and the ,bridegroom say1 ,come6 #dhc ,the ,holy ,sepulchre at ,jerusalem4 #dhd ,isa4 xxii4 #be is alluded to1 where the ,hebrew word means either broken1 or cut down4 ,see note1 p4 #fee4 ,worthy ,sir1 ,i mind you to the ,hearer of prayer4 ,oh help me in that kind4 ,the ,spirit of ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours1 in his only ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,may #ad1 #afea4 ,,cccxxxiv4--,to the worthy and much honoured ,,colonel ,,gilbert ,,ker4 7,,comfort ,,under ,,the ,,cloud ,,hanging ,,over ,,scotland--,,dissuasion ,,from ,,leaving ,,scotland47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,and ,,worthy ,,sir1--,i know not why the people of ,god should not take notice of the bonds of any who have blood in readiness to be let out for ,his cause2 and ,i judge it was not of you that ye died not in the undecided controversy which the ,lord of the whole earth hath with the men whom ,he hath sent against us4 ,dear and much honoured in the ,lord1 let me entreat you to be far from the thoughts of leaving this land4 ,i see it1 and find it1 that the ,lord hath covered the whole land with a cloud in ,his anger4 ,but though ,i have been tempted to the like1 ,i had rather be in ,scotland beside angry ,jesus ,christ1 knowing that ,he mindeth no evil to us1 than in ,eden or any garden in the earth2 if we can remain united with the ,lord's remnant in the land4#dhe ,he layeth up wrath for all sorts of adversaries in ,britain4 ,though ,i should never see the glory of ,his glittering sword in ,britain1 ,i would be solaced in the innocent thought 7far from revenge7 that the saints shall dip their feet in the blood of the slain of the ,lord4 ,and truly1 ,sir1 ,i suppose that ye cannot but come to these thoughts and weak desires before the ,hearer of prayer1 for as little as ye think of and value yourself4 ,for me1 if ,i could mind you in your bonds1 ,i purpose not to stand to the account you give1 or thoughts ye have of yourself2 though ,i know ye are not a whit1 more or less1 before ,him who weigheth ,his own according to the weight of imputed righteousness1 for my apprehensions4 ,christ cannot mistake you1 men may2 and the calculation and esteem of free grace maketh you to be what you are4 ,i hope to see you an everlastingly obliged debtor to ,him whom ye shall praise but never pay4 ,and truly ye have no riches but that debt3 and ,i know that ye love to be engaged to ,jesus ,christ1 the most excellent of creditors4 ,much joy and sweetness may ye have1 in standing written in ,his book4 ,i desire to do it myself1 and ,i would have you also highly to esteem the design of ,christ1 who hath raised the riches of the glory of so much grace above the circle of the heaven of heavens1 out of very nothings2 and contrived ,his thoughts of love1 so that lumps of glorified clay should stand before ,him1 for all ages1 the burdened and loaden debtors of free1 eternally free grace4 ,sir1 ye cannot cast the count of the rents of your so great inheritance of glory4 #dhe ,rutherford here refers to a call which he had received 7on the death of ,de ,maets1 or ,dematius7 to fill the ,chair of ,divinity in the ,university of ,utrecht1 to which he was elected without being consulted4 ,he1 however1 declined to accept the invitation4 ,the call was conveyed to him first verbally1 by his brother ,james1 then an officer in a regiment lying at ,grave in ,brabant2 and next formally in writing4 ,grace be with you4 ,your servant1 in his own ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,edinburgh1 ,may #ah1 #afea4 ,,cccxxxv4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,difference ,,between ,,what ,,is ,,man',s ,,and ,,christ',s1 ,,and ,,between ,,christ ,,himself ,,and ,,his ,,blessings47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,we are fallen in winnowing and trying times4 ,i am glad that your breath serveth you to run to the end1 in the same condition and way wherein ye have walked these twenty years past4 ,it is either the way of peace1 or we are yet in our sins1 and have missed the way4 ,the ,lord1 it is true1 hath stained the pride of all our glory2 and now1 last of all1 the sun hath gone down upon many of the prophets4 ,but stumble not2 men are but men1 and ,god appeareth more and more to be ,god1 and ,christ is still ,christ4 ,madam1 a stronger than ,i am had almost stumbled me and cast me down4 ,but oh what mercy is it to discern between what is ,christ's and what is man's1 and what way the hue1 colour1 and lustre of gifts of grace dazzle and deceive our weak eyes6 ,oh to be dead to all things that are below ,christ1 were it even a created heaven and created grace6 ,holiness is not ,christ2 nor are the blossoms and flowers of the ,tree of ,life the tree itself4 ,men and creatures may wind themselves between us and ,christ2 and1 therefore1 the ,lord hath done much to take out of the way all betwixt ,him and us4 ,there are not in our way now1 kings1 nor armies1 nor nobles1 nor judicatories1 nor strongholds1 nor watchmen1 nor godly professors4 ,the fairest things1 and most eminent in ,britain1 are stained1 and have lost their lustre2 only1 only ,christ keepeth ,his greenness and beauty1 and remaineth what ,he was4 ,oh1 if ,he were more and more excellent to our apprehensions than ever ,he was 7whose excellency is above all apprehensions71 and still more and more sweet to our taste6 ,i care for nothing1 if so be that ,i were nearer to ,him4 ,and yet ,he fleeth not from me3 ,i flee from ,him1 but ,he pursueth4 ,i hear that your ,ladyship hath the same esteem of the despised cause and covenant of our ,lord that ye had before4 ,madam1 hold you there4 ,i dare and would gladly breathe out my spirit in that way1 with a nearer communion and fellowship with the ,father and the ,son1 and would seek no more but that ,i might die believing4 ,and also ,i would hope1 that the earth should not cover the blood of the godly1 slain in ,scotland1 but that the ,lord will make inquisition for their blood when the sufferings of the saints in these lands shall be fulfilled4 ,the good-will of ,him that dwelt in ,the ,bush be with you4 ,your ,ladyship's1 at all observance1 in the ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,glasgow1 ,sept4 #bh1 #afea4 ,,cccxxxvi4--,to ,,lady ,,ralston4#dhf #dhf ,wodrow ,,mss4 vol4 xlv4 #hvo1 ,no4 #ac4 ,this letter1 says ,wodrow1 is taken from a copy2 but is certainly ,mr4 ,rutherford's to ,lady ,ralston of that ilk1 which ,i have from her grandchild1 and1 as far as ,i can see1 is not printed4 ,,lady ,,ralston1 whose maiden name was ,ursula ,mure1 was daughter to ,william ,mure of ,glanderston1 a respectable family in the county of ,renfrew1 and wife of ,william ,ralston of that ilk4 ,mr4 ,alexander ,dunlop1 minister of ,paisley1 was married to one of her sisters1 and ,mr4 ,john ,carstairs to another4 ,lady ,ralston was a woman of distinguished piety4 ,mr4 ,dunlop1 who was most impartial in his judgment of persons of worth1 spoke in the highest terms of her ,christian character4 ,one day1 commending her to ,mrs4 ,hastie1 wife of ,mr4 ,alexander ,hastie1 minister of ,glasgow1 he spoke so much to her commendation that ,mr4 ,hastie said to him1 ,i wonder to hear you speak so much to the praise of that lady2 ,i think you speak more of her than of your own wife4 ,he answered1 ,sanders1 ,i love truly to be just to everybody4 ,i think my wife is truly a good woman1 and all the rest of the sisters are good women2 but ,i must say1 ,lady ,ralston is a person more than ordinary4 ,i know very few come her length2 yea1 ,sanders1 ,i truly think shame to even myself to be a ,christian beside her1 when ,i look to her carriage4 ,she is a very odd singular woman 7,wodrow's ,analecta74 ,mr4 ,john ,carstairs also bears testimony to her ,christian excellence1 and to the kindness she had shown to him and his family1 particularly after his ejection from his church in ,glasgow1 in #affb1 for conscience' sake4 7,,duty ,,of ,,preferring ,,to ,,live ,,rather ,,than ,,die--,,want ,,of ,,union ,,in ,,the ,,judgments ,,of ,,the ,,godly47 ,,right ,,worthy ,,esteemed ,,in ,,your ,,excellent ,,lord ,,jesus1--,with much desire ,i have longed to hear how you were1 since ,i heard of your being so near the harbour1 as seemed2 and now1 to my great satisfaction1 ,i am informed of your recovery4 ,as for yourself1 ,i grant1 to have entered in at the ports of the mansions of glory had been best by far2 but1 yet to stay a little longer here is much more comfortable to yours4 ,therefore1 ,mistress1 dearly respected in the ,lord1 you are even heartily welcome1 though to share yet further with ,zion in her manifold tribulations4 ,yea1 ,i believe yourself thinks it no disadvantage1 but rather one great addition of honour1 to come back and bear ,his reproach yet more1 in a world of opposition to ,him4 ,for 7to speak so7 it is an advantage that is not to be had in heaven itself2 for1 although the inhabitants of that land agree in one to sing the song of the ,lamb's praise and commendation1 so it is here-away1 and here only1 where we have occasion to endure shame and contradiction for ,his worthy sake4 ,considering1 therefore1 the honour of the cross with the glory of the life to come1 the saints are hereby rendered completely happy and honourable4 ,it's much selfishness 7as ,i judge it when ,i get seen best into the mystery of our ,lord's cross7 to make post haste to be in the land of rest1 when a storm of persecution is rising for ,christ2 for the sluggard and peevish spirit loves rest upon any terms1 though never so dishonourable4 ,it is in effect1 then1 far more honourable to seek conformity to ,christ in ,his cross1 than to#dhg precipitate in desiring to be like ,him in glory1 and despise and fly away from ,his sufferings4 ,we use to say they are very evil-worthy of the sweet who will not endure the sour4 ,i think ,christ's pilgrim weeds 7,he being a ,man of sorrows and griefs7 are more honourable than ever it became the like of us to wear2 especially considering our poor base descent1 whom ,he will have honoured with conformity to ,himself4 ,woe's me that ,i1 and many the like of me within the land1 look so frowardly on ,christ's cross1 as though it were not ,his love-allowance to all ,his followers6 ,it's plainly our gross ignorance that is the cause thereof4 ,faith1 ,i grant1 would suffer affliction for ,him with good-will1 rather than the least iniquity should be committed2 but sense loves no bands4 ,for faith1 keeping the sway1 puts oft-times the carnal man in bondage1 and that occasions strife betwixt the flesh and the spirit4 ,the spirit smells no freedom or deliverance but that which comes from above2 the flesh would aye have deliverance1 without examination of the terms1 or wherefrom it comes4 ,as it is the mark of ,christ's sheep1 that they will hear ,his voice1 and will not acknowledge a stranger1 so it is the mark of faith1 that it will only receive orders from heaven4 ,when ,he declares ,his mind for bands1 it submits to bands1 not replying objections to the contrary2 and again1 when ,he says1 ,show yourselves1 ye prisoners of hope1 it discovers time and way1 and obeys to come forth1 but not till then4 ,but the flesh maketh ever haste1 and the first and nearest ease is aye its best choice4 ,the ,lord keep ,his dear people from wanting of any exercise that is measured out by ,him to them1 now when ,he hides ,his face1 lest we be turned aside to strange gods6 ,and when ,he shows ,himself again 7as ,he will assuredly do71 we ken our change4#dhh ,it is far safer to dwell a little in faith's prison than in sense's fairest liberty4 ,i see nothing so comfortable an evidence of ,god's staying into1 and healing of1 this broken and poor land1 than that faithful testimony of ,his precious servants 7and strengthened only by ,him7 against the late and sore defection4#dhi ,yet1 if the ,lord had not left us a remnant1 we had been as ,sodom and like to ,gomorrah4 ,and exalted be our ,god1 only wise and free in ,his love1 that ever any testimony was given6 for the hour of temptation was very dark to all once4 ,but to some ,he showed much light1 and helped them with a little help4 ,others1 also1 able and dear to ,him1 ,he hath letten1 as yet1 remain under the cloud4 ,but the mystery of ,his wisdom is so high in this1 that ,i profess it may render all flesh humble in the dust1 and to glory henceforth in nothing but in ,his upholding strength and free love4 ,always1#dij when ,his due time comes1 ,he will make ,his servants see that which they do not now see4 ,but1 alas6 in the meantime1 there is no harder matter of our trouble to be looked to than the grievous differences of judgments and affections among the ,lord's servants2 which ,i know is much pondered by you4 ,and ,i trust that all our worthy dear friends will labour to the utmost1 according to ,christ's command1 to have the breach made up again1 that ,satan get not advantage therethrough2 for ,i think nothing makes more for his ends than the defacing of union amongst the ,lord's dear ones4 ,i think it should be amongst our many requests to ,him in whom all the building useth to be fitly framed together in love2 yea1 the obtaining of this request were a great advantage to the poor kirk4 ,and if the ,lord take pleasure in us1 there is yet hope in ,israel concerning this thing2 but if not1 it is like to prove a probable token1 amongst some others1 of ,christ's taking down ,his tabernacle in this land3 which1 if ,he do1 we will have sad days4 ,but the consideration of ,his pitiful compassion holds forth ground to believe otherwise2 upon which ground it is like that ,he will give us a door of hope1 though ,he do not give full deliverance yet4 ,for our hope is not perished yet from the ,lord1 because men and carnal reason say so2 for none of these are bands or rules to the ,almighty6 ,yea1 ,zion's lowest ebb shall be the first step to her rise4 ,i have no other reason to give but the zeal of the ,lord of hosts will perform it 7,isa4 ix4 #g72 and in confidence of it1 ,i remain1 #dhg ,too8 #dhh ,come to know how much we are changed4 #dhi ,rutherford alludes to the opposition made by the ,protesters to the ,public ,resolutions4 #dij ,nevertheless4 ,yours in all trouble1 ,s4 ,r4 ,october #afea4 ,tender my respects to your dear husband1 who is indeed precious in the account of the honest here1 for his faithfulness in the hour of temptation4 ,,cccxxxvii4--,to a ,minister of ,glasgow4#dia #dia ,from a copy among the ,wodrow ,,mss4 vol4 xlv4 #hvo1 ,no4 #ad4 ,i had it1 says ,wodrow1 from the ,laird of ,ralston4 ,it's a double1 only written on the same sheet with the former to ,lady ,ralston1 perhaps about the same time4 ,wodrow annexes to this letter the following note3--,to one of the ministers of ,glasgow1 who probably was deposed by the ,resolutionists1 or at least a sufferer for the protestation1--,mr4 ,m',ward perhaps1 or ,mr4 ,patrick ,gillespie4 ,the letter bears internal evidence of having been written to a minister of ,glasgow who had been censured by the ,general ,assembly which met at ,dundee in #afea1 for his opposition to the public resolutions4 ,by that ,assembly three ministers1 ,mr4 ,james ,guthrie of ,stirling1 ,mr4 ,patrick ,gillespie of ,glasgow1 and ,mr4 ,james ,simpson of ,airth1 were deposed1 and one1 ,mr4 ,james ,nasmith of ,hamilton1 suspended1 on the ground of their having protested against the lawfulness of that ,assembly4 7,life of ,robert ,blair1 p4 #bgh47 ,there seems1 then1 little doubt that ,mr4 ,patrick ,gillespie is the person to whom this letter was addressed4 ,it could not have been ,mr4 ,robert ,m',ward1 for he was licensed only in #afee1 and did not become a minister of ,glasgow till #afef1 when he succeeded ,mr4 ,andrew ,gray in the ,outer ,high ,kirk2 nor1 though he enlisted himself on the side of the ,protesters1 does he appear to have suffered on that account4 ,mr4 ,patrick ,gillespie was the son of ,mr4 ,john ,gillespie 7second minister of the collegiate charge of ,kirkcaldy71 and brother of the celebrated ,george ,gillespie4 ,he was born at ,kirkcaldy in #afag1 and was for some time minister of that parish1 previous to his translation to ,glasgow4 ,after the death of ,charles ,i4 he favoured the ,commonwealth1 and was appointed by ,cromwell ,principal of the ,university of ,glasgow1 into which office he was installed after encountering much opposition4 ,at the ,restoration he was ejected from the ,principalship1 in which he was succeeded by the celebrated ,robert ,baillie4 ,he was also imprisoned successively in the ,castles of ,edinburgh and ,stirling2 and upon the sitting of the ,parliament in #affa1 was impeached of high treason1 on the alleged ground of his having compiled ,the ,western ,remonstrance1 approved the pamphlet entitled ,the ,causes of ,god's ,wrath1 and kept correspondence with ,cromwell4 ,but1 having made concessions1 he was shortly after liberated1 and confined to ,ormiston and six miles around it4 ,his works speak for him1 says ,wodrow1 and evidence him a person of great learning1 solidity1 and piety1 particularly his excellent treatises upon ',the ,covenants of ,grace and ,redemption4' 7,,encouraging ,,words ,,to ,a ,,suffering ,,brother--,,why ,,men ,,shrink ,,from ,,christ',s ,,testimony47 ,,sir1--,i long to see you1 since you gave a public testimony for your ,master1 and are become a sufferer for ,him4 ,until ,i shall be able to see you1 ,i thought it duty to write to you that ,i remember you as ,i am able4 ,your zeal and faithfulness for our ,master and your mother church have made your name honourable and precious among many here2 yea1 have exceedingly refreshed the bowels of the saints4 ,upon my word1 ,sir1 ,i say the truth1 you have their hearts and their approbation to what you have done2 and that you are approven of ,god1 ,i doubt not3 the seal whereof1 ,i hope1 shall be in your heart1 to feast your conscience with peace1 and to cause your face shine in innocency4 ,what you have done with your fellow-witnesses1 companions in tribulation1 shall turn to you for a testimony4 ,sir1 when this ,general ,assembly are gathered together to their fathers1 and you wearing your crown up at the throne1 and following the ,lamb1 your name shall be precious and have a savour of life amongst the saints4 ,you shall have your mother's blessing1 ,i mean the ,church of ,scotland1 when you are dead and rotten4 ,though now you seem to be a man of strife and contention1 yet you are no otherways for strife and contention than your ,master before you1 who came not to send peace1 but rather division and contention 7,luke xii4 #ea7 with the malignant party4 ,union in judgment1 with men not tender of our ,lord's interest1 is a conjunction and union ,i hope you shall never think desirable4 ,sectarian separation1 ,i am confident1 you never loved2 though men1 who are become transgressors in destroying what they have formerly been building1 give it forth so4 ,woe's me1 ,sir1 that amongst so many hundred ministers in the ,church of ,scotland1 so few are like to be found willing to give or approve of your and others' faithful testimony4 ,i think that1 besides the evil of blindness that is in the mind of some1 and the idolizing of man's interest by others1 an uncrucified world and over-loved stipends shall hinder many from coming your length4 ,we are debtors to you1 and to our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that hath given to you to care for ,zion1 whom no man seeks after 7,jer4 xxx4 #ag72 not caring for your own things1 but the things of ,god4 ,fair fall you that have quit all things to follow ,him4 ,to you1 and to others that will continue with ,christ1 in this hour of tribulation1 is appointed a kingdom4 ,sir1 you had more credit and worldly greatness to lose than many honest ministers2 and thanks be to ,god that you have so learned ,christ as to be made a man for ,christ of no reputation1 for ,him4 ,your despised ,master1 who made ,himself while ,he was amongst us a man of no reputation1 is now exalted in glory4 ,there is none now to gibe ,him by bowing the knee1 none now to spit in ,his face1 none now to bring ,him under mocking of the purple robe1 none to put on ,his head a crown of thorns4 ,and as you now partake of ,his sufferings1 so shall you hereafter of ,his glory4 ,you shall sit honourably on thrones2 and when the ,chief ,shepherd appears1 you shall receive the crown4 ,i am convinced that it is for conscience toward ,god that you suffer4 ,the bottom of your testimony and suffering is not so narrow as some think1 who study more to decline the cross than to be tender for every truth4 ,school-heads talk of fundamentals and non-fundamentals2 and1 say they1 ,the present controversy is not about fundamentals3 ministers may keep their places1 peace1 and stipends1 and make less din4 ,but are non-fundamentals nothing8 ,i would choose rather not be brought up at school1 than to grow so subtile and wily by school distinctions1 as to decline the cross4 ,sir1 you divide not from others for nothing2 you contend not for nothing2 you suffer not for nothing4 ,they that will be unfaithful in little will be unfaithful in much4 ,mistake me not1 as if ,i thought the ground of your testimony a little thing and a trifle4 ,i think you1 and all that be faithful to ,god1 are bound to follow it to bonds and to blood4 ,that ,christ ought to be a ,king in ,scotland1 and the people ought to employ#dib the liberty that ,christ hath bought to them with ,his blood1 is among fundamentals with me2 and whether the way man gives and allows to men that have fought against the truth be not naturally1 and by interpretation1 against this1 judge4 ,sir1 your ,master did put you in ,his vineyard4 ,you have a testimony from many of a faithful and diligent labourer4 ,i hear that you are now violently thrust out4 ,i think the ,spirit of ,christ would teach men sobriety and forbearance4 ,i wish 7and know you will join with me7 that men's violent dealing with you provoke not the ,lord1 to make this the last ,general ,assembly of the ,church of ,scotland4 ,always1 ,i acknowledge you one of the stars which the ,lord hath in ,his hand1 one of the angels of the ,church of ,scotland1 a faithful minister of the ,gospel at ,glasgow4 ,you have given a testimony for your ,master2 you shall get a meeting when ,he comes in the clouds4 ,and though there should not be a ,general ,assembly henceforth in the ,church of ,scotland1 judicially to acknowledge you ,his minister1 yet1 in the ,general ,assembly of angels and men1 that your ,master in the latter day shall call in the clouds1 you shall get a testimony of a minister of the ,gospel2 and from the ,shepherd and the ,lord1 the righteous ,judge1 you shall receive the crown4 ,i think there is a necessity laid on you to preach the ,gospel1 and to call people to the covenant of grace1 wherever you can safely do it4 ,i know there are many that will yet receive you as an angel of ,god1 and yet will be followers of you and of ,christ1 receiving the word in much affliction1 with joy in the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the ,lord give you in all things to approve yourself as the minister of ,god1 in much patience and affliction1 in necessities1 distresses1 in stripes1 in imprisonment1 in labour1 and watching1 and fasting1--by honour and dishonour1 in good report and ill report 7#b ,cor4 vi4 #d-f74 ,for1 now we live if ye stand fast in the ,lord4 ,and the ,god of all peace1 who hath called you to his eternal glory by ,christ ,jesus1 after that you have suffered awhile1 make you perfect1 stablish1 strengthen1 and settle you4 ,remember me to those that are your companions in tribulation1 and in the kingdom and patience of ,jesus ,christ1 and to your wife1 that will be a faithful helper to you in this time of your affliction4 #dib ,enjoy8 ,because ,i am not able to see you yet1 and fearing that when ,i come to ,glasgow ,i shall not find you there1 ,i thought good to write4 ,,cccxxxviii4--,for the ,right ,honourable and ,christian ,lady1 the ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,a ,,word ,,to ,,cheer ,,in ,,times ,,of ,,darkness47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,the ,lord is gracious who keepeth your ,ladyship in the furnace1 when many put out their hand to iniquity one way or other4 ,we are now shouldering and casting down one another in the dark1 and the godly are hidden from the godly4 ,we make our own chains heavier by joining with the ,lord's enemies2 hence new sufferings to all that dare not say a confederacy to those to whom this people say a confederacy1 nor fear their fear4 7,isa4 #h1 #ab47 ,as that is my exercise now1 who am not very far from being my lone 7though ,i know in whom ,i have believed1 at least ,i should know7 in this place2 so ,i am afraid that the godly there comply with those declared enemies of ,god4 ,it will be our strength to walk between enemies and malignants on either side4 ,this is the day of ,jacob's trouble2 yet these dry bones can1 and must live4 ,i know not if ,i shall see it1 but ,i hope to take this quietness and silence of faith1 in the midst of the noises of the alarm for war1 to the grave with me1 that the ,lord will build upon the church of ,britain and ,ireland a palace of silver1 inclosed with boards of cedar4 ,dear ,madam1 faint not2 the night is almost gone2 for the vision is yet for an appointed time2 but at the end it shall speak1 and not lie3 though it tarry1 wait for it1 because it will surely come1 and not tarry4 ,madam1 weary not2 none can outbid your lodging in heaven2 there is more given for it1 by ,him who hath bespoken it for ,jean ,campbell1 and taken it for her1 than any can offer4 ,the ransom of blood standeth4 ,my wife remembereth her respects to your ,ladyship4 ,the child is well4 ,mrs4 ,gillespie is well1 we hear1 but is not here4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours1 in his own ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,jan4 #bh1 #afec4 ,,cccxxxix4--,for ,,grizzel ,,fullerton4 ,letter ,v4 7,,exhortation ,,to ,,follow ,,christ ,,fully ,,when ,,others ,,are ,,cold47 ,,mistress1--,remembering well what relation ,i had to your dear mother 7now blessed and perfected with glory71#dic and being confident that yourself looketh that way 7which1 except ,i be eternally lost1 is the way of peace and of life71 ,i should be ungrateful to forget those1 whom1 by the covenant of the ,lord1 ,i cannot but remember to ,god4 #dic ,marion ,m',naught1 her mother1 died #afdc4 ,i shall speak nothing to you of the present sad differences2#did but if ,i have1 or ever had1 any nearness to ,god1 that other way 7which ,i trust ,i shall never follow7 is the way of man4 ,and for the present powers1#die ,i suffer from them1 and look for more4 ,god hath a controversy with them2 and1 my soul1 enter not into their secrets6 ,only1 ,i would beseech1 request1 and obtest you in the ,lord1 and by your appearance before ,christ1 to follow the way of the ,lord and the steps trod by the gracious in that place1 which the ,lord followed with life and power4 ,my heart is filled with sorrow1 considering what communion with ,god some of that country had1 and how much they were in edifying and helping one another1 in ,his way2 and how little of that there is now in that country4 ,your mother kept in life1 in that place1 and quickened many about her to the seeking of ,god4 ,my desire to you is1 that you should succeed her in that way1 and be letting a word fall to your brethren and others1 that may encourage them to look toward the way of ,god4 ,you will have need of it ere it be long4 ,see how you may have a gracious minister1 and no neutral there1 to succeed and follow the servant of ,god now asleep in the ,lord4#dif ,there is a great and wide difference between a name of godliness and the power of godliness4 ,that is hottest when there are fewest witnesses4 ,the deadness upon many1 and the defection of the land1 is great4 ,blessed are they who seek the ,lord and ,his face4 #did ,the differences on account of the ,public ,resolutions4 ,letter ,,cccxxix41 note4 #die ,the ,government of ,cromwell4 #dif ,refers probably to ,j4 ,m',lellan1 who had come from ,ireland1 and been admitted minister in ,kirkcudbright in #afch1 where he continued to live and labour till his death in #afej4 ,he was a man early acquainted with ,god and ,his ways1 a most upright and zealous ,protestant1 and one who knew not what it was to be afraid in the cause of ,god4 ,livingstone says that he was thought by many to have had somewhat of the spirit of prophecy2 he foretold many sad events that would come on ,england4 ,a little before his death he composed the following epitaph on himself3-- ,come1 stingless death1 have o'er2 lo6 here's my pass1 ,in blood character'd1 by ,his hand who was1 ,and is1 and shall be4 ,jordan1 cut thy stream1 ,make channels dry2 ,i bear my ,father's name ,stamped on my brow4 ,i'm ravished with my crown2 ,i shine so bright1 down with all glory1 down1 ,that world can give4 ,i see the peerless ,port 7,rev4 xxi4 #ba71 ,the ,golden ,street1 the blessed soul's ,resort1 ,the ,tree of ,life4 ,floods gushing from the ,throne1 ,call me to joys4 ,begone1 short woes begone2 ,i lived to die1 but now ,i die to live2 ,i do enjoy more than ,i did believe4 ,the ,promise me into ,possession sends ,faith in fruition1 hope in having ends4 --,livingstone's ,characteristics1 and ,nicholson's ,galloway1 vol4 ii4 ,i shall entreat you to remember me to your husband1 and all friends4 ,i desire to forget none who are in ,christ4 ,your brother in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,edinburgh1 ,march #ad1 #afec4 ,,cccxl4--,to ,,mr4 ,,thomas ,,wylie4#dig #dig ,from the original1 among the ,wodrow ,,mss4 vol4 xxix4 #dto1 ,no4 #ff4 ,this letter is addressed on the back1 ,for his ,reverend and dear ,brother1 ,mr4 ,thomas ,wylie1 ,minister of the ,gospel at ,kirkcudbright1 and ,moderator of the ,presbytery there4 7,,regarding ,a ,,letter ,,of ,,explanation47 ,,right ,,reverend1--,i look on it as a significant expression of your respect to me1 and above all deserving in me1 that you take notice of any appearance of clouds1 or alienation of mind among brethren2 and am glad of your testimony of my brother4 ,i had no interest but brotherly advice1 and hearty desire of the real prospering of the work of the ,gospel4 ,nor was it either necessary or expedient1 that your wisdoms should be troubled and put to any presbyterial testimony1 upon the ground of a private missive letter1 written by misinformation4 ,i give credit to your testimony1 and judge much ought to be laid upon it1 and shall think myself obliged to your wisdoms1 and look on it as a testimony of your affectionate zeal to the work of ,god4 ,the ,lord of the harvest thrust out labourers to ,his vineyard1 and bless ,his work in your hands6 ,excuse me1 dear and reverend1 for my troubling you with any private misunderstanding4 ,i am not a little refreshed to hear of your care and zeal for the house of ,god4 ,the ,lord be with your spirit4 ,your unworthy brother and fellow-labourer in the ,gospel1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,march #bc1 #afec4 ,,cccxli4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,present ,,need ,,helped ,,by ,,past ,,experience47 ,,madam1--,grace1 mercy1 and peace be to you4--,i know that ye think of an outgoing1 and that your quartering in time1 and your abode in this life1 is short2 for we flee away as a shadow4 ,the declining of the sun1 and the lengthening of the shadow1 say that our journey is short and near the end4 ,i speak it1 because ,i have warnings of my removal4 ,madam1 ,i know not any against whom the ,lord is not3 for ,he is against the proud and lofty2 the day of the ,lord is upon all the cedars1 upon all the high mountains1 upon every high tower1 and upon every fenced wall1 upon all the ships of ,tarshish1 and upon all pleasant pictures 7,isa4 ii4 #ab-af74 ,i know not anything comparable to a nearness and spiritual communion with the ,father and the ,son ,christ4 ,there is much deadness and witheredness upon many spirits sometime near to ,god2 and ,i wish the ,lord have not more to say and to do against the land4 ,ye have1 ,madam1 in your accounts1 mercies1 deliverances1 rods1 warnings1 plenty of means1 consolations 7when refuge failed1 when ye looked on the right hand1 and behold no man would know you1 nor care for your soul1 when young and weak71 manifestations of ,god1 the outgoings of the ,lord for you1 experiences1 answers from the ,lord2 by all which1 ye may be comforted now1 and confirmed in the certain hope1 that grace1 free grace1 in a fixed and established ,surety1 shall perfect that good work in you4 ,happy they who see not and yet believe4 ,grace1 grace1 eternally in our ,lord ,jesus be with you4 ,yours1 in the ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,edinburgh1 ,may #bg1 #afec4 ,,cccxlii4--,for the ,right ,honourable and truly worthy ,,colonel ,,gilbert ,,ker4 7,,deadness--,,hopes ,,of ,,refreshment--,,distance ,,from ,,god--,,nearness ,,delighted ,,in47 ,,much ,,honoured ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,how it is with you may appear by your letters to some with us2 but it is the complaint of not a few of such as were in ,christ before me1 that most of us inhabit and dwell in a parched land4 ,the people of the ,lord are like a land not rained upon4 ,though some dare not deny that this is the garden of the ,beloved1 and the vineyard that the ,lord doth keep and water every moment1 yet1 oh6 where are the sometime quickening breathings and influences from heaven that have refreshed ,his hidden ones8 ,the causes of ,his withdrawings are unknown to us4 ,one thing cannot be denied1 but that ways of high sovereignty and dominion of grace are far out of the sight of angels and men2 yea1 and so above the fixed way of free promises 7such as1 ,this do1 and ,he shall breathe and blow upon ,his garden71 as ,he hath put forth a declaration to ,his hidden ones in ,scotland1 that smarting1 wrestlings1 prayings1 complaining1 gracious missing1 cannot earn the visits from on high1 nor fetch down showers upon the desert4 ,it may be1 when we are saying in our graves1 ,our bones are dry1 and our hope gone1 that temporal and spiritual deliverance may come both together2 and that ,he will cause us feel1 both the one way and the other1 the good of ,his reign who shortly cometh to the throne4 ,he shall come down like rain upon the mown grass1 as showers that water the earth4 ,in ,his days shall the righteous flourish2 and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth4 ,he shall deliver the needy when he crieth2 the poor also1 and him that hath no helper4 ,he shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence3 and precious shall their blood be in ,his sight 7,ps4 lxxii4 #f-af74 ,and though we cannot pray home a sweet season that way1 yet ,christ must bring summer with ,him when ,he cometh4 ,there shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains2 the fruit thereof shall shake like ,lebanon4 ,i know not if ,i apply prophecies as ,i would1 rather than as they are4 ,when the one ,shepherd is set over them1 even ,he who shall stand 7oh how much do we lie67 and feed in the strength of the ,lord1 the isles 7and this the greatest of them71 which wait for ,his law1 are to look for that2 ,and ,i will make them1 and the places round about ,my hill1 a blessing2 and ,i will cause the shower to come down in his season3 there shall be showers of blessing 7,ezek4 xxxiv4 #bf74 ,how desirable must every drop of such a shower be6 ,and1 ,i will be as the dew to ,israel3 he shall grow as the lily1 and cast forth his roots as ,lebanon4 ,his branches shall spread1 and his beauty shall be as the olive-tree1 and his smell as ,lebanon 7,hosea xiv4 #e1 #f74 ,and1 ,instead of the thorn shall come up the fir-tree1 and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle-tree2 and it shall be to the ,lord for a name1 for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off 7,isa4 lv4 #ac74 ,i will plant in the wilderness the cedar1 the shittah-tree1 and the oil-tree 7,isa4 xli4 #ai74 ,i will pour water upon him that is thirsty1 and floods upon the dry ground3 ,i will pour ,my ,spirit upon thy seed1 and ,my blessing upon thine offspring4 ,and it shall be no lost labour or fruitless husbandry2 ,they shall spring up as among the grass1 as willows by the water-courses 7,isa4 xliv4 #c1 #d74 ,but when this shall be in ,scotland 7and it must be7 is better to believe than prophesy2 and quietly to hope and sit still 7for that is yet our strength71 than to quarrel with ,him1 that the wheels of this chariot move leisurely4 ,yet this can hardly say anything to us who do so much please ourselves in our deadness1 and are almost gone from godly thirst and missing too1 being half-satisfied with our witheredness4 ,no doubt we have marred ,his influences1 and have not seconded nor smiled upon ,his actings upon us4 ,nor have we been much of his strain who doth eight times breathe out that suit1 ,quicken me1 quicken me 7,ps4 cxix474 ,so much are we desirous to be acted upon by the ,lord as blocks and stones2 and so prodigal are we of ,his motions1 as if they were no better to be husbanded4 ,but it is good that it is not in our power to blast and undo ,his breathings2 ,his wind bloweth where ,he listeth4 ,could we but lean1 and cast a quiet spirit under the dewings and showerings of ,him that every moment watereth ,his vineyard1 how happy and blessed were we6 ,we neither open nor discern ,his knocking1 nor do we feel ,his hand put in through the keyhole1 nor can we give any spiritual account of the walkings and motions of ,christ1 when ,he standeth behind the wall1 when ,he cometh skipping over the mountains1 when ,he cometh to ,his garden and feasteth1 when ,he feedeth among the lilies1 when ,his spikenard casteth a smell1 when ,he knocketh and withdraweth1 and is nowhere to be found4 ,oh1 how little a portion of ,god we see6 ,how little study we ,god6 ,how rarely read we ,god1 or are versed in the lively apprehensions of that great unknown ,all in ,all1 the glorious ,godhead1 and the ,godhead revealed in ,christ6 ,we dwell far from the well1 and complain but dryly of our dryness and dulness4 ,we are rather dry than thirsty4 ,sir1 there may be artificial pride in this humility2 but for me1 ,i neither know what ,he is1 nor ,his ,son's name1 nor where ,he dwelleth4 ,i hear a report of ,christ great enough1 and that is all4 ,oh6 what is nearness to ,him8 ,what is that1 to be in ,god1 to dwell in ,god8 ,what a house must that be6 7#a ,john iv4 #ac74 ,how far are some from their house and home8 how ill acquaint with the rooms1 mansions1 safety1 and sweetness of holy security to be found in ,god6 ,oh1 what estrangement6 what wandering6 what frequent conversing with self and the creature6 ,is not here the bed shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it8 and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it8 7,isa4 xxviii4 #bj74 ,when shall we attain to a living in only1 only ,god6 and be estranged from all the poor created nothings1 the painted shadow-beings of yesterday1 which1 an hour and less before creation1 were dark waste negatives and empty nothings1 and should so have been for eternity1 had the ,lord suffered them to lie there for ever6 ,it is ,he1 the great ,he1 who sitteth upon the circle of the earth1 and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers1 that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain1 and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in1 that bringeth the princes to nothing1 and maketh the judges of the earth as vanity 7,isa4 xl4 #bb1 #bc74 ,and ,he1 the only ,he1 and there is no ,he beside ,him 7,isa4 xliii4 #aj1 #aa1 #ac-be74 ,men or angels1 they are not any of them a he to ,him6 ,but a living1 breathing1 dying nothing is man at his best1 a sick clay-vanity2 and the angel1 to ,him1 but a more excellent1 living and understanding nothing4 ,yet we live at a distance from ,him2 and we die and wither when we are out of ,god4 ,oh1 if we knew how nothing we are without ,him6 ,sir1 we desire to mind your bonds2 and are cheered and refreshed that we hear of any of ,his manifestations1 and ,his outgoings1 which are prepared as the morning to you4 ,we hope that we need not desire you not to faint1 and are confident that the anointing that abideth in you teacheth you so much4 ,wait upon the speaking vision3 ,behold1 ,he cometh6 behold1 ,his reward is with ,him1 and ,his work before ,him6 7,isa4 xl4 #aj74 ,the only wise ,god strengthen you with all might1 according to ,his glorious power1 unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness4 ,yours1 at all observance1 in the ,lord ,jesus1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st ,,andrews1 ,july #afec4 ,,cccxliii4--,for the truly honourable ,,colonel ,,gilbert ,,ker4#dih #dih ,from a copy among the ,wodrow ,,mss4 vol4 lix4 folio1 ,no4 #e4 ,there is probably an error as to the date of this letter4 ,from an allusion in it to a vacancy in one of the professorships of ,st4 ,mary's or the ,new ,college of ,st4 ,andrews1 explained in the following note1 it appears to have been written in or subsequent to the year #afeg4 7,,the ,,state ,,of ,,the ,,land47 ,,much ,,honoured1--,i bless the ,lord for ,his good hand1 who declares that ,his sovereign presence is alike in ,england and all places1 and sways hearts as pleases ,him4 ,the book of holy providence is good marginal notes on ,his revealed will1 in ,his word1 and speaks much to us1 could we read and understand what ,he writes1 both in the one and the other4 ,you see ,he is not wanting to you2 houses and lands are ,his4 ,the ,lord led ,abraham from his own country to a land he knew not4 ,it would appear ,he hath not opened ,his mind to you for leaving of this land1 though ,i be much afraid of a sick state1 a sleeping ministry1 a covenant-breaking land1 a number of dead professors2 all these are grey hairs here and there on ,ephraim4 ,sure our ruin is sure if ,god let us alone2 we shall rot in our lies4 ,but what am ,i to determine of conclusions of mercy revealed to none1 and thoughts of peace in the heart of the ,lord towards an undeserving land8 ,i should be glad to see you1 and shall desire ,he may lead you in the matter of your residence whom ye desire to be your ,guide and ,counsellor4 ,for me1 ,i am1 as to my body1 most weak and under daily summons2 but ,i sit still and read not the summons3 as to my spirit1 much out of court1 because out of communion with the ,lord1 and far from what sometime hath been2 deadness1 security1 unbelief1 and distance from ,god in the use of means1 prevail more than ever4#dii ,i shall desire your help for getting a third ,professor4 ,i am in this college between wind and weather4 ,dr4 ,colville#ejj is for ,mr4 ,james ,sharp2#eja ,i am for ,mr4 ,william ,rait1 but know not the event4#ejb ,my wife remembers her respects to you4 ,grace be with you4 #dii ,rutherford was now ,principal of ,st4 ,mary's or the ,new ,college of ,st4 ,andrews1 a situation to which he was elevated about the close of the year #afdg2 and a vacancy having occurred in the ,professorship of ,ecclesiastical ,history1 by the translation of ,mr4 ,james ,wood to be ,principal of ,st4 ,salvator's or the ,old ,college of ,st4 ,andrews1 in #afeg1 ,rutherford was very desirous of seeing that situation filled by a suitable person4 #ejj ,dr4 ,alexander ,colville1 who had been ,professor of ,divinity in the ,protestant ,university of ,sedan1 was inducted one of the masters in the ,new ,college of ,st4 ,andrews in #afdb4 ,he conformed to ,prelacy in #affb2 became ,principal of that ,college upon ,rutherford's death2 and died in #afff4 #eja ,afterwards ,archbishop of ,st4 ,andrews4 #ejb ,rutherford was strenuous in his exertions to secure the appointment of ,mr4 ,rait1 but without success4 ,his colleague1 ,dr4 ,colville1 succeeded in obtaining the appointment of ,sharp to the vacant office1 into which he was inducted on the #bbnd of ,february #affa1 about a month before ,rutherford's death4 ,mr4 ,rait afterwards became minister of ,dundee4 ,yours1 at all obedience1 in ,god1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,april #b1 #afed4 ,remember my love in ,christ to ,mr4 ,livingstone4 ,,cccxliv4--,for ,,mr4 ,,john ,,scot1 at ,oxnam44 ,,mr4 ,,john ,,scot1 minister of ,oxnam1 zealously adhered to the ,protesters2 and ,rutherford's letters to him have chiefly a reference to the proceedings of that party4 ,after the restoration of ,charles ,,ii41 ,scot was imprisoned for some time1 but suffered less than others of his brethren4 ,on being set at liberty1 he was allowed to return to his parish1 and to resume the exercise of his ministry4 ,we find him continuing there down to #affd1 when he was brought before the short-lived ,high ,commission ,court1 erected in the beginning of that year1 for having assisted at ,communions which were reckoned contrary to law4 ,how he was dealt with by that ,court is not now known4 ,in #affi he became indulged minister of ,oxnam4 ,he must have died previous to #afhd1 as in that year the name of ,elizabeth ,rae1 relict of ,mr4 ,john ,scot1 late minister of ,oxnam1 occurs among a list of names in the parish of ,kelso1 delated by the curate of that parish to the ,committee of ,privy ,council which met at ,jedburgh1 with the view of proceeding against those guilty of church disorders1 that is1 against those who deserted their own parish church1 and attended conventicles4 7,warrants of ,privy ,council47 7,,excuse ,,for ,,absence ,,from ,,duty47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,no man oweth more to the church of ,god with you1 than poor and wretched ,i4 ,but when weakness of body1 and the ,lord by it1 did forbid me to undertake a lesser journey to ,edinburgh1 ,i am forbidden far more to journey thither4 ,and believe it1 nothing besides this doth hinder4 ,i am unable to overtake what the ,lord hath laid upon me here2 and1 therefore1 ,i desire to submit to sovereignty1 and must be silent4 ,if my prayers and best desires to the ,lord could contribute anything for promoting of ,his work1 my soul's desire is that the wilderness1 and that place to which ,i owe my first breathing1#ejc in which ,i fear ,christ was scarce named1 as touching any reality or power of godliness1 may blossom as a rose4 #ejc ,this seems to refer to ,nisbet1 formerly a separate parish1 but now annexed to ,crailing1 in the ,presbytery of ,jedburgh1 and shire of ,roxburgh4 ,it is within two miles of the parish of ,oxnam2 and some thirty years ago a house there used to be pointed out1 by an old villager1 as that in which1 according to tradition1 ,rutherford was born4 ,so desiring1 and praying that ,his name may be great among you1 and entreating that you may believe that the names of the ,lord's adversaries shall be written in the earth1 and that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto ,jerusalem1 to worship the ,king1 the ,lord of ,hosts1 even upon them shall be no rain1 and that the ,lord will create glory upon every assembly in ,mount ,zion1 ,i rest1 your own brother in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,june #ae1 #afee4 ,,cccxlv4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,thoughts ,,for ,a ,,time ,,of ,,sickness1 ,,about ,,the ,,life ,,to ,,come47 ,,madam1--,i have been so long silent1 that ,i am almost ashamed now to speak4 ,i hear of your weakly condition of body1 which speaketh some warning to you to look for a longer life1 where ye shall have more leisure to praise than time can give you here4 ,it shall be loss to many2 but sure yourself1 ,madam1 shall be only#ejd free of any loss4 ,and truly1 considering what days we are now falling into1 if sailing were not serving of the ,lord 7which ,i can hardly attain to71 a calm harbour were very good when storms are so high4 ,the ,forerunner1 who hath landed first1 must help to bring the sea-beaten vessel safe to the port1 and the sick passengers who are following the ,forerunner safe ashore4 ,much deadness prevaileth over some2 but there is much life in ,him who is the ,resurrection and the ,life to quicken4 ,oh1 what of our hid life is without us1 and how little and poor a stock is in the hand of some6 ,the only wise ,god supply what is wanting4 ,the more ye want1 and the more your joy hath run on1 the more is owing to you by the promise of grace4 ,bygones of waterings from heaven1 which your ,ladyship wanted in ,kenmure1 ,rusco1 the ,west1 ,glasgow1 ,edinburgh1 ,england1 etc41 shall all come in a great sum together4 ,the marriage supper of the ,lamb must not be marred with too large four-hours' refreshment4 ,know1 ,madam1 that ,he1 who hath tutored you from the breasts1 knoweth how to time ,his own day-shinings and love-visits4 #ejd ,it shall do nothing but free you from evil4 ,grace1 that runneth on1 be with you4 ,yours1 in the ,lord1 at all observance1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews4 ,,cccxlvi4--,to ,,simeon ,,ashe4 ,,mr4 ,,ashe was a ,puritan minister in ,london during the time of the civil wars4 ,he died in #affb4 7,,views ,,of ,,the ,,presbyterians ,,as ,,to ,,allegiance ,,to ,,the ,,protector47 ,,reverend ,,worthy ,,sir1--,i would recommend to you the bearer1 ,mr4 ,james ,simpson1#eje a faithful preacher of the ,gospel4 ,be pleased to hear him4 ,i trust he shall give you a true and faithful relation of our affairs4 ,you may be pleased to believe me1 that men who have borrowed your ear to blacken the godly in the land1 and who have now both deserted us and the ,covenant1 and joined feet with the ,malignant party1 and now have owned the present powers1 and brought the intrants to the ministry to give under their hand a subscription1 an engagement 7the writ calls it1 a resolution to live peaceably and unoffensively under the present ,government71 so that no holy man can get any maintenance in the land but such as will sinfully comply 7and such as cannot1 what an entry they have to that holy calling to embrace it671 these men seek more their own things1 than the things of ,jesus ,christ4 ,and being backed by the whole multitude of the promiscuous generality1 throughout the land1 who are for their way1 as of old the prelatic conformists did1 they do persecute the godly1 and in pulpits and presbyteries declaim against us as implacable and separatists4 ,you may1 ,sir1 by this1 and what the bearer will make known to you1 perceive what wrong the compliance of these men hath done to the cause of ,god4 ,but ,i spare1 and do beg the favour of your other care4 ,the grace of ,god be with you4 #eje ,mr4 ,james ,simpson was minister of ,airth4 ,he subscribed the protestation which ,rutherford gave in against the lawfulness of the ,assembly held at ,st4 ,andrews in ,july #afea2 for which he was deposed from the ministry by the adjourned meeting at ,dundee4 ,after the ,restoration he was accused in ,parliament1 by the ,king's advocate1 of seditious practices1 and banished by ,parliament1 without being heard4 ,he removed to ,holland1 where he died4 ,simpson at this time had been sent up to ,london by the ,protesters1 to represent their cause to ,cromwell and the ministers of the city1 in opposition to the notorious ,james ,sharp1 afterwards ,archbishop of ,st4 ,andrews1 who had been sent up by the ,resolutioners4 ,i am your loving brother in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 #afef4 ,,cccxlvii4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,unkindness ,,of ,,the ,,creature--,,god',s ,,sovereignty ,,in ,,permitting ,,his ,,children ,,to ,,be ,,injured ,,by ,,men47 ,,madam1--,i confess that ,i have cause to be grieved at my long silence or laziness in writing4 ,i am also afflicted to hear1 that such who were debtors to your ,ladyship for better dealing have served you with such prevarication4 ,ye know that crookedness is neither strong1 nor long enduring2 and ye know likewise1 that these things spring not out of the dust4 ,it is sweet to look upon the lawless and sinful stirrings of the creature as ordered by a most holy hand in heaven4 ,oh1 if some could make peace with ,god6 ,it would be our wisdom1 and afford us much sweet peace1 if oppressors were looked on as passive instruments1 like the saw or axe in the carpenter's hand4 ,they are bidden 7if such a distinction may be admitted71 but not commanded1 of ,god 7as ,shimei was1 #b ,sam4 xvi4 #aj71 to do what they do4 ,madam1 these many years the ,lord hath been teaching you to read and study well the book of holy1 holy1 and spotless sovereignty1 in suffering from some nigh-hand1 and some far off4 ,whoever be the instruments1 the replying of clay to the ,potter1 the ,former of all1 is unbeseeming the nothing-creature4 ,i hope that ,he will clear you3 but1 when ,zion's public evils lie not nigh some of us1 and leave no impression upon our hearts1 it is no wonder that we be exercised with domestic troubles4 ,but ,i know that ye are taught of ,god to prefer ,jerusalem to your chiefest joy4 ,madam1 there is no cause of fainting3 wait upon the not-tarrying vision1 for it will speak4 ,the only wise ,god be with you1 and ,god1 even your own ,god1 bless you4 ,yours1 at all observance1 in ,god1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,june #afeg4 ,,cccxlviii4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,god',s ,,dealings ,,with ,,the ,,land47 ,,madam1--,i should not forget you2 but my deadness under a threatening stroke1 both of a falling church 7a broken covenant1 a despised remnant7 and a craziness of body1 that ,i cannot get a piece sickly clay carried about from one house or town to another1 lieth most heavy on me4 ,the ,lord hath removed ,scotland's crown1 for we owned not ,his crown4 ,we fretted at ,his catholic government of the world1 and fretted that ,he would not be ruled and led by us1 in breaking our adversaries3 and ,he maketh us to suffer and pine away in our iniquities1 under the broken government of ,his house4 ,it is like1 that it would be our snare to be tried with the honour of a peaceable ,reformation3 we might mar the carved work of ,his house1 worse than those against whom we cry out4 ,it is like1 that ,he hath bidden us lie on our left side three hundred and ninety days2 and yet so astonishing is our stupidity1 that we moan not our sore side4 ,our gold is become dim1 the visage of our ,nazarites is become black1 the sun is gone down on our seers2 the crown is fallen from our heads2 we roar like bears4 ,lord save us from that1 ,he that made them will not have mercy on them 7,isa4 xxvii4 #aa74 ,the heart of the scribe meditateth terror4 ,oh1 ,madam1 if the ,lord would help us to more self-judging1 and to make sure an interest in ,christ6 ,ah1 we forget eternity1 and it approaches quickly4 ,grace be with you4 ,your ,ladyship's1 at all obedience1 in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,nov4 #bj1 #afeg4 ,,cccxlix4--,for ,,mr4 ,,john ,,scot1 at ,oxnam4 ,john ,livingstone1 in his letter to his parishioners at ,ancrum1 says3 ,oxnam is not far off from you1 and ,i hope ,mr4 ,scot doth and will declare for the sworn ,reformation1 and testify against present defection4 7,,protesters' ,,toleration47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i saw from ,c4 ,k4 a testimony of your ,presbytery against toleration1 in which ye have been instrumental4 ,the ,lord give strength to do more4 ,i think it both rare and necessary1 and would account it a great mercy1 if there were an addition of a postscript from divers ministers and elders1 out of all the shires of ,scotland4 ,it is really the mind of all the godly and tender in this land4 ,it is believed by some1 that the ,protesting party hath quite given over the cause4 ,i hope it is not so2 but the ,lord shall be yet victorious in ,his most despised ones4 ,our darkness is great and thick1 and there is much deadness2 yet the ,lord will be our light4 ,thus recommending you to ,his grace whose ye are1 ,i am1 your own brother1 in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,april #b1 #afeh4 ,,cccl4--,for ,,mr4 ,,john ,,scot1 at ,oxnam4 7,,gloomy ,,times--,,means ,,of ,,promoting ,,godliness47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,faint not2 but be strong in the ,lord1 and in the power of ,his might4 ,i look on it as a rich mercy that the ,lord is with you1 strengthening you to quicken fainters1 to warm and warn any that are cold or dead1 or who deaden others4 ,believe that it will be your peace in the end4 ,the times are sad2 yet ,i persuade myself that the vision will not tarry1 but will speak4 ,the ,lord will loose our captive bonds4 ,oh1 blessed he1 though alone1 who is found fast and constant for the desirable interest of ,christ4 ,my humble advice would be1 that you see to the placing#ejf of the deacon and the ruling elder1 or to anything that may weaken the ,discipline4 ,our ,second ,book of ,discipline should be heeded3 ,sessions purged4 ,oh6 catechising and personal visiting1 and speaking to them sigillatim 7one by one7 concerning their interest in ,christ and a state of conversion1 is little in practice4 ,the practice of family fasts is scarce known to be an ordinance of ,god4 ,it were good that ye should confer with godly brethren in private1 concerning the promoting of godliness1 concerning ,christian conference1 and praying together1 worshipping of ,god in families1 and solitary fasts4 #ejf ,this seems to mean1 the place assigned to the respective offices of elder and deacon4 ,to ,his grace who can direct1 quicken1 and strengthen you1 ,i commend you1 and am your loving brother1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews4 ,,cccli4--,to ,,mr4 ,,james ,,durham1 ,minister of the ,gospel at ,glasgow1 some few days before his ,death4 ,,mr4 ,,james ,,durham was ordained minister of ,blackfriars ,church1 ,glasgow1 in ,november #afdg4 ,in ,september #afea he was translated to the ,inner ,high ,church1 ,glasgow4 ,he was a man at once distinguished for ardent piety and great talents4 ,robert ,baillie counted him one of the most gracious1 wise1 and able preachers in this isle4 ,he is the minister of my family1 the same writer says1 and almost the only minister in this place ,glasgow of whom my soul gets good1 and whom ,i respect in some things above all men ,i know4 ,durham was cut off in the prime of life4 ,he died at ,glasgow on the #beth of ,june #afeh1--ten days after this letter was written to him1--in the thirty-sixth year of his age1 much regretted by all4 7,see ,letter ,,xci47 ,he wrote on the ,book of ,revelation1 ,christ ,crucified1 and some other excellent pieces4 7,,man',s ,,ways ,,not ,,god',s ,,ways47 ,,sir1--,i would ere now have written to you1 had ,i not known that your health1 weaker and weaker1 could scarce permit you to hear or read4 ,i need not speak much4 ,the ,way ye know1 and have preached to others the skill of the ,guide1 and the glory of the home beyond death4 ,and when ,he saith1 ,come and see1 it will be your gain to obey1 and go out and meet the ,bridegroom4 ,what accession is made to the higher house of ,his kingdom should not be our loss1 though it be real loss to the church of ,god4 ,but we count one way1 and the ,lord counteth another way4 ,he is infallible1 and the only wise ,god1 and needeth none of us4 ,had ,he needed the staying in the body of ,moses and the prophets1 ,he could have taken another way4 ,who dare bid you cast your thoughts back on wife or children1 when ,he hath said1 ,leave them to ,me1 and come up hither8 ,or who can persuade you to die or live1 as if that were arbitrary to us1 and not ,his alone who hath determined the number of your months8 ,if so it seem good to ,him1 follow your ,forerunner and ,guide4 ,it is an unknown land to you1 who were never there before2 but the land is good1 and the company before the throne desirable1 and ,he who sitteth on the throne is ,his lone a sufficient heaven4 ,grace1 grace be with you4 ,yours in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,june #ae1 #afeh4 ,,ccclii4--,for ,,mr4 ,,john ,,scot1 at ,oxnam4 7,,adherence ,,to ,,the ,,testimony ,,against ,,toleration47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,your letter that came unto me1 of ,august #bnd1 to be at ,edinburgh upon ,august #bnd1 was unknown to me by the subscription4 ,but since it was written for so honourable and warrantable a truth of ,christ1 as a testimony against ,toleration1 if my health would have permitted1 and my daily menacing gravel1 ,i should have come to ,edinburgh4 ,what either counsel1 countenance1 or clearing1 ye could have had from the like of me1 ,i cannot say2 nor dare ,i speak much1 but with a reserve of the help of ,his grace4 ,i desire to desire1#ejg and purpose by strength from above1 to own that cause1 and to join with you and some in this church1 besides your ,presbytery1 who will own that cause4 ,be strong in the ,lord1 and in the power of ,his might4 ,this cloud will over1#ejh could we live by faith1 and wait on a speaking1 and a seemingly delaying vision4 7,heb4 ii4 #c47 ,the ,lord will not tarry4 #ejg ,perhaps1 ,i desire to pray for4 #ejh ,pass over4 ,grace be with you4 ,many are with you1 but there is ,one who is above millions4 ,your own brother1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,august #h1 #afeh4 ,,cccliii4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,trials--,,deadness ,,of ,,spirit--,,danger ,,of ,,false ,,security47 ,,madam1--,i am ashamed of my long silence to your ,ladyship4 ,your tossings and wanderings are known to ,him upon whom ye have been cast from the breasts1 and who hath been your ,god of old4 ,the temporal loss of creatures1 dear to you there1 may be the more easily endured1 that the gain of ,one who only hath immortality groweth4 ,there is an universal complaint of deadness of spirit on all that know ,god4 ,he that writeth to you1 ,madam1 is as deep in this as any1 and is afraid of a strong and hot battle1 before time be at a close4 ,but no matter1 if the ,lord crown all with the victorious triumphing of faith4 ,god teacheth us by terrible things in righteousness4 ,we see many things1 but we observe nothing4 ,our drink is sour4 ,grey hairs are here and there on us4 ,we change many lords and rulers2 but the same bondage of soul and body remaineth4 ,we live little by faith1 but much by sense1 according to the times1 and by human policy4 ,the watchmen sleep1 and the people perish for lack of knowledge4 ,how can we be enlightened when we turn our back on the sun8 and must we not be withered when we leave the fountain8 ,it should be my only desire to be a minister1 gifted with the white stone1 and the new name written on it4 ,i judge it were fit 7now when tall professors and when many stars fall from heaven1 and ,god poureth the isle of ,great ,britain from vessel to vessel1 and yet we sit1 and are settled on our lees7 to consider 7as sometimes ,i do1 but ah6 rarely71 how irrecoverable a wo it is to be under a beguile in the matter of eternity4 ,and what if ,i1 who can have a subscribed testimonial of many who shall stand at the right hand of the ,judge1 shall miss ,christ's approving testimony1 and be set upon the left hand among the goats8 7,matt4 vii4 #bb1 xxv4 #h-ab and #cc2 ,luke xiii4 #be-bg74 ,there is such a beguile2 and it befalleth many2 and what if it befall me1 who have but too much art to cozen my own soul and others1 with the flourish of ministerial1 or country1 holiness6 ,dear lady1 ,i am afraid of prevailing security4 ,we watch little 7,i have relation mainly to myself71 we wrestle little4 ,i am like one travelling in the night1 who seeth a spirit1 and sweateth for fear1 and careth not to tell it to his fellow1 for fear of increasing his own fear4 ,however1 ,i am sure1 when the ,master is nigh ,his coming1 it were safe to write over a double1 and a new copy1 of our accounts of the sins of nature1 childhood1 youth1 riper years1 and old age4 ,what if ,christ have another written representation of me than ,i have of myself8 ,sure ,he is right2 and if it contradict my mistaken and sinfully erroneous account of ,i myself1 ah6 where am ,i then8 ,but1 ,madam1 ,i discourage none4 ,i know that ,christ hath made a new marriage-contract of love1 and sealed it with ,his blood1 and the trembling believer shall not be confounded4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours1 at all obedience1 in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,may #bf1 #afeh4 ,,cccliv4--,to my ,,lady ,,kenmure4 7,,prevailing ,,declension1 ,,decay1 ,,and ,,indifference ,,to ,,god',s ,,dealings--,,things ,,future47 ,,madam1--,i should be glad that the ,lord would be pleased to lengthen out more time to you1 that ye might1 before your eyes be shut1 see more of the work of the right hand of the ,lord1 in reviving a now swooning and crushed land and church4 ,though ,i was lately knocking at death's gate1 yet could ,i not get in1 but was sent back for a time4#eji ,it is well if ,i could yet do any service to ,him2 but1 ah6 what deadness lieth upon the spirit6 ,and deadness breedeth distance from ,god4 ,madam1 these many years the ,lord hath let you see a clear difference betwixt those who serve ,god and love ,his name1 and those who serve ,him not4 ,and ,i judge that ye look upon the way of ,christ as the only best way1 and that ye would not exchange ,christ for the world's god1 or their mammon1 and that ye can give ,christ a testimony of ,chief among ten thousand4 ,true it is that many of us have fallen from our first love2 but ,christ hath renewed ,his first love of our espousals to ,himself1 and multiplied the seekers of ,god all the country over1 even where ,christ was scarce named1 east and west1 south and north1 above the number that our fathers ever knew4#eaj ,but1 ah6 ,madam1 what shall be done or said of many fallen stars1 and many near to ,god complying wofully1 and sailing to the nearest shore8 ,yea1 and we are consumed in the furnace1 but not melted2 burned1 but not purged4 ,our dross is not removed1 but our scum remaineth in us2 and in the furnace we fret1 we faint1 and 7which is more strange7 we slumber4 ,the fire burneth round about us1 and we lay it not to heart4 ,grey hairs are upon us1 and we know it not4 #eji ,reading the ,letters chronologically1 we are now within two years of his death1 but ,lady ,kenmure survived many years4 #eaj ,how interesting is this notice of ,revival1 prefacing and preparing the church for the days of sore trial that soon burst over ,scotland6 ,it were now a desirable life to send away our love to heaven4 ,and well it becometh us to wait for our appointed change1 yet so as we should be meditating thus3 ,is there a new world above the sun and moon8 ,and is there such a blessed company harping and singing hallelujahs to the ,lamb up above8 ,why1 then1 are we taken with a vain life of sighing and sinning8 ,oh1 where is our wisdom1 that we sit still1 laughing1 eating1 sleeping prisoners1 and do not pack up all our best things for the journey1 desiring always to be clothed with our house from above1 not made with hands6 ,ah6 we savour not the things that are above1 nor do we smell of glory ere we come thither2 but we transact and agree with time1 for a new lease of clay mansions4 ,behold1 ,he cometh6 ,we sleep1 and turn all the work of duties into dispute of events for deliverance4 ,but the greatest haste1 to be humbled for a broken and buried covenant1 is first and last forgotten2 and all our grief is1 the ,lord lingereth1 enemies triumph1 godly ones suffer1 atheists blaspheme4 ,ah6 we pray not2 but wonder that ,christ cometh not the higher way1 by might1 by power1 by garments rolled in blood4 ,what if ,he come the lower way8 ,sure we sin1 in putting the book in ,his hand1 as if we could teach the ,almighty knowledge4 ,we make haste2 we believe not4 ,let the only wise ,god alone2 ,he steereth well4 ,he draweth straight lines1 though we think and say they are crooked4 ,it is right that some should die and their breasts full of milk2 and yet we are angry that ,god dealeth so with them4 ,oh1 if ,i could adore ,him in ,his hidden ways1 when there is darkness under ,his feet and darkness in ,his pavilion1 and clouds are about ,his throne6 ,madam1 hoping1 believing1 patient praying1 is our life4 ,he loseth no time4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours1 at all obliged observance in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,sept4 #ab1 #afei4 ,,ccclv4--,to the ,,presbytery ,,of ,,kirkcudbright1 anent ,union1 with a desire to have ,mr4 ,william ,rait ,professor at ,st4 ,andrews4#eaa #eaa ,from the original among the ,wodrow ,,mss4 vol4 xxix4 #dto1 ,no4 #hh4 ,the letter is addressed on the back1 ,for the very ,reverend and honoured of the ,lord1 the ,moderator and ,remanent ,brethren of the ,presbytery of ,kirkcudbright4 ,that ,presbytery particularly distinguished itself by its earnest endeavours to restore harmony between the ,resolutioners and ,protesters2 to which they were stirred up chiefly by ,mr4 ,thomas ,wylie4 ,but their laudable efforts1 though partially successful in allaying animosity1 failed to heal the breach4 ,on this subject1 ,mr4 ,george ,hutchison1 in a letter to ,mr4 ,thomas ,wylie1 dated ,march #ab1 #affj1 says3 ,that little essay towards union hath been followed with the blessing of much less animosity than was wont to be before1 in actings and walkings one with another2 though1 as yet1 it is to be regretted that little can be got done for healing particular ruptures of parishes and presbyteries1 even upon seeming equal overtures2 and1 it fears me1 some elsewhere are more stiff than needful in such an exigent4 ,but ,i apprehend that either our trials or ,god's appearing1 among others1 may press the necessity of union more upon us 7,wodrow's ,,mss4 vol4 xxix474 7,,union--,,humiliation--,,choice ,,of ,a ,,professor47 ,,reverend1--,the desire of your ,wisdoms for union to me1 who am below such a public mercy1 and of so high concernment to the ,church of ,scotland1 ought to be most acceptable4 ,the name of peace is savoury1 both good and pleasant4 ,i so close with your godly and religious aim therein1 as judging the ,lord hath from heaven suggested to you1 and inspired your spirits with1 a fervent thirst and intention to promote the ,gospel1 that though ,i should judge myself 7as in truth ,i am7 lower than to suit#eab from either ,presbytery or ,synod any favour1 yet ,i shall1 in all humility1 beseech your ,wisdoms to prosecute with the power which ,christ hath given you the work of union2 and so much the more that ,i must shortly put off this my tabernacle4 ,i offer to your ,wisdoms' serious consideration1 the evident necessity of union with ,god1 and of a serious and sound humiliation1 and lying in the dust before the ,lord for a broken covenant1 declining from our former love1 owning of such as we sometime judged to be malignant enemies and opposers of the work of reformation and of the sworn covenant of ,god1 despising of the offered salvation of the ,gospel1 and coldness and indifferency in purging the house of ,god1 and other causes of the sad judgments which we now are under4 ,and my last and humble suit to your ,wisdoms is1 that ye would be pleased to take in with this union the planting of the ,new ,college#eac with a third master4 ,it is a matter that concerns the whole ,church of ,scotland and seminary of the ministry thereof1 and cannot be done but by a ,general ,assembly4 ,if1 therefore1 you have1 dear brethren1 judged me faithful of the ,lord1 and regard the work of the ,lord1 and the promoting of the kingdom of ,christ 7as ,i nothing doubt but it is the desire of your souls71 give commission to the brethren sent to treat for union1 at the meeting in ,edinburgh or elsewhere1 to join their authority and power1 such as now may be had1 to call1 invite1 and obtest some godly and able man1 to embrace the charge of ,professor in the ,college of ,divinity in ,st4 ,andrews4 ,and because ,mr4 ,william ,rait1 minister at ,brechin1 is a man for learning1 godliness1 prudence1 and eminent authority in the ,church of ,scotland1 sought for to the ministry by the town of ,edinburgh1 and also by ,aberdeen1 to preach the ,gospel and to profess in the ,college1 and hath the approbation of the present masters of the ,new ,college1 the godly ministers of the ,synod of ,fife1 of the ,presbytery of ,st4 ,andrews1 ministers of the city of ,st4 ,andrews1 it is my soul's desire1 and the heart-cry of students in the ,college1 and of the godly in the city1 that ,mr4 ,william ,rait may be the man2 and that your commissioners may be moved to deal with the commissioners of the ,synod of ,fife and ,angus for that effect2 so shall you be instrumental to repair our breaches1 and build ,his house4 ,so praying that your labours may not be in vain in the ,lord1 ,i rest 7the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit67 your unworthy brother and fellow-labourer in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 the #bcrd ,october #afei4 #eab ,solicit4 #eac ,at ,st4 ,andrews4 ,,ccclvi4--,to ,,mr4 ,,john ,,murray1 ,minister at ,methven4#ead #ead ,from the original among the ,wodrow ,,mss4 vol4 xxvii4 fol4 ,no4 #db4 ,,mr4 ,,john ,,murray was one of the ,protesters 7see ,baillie's ,letters72 and was committed prisoner to the ,castle of ,edinburgh for meeting with a few of his brethren to draw up a congratulatory address to ,charles ,,ii4 upon his restoration1 expressing their loyalty1 and reminding him of the obligation of the ,covenant4 ,he was summoned to appear before the ,parliament on the charge of high treason1 but at length was liberated4 ,about #afgb he was apprehended and imprisoned in the ,tolbooth of ,edinburgh for alleged house-conventicles4 ,when set at liberty1 he was confined to the parish of ,queensferry1 and ordained to wait upon ordinances and abstain from keeping conventicles1 and to attend the parish church4 7,wodrow's ,history1 vol4 ii47 7,a ,,synod ,,proposal ,,for ,,union--,,brethren ,,under ,,censure47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,i would gladly know the issue of your ,synod4 ,we did profess we could not be concluded#eae by the ,synod of ,fife's overtures of union1 but upon condition of the taking off the censures of our brethren1 which we think injuriously are inflicted4 ,much is promised to us for the remedying of these censures4 ,i shall believe when ,i see their performances4 ,i hope you will see that the brethren get no wrong1 or the house of ,god in their persons2 and send me a line of the conclusion of the ,synod in that business4 ,the paper of union is very general1 and comes to no particulars3 it only tells the good of union1 and contains some obtestations to us that insinuate the unsavouriness of irregular courses2 yet we thought it not safe to yield to any union of that kind1 so long as our brethren are under the censures4#eaf ,i much doubt of their honest meaning1 and that barriers in the way of entrant ministers and elders be revived4 ,and ,i see no engagement1 so much as verbal1 for purging2 but the contrary practice is here4 ,mr4 ,robert ,anderson#eag is as much opposed as if he were the most corrupt sectary or ,jesuit4 #eae ,determined finally4 #eaf ,murray1 and the other ,protesters in the ,synod of ,perth1 acted upon a similar principle4 ,as an instance of this1 we may adduce the following extracts from a paper entitled1 ,the desires of the brethren of the ,protesting judgment in the ,synod of ,perth under-subscribing1 unto the ,moderator and remanent members of the ,synod4 ,they desire1 #ast1 ,that the ,synod will declare and enact1 that none of the ,acts made by the two controverted ,assemblies at ,st4 ,andrews1 ,dundee1 and at ,edinburgh1 in the years #afea and #afeb1 appointing censure upon such as will not acknowledge the constitution of these ,assemblies1 and will not submit unto the ,acts thereof1 shall hereafter be of force within the bounds of this ,synod4444 #c4 ,that the ,synod will declare and enact1 that notwithstanding of the supposed censures inflicted upon ,mr4 ,james ,guthrie1 minister at ,stirling1 and ,mr4 ,james ,simpson1 minister at ,airth1 by the pretended ,assembly at ,st4 ,andrews and ,dundee1 and of the approbation or intimation thereof by the ,synod1 that the said ,mr4 ,james ,guthrie and ,mr4 ,james ,simpson are lawful standing ministers of the ,gospel in the respective charges of ,stirling and ,airth1 and capable to sit and vote in the ,synod and in their own ,presbytery1 and of every other ministerial privilege and employment 7,wodrow's ,,mss4 vol4 xxvii474 #eag ,a minister who is mentioned again in ,letter ,,ccclxv4 ,my wife remembers her to you4 ,remember me to your own bed-fellow4 ,grace be with you4 ,your own brother1 ,s4 ,r4 ,st4 ,andrews1 ,jan4 #be1 #affj4 ,illustration3 ,,edinburgh ,,castle4 ,,ccclvii4--,to his ,reverend and dear ,brethren1 ,,mr4 ,,guthrie1 ,,mr4 ,,traill1 and the rest of their brethren imprisoned in the ,castle of ,edinburgh4 ,the circumstances of the case to which this letter refers are these3--,on the #bcrd of ,august #affj1 the following ministers1 ,mr4 ,james ,guthrie of ,stirling1 ,mr4 ,john ,stirling and ,mr4 ,robert ,traill of ,edinburgh1 ,mr4 ,alexander ,moncrieff of ,scoonie1 ,mr4 ,john ,semple of ,carsfairn1 ,mr4 ,thomas ,ramsay of ,mordington1 ,mr4 ,john ,scot of ,oxnam1 ,mr4 ,gilbert ,hall of ,kirkliston1 ,mr4 ,john ,murray of ,methven1 ,mr4 ,george ,nairn of ,burntisland1 with two gentlemen1 ruling elders1 met in a private house in ,edinburgh1 to draw up an humble address to ,charles ,,ii41 congratulating his return1 and expressing their entire and unfeigned loyalty1 but at the same time reminding him of the obligation of the ,covenant which he and the nation had sworn4 ,whilst thus employed1 their papers were secured1 by the order of the ,committee of ,estates2 and they themselves were arrested1 and committed close prisoners to the ,castle of ,edinburgh4 7,,on ,,suffering ,,for ,,christ--,,god',s ,,presence ,,ever ,,with ,,his ,,people--,,firmness ,,and ,,constancy47 ,,reverend1 ,,now ,,very ,,dear1 ,,and ,,much ,,honoured ,,prisoners ,,for ,,christ1--,i am1 as to the point of light1 at the utmost of persuasion in that kind that it is the cause of ,christ which ye now suffer for1 and not men's interest4 ,if it be for men1 let us leave it2 but if we plead for ,god1 our own personal safety and man's deliverance will not be peace4 ,there is a salvation called the salvation of ,god1 which is cleanly1 pure1 spiritual1 unmixed1 near to the holy word of ,god4 ,it is that which we would seek1 even the favour of ,god that ,he beareth to ,his people2 not simple gladness1 but the gladness and goodness of the ,lord's chosen4 ,and sure1 though ,i be the weakest of ,his witnesses1 and unworthy to be among the meanest of them1 and am afraid that the ,cause be hurt 7but it cannot be lost7 by my unbelieving faintness1 ,i would not desire a deliverance separated from the deliverance of the ,lord's cause and people4 ,it is enough to me to sing when ,zion singeth1 and to triumph when ,christ triumpheth4 ,i should judge it an unhappy joy to rejoice when ,zion sigheth4 ,not one hoof will be your peace4 7,exod4 x4 #bf47 ,if ,christ doth own me1 let me be in the grave in a bloody winding-sheet1 and go from the scaffold in four quarters1 to grave or no grave4 ,i am ,his debtor1 to seal with sufferings this precious truth2 but1 oh6 when it cometh to the push1 ,i dare say nothing1 considering my weakness1 wickedness1 and faintness4 ,but fear not ye4 ,ye are not1 ye shall not be1 alone3 the ,father is with you4 ,it was not an unseasonable1 but a seasonable and a necessary duty ye were about4 ,fear ,him who is ,sovereign4 ,christ is captain of the castle and ,lord of the keys4 ,the cooling well-spring1 and refreshment from the promises1 are more than the frownings of the furnace4 ,i see snares and temptations in capitulating1 composing1 ceding1 minching with distinctions of circumstances1 formalities1 compliments1 and extenuations1 in the cause of ,christ4 ,a long spoon3 the broth is hell-hot4#eah ,hold a distance from carnal compositions1 and much nearness to the fountain1 to the favour and refreshing light from the ,father of lights speaking in ,his oracles4 ,this is sound health and salvation4 ,angels1 men1 ,zion's elders1 eye us2 but what of all these8 ,christ is by us1 and looketh on us1 and writeth up all4 ,let us pray more1 and look less to men4 #eah ,a proverb3 ,they need a long spoon who sup with the devil4 ,remember me to ,mr4 ,scott1 and to all the rest4 ,blessings be upon the head of such as are separated from their brethren4 ,joseph is a fruitful bough by a well4 ,grace be with you4 ,your loving brother and companion in the kingdom and patience of ,jesus ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 #affj4 ,,ccclviii4--,to ,,several ,,brethren4 ,reasons for petitioning his ,majesty after his return1 and for owning such as were censured#eai while about so necessary a duty4 #eai ,that is1 the ministers mentioned in the note prefixed to the preceding letter1 who were arrested and imprisoned by the ,committee of ,estates4 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brethren1--,it is a matter of difficulty to me to write at this distance1 not having heard your debates4 ,it seemeth that the ,lord calleth us to give information to the ,king's ,majesty of affairs4 ,the ,lord's admirable providence1 in bringing him to his throne1 and laying aside others who were sworn enemies to the cause and covenant of ,god1 so that now the ,government is in a right line1 is to be adored4 ,and ,i judge 7without prescribing7 that some should be sent to his ,majesty to congratulate that providence2 and that reason of our being so slow in rendering should be rendered4 #a4 ,we should write1 not in the name of the ,kirk of ,scotland1 but in the name of a most considerable number of godly ministers1 elders1 and professors1 who both pray for the ,king1 are obedient to his laws1 and are under the oath of ,god for the sworn ,reformation4 #b4 ,it is better now1 than after sentences and trouble1 to have recourse to him who is by place parens patri4 #c4 ,we should supplicate in all humility for protection and countenance2 far more for lawful liberty to fear the bond of the oath of the dreadful and most high ,lord2 avouching to his ,majesty1 that the ,lord1 ,his holy name being interposed1 will own that ,covenant1 and bless his ,majesty with a happy and successful reign1 in the owning thereof1 and kissing of the ,son of ,god4 ,and when the ,lord shall be pleased to grant that to us which concerneth religion1 the beauty of ,his house1 the propagating of the ,gospel1 the government of the ,lord's kingdom1 without ,popery1 ,prelacy1 unwritten traditions and ceremonies1 let his ,majesty try our loyalty with what commands he will be pleased to lay on us1 and see if we be found rebellious4 #d4 ,we should disclaim such as have sinfully complied with the late usurpers2 produce our written testimonies against them2 our not accepting of offices and places of trust from them2 our testimonies against their usurpation1 covenant-breaking1 toleration of all religions1 corrupt sectarian ways1 for which the ,lord hath broken them4 #e4 ,we are represented to his ,majesty as such as would not consent that the ,remonstrance of the western forces#ebj should be condemned by the ,commission of the ,general ,assembly2 whereas1 #a4 ,we did humbly desire that the judicature should not condemn nor censure that ,remonstrance1 till the gentlemen were heard1 and their reasons discussed4 #b4 ,whatever demur was as to the banding or combining part of it1 we were and are obliged to believe that they had no sectarian design therein1 nor levelling intention4 #c4 ,they are gentlemen most loyal1 and never were enemies to his ,majesty's royal power2 but only desired that security might be had for religion and the people of ,god1 and persons disaffected to religion and the sworn ,covenant abandoned2 otherwise they were1 and still are1 willing to hazard lives and estates for the just greatness and safety of his ,majesty in the maintenance of the true religion1 ,covenant1 and cause of ,god4 ,the only difficulty will be1 where to have fit men to send4 ,but as it will be both sin and shame for us to desert our undeservedly now censured brethren1 so it will be our sin and reproach sinfully to comply with such things and courses as we testified against1 and confessed to ,god4 #ebj ,see notice of ,colonel ,gilbert ,ker1 p4 #fdi4 ,i can say no more at present but that ,i am your loving brother1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 #affj4 ,,ccclix4--,to a ,,brother ,,minister4 ,judgment of a draught or minute of a ,petition1 to have been presented to the ,committee of ,estates1 by those ,ministers who were then prisoners in the ,castle of ,edinburgh for that other well-known ,petition to his ,majesty1 about which they were when seized upon and made prisoners4#eba #eba ,see note prefixed to ,letter ,,ccclvii41 p4 #fib4 ,but that no man may mistake or judge amiss of persons so fixed in the cause and faithful in their generations1 know that this draught was not sent to ,mr4 ,rutherford as a paper concluded and condescended upon among these brethren1 whose love to truth made them in all things so tender that they were ever fond to abstain from all appearance of evil4 ,it was more like the suggestion of some other men 7wherein was laid before them what kind of address would most probably please1 waiving the just measures of what was simply duty in their circumstances71 than anything flowing from themselves1 as the product of a mature deliberation4 ,and1 secondly1 know 7which confirmeth what was said71 that whatever it was1 or whoever gave the rise to it1 yet it was never made use of1 nor presented to the ,committee of ,estates1 by any of these faithful men1 whose praise1 for their fidelity1 fixedness1 real and untainted integrity1 is in the churches of ,christ 7,note by ,mr4 ,robert ,m',ward1 the original editor of ,rutherford's ,letters74 ,,dear ,,brother1--,i am1 as ye know1 straitened as another suffering man1 but dare not petition this ,committee3-- #a4 ,because it draweth us to capitulate with such as have the advantage of the mount1 the ,lord so disposing for the present3 and1 to bring the matters of ,christ to yea and no 7ye being prisoners and they the powers7 is a hazard4 #b4 ,a speaking to them in write1 and passing in silence the sworn ,covenant and the cause of ,god 7which is the very present controversy71 is contrary to the practice of ,christ and the ,apostles1 who1 being accused or not accused1 avouched ,christ to be the ,son of ,god and the ,messias1 and that the dead must rise again1 even when the adversary misstated the question4 ,yea1 silence on the cause of ,god1 which adversaries persecute1 seemeth a tacit deserting of the cause1 when the state of the question is known to beholders3 and ,i know that the brethren intend not to leave the cause4 #c4 ,i know of no offence that you have given 7,i will not say what offence may be taken71 either as to the matter or manner of your petition4 ,for1 if what you have done be a necessary duty laid aside by others1 a duty can never give an offence to ,christ1 and so none to men2 but ,christians will look upon a pious1 harmless1 and innocent petition to the ,prince1 in the matters of the ,lord's honour and the good of ,his church 7though proffered by one or two1 when they are silent whose it is to speak and act71 as a seasonable duty4 #d4 ,the draught of that petition1 which you sent me1 speaketh not one word of the ,covenant of ,god for the adhering to which you now suffer1 and which is the object of men's hatred1 and the destruction whereof is the great work of the times4 ,your silence in this nick of time appeareth to be a non-confession of ,christ before men2 and you want nothing to beget an uncleanly deliverance but the profession of silence4 #e4 ,there is a promise and real purpose1 as the petition saith1 to live peaceably under the ,king's authority4 ,but1 #a4 ,ye do not answer candidly and ingenuously the mind of the rulers1 who1 to your knowledge1 mean a far other thing by authority than ye do4 ,for ye mean1 his just authority1 his authority in the ,lord1 and his just greatness1 in the maintenance of true religion1 as in the ,covenant1 ,confession of ,faith1 and ,catechisms1 is expressed from the ,word of ,god3 they mean his supreme authority1 and absolute prerogative above laws1 as their acts make clear1 and as their practice is4 ,for they refused1 to such as were unwilling to subscribe their bond1 to add authority in the ,lord1 or1 just and lawful authority1 or authority as it is expressed in the ,covenant4 ,but this draught of a petition1 under your own hand1 yieldeth the sense and meaning to them which they crave4 #b4 ,that authority for which they contend is exclusive of the sworn ,covenant2 so that1 except ye had said1 ,we shall be subject to the ,king's authority in the ,lord1 or according to the sworn ,covenant1 ye say nothing to the point in hand2 and that1 sure1 is not your meaning4 #c4 ,whoever promised so much peaceable living under his ,majesty's authority1 leaving out the exposition of the fifth commandment1 as your petition doth1 may upon the very same ground subscribe the bond refused by the godly2 and so you pass from the ,covenant1 and make all those by-past actings of this ,kirk and ,state1 these years by-past1 to be horrid rebellion6 ,and how deep that guiltiness draweth1 consider4 #f4 ,a condemning of the ,remonstrance1 simply and without any limitation and distinction1 is a condemning of many precious ones in the land1 and a passing from the causes of ,god's wrath1 which is the chief matter of the ,remonstrance4 #g4 ,that nothing is before your eyes but the exoneration of your conscience1 is indeed believed by the godly who know you2 but a passing in silence of the honest materials in your former petition to his ,majesty seemeth to be a deserting thereof1 since1 in all your petition1 ye do not once say ye cannot but adhere to that pious petition1 as your necessary duty4 ,and1 that ye intend in the petition the happiness of his ,majesty1 is also believed4 ,dear brother1 show to our brethren1 that the ,lord ,christ1 in your persons1 hath a stated question betwixt ,him and the powers on earth4 ,the only wise ,god lead you now1 when ,he hath brought you forth in public1 so to act as if ye did see ,jesus ,christ by you1 and beholding you4 ,it is easy for such as are on the shore to throw a counsel to those that are tossed in the sea2 but1 only by living by faith1 and by fetching strength and comfort from ,christ1 can you be victorious1 and have right to the precious promises of the tree of life1 of the hidden manna1 of the gifted morning star1 and the like1 made to those who overcome3 to whose strength and grace1 brethren who desire with me to remember you do recommend you4 ,i am1 dear brother1 ,yours1 in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 #affj4 ,,ccclx4--,for the ,right ,honourable my ,,lady ,,viscountess ,,of ,,kenmure4 ,on the imprisonment of the ,marquis of ,argyle4 7,,god',s ,,judgments ,,calling ,,to ,,flee ,,to ,,him--,,the ,,result ,,of ,,timid ,,compliance47 ,,madam1--,it is not my part to be unmindful of you4 ,be not afflicted for your brother1 the ,marquis of ,argyle4#ebb ,as to the main1 in my weak apprehension1 the seed of ,god being in him1 and love to the people of ,god and ,his cause1 it will be well4 ,the making of particular reckoning with the ,lord1 and of peace with ,god1 and owning of ,his cause when too many disown it1 will make his peace with the ,king the surer4#ebc ,the ,lord is beginning to reckon with such as did forsake ,his cause and covenant2 and until we return to ,him1 our peace shall not be like a river and as the waves of the sea4 ,however1 the opening of the bosom to take in all the ,malignants can produce no better fruits4 ,the ,lord calleth us to flee into our chambers1 and shut the doors1 till the indignation be over4 7,isa4 xxvi4 #bj47 ,the lily among the thorns is so served4 ,he hideth ,himself1 and our mountain is removed1 and we are troubled4 ,but the ,lord reigneth2 let the earth tremble1 and let the earth rejoice4 ,the ,lord1 without blood1 broke the yoke of usurping oppressors1 and laid them aside3 the same ,lord can settle throne and kingdom on the pillars of heaven4 ,but1 oh1 the controversy the ,lord hath with ,edom1 and those who covenanted with us1 and then sold us2 and with those of whom the ,holy ,ghost speaketh1 ,thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee2 they have not discovered thine iniquity to turn away thy captivity1 but have seen for thee false burdens1 and causes of banishment 7,lam4 ii4 #ad74 ,the time of ,jacob's suffering is but short1 and the vision will speak4 ,could we be from under deadness1 and watch unto wrestling and prayer with the ,lord1 and live more by faith1 we should be more than conquerors4 ,wait upon the ,lord2 faint not4 #ebb ,a fortnight before this was written1 viz4 on #hth ,july #affj1 the ,king had committed the ,marquis to the ,tower1 on an unfounded charge of treason4 ,rutherford did not live to see the issue4 #ebc ,his heavenly ,king1 whom he has faithfully owned1 as well as in private conscientiously served1 will on that account all the more stand by him1 in the question of his earthly ,king being reconciled to him4 ,the hopes of his friends1 however1 were not realized2 for next year 7on #bgth ,may #affa7 he was beheaded at ,edinburgh4 ,the ,lord ,jesus be with your spirit4 ,yours1 at all respective observance in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,july #bd1 #affj4 ,,ccclxi4--,for ,,mistress ,,craig1 upon the ,death of her hopeful ,son1 who was drowned while washing himself in a river in ,france4 7,,nine ,,reasons ,,for ,,resignation47 ,,mistress1--,you have so learned ,christ as now 7in the furnace7 what dross1 what shining of faith may appear1 must come forth4 ,i heard of the removal of your son1 ,mr4 ,thomas4 ,though ,i be dull enough in discerning1 yet ,i was witness to some spiritual savouriness of the new birth and hope of the resurrection1 which ,i saw in the hopeful youth1 when he was1 as was feared1 a-dying in this city4 ,and1 since it was written and advisedly appointed1 in the spotless and holy decree of the ,lord1 where1 and before what witnesses1 and in what manner1 whether by a fever1 the mother being at the bed1 or by some other way in a far country 7dear patriarchs died in ,egypt1 precious to the ,lord1 and have wanted burials7 7,ps4 lxxix4 #c71 your safest way will be1 to be silent1 and command the heart to utter no repining and fretting thoughts of the holy dispensation of ,god4 #a4 ,the man is beyond the hazard of dispute2 the precious youth is perfected and glorified4 #b4 ,had the youth lain1 year and day1 pained beside a witnessing mother1 it had been pain and grief lengthened out to you in many portions1 and every parcel would have been a little death4 ,now ,his holy ,majesty hath1 in one lump and mass1 brought to your ears the news1 and hath not divided the grief into many portions4 #c4 ,it was not yesterday's thought1 nor the other year's statute1 but a counsel of the ,lord of old2 and who can teach the ,almighty knowledge8 #d4 ,there is no way of quieting the mind1 and of silencing the heart of a mother1 but godly submission4 ,the readiest way for peace and consolation to clay vessels is1 that it is a stroke of the ,potter and ,former of all things4 ,and since the holy ,lord hath loosed the grip1 when it was fastened sure on your part1 ,i know that your light1 and ,i hope that your heart1 also1 will yield4 ,it is not safe to be at pulling and drawing with the omnipotent ,lord4 ,let the pull go with ,him1 for ,he is strong2 and say1 ,thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven4 #e4 ,his holy method and order is to be adored4 ,sometimes the husband before the wife1 and sometimes the son before the mother4 ,so hath the only wise ,god ordered2 and when he is sent before1 and not lost1 in all things give thanks4 #f4 ,meditate not too much on the sad circumstances1 the mother was not witness to the last sigh2 possibly1 cannot get leave to wind the son1 nor to weep over his grave2 and1 he was in a strange land6 ,there is a like nearness to heaven out of all the countries of the earth4 #g4 ,this did not spring out of the dust4 ,feed and grow fat by this medicine and fare of the only wise ,lord4 ,it is the art and the skill of faith to read what the ,lord writeth upon the cross1 and to spell and construct right ,his sense4 ,often we miscall words and sentences of the cross1 and either put nonsense on ,his rods1 or burden ,his ,majesty with slanders and mistakes1 when ,he mindeth for us thoughts of peace and love1 even to do us good in the latter end4 #h4 ,it is but a private stroke on a family1 and little to the public arrows shot against grieved ,joseph1 and the afflicted1 but ah6 dead1 senseless1 and guilty people of ,god4 ,this is the day of ,jacob's trouble6 #i4 ,there is a bad way of wilful swallowing of a temptation1 and not digesting it1 or laying it out of memory without any victoriousness of faith4 ,the ,lord1 who forbiddeth fainting1 forbiddeth also despising4#ebd ,but it is easier to counsel than to suffer3 the only wise ,lord furnish patience4 #ebd ,proverbs iii4 #b4 ,it were not amiss to call home the other youth4 ,i am not a little afflicted for my ,lady ,kenmure's condition4 ,i desire you1 when ye see her1 to remember my humble respects to her4 ,my wife heartily remembereth her to you2 and is wounded much in mind with your present condition1 and suffereth with you4 ,grace be with you4 ,yours in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,aug4 #d1 #affj4 ,,ccclxii4--,for my ,reverend and dear ,brother1 ,christ's ,soldier in bonds1 ,,mr4 ,,james ,,guthrie1 ,minister of the ,gospel at ,stirling4 7,,stedfast ,,though ,,persecuted--,,blessedness ,,of ,,martyrdom47 ,,dear ,,brother1--,we are very often comforted with the word of promise2 though we stumble not a little at the work of holy providence1 some earthly men flourishing as a green herb1 and the people of ,god counted as sheep for the slaughter1 and killed all the day long4 ,and yet both word of promise1 and work of providence1 are from ,him whose ways are equal1 straight1 holy1 and spotless4 ,as for me1 when ,i think of ,god's dispensations1 ,he might justly have brought to the market-cross1 and to the light1 my unseen and secret abominations2 which would have been no small reproach to the holy name and precious truths of ,christ4 ,but in mercy ,he hath covered these1 and shapen and carved out more honourable causes of suffering1 of which we are unworthy4 ,and now1 dear brother1 much dependeth upon the way and manner of suffering1 especially that ,his precious truths be owned with all heavenly boldness1 and a reason of our hope given in meekness and fear2 and the royal crown1 and absolute supremacy of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the ,prince of the kings of the earth1 avouched as becometh4 ,for certain it is that ,christ will reign1 the ,father's ,king in ,mount ,zion1 and ,his sworn covenant will not be buried4 ,it is not denied that our practical breach of covenant first1 and then1 our legal breach thereof by enacting the same mischief and framing it into a law1 may heavily provoke our sweetest ,lord4 ,yet there are a few names in the land that have not defiled their garments1 and a holy seed on whom the ,lord will have mercy1 like the four or five olive-berries on the top of the shaken olive-tree 7,isa4 xvii4 #f73 and their eye shall be toward the ,lord their ,maker4 ,think it not strange that men devise against you2 whether it be to exile1 the earth is the ,lord's2 or perpetual imprisonment1 the ,lord is your light and liberty2 or a violent and public death1#ebe for the kingdom of heaven consisteth in a fair company of glorified martyrs and witnesses2 of whom ,jesus ,christ is the chief witness1 who for that cause was born1 and came into the world4 ,happy are ye if you give testimony to the world of your preferring ,jesus ,christ to all powers4 ,and the ,lord will make the innocency and ,christian loyalty of ,his defamed and despised witnesses in this land to shine to after-generations1 and will take ,the ,man-,child up to ,god and to ,his throne1 and prepare a hiding-place in the wilderness for the mother1 and cause the earth to help the ,woman4 ,be not terrified2 fret not4 ,forgive your enemies2 bless1 and curse not2 for1 though both you and ,i should be silent1 sad and heavy is the judgment and indignation of the ,lord1 that is abiding the unfaithful watchmen of the ,church of ,scotland4 ,the souls under the altar are crying for justice1 and there is an answer returned already4 ,the ,lord's salvation will not tarry4 #ebe ,such1 as is well known1 was the fate of ,mr4 ,james ,guthrie1 a few months after this was written4 ,he was hanged at the cross of ,edinburgh on the #ast of ,june #affa1 and his head thereafter cut off and fixed on the ,nether ,bow4 ,cast the burden of wife and children on the ,lord ,christ2 ,he careth for you and them4 ,your blood is precious in ,his sight4 ,the everlasting consolations of the ,lord bear you up and give you hope2 for your salvation 7if not deliverance7 is concluded4 ,your own brother1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews1 ,feb4 #ae1 #affa4 ,,ccclxiii4--,to ,,mr4 ,,robert ,,campbell4 ,,mr4 ,,robert ,,campbell was minister of a parish in the ,presbytery of ,dunkeld4 ,he was a ,protester1 and after the restoration of ,charles ,,ii4 was ejected for nonconformity to ,prelacy4 7,,stedfastness ,,to ,,protest ,,against ,,prelacy ,,and ,,popery47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,ye know that this is a time in which all men almost seek their own things1 and not the things of ,jesus ,christ4 ,ye are your lone1 as a beacon on the top of a mountain2 but faint not3 ,christ is a numerous multitude ,himself1 yea1 millions4 ,though all the nations were convened against ,him round about1 yet doubt not but ,he will1 at last1 arise for the cry of the poor and needy4 ,for me1 ,i am now near to eternity2#ebf and1 for ten thousand worlds ,i dare not venture to pass from the protestation against the corruptions of the time1 nor go alongst with the shameless apostasy of the many silent and dumb watchmen of ,scotland4 ,but ,i think it my last duty to enter a protestation in heaven1 before the righteous ,judge1 against the practical and legal breach of ,covenant1 and all oaths imposed on the consciences of the ,lord's people1 and all popish1 superstitious1 and idolatrous mandates of men4 ,know that the overthrow of the sworn ,reformation1 the introducing of ,popery and the mystery of iniquity1 is now set on foot in the three kingdoms2 and whosoever would keep their garments clean are under that command1 ,touch not1 taste not1 handle not4 #ebf ,rutherford died on the #bjth of ,march #affa1 shortly after this letter was written4 ,the ,lord calleth you1 dear brother1 to be still stedfast1 unmoveable1 and abounding in the work of the ,lord4 ,our royal kingly ,master is upon ,his journey1 and will come1 and will not tarry2 and blessed is the servant who shall be found watching when ,he cometh4 ,fear not men1 for the ,lord is your light and salvation4 ,it is true1 it is somewhat sad and comfortless that ye are your lone2 but so it was with our precious ,master3 nor are ye your lone1 for the ,father is with you4 ,it is possible that ,i shall not be an eyewitness to it in the flesh1 but ,i believe ,he cometh quickly who will remove our darkness1 and shine gloriously in the ,isle of ,britain1 as a crowned ,king1 either in a formally sworn covenant1 or in ,his own glorious way2 which ,i leave to the determination of ,his infinite wisdom and goodness4 ,and this is the hope and confidence of a dying man1 who is longing and fainting for the salvation of ,god4 ,beware of the ensnaring bonds and obligations1 by any hand-writ or otherwise1 to give unlimited obedience to any authority1 but only in the ,lord4 ,for all innocent self-defence 7which is according to the ,covenant1 the ,word of ,god1 and the laudable example of the reformed churches7 is now intended to be utterly subverted and condemned3 and what is taken from ,christ1 as the flower of ,his prerogative-royal1 is now put upon the head of a mortal power2 which must be that great idol of indignation that provoketh the eyes of ,his glory4 ,dear brother1 let us mind the rich promises that are made to those that overcome1 knowing that those that endure to the end shall be saved4 ,thus recommending you to the rich grace of ,god1 ,i remain1 ,your affectionate brother in ,christ1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,ccclxiv4--,to ,brethren in ,,aberdeen4 7,,sinful ,,conformity ,,and ,,schismatic ,,designs ,,reproved47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dearly ,,beloved ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,grace be to you1 and peace from ,god our ,father1 and from the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,there were some who rendered thanks1 with knees bowed to ,him of whom is named the whole family in heaven and earth1 when they heard of your work of faith1 and labour of love1 and patience of hope in our ,lord ,jesus2 and rejoiced not a little1 that where ,christ was scarce named1 in savouriness and power of the ,gospel1 even in ,aberdeen1 there ,christ hath a few names precious to ,him1 who shall walk with ,him in white4 ,we looked on it 7,he knoweth whom we desire to serve in our spirit in the ,gospel of ,his ,son7 as a part of the fulfilling of that1 ,the wilderness and solitary place shall be glad for them2 and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose 7,isa4 xxxv4 #a74 ,but now it is more grievous to us than a thousand deaths1 when we hear that you are shaken1 and so soon removed from that which you once acknowledged to be the way of ,god4 ,dearly beloved1 the sheep follow ,christ1 who calleth them by name3 a stranger they will not follow1 but they flee from him1 for they know not the voice of a stranger4 ,ye know the way1 by which ye were sealed to the day of redemption2 and ye received the ,spirit1 by the hearing of faith4 ,part not with that way1 except ye see there be no rest for your souls therein4 ,neither listen to them that say1 ,many were converted under episcopal as well as under presbyterial government1 and yet the godly gave testimony against bishops2 for the instruments of conversion loathed ,episcopacy1 with the ceremonies thereof1 and never sealed it with their sufferings4 ,we shall desire instances of any engaged by oaths1 and sufferings of the faithful messengers of ,god1 and the manifestations of the ,lord's presence1 in the way ye now forsake1 who yet turned from it1 and went one step toward sinful separation 7and did it in that way ye now aim at71 and did yet flourish and grow in grace4 ,but we can bring proofs of many who left it1 and went further on to abominable ways of error4 ,and you have it not in your power where you shall lodge at night1 having once left the way of ,god4 ,and many1 we know1 lost peace and communion with ,god1 and fell into a condition of withering1 and not being able to find their lovers1 were forced to return to their first ,husband4 ,we shall entreat you1 consider what a stumbling it is to malignant opposers of the way and cause of ,god 7who with their ears heard you1 and with their eyes saw you1 so strenuously take part with the godly in their sufferings1 and profess yourselves for religion truth1 doctrine1 government of the house of ,god1 ,his ,covenant and cause71 if now you build again what you once destroyed1 and destroy what you builded4 ,and shall you not make yourselves1 by so doing1 transgressors8 ,how shall it wound the hearts of the godly1 stain the profession1 darken the glory of the ,gospel1 shake the faith of many1 weaken the hands of all1 if you 7and you first of all in this kingdom7 shall stretch out the hand to raze the walls of our ,jerusalem1 by reason of which the ,lord made her terrible as an army with banners6 ,for when kings came1 and saw the palaces and bulwarks thereof1 they marvelled and were troubled1 and hasted away2 fear took hold upon them there1 and pain as of a woman in travail4 ,and we shall be grieved1 if you should be heirs to the guiltiness of breaking down the same hedge of the vineyard1 for the which the sad indignation of ,god pursueth this day the ,royal ,family1 many ,nobles1 houses great and fair1 and all the ,prelatical party in these three kingdoms4 ,and when your dear brethren are weak and fainting1 shall we believe that you will leave us1 and be divided from this so blessed a conjunction8 ,the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 we trust1 shall walk in the midst of the golden candlesticks1 and be with us1 if you will be gone from us4 ,beloved in the ,lord1 we cannot but be persuaded better things of you2 and we shall not conceal from you that we are ignorant what to answer when we are reproved1 on your behalf1 in regard that your change to another gospel-way 7which the ,lord avert67 is so much the more scandalous1 that the sudden alteration 7unknown to us before7 now overtaketh you when men come amongst you against whom the furrows of the fields of ,scotland do complain4 ,forget not1 dear brethren1 that ,christ hath now the fan in ,his hand1 and this is also the day of the ,lord1 that shall burn as an oven2 and that ,christ now sitteth as a refiner of silver1 purifying the sons of ,levi1 and purging them as gold and silver1 that they may offer unto the ,lord an offering of righteousness2 and those that keep the word of ,his 7not their own7 patience shall be delivered from the hour of temptation1 that shall come on all the earth to try them4 ,if ye exclude all non-converts from the visible city of ,god 7in which1 daily1 multitudes in ,scotland1 in all the four quarters of the land1 above whatever our fathers saw1 throng into ,christ71 shall they not be left to the lions and wild beasts of the forest1 even to ,jesuits1 seminary-priests1 and other seducers8 ,for the magistrate hath no power to compel them to hear the ,gospel1 nor have ye any church-power over them1 as ye teach2 and they bring not love to the ,gospel and to ,christ out of the womb with them2 and so they must be left to embrace what religion is most suitable to corrupt nature4 ,nor can it be a way approven by the ,lord in ,scripture1 to excommunicate from the visible church 7which is the office-house of the free grace of ,christ1 and ,his draw-net7 all the multitudes of non-converts1 baptized1 and visibly within the covenant of grace1 which are in ,great ,britain1 and all the reformed churches2 and so to shut the gates of the ,lord's gracious calling upon all these 7because they are not1 in your judgment1 chosen to salvation71 when once you are within yourselves4#ebg ,for how can the ,lord call ,egypt ,his people1 and ,assyria the work of ,his hands1 and all the ,gentiles 7who for numbers are as the flocks of ,kedar1 and the abundance of the sea7 the kingdoms of our ,lord and of ,his ,christ1 if you number infants 7as many do71 and all such as your charity cannot judge converts 7as others do7 among heathens and pagans1 who have not a visible claim and interest in ,christ8 ,the candlestick is not yours1 nor the house2 but ,christ fixeth and removeth the one1 and buildeth or casteth down the other1 according to ,his sovereignty4 ,we in humility judge ourselves1 though the chief of sinners1 the sons of ,zion and of the seed of ,christ2 if ye remove from us1 and carry from hence the candlestick1 let our ,father be judge1 and show us why the ,lord hath bidden you come out from among us4 ,we look upon this visible church1 though black and spotted1 as the hospital and guest-house of sick1 halt1 maimed1 and withered1 over which ,christ is ,lord1 ,physician1 and ,master3 and we would wait upon those that are not yet in ,christ1 as our ,lord waited upon us and you both4 ,we1 therefore1 your brethren1 children of one ,father1 cannot but with tears and exceeding sorrow of heart earnestly entreat1 beseech1 and obtest you1 by the love of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 by ,his sufferings and precious ransom which ,he paid for us both1 by the consolations of ,his ,spirit1 by your appearance before the dreadful tribunal of our ,lord ,jesus1 yea1 and charge you before ,god and the same ,lord ,jesus1 who shall judge the quick and the dead1 at ,his appearing1 and ,his kingdom2 break not the spirits and hearts of those to whom ye are dear as their own soul4 ,forsake not the assemblies of the people of ,god2 let us not divide4 #ebg ,when you yourselves have got safe within4 ,not a few of the people of ,god in this shire of ,fife 7in whose name ,i now write7 dare say1 if ye depart1 that ye will leave ,christ behind you with us1 and the golden candlesticks2 and shut yourselves1 we much fear1 out of the hearts and prayers of thousands dear to ,jesus ,christ in ,scotland4 ,therefore1 before ye fix judgment and practice on any untrodden path1 let a day of humiliation be agreed upon by us all1 and our ,father's mind and will inquired1 through our one common ,saviour4 ,and let us see one another's faces at best conveniency1 and plead the interest of ,christ1 and be comforted2 and not be stumbled at your ways4 ,so expecting your answer1 we shall pray that the ,god of peace1 who brought again from the dead our ,lord ,jesus1 that great ,shepherd of the sheep1 through the blood of the everlasting covenant1 may make you perfect in every work to do ,his will1 working in you that which is well-pleasing in ,his sight1 through ,jesus ,christ4 ,and ,i shall remain1 ,your affectionate brother in the ,lord1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews4 ,,ccclxv4--,to ,,mr4 ,,john ,,murray1 ,minister at ,methven4#ebh ,see ,letter ,,ccclvi4 #ebh ,from the original among the ,wodrow ,,mss4 vol4 xxvii4 fol4 ,no4 #ah4 7,,proposal ,,of ,a ,,season ,,of ,,prayer47 ,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,brother1--,if ,i rightly apprehend our condition1 we are in a way of declining4 ,we were1 within these few years1 more in the conscionable use of means1 and the ,lord did shine upon us in some measure2 and now we are fallen from that which we were4 ,it is judged fit by some 7and many of our solidest professors7 that if we cannot have them in congregations1 yet families and private persons may have days of humiliation1 at least the last ,wednesday of every month or thereabout1 according to the best conveniency of ,providence4 ,and if this were gone about in your country1 and in ,stirlingshire1 ,fife1 in ,merse1 ,teviotdale1 the ,west1 in ,nithsdale and ,galloway1 and other places1 it would prove our strength and help2 for we are few and very low4 ,our adversaries are not idle2 and there is a faintness and heartless discouragement on the spirits of many4 ,these are to entreat that you would combine with ,mr4 ,robert ,campbell1#ebi ,mr4 ,john ,cruickshanks1#ecj and other of our brethren in your bounds1 to stir up one another that we may wrestle with the ,lord for the remnant4 ,i am confident the ,lord will yet be inquired of us for this4 ,though the same particular day be not observed1 yet1 where many are on work1 some salvation from the ,lord's arm is to be expected4 ,i am decaying most sensibly1 and ,i should look on it as a mercy if the ,lord would send a wakening among ,his own4 ,and blessed shall he be who shall blow the trumpet to cause other sleeping ones awake1 and shall help to build the wastes1 and the fallen tabernacle of ,david4 ,i shall earnestly desire you do bestir yourself herein4#eca ,i shall write to ,j----1 and to others here1 and do the best ,i can to give you a convenient account2 for nothing is left to us but that4 #ebi ,the minister to whom ,letter ,,ccclxiii4 is addressed4 #ecj ,mr4 ,john ,crookshanks 7as ,wodrow spells the name71 minister of ,redgorton1 in the ,presbytery of ,perth4 ,he afterwards followed those who fought at ,pentland ,hills1 in #affe1 and was killed in the battle4 #eca ,is not this the very spirit of #b ,pet4 i4 #ac1 #ad1 ,yea1 ,i think it meet to stir you up1 by putting you in remembrance2 knowing that shortly ,i must put off this my tabernacle8 ,so remembering me to your wife1 and expecting your help1 ,i rest1 ,your own brother1 ,s4 ,r4 ,,st4 ,,andrews4 ,s4 ,r4 ,mr4 ,robert ,anderson is most eagerly desired for by the parishioners of ,leuchars1 and as strenuously opposed by our brethren here4 ,,index ,,of ,,the ,,chief ,,places ,,and ,,individuals ,,referred ,,to ,,in ,,the ,,letters4 7,the ,figures refer to the ,letters47 ,aberdeen1 ,letter to ,people of1 #cfd2 referred to1 #gg1 #bdc1 #cfd4 ,abraham referred to1 #cbd4 ,abraham1 ,mr41 #bd4 ,aird1 ,bethia1 #aec4 ,airds1 #ei1 #bag4 ,alexander1 ,sir ,william1 #ae4 ,america1 #ge4 ,anabaptists1 #cjh4 ,anderson1 ,mr4 ,r41 #cef1 #cfe4 ,anwoth1 #ib1 #if1 #aeg1 #afb1 #afc1 #afg1 #agg1 #ahj1 #ahd1 #aih1 #bjf1 #bbe1 #bcj1 #bfg1 #bfi1 #bgi1 #cjf1 #cjg4 ---- ,topography of1 #aih1 and ,life4 ,antinomians1 #cjh4 ,ardross1 ,lady 7,h4 ,lindsay71 #cba4 ,ardwell1 #aja1 #bhc4 ,argyle1 ,death of1 #cfj4 ,ashe1 ,mr4 ,simeon1 #cde4 ,assembly1 ,westminster1 #cjg1 #caj4 ,athernie 7in ,largo74--,see ,rigg1 #aad4 ,ayr4--,see ,kennedy1 ,john4 ,m4 ,a41 #bab1 #bdc4 ,baillie1 ,robert1 #afc1 #cjg4 ,balcarras1 ,earl of1 #cbg4 ,ballantyne1 ,margaret1 #gi4 ,balmerinoch1 ,lord1 #aci4 ,barcapple1 #cd4 ,barholm1 #aag 7notice74 ,barron1 ,dr4 ,robert1 #hi1 #aag1 #add4 ,bautie1 ,james1 #bdi4 ,bell1 ,john1 #bah4 ,berwick1 #ccc4 ,blackness ,castle1 #ab4 ,blair1 ,isabel4--,see ,lady ,gaitgirth4 ---- ,mr4 ,robert1 #hi1 #bed4 ,bohemia1 #fb4 ,bothwell ,bridge1 #bjf4 ,boyd1 ,lady1 #gg1 #ajg1 #afg1 #baj1 #bde1 #bgg1 #bid1 #bii1 #cjc1 #cji1 #cba4 ---- ,lord1 #gh1 #bcb4 ,boyne1 #cjg4 ,brethren1 to several1 #ceh4 ,brisbane1 ,sarah4--,see ,rowallan4 ,brother1 to a ,christian1 #cag4 ---- to a minister1 #ceh4 ,brown1 ,fergus1 #ah4 ---- ,jean1 #ah1 #cb1 #hd1 #aaa1 #aca4 ---- ,patrick1 #aaa4 ---- of ,wamphray1 #aca1 #bdc4 ,brownists1 #cjc4 ,bruce1 ,mr4 ,james1 #adf4 ,bryce1 #bca4 ,burroughs1 ,jeremiah1 #cji4 ,burton1 ,d41 #ag4 ---- ,henry1 #ag4 ,busbie1 the ,lady1 #acc1 #abj1 #bgj4 ,byres1 #bca4 ,a4 ,b41 #bbg4 ,b41 #ec4 ,r4 ,b41 #bdf4 ,caithness1 #hi4 ,cally1 ,laird of 7,john ,lennox71 #aih1 #bjb4 ,cambridge1 #agd4 ,campbell1 ,john4--,see ,earl of ,loudon4 ---- ,lady ,jane4--,see ,kenmure4 ---- ,mr4 ,robert1 #cfc1 #cfe4 ,canons1 ,book of1 #afa4 ,cant1 ,mr4 ,andrew1 #agi1 #bjf4 ,cardoness1 the elder 7see ,john ,gordon71 #hb1 #aff1 #ahj4 ---- the ,lady 7,gordon71 #ajj1 #ajc1 #aib #aii4 ---- the younger1 #abc1 #agc4 ,carleton1 ,fullerton of1 letters to1 #aeg1 #afi1 #agf 7referred to1 #a1 #ae1 #dj1 #bdc1 #bgi74 ---- ,lady1 #bed4 ,carsen1 ,john1 #abg1 #bdc4 ---- ,marion1 #cb4 ---- ,patrick1 #aef4 ,carsluth1 notice of1 #aij4 ,carsphairn1 #bh1 #ajb1 #ceg4 ,carstairs1 ,john1 #ccf4 ,caskeberrie4--,see ,kaskiberry4 ,cassillis1 ,earl of 7,john ,kennedy71 #abh1 #bfh1 #bgh4 ,cassincarrie 7,mure71 #aia4 ,cathcart4--,see ,carleton4 ,christian ,brother1 #caf4 ---- ,friend1 #bia1 #cae4 ---- ,gentlewoman1 #baa1 #cag4 ,clark1 ,john1 #agb4 ,colville1 ,mr4 ,alexander1 #aa1 #ih1 #bjh1 #cdc4 ,colwart1 ,mr4 ,henry1 #ij4 ,commentaries1 proposed1 #ec1 #aaj4 ,corbet1 ,thomas1 #bfd4 ,covenant1 #ceh1 #cei4 ,craig1 ,mrs41 #cfa4 ,craighall1 ,lord1 #hf1 #ii1 #agd1 #bbj1 #bbg1 #bcf1 #beg4 ,cramond1 #dc1 and #aag 7notice74 ,crawford1 ,earl of 7see ,lindsay71 #cji4 ,cromwell1 #cbi1 #cca1 #cci1 #cdf4 ,cruickshanks1 ,mr4 ,john1 #cfe4 ,culross1 ,lady1 #fb1 #gd1 #agh1 #bbb4 ,cunningham1 ,mr4 ,r41 #fc1 #aaj4 ,a4 ,c41 #ahi1 #bji4 ,y4 ,c41 #gf4 ,c41 #dd4 ,dalgleish1 ,william1 #aag1 #ahd1 #aig1 #bhg4 ,dalry4--,see ,earlston4 ,dematius1 note1 #ccd4 ,dickson1 ,mr4 ,david1 #aaj1 #aai1 #afh1 #bei1 #bih2 his son1 ,john1 #bih4 ,disdow1 #bac1 #bfb4 ,douglas1 ,robert1 #aac4 ,dunbar1 ,battle of1 #cbi4 ,dunbar1 ,mr4 ,george1 #bfe4 ,dundrennan1 #aag 7note74 ,dungueich1 the ,lady1 #bea4 ,durham1 ,mr4 ,james1 #ia1 #ceb4 ,dury1 ,mr4 ,john1 #ia 7notice74 ,earlston1 elder1 #ei1 #fd1 #gc1 #ig1 #afj1 #bja1 #bfj1 #cbc4 ---- the ,lady 7,eliz4 ,gordon71 #aji4 ---- younger1 #ii1 #aha1 #aif1 #bga4 ,edinburgh ,town ,council1 #cbe1 #cdd1 #cde4 ,ellis1 ,fulk1 #bcd4 ,episcopacy1 #cfd1 etc4 ,erskine1 ,margaret4--,see ,lady ,marischall4 ,ewart1 ,john1 #cf1 #acd4 ,expecters1 #cjh4 ,c4 ,e41 #ib4 ,familists1 #caj4 ,fenwick1 ,john1 #bie4 ,fergushill1 ,mr4 ,john1 #aab1 #ahg1 #ahh1 #bge4 ,fife1 #cfd4 ,fingask1 ,lady 7,moncrieff71 #big4 ,fleming1 ,mr4 ,james1 #bbh4 ---- ,john1 #fh1 #aei1 #bda1 #bff4 ,forret1 ,mr4 ,david1 #cbg4 ---- ,lady1 #abe4 ,forth1 the1 #beg4 ,france1 #cb1 #bed4 ,friend1 a ,christian1 #bia1 #caf4 ,fullarton1 ,margaret1 #bjd4 ,fullerton1 ,grizzel1 #e1 #aee1 #cci4 ---- ,mr4 ,w41 ,provost of ,kirkcudbright1 #a1 #eb1 #fg1 #ace1 #bba4 ,fullwood1 the younger1 #bbd4 ,f41 #ag1 #bed4 ,r4 ,f41 #ih4 ,g4 ,j41 #ag1 #ib1 #cbj4 7,john ,gordon87 ,gaitgirth1 ,lady 7,isabel ,blair71 #ahg1 #bci4 ---- ,laird of1 #bcg4 ,galloway1 #cg4 ,galloway1 ,bishop of 7see ,sydserff71 #afa4 ,garloch1 #fe 7notice71 #bag4 ,garven1 ,mr4 ,thomas1 #aeb1 #afe1 #bdf4 ,gentlewoman1 to a ,christian1 #b1 #baa1 #cah4 ---- on husband's death1 #aje1 #abb4 ---- ,letter to one at ,kirkcudbright1 #be4 ,george1 ,david1 of ,delft1 #cji4 ,gillespie1 ,mr4 ,george1 #add1 #bec1 #cbd4 ---- ,mrs41 #cbf4 ---- ,patrick1 #ccg4 ,girthon1 #aih 7notice71 #dc4 ,glasgow1 ,bishop of1 #hf1 #aaj4 ---- to a minister of1 #ccg4 ,glendinning1 ,mr4 ,robert1 #cf1 #acf4 ---- ,william1 #acg1 #bfg1 #bgf4 ,glendoning1 ,robert1 #cf4 ---- ,w41 #cf4 ,goodwin1 ,thomas1 #cji4 ,gordon1 ,alex41 of ,earlston1 #ei1 #gc4 ---- of ,garlock1 #fe 7notice74 ---- ,jean1 #ade4 ---- ,john1 at ,rusco1 #bgb1 #bhj4 ---- ,john1 elder1 of ,cardoness4--,see ,c4 ---- ,john1 younger1 of ,cardoness4--,see ,cardoness4 ---- of ,knockgray1 #ajb4--,see ,k4 ---- ,mary1 of ,largmore1 #gb4 ---- ,robert1 ,bailie of ,ayr1 #abi1 #bjj4 ---- ,robert1 of ,knockbreck4--,see ,knockbreck4 ---- ,william1 at ,kenmure1 #bjc4 ---- ,william1 of ,roberton1 #gb4 ---- ,william1 younger1 of ,earlston4--,see ,earlston4 ---- ,william1 of ,whitepark1 #adc4 ,greenham1 ,richard1 #aei4 ,gustavus ,adolphus1 #af1 #dh4 ,guthrie1 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,james1 of ,stirling1 #cai1 #ceg1 #cfb4 ---- ,mr4 ,william of ,fenwick1 #ccj4 ,j4 ,g41 #ib1 #cai4 7,james ,guthrie87 ,w4 ,g41 #bbb4 ,hall1 ,mr4 ,gilbert1 #ceg4 ,hallhill1 the ,lady 7,learmonth71 #adh4 ,halliday1 ,william1 #aba4 ,hamilton1 ,barbara1 #caa1 #cae4 ---- ,euphan1 #f4 ---- ,mr4 ,james1 #hi1 #acg1 #bad4 ---- ,john1 #h4ecb ,henderson1 ,mr4 ,alexander1 #aae4 ---- ,mr4 ,hugh1 #ach1 #aid4 ---- ,mr4 ,john1 in ,rusco1 #aej1 #bjg4 ,henton1 #bah4 ,high ,commission1 #fh1 note4 ,hog1 ,mr4 ,thomas1 #bde4 ,hope1 ,sir ,john4--,see ,craighall4 ,hume1 ,mrs41 #cad4 ---- ,mr4 ,william1 #cab4 ,hutchison1 ,george1 #cdd4 ,independents1 #cjh1 #cbi4 ,ireland1 #be1 #aai1 #afh1 #bcc1 #bhd1 #bhh4 ,jackson1 ,dr4 ,thomas1 #ahh4 ,jedburgh1 #cde4 ,job1 ,commentary upon1 #eh4 ,johnston1 ,sir ,archibald1 of ,warriston1 #cjg4 ,kaskeberry1 the ,lady 7,schoneir71 #ajh4 ,kells4--,see ,garlock1 and #gb4 ,kenmure1 ,viscountess1 #c1 #d1 #e1 #g1 #aa1 #ai1 #bj1 #ba1 #bc1 #bg1 #bh1 #cj1 #ca1 #ce1 #cg1 #ci1 #dj1 #db1 #ef1 #eh1 #fa1 #fi1 #gj1 #ic1 #id1 #ie1 #if1 #ajd1 #ajf1 #bje1 #bjf1 #bcj1 #bhf1 #bhg1 #cjb1 #cje1 #cah1 #cbj1 #cce1 #cch1 #cda1 #cfj4 ,kennedy1 ,elizabeth1 #gg4 ---- ,janet1 #hh1 #bdg4 ---- ,john4--,see ,earl of ,cassillis4 ---- ,john1 ,bailie of ,ayr1 #bb1 #ge1 #acj4 ,ker1 ,col4 ,gilbert1 #cbh1 #cbi1 #cca1 #ccb1 #ccc1 #ccd1 #cdb1 #cdc4 ---- ,john1 #dg4 ,kerr1 ,robert1 #ga4 ,kilconquhar1 ,lady1 #bbf1 #bfa4 ,kilmalcolm1 ,parishioners1 #bhf4 ,kirkcudbright1 #f1 #h1 #be1 #cd1 #cf1 #db1 #dc1 #df1 #di1 #eb1 #fg1 #hj1 #acd1 #ace1 #acf1 #acg1 #agg1 #bfg1 #cci1 #cdj1 #cee4 ,kirkdale1 #aag4 ,kirkmabreck1 #aji1 #aag4 ,knockbreck1 ,gordon of1 #fe1 #ff1 #gf1 #ib1 #agj1 #bhe2 referred to1 #bgi4 ,knockgray1 ,gordon of1 #ajb1 #aed1 #ahb1 #bbc2 referred to1 #bdc4 ,knox1 ,john1 #ab4 ,c4 ,k41 #cdi4 ,largirie1 ,lady1 #aie1 #bej4 ,largmore1 #gb4 ,laurie1 ,john1 #age4 ,law1 ,james1 #hf1 #aaj4 ,leighton1 ,dr4 ,alexander1 #bhi4 ---- ,mr4 ,robert1 #hf4 ,lennox1 ,john4--,see ,cally4 ---- ,robert1 #bac1 #bfb4 ,leys1 ,lady1 #bjg4 ,lindsay1 ,james1 #bcd4 ---- ,lord1 #bca4 ,livingston1 ,mr4 ,john1 #ij1 #cdc4 ---- ,mr4 ,william1 #adb4 ,lochinvar1 #dg1 #aji4 ,lorn1 ,lord1 #ei1 #fj1 #fa1 #bjd2 referred to1 #bbb4 ,lothian1 ,earl of1 #hc4 ,loudian1 ,mr41 #hf1 #agd4 ,loudon1 ,lord 7,john ,campbell71 #aaf1 #beh1 #bha4 ,maitland1 ,lord ,john1 #cjg4 ,malignants1 #cbi1 #ccj1 #cca1 #ccc1 #cdf1 #cef1 #cfb4 ,mar1 ,lady1 #fa1 #fi1 #adj4 ,marischall1 ,lady 7,margaret ,erskine71 #bjg4 ,martin1 ,mr4 ,james1 #bjf4 ,maxwell1 ,bishop of ,ross1 #f4 ,m',adam1 ,james1 #ada4 ---- ,sibylla 7his sister71 #aic1 #ada4 ,m',cleland1 ,mr41 #fc1 #cci4 ,m',culloch1 ,jonet1 #aja1 #beb4 ---- ,thomas1 #bhc4 ,m',kail1 ,mr4 ,hugh1 of ,irvine1 #ga1 #aah1 #baf1 #bbi4 ,m',math1 ,agnes1 #cjj4 ---- ,jean1 #cbf4 ,m',millan1 ,jean1 #acb4 ,m',naught1 ,grizzel1 #a1 #cb1 #hh4 ---- ,jane1 #di4 ---- ,marion1 #a1 #f1 #h1 #i1 #ab1 #ac1 #ad1 #ae1 #af1 #ag1 #ah1 #bd1 #bf1 #bi1 #cb1 #cc1 #cd1 #cf1 #ch1 #da 7postscript71 #dc1 #dd1 #de1 #df1 #dg1 #dh1 #di 7with postscript71 #ej1 #ea1 #eb1 #ec1 #ed1 #ee1 #eg1 #fj1 #hj1 #abf1 #agg1 #ahe1 #bba1 #bdc1 #bdd1 #bfc1 #bgi4 ,m',ward1 ,mr41 #agi1 #ccg4 ,mein1 ,barbara1 #cad4 ---- ,mr4 ,john1 senior1 #aea4 ---- ,mr4 ,john1 junior1 #ha1 #bdj4 ---- ,mrs41 #cab4 ,melville1 ,eliz4--,see ,lady ,culross4 ---- of ,hallhill1 #bbd4 ,melvin1 ,mr4 ,ephraim1 #ia4 ,minister in ,glasgow1 #ccg4 ---- to a ,brother1 #cei4 ,m4 ,o41 #cbd4 ,moncrieff1 ,mr4 ,alex41 of ,scoonie1 #ceg4 ---- ,lady ,ann1 of ,fingask1 #bie4 ---- ,laird of1 #aga4 ,montgomery1 ,sir ,henry1 #cjc4 ,more1 ,dr41 #caa4 ,mowat1 ,mr4 ,matthew1 #abj1 #afg1 #bci1 #cja4 ,muirfad1 #ei1 #aji 7notice74 ,mure4--,see ,lady ,ralston4 ----4--,see ,rowallan1 #bdb4 ---- ,ninian1 #afd4 ,murray1 ,christian1 #bfb4 ---- ,james1 #bgd4 ---- ,james1 wife of1 #cjd4 ,murray1 ,john1 #cef1 #cfe4 ---- ,margaret1 #cbf4 ---- ,margaret 7,mrs4 ,gillespie71 #cbf4 ,g4 ,m41 #ib4 ,m4 ,m41 #afg4 ,nairn1 ,mr4 ,george1 #ceg4 ,nevay1 ,mr4 ,john1 #agi1 #bji4 ,newcastle1 #caa4 ,new ,england1 #ab1 #ge1 #aea1 #aec1 #afa4 ,newmills1 #agi4 ,nicholas1 ,henry1 #caj4 ,nisbet1 #cdd2 and1 ,life1 p4 #b4 ,ochiltree1 #aab 7notice74 ,ormiston1 #ccg4 ,osburne1 ,provost of ,ayr1 #adi4 ,oxford1 #agd4 ,oxnam4--,see ,scott4 ,n4 ,o41 #cbb4 ,parishioners of ,anwoth1 #bbe4 ,perkins1 ,dr4 ,william1 #aei4 ,person unknown1 anent public worship1 #bij4 ,persons unknown1 #cjh4 ,perth ,assembly1 #bdd4 ,pitsligo1 ,lady 7,marischall71 #bjf1 #bdc1 #bei4 ,pont1 ,mrs41 #bib4 ,porterfield of ,duchal1 #bhf4 ,prelacy1 #cfc1 #cfd1 etc4 ,protesters1 #ccd1 #cci1 #cdd1 #cdi1 #cef4 ,psalms1 ,king ,james'1 #ae4 ,puritans1 #aa1 #ei1 #bjb1 #bfb4 ,j4 ,p41 #di4 ,q41 #fd1 #fe1 #aaf4 ,queensberry1 #bje4 ,rait1 ,mr41 #cdc1 #cee4 ,ralston1 ,lady 7,mure71 #ccf4 ,ramsay1 ,mr4 ,thomas1 #ceg4 ,reid1 ,margaret1 #bdh4 ,remonstrance1 ,western1 #cbh1 #cea1 #cef1 #cei4 ,resolutioners1 #ccj1 #cca1 #ccf1 #cci4 ,ridge1 ,mr4 ,john1 #ij4 ,rigg1 ,william1 of ,athernie1 #aad1 #bef1 #bgc2 and notice1 #bbf4 ,robertland1 ,lady1 #bhb4 ,roberton1 ,gordon of1 #gb4 ,robinson1 ,mr4 ,john1 #cji4 ,rodger1 ,mr4 ,william1 #hh4 ,rogers1 ,dr4 ,daniel1 #aei4 ,ross1 ,bishop of1 #f4 ,row1 ,rev4 ,john1 of ,perth1 #ahc4 ---- ,john1 of ,carnock1 #bai4 ,r4 ,j4 ,rowallan1 the ,lady1 #bdb4 ,rusco1 #e 7note71 #adg1 #bjg1 #cde4 ,a4 ,r41 #ahe1 #ae4 ,h4 ,r41 #ahe1 #ae4 ,rutherford's ,brother ,george1 #cd1 #gc1 #ge1fg1 #ih1 #aje1 #ajg1 #aaj1 #aab1 #aaf1 #acf1 #acg1 #aea1 #aeg1 #aeh1 #aei1 #bje1 #bde1 #bfg1 #bid1 #cdj4 ---- ,brother ,james1 #ccd 7note74 ---- ,children1 #caj4 ---- ,mother1 #di4 ---- ,wife1 #h1 #aa4 ,schoneir1 ,james 7see ,lady ,kaskeberry71 #ajh4 ,scott1 ,rev4 ,john1 of ,oxnam1 #cdi1 #cej1 #ceb1 #ceg4 ,sectaries1 #cbi1 #cca1 #ccc4 ,seekers1 #cjh4 ,semple1 ,mr4 ,john1 of ,carsphairn1 #ceg4 ,senwick1 #abg4 ,separatists1 #cji4 ,service ,book1 #aea1 #afa1 #bbd1 #bfb4 ,sharp1 ,mr4 ,james1 #dh1 #cdc4 ,sibbald1 ,dr4 ,james4 ,life1 xviii4 ,simpson1 ,mr4 ,james1 #cdf4 ,spain1 #cji4 ,spottiswoode1 ,archbishop1 #aa1 #hf4 ,st4 ,andrews1 #cdc1 etc4 ---- ,bishop of1 #dh1 #hf4 ,stewart1 ,mr4 ,henry 7,dublin71 #bia4 ---- ,sir ,james1 ,provost of ,edinburgh1 #cbe4 ,stirling1 ,mr4 ,john1 #ia1 #ib1 #ceg4 ---- ,peter1 #bif4 ,strafford1 ,earl of 7,wentworth71 #bhh4 ,stuart1 ,john1 of ,ayr1 #afa1 #afb1 #afc1 #ahi4 ---- ,mrs41 #bae4 ---- ,robert1 #ahf4 ,sydserff1 #eb1 #fg1 #hf1 #afj4 ,taylor1 ,mrs41 #caj4 ,trail1 ,r41 #agi1 #ceg4 ,a4 ,t41 #ajb1 #bhd4 ,utrecht1 #ccd 7note74 ,uxbridge ,treaty1 #cjh4 ,vivet1 ,christopher1 #cji4 ,watson1 ,mr41 #bad4 ,weir1 ,mr41 #bad4 ,welsh1 ,john1 #ab4 ,westminster ,assembly1 #cjf1 #cjh1 #cji4 ,whitepark1 ,gordon of1 #adc4 ,whiteside1 ,bell of1 #bah4 ,wigtown1 #fe1 #fg1 #aag1 #aia1 #bgf4 ,wilson1 ,mr4 ,james1 #bic4 ,wylie1 ,mr4 ,thomas1 #cjf1 #cdj1 #cee4 ,c4 ,y41 #ib4 ,,index ,,of ,,special ,,subjects4 7,the ,reference is to the ,number of the ,letter47 ,adversity1 lessons of1 #afg4 ,affliction1 #bh1 #bi1 #ce1 #cg1 #db1 #gf1 #ib1 #id1 #ajb1 #aab1 #abb1 #afg1 #aga1 #ahf1 #baa1 #bbc1 #bdh1 #bfe1 #bgc1 #bhb1 #bhi1 #bih1 #cjb1 #cab1 #cac1 #cae1 #cag1 #cbc4 ,assurance1 #ajf1 #acd1 #aij1 #aif1 #bhf4 ---- exhortation as to1 #gh1 #ia1 #acj4 ,atheism in the heart1 #bcc1 #bcd1 #cje4 ,backsliding1 #bbe1 #bbg1 #bcd1 #bhf4 ,believers1 #ef1 #he1 #bja1 #bbi1 #bia4 ,bereavements1 #ce1 #cg1 #aje4--,see ,afflictions4 ,bible1 #aj4 ,blessings and ,christ1 difference between1 #cce4 ,cares1 #beb4--,see ,trials4 ,catechism1 #aff1 #bfj4 ,catechising1 #bbh4 ,children of the godly1 #a1 #bd1 #cd1 #df1 #hb1 #aji1 #aaa1 #bhg4 ,children of the godly1 loss of1 #bh1 #ei1 #bch1 #bhg1 #cjj1 #cbf4 ,christ1 in ,himself1 #g1 #ac1 #ai1 #bj1 #fi1 #gb1 #hb1 #hh1 #id1 #aja1 #aje1 #aaa1 #aab1 #abg1 #adj1 #afh1 #afi1 #age1 #ahf1 #aib1 #bjb1 #bjc1 #bji1 #baj1 #baa1 #baf1 #bbf1 #bca1 #bhe1 #bhh1 #bia1 #cce4 ---- ,coming again1 #af1 #ba1 #bf1 #dh1 #ej1 #ie1 #acj1 #ach1 #agj1 #bbd1 #bca1 #bfi1 #bia1 #cbb4 ---- interceding1 #dh4 ---- in ,his liberality1 #gc1 #gd4 ---- in ,his love1 #bj1 #fh1 #gj1 #hg1 #aab1 #aac1 #abj1 #acj1 #adc1 #aff1 #agj1 #aga1 #ahg1 #aie1 #bab1 #bcc1 #bed1 #bef1 #beg1 #bfi1 #bgj1 #bhe1 #bie1 #big4 ---- in ,his sympathy1 #b1 #aec1 #agg1 #bhg1 #bhh4 ---- in ,his sufferings1 #ac1 #agf4 ---- in our sufferings for ,him1 #ei1 #fg1 #ie1 #aac1 #aaf1 #aag1 #adh1 #bah1 #bij1 #ccc4 ---- in ,his ways1 #ga1 #gc1 #gd1 #hi1 #ii1 #abe1 #aca1 #adf1 #ahi1 #aid1 #bbb1 #bef1 #cbf1 #ccc1 #cea4 ---- our conformity to ,him1 #aa4 ,christ's cause1 #gh1 #aae1 #bde1 #ccb4 ,christian walk1 direction for1 #aei1 #bfd1 #bfi4 ,church1 #bf1 #ch1 #da1 #de1 #ej1 #ig1 #bgf4 ---- visible1 members of1 #cfd4 ,communion with ,christ1 #g1 etc4 ---- seasons1 #ad1 #ah1 #bj1 #bf1 #cc1 #dd1 #de1 #ia1 #cac4 ,complaints1 #cje4 ,conflict1 #f1 #df1 #bhj4 ,conscience1 #cj1 #ci1 #fb1 #ff1 #aff4 ,consolations1 #ed1 #fc1 #ff1 #hj1 #bff1 #caj1 #ccd4 ,conversion1 #bah4 ,convictions1 #bah1 #bbe4 ,counsels4--,see ,christian ,walk4 ,courage1 #cbi1 #cca4 ,crosses1 #fa1 #fb1 #ie1 #aaf1 #aah1 #aai1 #acd1 #adc1 #adf1 #adh1 #bai1 #bdj1 #bdb1 #bdf1 #bdh1 #beg4 ,darkness1 days of1 #cch1 #cdb4 ,deadness1 #cai1 #cdb1 #cdd1 #cde1 #cec1 #ced4 ,death1 #c1 #ci1 #aej1 #aie1 #bch1 #caa1 #cbd1 #ceg4 ,death of a ,husband1 #aje1 #bbb1 #cjb1 #cab2 ,son-in-,law1 #cad2 ,wife1 #cae2 ,daughter1 #b1 #caf2 ,mother1 #cba2 ,child1 #d1 #bh1 #ce1 #caj2 ,son1 #bih1 #caj1 #cfj2 ,friend1 #bii1 #cjj4 ,dejections1 #bdi4 ,desertions1 #f1 #ajj1 #bbh1 #bcd4 ,devil1 #c1 #cb1 #gj1 #ij1 #aad1 #aae1 #ach1 #bdc4 ,difficulties1 #bje1 #bdh1 #bej4 ,diligence1 #gg1 #aba1 #abc1 #ada1 #adg1 #agc1 #ahf1 #aih1 #bfa1 #bhj1 #bhc1 #bhi4 ,doubtings1 #ajf1 #aha1 #bjc1 #bic4 ,duty1 #abf4 ,earnest of the ,spirit1 #g4 ,earnestness about the soul1 #abc1 #abd1 #acb1 #aia1 #bjj1 #bja1 #bfa4 ,evidences4--,see ,marks4 ,experience1 #cda1 etc4 ,faith1 #g1 #ai1 #ie1 #agh1 #ahb1 #bbi1 #bia1 #bid4 ,fear of man1 #bce1 etc4 ,feeling1 #bic1 #bie4 ,formality1 #hg1 #aih1 #bah4 ,free-will1 #fi1 #abj1 #bed1 #bgc1 etc4 ,friends1 #e1 #cj1 #ajd4 ,glory1 #ai1 #bj4 ,god1 #cdb4--,see ,christ4 ,grace1 #he1 #ajf1 #aib1 #bag1 #bai1 #bcc1 #bed1 #bgc1 #bgg1 #cbc1 #cbd4 ,headship of ,christ1 #aae1 #bae1 #bde1 #bgh1 #bha1 #ccg1 #cei1 #cfc4 ,heaven 7see ,christ71 #bd1 #bdf1 #bdg1 #cjd4 ,holiness1 #ajd1 #bae4 ,humility1 #hb1 #bcj1 #bhe1 #cdb4 ,idolatry 7in kneeling at communion71 #ia1 #agd1 #agi4 ,idols1 #ajb1 #acc1 #aia1 #bhj4 ,jews1 restoration of1 #ad1 #bh1 #ej1 #aid1 #bce1 #bhi1 #bie1 #bif4 ,justification1 #agj4 ,law1 #bcj4 ,life rather than dying1 #ccf4 ,long-suffering1 #ab1 etc4 ,lord's ,supper1 #bfi4 ,marks of salvation1 #agb1 #bjc1 #bce1 #bhd1 #bic4 ,martyrdom1 prospect of1 #cfb4 ,ministry1 his own1 and others1 #fa1 #ahj1 #ahd1 #ahh1 #bad1 #bbe1 #bbh1 #bhf4 ,non-fundamental truths1 #ccg4 ,offences1 #bbi4 ,old man1 #bef4 ,ordinances1 #aa1 #bd4 ,patience1 #ac1 #ba1 #ach1 #aif1 #ccf4 ,persecution1 #bia1 etc4 ,praise1 #ajb1 #cjd4 ,prayer1 #ag1 #bi1 #bdi1 #bfc1 #bfi1 #bic1 #cai4 ---- meeting1 #bfc1 #bfi1 #bhf4 ---- union for1 #ca1 #aga1 #cfe4 ,prosperity1 #cj4 ,proverbs iii41 #aa4 ,providence1 #aa1 #ab1 #hi1 #aaj1 #aid1 #aig1 #bcd1 #bef1 #bfj1 #cbi1 #cca1 #ccc4 ,reproach1 #bf1 #bch4 ,reprobates1 #bcd4 ,resignation1 #b1 #c1 #ij2 nine reasons for1 #cfa4 ,revival1 #ced4 ,saints1 #eb4 ,salvation1 #gi1 #hb1 #aba1 #ace4--,see ,diligence4 ---- nature of1 #acc4 ,sanctification1 #ha1 #agj1 #bac1 #bae4 ,satan1 #cb4--,see ,devil4 ,self1 #ab1 #ahh1 #ahi1 #aih1 #bhd1 #cbd4 ,self-deception1 #cec4 ,self-denial1 #ba1 #bhd4 ,sickness1 #c1 #f1 #bf1 #abe1 #cac1 #ccg1 #cde4 ,silence1 #afb1 #afc1 #ahe1 #aig1 #bjh1 #bid4 ,sin1 #hd1 #bgf4 ---- against the ,holy ,ghost1 #bbg4 ---- uses of1 #aig1 #bid4 ,sinners1 awful words to1 #bbe1 #cbh1 etc4 ,sloth1 #aih1 #bjj1 #bfj1 #bhf4 ,soul's value1 #gi1 #hb4 ,sovereignty of ,god1 #ce1 #bih1 #cdb1 #cdg4 ,sparrows at ,anwoth1 #afg1 #afh1 #bjf4 ,submission1 #aj1 #bg1 #dg1 #aeg1 #ahc1 #ahf1 #bee1 #bih1 #cjj1 #cja4 ,suffering1 design of1 and blessings under1 #aac1 #afj1 #afa1 #bjf1 #bfe4--,see ,trials1 ,afflictions4 ---- words to a brother under1 #cbi1 #ccg1 etc4 ,temptation1 #da1 #ib1 #aeg1 #aif1 #bic4 ---- public1 #ea4 ,toleration1 #cdi1 #ceb4 ,trials1 #c1 #d1 #ab1 #bb1 #bc1 #eb1 #fa1 #fc1 #ga1 #gb1 #gd1 #ge1 #hj1 #hd1 #aca1 #acc1 #ach1 #adc1 #afj1 #afa1 #aff1 #ahb1 #bjf1 #baa1 #bcj1 #bdf1 #beg1 #bfe1 #bff1 #bgc1 #bgf1 #bhi1 #bia1 #bib1 #cbj4 ,unbelief1 #he1 #aec1 #bbb1 #bci4 ,union among believers1 #cbb1 #ccf1 #ccg1 #cee4 ,visible ,church1 #cfd4 ,warnings1 #gb1 #agc1 #bbe1 #bbg4 ,watchfulness1 #cj1 #bfc1 #cec4 ,world1 #e1 #db1 #ii1 #ajj1 #abb1 #aci1 #aij1 #aib1 #bjj1 #bbc1 #bbd1 #bbi1 #bea1 #bee1 #bfh1 #bgb1 #bhb4 ,youth1 #af1 #bd1 #da1 #aaa1 #adb1 #aef1 #afd1 #aff1 #agc1 #aha1 #ahf1 #aii1 #bjb1 #bjc1 #bcb1 #bdj1 #bhg1 #cjg4 ,zeal1 #aj1 #bcc4 ,,glossary4 ,,the ,,references ,,to ,,special ,,words ,,may ,,serve ,,the ,,purpose ,,of ,a ,,verbal ,,index4 7,the ,figures refer to the ,letters47 ,abjects2 persons in the lowest grade of society4 #bia4 ,accidents2 incidental accompaniments1 not essential4 #bic4 ,account-book2 journal of translations4 #abb1 #abd4 ,acquaint2 personally known4 ,ado2 ,adjective1 in the sense of a-stir4 #ig1 #ii1 #aha4 ,noun2 occupation1#ecc trouble1 concerns4 #ig1 #ii1 #aha1 #ahd1 #bbf1 #bej4 ,affect2 to love1 have affection to4 #d1 #fg1 #agd1 #bgd1 etc4--,so in ,gal4 iv4 #ag1 etc4 ,after-supper2 latest part of the day1 between supper and bed-time4 #hb4 ,agent2 advocate4 #hf4 ,airt1 or airth2 quarter of the heavens1 direction4 #da1 #afg1 #bbi1 etc4 ,all2 to all power1 to the utmost of my power4 ,allow2 to give an allowance4 #aje1 #bdb1 #bhg4 ,alone2 for only4 #bca1 etc4 ,alongst2 along1 side by side with4 #cfc4 ,always2 although1 notwithstanding4 7,fr41 toute-fois47 #bdi1 #ccf1 #ccg4 ,anchor-tow2 the cable4 #ajg4 ,and1 or an2 the conjunction if4 7,gr41 47 ,anent2 concerning1 over-against4 #aaj1 #bcd1 etc4 ,annual2 yearly rent1 quit-rent4 #aai4 ,annuity2 quit-rent4 #gj4 ,as2 than4 #cjf4 --,it is the ,german als1 and is still a common word in the south of ,scotland4 ,a-swoon2 in a swoon1 or faint4 #aaj1 #ahf1 #bdi4 ,athort2 athwart1 across4 #bdc4 ,aught2 to own4 ,the ,noun2 possession1 property4 #bdg1 #bic4 ,so used by ,gavin ,douglas4 ,awsome2 fitted to overawe4 #aij1 #bai1 #bha1 #cag4 ,back4 ,the ,verb intr4 means3 to be unfortunate4 #fb4 ,the ,verb trans43 to help on4 #abh1 #adi1 #bjj1 #bbi1 etc4 ,in a sermon on ,zech4 xi4 #i1 ,the ,godhead backed him1 and convoyed him to the bar of ,god's justice4 ,back-bond2 a bond given after a former bond1 declaring the person who gave the first bond free4 #aah1 #bfe1 #bia4 ,back-burden2 laid on a person's back4 #bhh4 ,back-entry2 back-door4 #bgg4 ,back-friend2 friend to back you or help4 #aii4 ,so in a sermon on ,rev4 xix4 ,back-over2 backward1 quite in the other direction4 #bgf4 ,back-set2 a thrust back4 #afg4 ,bailie2 magistrate4 #ach1 etc4 ,bairns2 children4 #ah1 #bj1 #ajf1 #bic1 etc4 ,bairnteme2 family of children by one mother4 #aje1 #ajf4 ,peden speaks of the ,church with her bonny bairn-teme4 ,in ,norse1 toma signifies to bring forth4 ,balk2 beam for suspending scales4 #bbe1 #bfa4 ,band2 a bond1 engagement4 #ah4--,to take band with is to unite1 q4d41 bind together4 #df1 #ahi1 #bib1 #ceh4 ,keep band1 the same4 #db4 ,bankful2 full like a river up to the top of its bank4 #afi1 #beg4 ,bann2 to curse in the form of a minced oath4 #adg4 ,beguile1 ,noun2 deception1 trick1 disappointment4 #agf1 #bje1 #cec4 ,behind with one2 coming short of his due4 #aeb1 #aeg4 ,being-place2 may be a misprint for bigging1 i4e4 building4 #aib4 ,bemist2 involved in mist1 like benight4 #aah1 #afi1 #agf4 --,see also misted4 #ei1 #bbc4 ,ben2 7q4d4 being in71 in the inner chamber1 within4 #bj4 ,beside2 apart from1 contrary to4 #bff1 #bga4 ,better cheap4--,see ,cheap4 ,bidding2 command4 ,to sit a b41 to fail in prompt obedience4 #dc4 ,bide2 stand1 wait for1 endure4 #bc1 etc4 --,law-biding1 ready to meet the law1 instead of fleeing4 #ajf1 #ajg1 #bbb1 #cjb4 ,knox's ,work1 vi4 #eic1 etc4 ,bide out2 hold out4 #he4 ,big1 ,verb2 to build4 ,binding4 ,the phrase1 to take binding1 is the same as to take band4 #bj1 #dc4 ,binks2 benches4 #bhe4 ,bird-mouthed2 mealy-mouthed4 #aha4 ,in this phrase bird is the young1 or chicken2 hence1 the sense of softness4 ,bite upon2 leave the mark of their teeth4 #hd4 ,black-shame2 utter shame2 so very dark4 #acj4 ,so in #bgb he writes1 black nothing4 ,blae2 pale1 unsatisfactory hue4 #bfb4 ,as in the phrase1 to look blue4 ,blaflume1 or blayflume1 or bleflume2 a mere sham1 air-bubble2 from blaw1 or blow4 #bbe1 #bdi4 ,same as blellum1 one good for nothing4 ,bleeze2 a sudden flaming up4 #hb4 ,blench2 a piece of white money2 a mere peppercorn or nominal rent4 #bed4 7,fr41 blanc47 ,blenk1 or blink2 a gleam1 slight glance4 #ej1 #eg1 etc4 ,blind2 a cheat1 disappointment4 #bab4 ,block2 a bargain4 ,the ,verb2 to bargain1 plan1 scheme4 #bj1 #ajj1 #ajf1 #afc1 #bjj4 ,bloom2 blossom4 #ij1 #ic1 #ahd1 #ahe1 #aic4 ,bludder1 or bluther2 to bleer1 disfigure the face with weeping1 or the like4 #aje1 #ach4 ,board2 table4 ,boardhead1 head of the dinner-table4 #cj1 #ajd1 #ajg1 #agg1 #bdi4 ,over the board1 #aij4 ,the seller1 when he handed the goods to the buyer1 over the board1 drank good luck to him4 ,and so this came to be a phrase for formally giving up or renouncing4 ,bode2 to offer with view to a bargain4 #agg1 #ahf4 ,it is allied in sense to bait4 ,sibbs uses bawd 7on #b ,cor4 i4 #c74 ,boist1 or bost1 and sometimes written boasts2 to threaten with a blow4 #aja1 #baa1 #bbf1 #bia4 ,it is connected with boisterous4 ,borne in2 forcibly brought into the mind4 #bdi4 ,borrow and lend2 to have dealings with4 #ih1 #aji4 ,borrows2 security in law1 an ,anglo-,saxon word4 ,to die in borrows1 to fail in security4--,see ,burrows4 ,botch-house2 house spoilt and disfigured4 #bcg4 ,bouk2 from bulk2 the corpse of man or beast4 #ada4 ,bound-road2 boundary-line4 #bgc1 #bhf4 ,brae2 declivity1 slope of a hill4 #fi #ada1 etc4 ,above ordinary bounds4--,from bank to brae4 #adg1 etc4 ,braird2 the sprouting up blade of young wheat1 or the like4 #bei4 ,brangle2 to shake into disorder1 shake to and fro4 #da1 #aif4 ,brash2 a passing fit of sickness4 #ahf4 ,broadside2 openly1 frankly4 #ha4 --,lay on the broadside2 lay flat4 #bd4 ,brod2 same as board4 #cbh1 etc4 ,brook1 or bruke2 enjoy1 possess4 #adj1 #aae1 #bdi4 ,browden2 eagerly desirous of1 foolishly attached to4 #gg4 ,browst2 a brewing1 or what one brews for himself4 #ahh4 ,an ill-managed matter is an ill-browst4 ,bud2 to bribe1 try to win over by a gift4 #fc1 #hh1 #bgg4 ,bulks4--,see ,bouk4 ,burrows1 or borrows2 7,anglo-,saxon7 a pledge or security4 ,law-burrows2 security given not to injure the person or property of one4 #fa1 #afc1 #ahd1 #bbb4 ,bushy-biel 7see ,life74 ,in ,scotch1 bield is a shelter4 ,the name of ,rutherford's house is said by some to have been ,bush o' ,biel'1 the bush of shelter4 ,in old ,scott4 ,prov41 we find1 ,every man bows to the bush he gets bield frae4 ,yet it is more probable that the name is corrupted from ,bosco ,beoll1 or ,boscobel1 the fair wood1 like the celebrated spot in ,shropshire where ,charles ,i4 hid in the oak4 ,busk2 adorn1 deck4 #bb1 #db1 #acc1 #adc4 ,but2 only1 only this and no more4 #ajb1 #ahh4 ,buy a plea2 get up a charge1 when properly there is no room for it4 #gd1 #ge1 #afa1 #aga1 #bhd4 ,buy up2 to bribe2 or so to buy up as to set another aside4 #bfa1 #bfe4 ,by1 or bye2 aside from1 past1 as in ,acts xx4 #af1 sail by4 #bc1 #aje1 #adh1 #afj1 #age4 ,also3 ,without1 #if2 beside1 #cei4--,lock-by1 mislock1 #bah4 ,by-board2 side-table where the children sat4 #gg1 #aaa1 #aig4 ,by-errand2 message done at leisure time1 as being of little importance4 #aia1 #aii4 ,by-going2 passing by4 #abb4 ,by-gone2 passed away4 #ga1 etc4 ,by-gones2 things forgotten4 #fb1 #gb4 ,by-good1 or bye-good2 an object in addition to some other good4 #aie4 ,by-hand2 aside4 #gb1 #bgf4 ,by-look1 side-look4 #bdi4 ,by-past2 time that has elapsed1 or recently1 as a thing done4 #aij4 ,by-purse2 a side purse1 away from the other4 #bhd4 ,by-work2 work done at leisure time only4 #aia4 ,canny2 prudent1 cautious and skilful4 ,adv41 cannily4 #fi4 ,card2 chart or map4 #fi1 #bcb4 ,cast2 participle1 casten3 throw or fling4 #cbd4 --,cast the balance2 turn the scale4 #aec4 --,to cast at2 be sulky1 quarrel with4 #d1 #bc4 --,to cast up2 to upbraid4 --,to cast out with2 quarrel4 #bbd1 #bed4 --,cast a knot2 tie so as not to slip4 #abb4 ,cast1 a ,noun2 lot1 fate4 ,common cast2 a providence occurs often in ,brown of ,wamphray4 #ahe1 #bfe4 ,casualty2 emoluments beyond the stated yearly dues paid to the superior4 #bdj1 #bec4 ,cauldrife2 susceptible of cold2 lukewarm4 #aih4 ,caums2 a mould4 #bhb4 --,moulds being often made of pipe-clay1 it became customary to call pipe-clay caum-stone4 ,baillie in his ,letters spells it caulms4 ,in ,gaelic1 cuma means a pattern1 or shape4 ,causey 7,fr41 chause72 the public street4 ,to keep the crown of the causey is to make bold appearance in the public street in open day4 #eb1 #ei1 #fi1 #aha4 ,the streets in those days were raised in the middle1 and had gullies on either side4 ,the ,french had the phrase1 ,tenir le haut du pav4 ,see ,notes and ,queries1 ,march #bi1 #ahgc4 ,caution2 security1 surety4 #b1 #ai1 etc4 --,adj41 ,cautionary4 #ahg4 ,and as ,noun1 suretyship4 #aad4 ,challenge2 charge1 upbraiding1 accusation4 #b1 #aj1 etc4 ,cheap is connected with chapman2 from the old ,english chap1 a bargain4 ,the phrase ,better cheap4 #baf1 #bic4 --,and so ,good cheap1 properly a good bargain4 ,chirurgeon2 surgeon4 #bic1 #bie4 ,greek and ,latin word4 ,clap2 something done unexpectedly4 ,in a clap2 like thunder suddenly heard4 #bfd4 ,clay2 earth1 earthenware4 #bia1 etc4 --,clay-banks1 #cjj4 ,so ,clay-heavens1 #bid2 clay-pawns1 #cjj1 bodies of dust4 ,cleck2 to hatch a brood1 swarm4 #bha4 ,clipped2 coin not of full weight4 #ha4 ,clog2 to adhere2 form an encumbrance4 #bdi4 --,used in old ,english4 ,close1 a ,noun2 the lane or porch leading into the house4 #aeg4 ,close1 ,adv42 close off1 completely4 #ej1 #hb 7like the phrase close-shaven71 #hh4 ,closet-ward2 guard-room4 #bed4 ,coast2 to sail near land1 sail from one port to another4 #cja4 ,coastful2 full to the utmost shore4 #bja4 ,cog2 to fix the teeth of a wheel1 and so stop its motion2 put on a drag4 #ea1 #aid1 #bbi4 ,coldlike2 like a fire going out2 hope abating4 #agi4 ,coldrife1 #aih4 --,see ,cauldrife4 ,how coldrife and indifferent are ye6 7,sermon on ,isa4 xlix4 #a-d74 ,chilly1 heartless4 ,common2 alluding to persons sharing at a common table in ,college4 ,as this was a privilege enjoyed by special favour1 ,to be in one's common is to be indebted to1 under obligation to4 #db1 #eb1 #aeg1 #beb1 etc4 --,to quit commons 7#bad72 to be freed from obligation by requiting the person4 ,in #bge and #bhe1 ,it is ill my common seems to mean1 ,it ill becomes me1 having no right4 ,communion2 the dispensing of the ,lord's ,supper4 #ad1 #bj1 #be1 etc4 ,companionry2 companionship4 #adg1 #bhj4 --,the termination ry marks plurality in old ,english4 ,compear2 appear judicially1 at the bar4 #c1 etc4 ,compearance2 the act of appearing in court in obedience to a citation4 ,compose2 compromise4 #ceg4 --,composition1 in same sense4 ,comprize2 to arrest by a writ2 attach by a legal process4 #acj1 #afj1 #aga4 ,seize for debt4 #ahd1 #bjf1 etc4 ,concional4 #agi4--,see note4 ,concredit2 entrust4 #bfj4 ,used often by ,dickson on ,job4 ,conquest2 written also conquess2 acquisition1 made not by inheritance but by purchase and exertion4 #b1 #ed1 #gi1 #ahb1 #aij1 #aia4 --,the young heir knows not how hard the conquest was to his poor father 7,sermon at ,anwoth on ,zech4 xi4 #i74 ,conscionable2 according to conscience1 reasonable1 just4 #cfe4 ,considerable2 worthy of consideration or regard4 #cba1 #cca4 ,construct2 for construe4 #cfa1 etc4 ,contestation2 strife4 #ahi4 ,contrair2 adversary1 contrary to4 #f4 ,convoy2 to accompany a friend on the way4 #baj1 #bcj1 #bca4 ,couchers2 cowards2 or rather lazy fellows4 ,fr41 coucher1 to lie down4 #bea4 ,count2 to lay the count4 #bhi4 ,to settle1 balance4 ,country1 in opposition to city2 common1 in contrast to fine4 #aec1 #cec4 ,coup2 to upset1 overturn4 #abj4 ,court4 ,no great court2 no influence4 #gh1 #ada1 #adh1 #aea1 #aeh1 #ahc1 etc4 --,to be in court1 in favour4 ,see ,sermons4 ,cow2 to cut out1 eat up1 carve 7,fr41 couper74 #agj1 #agh4 ,cripple2 halting4 #beh4 ,crook2 to walk crookedly1 lamely2 halt4 #bcc1 #bii4 ,cry down2 depreciate1 cause to lose good name4 #bhj4 --,as a ,noun4 #bhi4 --,cry1 proclamation1 #bhi4 ,cuff2 a blow with the hand4 #acj4 ,cumber2 trouble4 #aif4--;,adj41 cumbersome4 #bib4 ,daft2 foolish1 crazy4 #ic1 #bhe4--;,a daft young heir 7,sermon on ,zech4 xi4 #i74 ,dainty2 that has in it something fine1 #cja4 ,dawted2 made a favourite1 petted4 #hi1 #ih1 #aff4 --,dawted ,davie2 a petted child4 #aaj4 --,better be ,god's sons than the world's dawties 7,sermon on ,isa4 xlix4 #a74 ,daylight2 note in #cae4 ,dead2 in the expression1 ,dead-sweer1 thoroughly lazy2 as incapable of moving as one dead4 #aje4 ,deaf nuts2 no kernel in them4 #ach4 ,dear2 where provision is sold at a high price4 #hd4 ,deave1 from deaf2 to make deaf2 distract4 #bhf4 ,decore2 to adorn4 #db4--7,lat41 decorus47 ,decourt2 to discard1 send out of court4 #ahh1 #aig1 #bhd4 ,decreet2 a judicial sentence4 #c1 #ab1 #acb1 etc4 ,depone2 state as a witness4 #ahj4 ,depursement2 same as disbursement4 #ei4 --,q4d41 taking out of the purse1 or bourse 7#bia74 ,dew2 a ,verb2 to moisten4 #ccc4 ,din2 noise4 #ch1 #ei1 #ajj1 #aee1 #bdi1 #bhb1 #cbe4 ,ding2 knock in with violence4 #bdh4 ,dint2 the stroke1 or force4 #ccb4 --,zachary ,boyd speaks of ,the dint of ,god's judgments4 ,dispone2 make over4 #ai1 #bfa4 ,disrespective2 disrespectful4 #cjj4 --,see ,respective4 ,ditty1 or ,dittay2 indictment1 ground of accusation4 #ab1 #dd1 #ahj1 #bcc4 ,do4 ,to do for2 to act for2 make effort for2 accomplish a thing4 #ic1 #aaf1 #ace1 #afb1 #bjf1 #bbh1 #bdd4--,see ,ps4 cix4 #ba4 ,dool-like2 in mourning guise4 #bfh4 --,dool2 grief2 ,dolor4 #bgb4 ,doomster2 pronouncer of sentence4 #bbi4 ,dorts2 the sulks1 offence taken4 #bc1 #gj1 #hi4 ,double2 a duplicate4 #cec4 ,dow2 to be able2 can4 #bc1 #bfj1 etc4 --,dought is the past tense4 ,hogg's ,queen's ,wake uses the perf43 ,she turned away and dought luck nae mair4 ,so ,letter #gd1 dought4 ,draff-poke2 the beggar's bag1 for carrying anything put in4 #bdi4 --,draff2 a useless thing2 draught1 ,matt4 xv4 #ag4 ,corruption like a draff-poke at my heels 7,eliz4 ,west74 ,draught2 plans drawn out and sketched4 #ad4 ,draw2 in the sense of remove2 table drawn4 #adf4 ,in ,lady ,montague's ,letters1 drawing-room1 or withdrawing room1 as they now say4 ,draw by2 draw aside4 #aa4 ,draw-knot2 a slip-knot1 easily loosened4 #ea4 ,dreary2 sad4 #hg4 ,drink over the board2 renounce4 ,drink-silver2 gift1 or token of regard for kindness shown or service done1 --a gift to servants4 #aai4 --,drink-money1 #bgg2 the same4 ,drouthy2 from drought2 very dry4 #bef4 ,drumbled2 made muddy2 troubled water4 #aec4 ,dry2 reserved1 backward4 #aha1 #ahb1 #ahg1 #bjf1 etc4 ,dumps2 bad humour4 #ahg4 ,dwine2 to pine away4 #he1 #afi1 etc4 ,dyke2 a wall4 #aid1 #bgf1 etc4 ,dyvour2 a debtor2 sometimes a bankrupt --,fr41 ,devoir4 ,earnest2 the foretaste4 #agi4 ,ease-room2 a room for pleasure or repose4 #e1 #bdg1 #caa4 ,ebb1 ,adj42 shallow1 like tide going back4 #id1 #abj1 etc4 --,ebbness4 #age4 ,edge by2 push aside4 #bbe4 ,empawn2 lay down as pledge4 #bbi1 #bfh4 ,enact2 to decree4 #bia4 ,end2 thrice on end4 #cbd4 --,thrice in succession4 ,engyne1 or ingyne2 ,latin1 ,ingenium1 disposition1 ability1 policy4 #hd1 #id4 --,power of mind4 #fd4 ,entire2 no division or half-heartedness4 #aai1 #bhj4 ,errand2 business4 #baj1 #bej4--,ride his errands1 #bdi1 go on with his work4 ,evangel2 good news generally4 #bbd4 ,even2 to put down one as capable of a thing2 propose as fit for a person1 #gj4 --,the phrase1 ,be even with2 have accounts settled1 be quits4 #aac1 #aad4 ,evil-worthy2 unworthy1 ill-worth4 #ccf4 ,expone2 explain the sense4 #afe4 ,eye1 ,verb2 to look for4 #bgf4 ,eye-sweet2 pleasant to the eye4 #bac1 #bgg4 ,fail1 or feal2 turf4 #aid4 ,fain2 glad4 ,faintes1 most gladly4 ,fain not twice is glad to remain settled2 not caring to rise after sitting down4 ,fain have taken effect1 #af2 desire to have carried through4 ,fair2 a market4 #agb4 ,fair2 ,adj4 in the phrase1 fair fire1 is commonly in ,scotland a fair lowe1 i4e4 all a flame together4 #bjd4 --,fair fall you1 good betide4 #ccg4 ,faird1 or fard2 to paint 7q4d4 make fair71 embellish1 disguise4 #hb1 #hc1 #hh1 #aia4 ,fair-outsided4 #hh4 --,applied to the world that is fair only on the outside4 ,fall about2 search about4 #ba4 --,fall by2 be lost4 #beb1 #bia4 --,fall to2 engage in4 #gb1 #bhh4 --,fall off2 forsake4 #bdf4 ,far ,the far end1 the final issue4 #ahd4 ,fard2 paint1 fine colouring4 #hb1 #hc4 ,farm-room2 a rented room1 like a tenant's firm4 ,fash and fashery2 trouble by importunity and about little things4 #ade1 #aif1 #bdi1 etc4 ,fast2 firm4 #gd1 #bej4 ,feared2 alarmed1 timid4 #bic4 ,feckless2 worthless1 useless1 pithless4 #bc1 #bd1 etc4 --,baxter in his ,saints' ,rest uses it4 ,fenced2 guarded2 also constituted2 a law term1 used of opening a ,court and proclaiming the authority by which the ,court was held and the object of it4 #gg1 #hb1 #aab1 #adf1 #afa4 ,fend2 provide for1 take care of4 #hg1 #aad1 #abi1 etc4 ,so ,maxton on ,ps4 cxix4 cxlv4 ,fetch2 to make for a place4 #hc1 #ajf1 #ahd1 #bdj1 #bda1 #bhd4 ,feu-duty2 yearly rent for ground on which a house is built4 #bed4 ,find2 to feel1 or find out4 #aee1 #afi1 #aib1 #ccd4 ,fire-flaught2 a flake of fire1 a flash of lightning4 #ajd4 --,in ,row's ,hist4 of ,scot41 extraordinary thunder and fire-flaught1 p4 #ccc4 ,flitting2 removing furniture and goods to another place4 #bej1 #bgg4 7,it is ,a4,s47 ,flourish2 to blossom4 #ej4 ,flyte2 to scold or chide4 #ahi4 --,flyting free2 they have nothing to say against him4 #aha4 ,foot4 ,the phrase1 hold the foot to it1 go on in the march4 #bdi4 ,foot-mantle2 a riding habit reaching to the feet4 #bfh4 --,in a sermon on ,zech4 xi4 #i1 ,gold1 silks1 velvets1 and foot-mantles1 and high horses4 ,for2 notwithstanding4 #cjg4 ,forcasten2 cast away1 neglected4 #afg1 #agg1 #bhe4 ,fore2 surplus2 the perquisite given over and above2 something still remaining4 #gj1 #hj1 #aeh4 ,foregainst2 opposite4 #bhi4 ,forfeit2 declare to be forfeited4 #bjf4 ,forlorn2 prodigal4 #afg1 #bbh1 #bhe4 --,the lost forlorn son is the prodigal4 7,so in ,german47 ,forthcoming2 ready to come forward and speak4 #bej4 ,four-hours2 the afternoon meal1 taken four hours after the forenoon's4 #id1 #aaj1 #aah1 #bhe4 ,fourteen ,prelates2 the number of ,bishops in ,scotland under ,charles ,,ii4 ,frame2 to fit or set 7,judg4 xii4 #f2 ,hos4 v4 #d71 set in a proper position2 turn out1 or succeed4 #cb1 #da1 #ahg1 #bcb1 #bed1 #bhg4 ,fraught2 the same as freight4 #hd1 #aec1 #aie1 #bag4 --,fraught-free2 no fare to pay4 #bfe4 ,freeholding2 lands held for life4 #bjc4 ,free-ward2 liberty4 #bfi4 ,free-warders2 prisoners who have right to go free4 #bfe4 ,frem1 ,a4 ,s41 fremd2 hence written fremd or fremmyt2 strange1 foreign1 distant4 #fi1 #afe4 ,friend-sted2 to befriend4 #ahh1 #bge4 ,frith2 strait2 sea4 #hd4 ,fryst1 or frist2 to postpone possession or action1--the opposite of tryst4 #agf1 #bje1 etc4 ,give credit to4 #aje4 ,put off a demand4 #bj4 ,fyle2 to defile1 find guilt4 #bab4 ,gaddy2 fond of gadding about4 #bgj4 ,gardies1 or gardess2 arms4 #ah4--;,it is the ,gaelic word gairdean1 an arm4 ,in ,row's ,life of ,blair 7p4 #aed71 ,mrs4 ,hamilton came up to ,traquair1 and fest-grip his gardie4 ,gate2 road1 way1 manner of doing4 #bi1 #ch1 etc4 --,the phrase1 start to the gate1 begin early1 soon on the road4 #acf1 #adh1 #ahf1 #bid4 ,gawd2 trick1 bad custom4 #bdj4 --,used by ,gawin ,douglas and by ,chaucer for a freak1 and said to be from ,fr41 gaudir1 to be merry4 ,gear2 goods1 substance1 money4 #abj4 ,general2 not at all familiar4 #bje4 ,in fair generals4 #ic4 ,not coming to close quarters4 ,gifted2 bestowed as a favour4 #cec1 #cei4 --,often so used in his ,covenant of ,life ,opened4 ,make a present of4 ,glaiked1 or glaiket2 giddy1 light4 #bhd4 ,glance2 bright as glowing metal4 ,so in his sermon on ,zech4 xiii4 #g4 #bhg1 #bie4 ,glister2 glitter1 shine bright4 #ea4 --,see ,luke ix4 #ba4 ,gloom2 frown1 sullen look4 ,verb and ,noun4 #ahg1 #bff1 etc4 --,the sad and glooming cross 7,christ ,dying74 ,goodman1 or gudeman2 one who holds his house or lands from a superior2 unlike laird1 who owns no superior but the king4 #af1 #ah1 etc4 --,goodwife4 #cd4--,see ,luke xii4 #ci4 ,good cheap2 very cheap1 gratuitous4 ,but probably cheap is here a ,noun1 chap1 equivalent to bargain4 #ajd1 #aje1 #aba1 #ahf1 #bae1 #bde1 #bdi4 --,better cheap4 #baf4 --,see ,cheap4 ,gone2 ruined1 hopeless4 #ahc4 ,gowk2 a simpleton4 --,gowket1 acting like a simpleton1 or put in a foolish position4 #aea1 #bcb1 #bef4 ,grace2 to give favour and honour to a person1 to adorn2 sometimes to get mercy4 #ab1 #bi1 #acc1 #bcg1 #bge4 ,grammercy2 thanks4 #bdi4 --,french1 grand-merci4 ,green2 to long after4 #he1 #afj1 #bac1 #bbf1 etc4 ,grip2 a grasp1 firm hold1 clasp4 #bb1 #bd1 etc4 --,grips1 close quarters1 fight4 #bid4 ,ground2 bottom4 #he1 #ii1 #bjc1 #bhg4 ,out at the ground4 #bhg4 --,ground-stone2 foundation-stone2 from the very foundation4 #gd1 #hb1 #bdh4 --,grounds2 dregs of a cup4 #bea4 ,guide2 to manage or to make use of4 #bef1 #bge4 ,guise2 manner1 way 7,french74 #aja1 #afd1 #agb4 --,bunyan1 in his ,history of ,badman3 ,one guise for abroad1 another for home4 ,gutters2 pools of dirty water1 marks made by the tears that soil the face4 #ach1 #aid4 ,hable2 able4 ,fr41 habile4 #cbe4 --,rollock 7,lect4 li471 hability and strength4 ,trappe on ,rom4 vi4 #bb1 ,our hability for obedience4 ,halfer2 an equal sharer4 #bjj1 #bde1 #bdi4 --,written halver also4 ,half-hungered2 left in a hungry state4 #bf4 ,half-marrow2 a married partner4 #ahc1 #bgj4 ,half-tiner2 half-loser4 #ahb4 ,hall2 the hall-house1 or ha-house1 the mansion-house4 ,so in sermon on ,john xx4 #ac1 #bhe4 --,hall-binks2 seats of honour4 ,handfast2 to join hands in betrothing1 to affiance4 #adc1 #agc1 #bbe4 ,handgrips2 grasping close4 #hg1 #ajf4 ,handsel2 to use for the first time4 #bci4 ,handwrite2 written with one's own hand4 #bgj4 ,hard4 --,see ,heads4 ,hardly2 with difficulty4 #bcb4 ,haunt up2 be up frequently in his company4 #hd4 --,fullerton of ,earlton1 in his ,turtle ,dove1 speaks of ,christ and ,his saints2 with whom espoused now ,he haunts in heavens of bliss4 ,hause2 to clasp or close with4 #fi4 --,gawin ,douglas uses it for embrace2 from hals1 the neck or throat4 ,have2 to have over1 to let alone1 be done with4 #hg1 #ajf4 ,head of ,wit2 a wiseacre1 one who affects to have much wisdom4 #bcj1 #bcd4 --,hard-heads2 the name of a small coin4 #bgj4 --,knox's ,history1 etc4 ,see note in ,letter #bgj4 ,heap-mete2 heaped up measure1 full measure4 #bdi4 ,hear2 to attend1 to treat1 serve4 #aie4 ,heartsome2 happy1 cheerful4 #cb1 #ea1 #afg4 --,clear1 bright1 and heartsome morning 7,sermon on ,zech4 xi4 #i74 ,so heartful4 #ii4 ,heaven-name2 name he bears in heaven4 #cja4 ,hell-hot2 hot as hell4 #ceg4 ,hereaway2 in this quarter4 #ej1 #bhf1 #ccf1 etc4 ,in this present life1 in this world4 ,herry2 cruelly spoil1 or rob4 #eb4 ,hesp2 hank or hasp of yarn4 #aif4 ,hide2 the skin4 #aih4 --,in ,christ ,dying1 he speaks of the skin or hide of the visible hearers4 ,hing2 for hang4 #ajd1 #bdi4 ,ho2 cessation1 to cause to stop4 #afg4 ,hold-draw2 struggle with4 #acg4 ,holding2 tenure4 #bhd4 ,so in sermon on ,rev4 xix4 ,hole 7sometimes spelt holl72 to make a hole1 to pierce1 dig out4 #ajc1 #agg1 #aif4 --,holey1 or holie2 full of holes4 #hc1 #aif1 #beh4 ,homely2 familiar1 at home with one4 #ei1 #aje1 #acj1 etc4 ,home over2 homewards4 #bh1 #bje1 #baa1 etc4 ,homeward2 in its own favour4 #afc4 ,honesty2 kindly dealing4 #fi-gf4 ,hook2 sickle1 reaping-hook4 #af1 #ba1 #bbd1 etc4 ,mowers with the scythe and hook4 ,sermon at ,kirkmabreck1 #afcj4 ,hope2 consider4 #bjd1 #bie4 ,horning2 a legal demand for payment of a debt under threat of imprisonment and being proclaimed rebels4 ,it used to be proclaimed by sound of horn in the market-place4 #acj4 ,horologue2 a watch4 ,from the ,greek4 --,an old tower at ,montrose bore the name of ,the ,horologue ,tower4 #bch1 #bhi4 ,rutherford in a sermon before the ,house of ,lords speaks of ,time's horologue1 set agoing by ,god at the ,creation4 ,house2 take up his house4 #bej4 ,enter on housekeeping4 ,howbeit2 although4 --,see our ,version of the ,bible4 ,huge2 vast1 very great4 #ahi1 #bhh1 etc4 --,i am hugely pleased with your letter1 says ,waterland1 in a letter to ,t4 ,boston 7,app4 to ,life74 ,in ,forbes1 on ,rev4 xix41 huge matter of ,god's praise4 ,in ,rutherford's ,treatise on ,prayer1 heaven is a huge thing1 p4 #ig4 #cje4 ,hungredly2 on spare diet4 #bhb4 ,hungry of heart2 heart-hungered4 #bjc4 ,if2 but that4 #cdb4--,o if4 #bjf4 ,ill2 in the phrase1 ,ill to please1 difficult to please4 #aca4 ,ill-flitten2 misplaced4 #ajf4 ,q4d4 removed to a wrong place4 ,ill-friended2 without friends4 #if4 --,zachary ,boyd uses this word in ,last ,battle1 p4 #daj4 ,ill-learned2 taught evil4 #bgf4 ,ill-ravelled2 sadly entangled4 #aif4 ,ill-waled2 ill-selected4 #cbf4 ,ill-washen2 dirty4 #bbg1 etc4 ,improbation2 action to prove forgery1 or that the person had no right to what he claimed4 #agh4 ,incontinently2 immediately1 as if unable to restrain himself4 #bda4 ,indent ,its common ,english sense occurs in ,letter #bhh1 to set in corresponding notches4 ,but also to sign a paper containing agreement to certain articles4 #agc4 --,zachary ,boyd's ,samson has1 ,as ,i indented1 so ,i'll undertake4 ,ingyne4 #fd4 --,see ,engyne4 ,inhibit2 forbid4 ,instant2 earnest4 #af4 ,instruct of2 instruct concerning4 #bbe4 ,instruments1 to take2 to take documents from the hand of the proper party by way of attestation4 #ajg1 #aaj1 #add1 etc4 ,interdict2 forbid by positive injunction to do or use a thing for a time1 to enter on possession4 ,into2 for in4 #ccf4 --,rollock 7,lect4 xlvii473 ,when the ,spirit is wrestling into us4 ,intromit2 intermeddle1 a law phrase2 handle4 #hb1 #aje4 ,in-under2 close under4 #bfj4 ,irresponsal2 not able to pay1 insolvent4 #ajd1 #bjd4 ,jealousy2 suspicion4 ,so the ,adjective4 #gd1 #add1 #adh1 #aeb1 etc4 ,jouk2 to bend down1 in order to escape a storm or a stroke2 to dissemble1 compromise4 #af1 #aha1 #bhd4 ,kep2 intercept1 catch when falling4 #afe4 ,kind2 nature4 #bgf4 --,man doth his kind in committing evil1 says ,trappe on ,gen4 vii4 #ba2 that is1 does what his nature leads to4 ,kindly2 what our kindred give us right to4 #bfa4 ,also according to nature2 natural4 #ff1 #ih1 #ajb1 #bed4 --,in ,christ ,dying 7p4 #cj7 we find1 ,the life of ,christ had infirmities kindly to it4 ,kingly4 #ee1 #fa1 #bha1 #cfc2 and used by him on his deathbed4 ,kinless2 who have no kindred4 #bej4 ,knot2 difficulty to be solved4 #cab4 --,rollock 7,lect4 li47 speaks of getting office with a knot --a difficulty accompanying it4 ,knottiness2 full of knots4 #bhg4 ,lair2 a bog4 #aaj4 ,to lair is to stick in the mire4 ,laird4--,see ,goodman4 ,lap2 the loose part or fold of a garment4 #gh4 ,laureation2 obtaining or conferring academic honours4 #bgd4 ,law-biding4 #ajf1 #bca1 #bii4--,see ,bide4 ,law-burrows2 giving a pledge not to injure4 --,see ,burrows4 #fa1 #ff1 #afc1 #ahd1 #bge1 etc4 ,lea2 an unploughed part of a field1 where the grass grows4 #ge1 #bcd4 ,lead4 ,in the phrase1 ,lead stones to a wall2 convey them1 q4d4 by leading the horse and cart4 #bd4 ,leal2 honest1 genuine1 loyal4 #ahb1 #bbe4 ,learn2 in the sense of to teach4 #age1 #aii1 #bbb4--7;,german1 lehren47 ,leave2 dismissal from a situation4 #bgg1 #caa4 ,leavings2 the overplus of the feast4 ,leck2 a leak4 #acj4 --,in ,row's ,history 7#cih7 we find1 ,the ship being leck4 ,leel-come2 what has been got in an honest way4 #ahb4 ,lee-side2 sheltered side4 #aae4 ,leme2 earthen2 our loam4 ,lat41 limus4 #ahb4 --,in ,row's ,hist4 7#bfj71 ,a leme pig is an earthen jug4 ,rutherford in a sermon on ,dan4 vi4 #bf speaks of the potter making a leme vessel4 ,let2 to hinder4 --,to let in1 to admit4 ,to let on4 #ahb4 ,to seem to notice4 ,lift2 part of a load4 #bih4 ,lightly1 a ,verb2 to trifle with4 #bja1 #bfj1 #bgb4 ,knox and ,rollock use this word4 ,like2 same as likely2 probable4 #ba1 #bfg1 #chd4 --,the like of2 such as4 #ib1 #aeh1 #bge1 #bhd1 #ccf4 ,lippen2 to trust1 entrust4 #fi1 #ahb1 #bfj4 ,lith2 a joint4 --,the shoulder-blade out of lith4 ,sermon1 #afcd4 ,the ,a4,s4 word for the joints of the body4 #hf1 #afg4 ,lone2 one's self1 alone4 #di1 #afb1 #aib1 etc4 ,long4 ,think long2 to weary for4 #ad1 #ic1 etc4 ,loof2 the palm of the hand4 --,gaelic1 lambh4 #gg1 #abb4 ,look by2 neglect1 look aside4 #bc4 ,loun2 a rogue1 worthless fellow2 q4d4 low one4 #aaf1 #afj1 #bcb1 #bda4 ,love-blinks2 love-glances4 ,low2 of low stature4 #bcf4 ,lucks-head2 chance of winning1 prospect of success4 #agh1 #ahb4 ,brown of ,wamphray1 p4 #aej1 ,swan-,song4 ,lust2 to desire a thing4 #bbf1 #bgf4 ,lustred2 made to shine1 #hi1 #aag1 #aia4 --,noun1 #ge1 #bfj1 #bhi1 #bie1 #big1 #bih4 ,a fair1 shining look4 ,mail2 rent1 tax4 --,mail free2 rent free4 #bi1 #ej1 #bhd1 #cba4 ,mailing2 sometimes written mealing2 a farm1 for which rent is paid4 #bi1 #ej4 ,make2 to mould1 turn to use4 #ade4 ,make on2 to make up by putting the fuel in order4 #cb4 ,make up with4 #bdg4 ,become friends with4 ,man1 a ,verb2 to man the house1 act as the goodman of the house1 attending to visitors1 etc4 #adb4 ,march-boundary2 limit4 #hb1 etc4 --,march-stones2 #bgh4 ,in his ,treatise on ,prayer1 he calls ,christ1 as ,god-man1 the common march-stone4 ,market-sweet 7like eye-sweet72 pleasing to the frequenters of the market2 suitable for sale1 and so set up in open market4 #bac1 #baf1 #bcg4 ,marrow2 a match1 companion4 #bf1 #acc1 #adh1 etc4 --,marrowless occurs1 #ahj4 ,unequalled2 peerless4 ,mask2 to infuse4 #bhg4 ,masterless2 owned of no one4 #abj4 ,mealing4 --,see ,mailing4 #ej4 ,mean2 to consider1 reckon4 #hf1 #bej4 ,noun2 resource1 #beg4 ,meikle2 much4 ,meikle world's good1 as much as having a world's good things4 #afe1 #ahj1 #bbe4 ,melancholious2 melancholy4 #bic4 ,mends2 reparation of a wrong4 #ad4 --,to the mends2 to boot1 besides1 add to that4 ,midses2 means1 instrumentality4 #aij1 #cag4 ,mid-way2 courses4 #aij4--;,half and half1 undecided4 ,minch2 cut into small pieces4 #abg4 ,mind2 remember1 take care to speak of4 #ccc1 #ccd1 #cdb4 ,mint2 to attempt1 intend at doing1 essay4 #bi1 #ib1 #ahh1 etc4 ,mired2 plunged into mire1 soiled4 #agd4 ,misbelief2 wrong belief4 #aab1 #adc4 ,miscall2 give wrong names to4 #cbb1 etc4 ,misconstruct2 misconstrue4 #bhe4 ,miscount2 erroneous calculation4 #acc4 ,misken2 to misunderstand1 overlook1 to treat as if unknown4 #hi1 #ii1 #ajb1 #adh1 #aha1 etc4 ,misleard2 indiscreet1 rude2 q4d4 mislearned4 #aab1 #aha4 ,mismannered2 unmannerly4 #ajf4 ,misnurtured2 ill-disciplined1 ill-trained4 #aha1 #bcd4 ,missive2 a letter empowering the person to act4 #adb4 ,misted4 --,see ,bemisted4 #aah1 #adf4 ,like one in a mist4 ,moderate1 a ,verb2 to rule over a meeting4 #bjc4 --,an ecclesiastical phrase from the ,latin4 ,moneys2 price4 #bha4 ,moyen2 means2 interest2 influence4 #ei1 #aaf1 #aai1 etc4 ,muir-ground2 waste land covered with heath4 #aeg1 #bih4 ,naughty2 vile1 worthless4 #gg1 #ha1 etc4 --,bunyan calls ,badman1 a man left to himself1 a naughty man4 ,nay-say2 denial4 #hj1 #bca4 --,in a sermon on ,zech4 xiii4 #g3 ,christ gave the devil three nay-says4 ,near-hand2 near at hand4 #bi1 #gi1 #aia1 etc4 ,need-force2 by sheer necessity2 or1 by hook or crook4 #ga1 #agi1 #bje1 etc4 ,under plea of necessity4 ,nether2 the lower2 not high enough4 #bde4 ,newings2 novelties2 q4d4 new things4 #bi4 ,nice2 chary1 capricious1 ill to please4 #ha1 #bbf4 ,nick2 mark1 notch1 point4 #gj1 #bdi1 etc4 ,niffer2 exchange1 barter4 #adj1 etc4 ,nigh-hand2 near4 #ahc1 #cdg4 ,night-glass2 hour-glass4 #bha4 ,non-entry2 money1 or rents1 due to the superior by an heir on coming to his property2 or the state of one who is heir1 but has not yet got the legal investiture4 #bbb1 #bef4 ,nor2 than4 #add1 #cjg4 ,noughty2 useless1 worthless1 nothing in it4 #age1 #bjj1 #bbe4 --,sibbs1 ,others that are nought 7on #b ,cor4 i4 #d74 ,nurture2 discipline4 #gj1 #ih1 #bjf4 --,the ,verb1 to use discipline4 #bii4 ,odds2 difference4 #bid4 --,also odd2 any leisure time4 ,of4 ,the use of the preposition of is common and peculiar to the time in such phrases as ,dear of a drink of water2 at the price of4 #adh4 --,content of4 #de4 --,understood of4 #ea4 --,is it from the ,french de8 ,old ,chaucer sings3 ,and all the orient laugheth of delight 7,knight's ,tale74 ,off-fallings2 droppings1 remnants1 #gj1 #afi1 #bhe4 ,john ,livingstone writes3 ,compared with ,christ ,himself1 what is all this but the off-fallings4 ,oh if4 #ahj1 #bjd1 etc4 --,oh if1 #aeb4 ,what would you say if4 ,oh that6 in the sense of ,alas6 #ahi4 ,so ,oh for4 #ig4 ,old-dated2 antiquated1 #cbj4 ,once2 one time or other1 sooner or later4 #fb1 #aab1 #adc1 #aeb1 #agj1 #bag1 #bee1 #bgj1 #ccj4 ,knox uses it often thus4 ,also1 once for all2 altogether4 ,once-errand2 on the sole business4 #baj1 #cja4 ,opposites2 opponents4 #bca4 ,or4 --,see ,then4 ,order2 take order is an old ,english phrase for take measures4 #ah4 ,ordinarily2 usually4 #add4 ,other2 ought else4 #fh1 #gg4 --,others2 each other4 #hb4 ,out1 a ,noun2 laying out1 exhibiting for sale4 #bgg4 ,outcast2 a contention1 quarrel4 #bci1 #bgd1 #bge4 --,in a sermon on ,zech4 xiii4 #g he says3 ,after a sore outcast1 there is greater love betwixt ,christ and ,his people than before4 ,outfield2 waste land1 covered with heath4 #bef1 #bfa4 ,outgate2 way of escape1 outlet4 ,make home over us1 go homeward4 ,over2 in the phrase over-little1 too little4 #beg4 ,overmist2 rise over like a mist4 #ahi4 ,over-watered2 plated over4 #bii4 ,oyess2 the ,french ,oyez2 the crier's ,hearken4 ,the ,verb1 to denounce one by public proclamation4 #bdi4 ,paces 7from ,french peser1 to weigh1 and old ,english to paise72 the weights of a clock4 ,he uses the same figure in a sermon on ,song v4 #a4 #ahi1 #aig1 #aii1 #bib4 ,packald2 burdens1 things packed up4 #aih4 ,packs1 or paiks2 a severe blow4 ,paiks the man1 the man soundly beaten4 #ach4 ,pact4 #bcj4 ,paiks4 --,see ,packs4 ,painful2 taking pains1 laborious4 #ahh4 --,see ,baxter1 etc4 ,paintry2 painting4 #hc4 ,panged2 quite full1 crammed2 ,pang-full4 #bbe4 ,pantry1 a ,verb2 to lock up in the cupboard4 #aaj4 ,pasch2 ,passover1 or ,easter4 #ea4 7,acts xii4 #d2 47 ,pass from2 used of a summons2 not enforce it4 ,passments2 strips of lace sewed on dress by way of ornament4 #db1 #ge1 #bge4 ,pawn2 pledge4 ,pawn-clay2 a thing of dust1 and that is only partly ours4 #gg1 #acj1 #aci4 ,perqueer2 the ,french par cur2 by heart1 perfectly4 #bjd4 ,pertinacy2 same as pertinacity4 ,pickle2 small grain4 #bb1 #ahf1 #aig4 ,piece-withered2 withered patches4 #bed4 ,pinning2 a small stone to fill up a crevice4 #baa1 #bci4 ,in a sermon on ,zech4 xi4 #ai he says3 ,would they give ,christ no room8 ,might they not have made ,him a pinning8 ,r4 ,blair's ,life 7p4 #aae74 ,weak pinnings are very useful in building a wall2 and so are graces1 though they are not the foundation4 ,playmaker2 director of the play4 #gj4 ,plea2 a quarrel between parties4 #bdj1 etc4 ,plenishing2 furniture1 possessions4 #d1 #acc1 #beh4 ,the ,verb1 fill4 #bdg1 #bej1 #cbf4 ,ply2 a fold or turn4 ,verb2 to ply1 applied to a ship4 #ie1 #aje1 #aeb4 ,poind2 to distrain1 make seizure of goods4 #afj4 ,drive the poind is to drive away the cattle thus seized4 ,point2 to fill up crevices in a wall with lime and little stones4 #bii4 ,port2 gate4 #bda1 #ccf1 #cci4 --,he went out at the ports1 bearing ,his cross4 ,sermon on ,heb4 xii4 ,pose2 a hoard1 store4 #bjf4 --,in a sermon by ,rutherford1 we find the miser's hoard called the wretch's pose4 ,prevent2 anticipate4 #big4 ,be first in acting4 ,prig2 to chaffer or higgle about a thing4 #ba1 #ha4 ,proctor-fee4 #bhe4 ,a fee to the procurator1 one who manages a cause1 paid when the suit is ended4 ,professor2 in the sense of confessing or professing the faith4 #aje1 #bhd1 #bib1 #cjd4 ,propine2 ,noun and ,verb2 hold out a gift1 to present4 #cg1 #hh1 #acj1 #afe4 ,used as a ,noun1 #bi4 ,put2 to put as a ram1 push1 help4 --,put by2 to put away from1 cause to pass by4 #aaa4 --,put it down2 make it more easily swallowed4 #fb4 --,put off2 spend time4 #afb4 ,also1 put aside as finished4 #aij4 --,put to2 apply2 also to shut4 #ig1 #bge4 --,put upon2 urge1 to set on one in the way of importunity4 #g1 #ab4 --,to cause difficulty4 #cai4 --,put up2 push up4 #bi4 ,quarrelous2 fault-finding1 provoking to quarrels4 #ahd1 #ahi1 #bci4 --,he writes it querulous in his ,christ ,dying1 p4 #agi3 ,querulous love-motions against the reality of ,christ's love4 ,quick2 alive4 #fa1 #bfe4 ,quit2 to set one free from4 #bbd1 #bfh4 ,ragged2 torn and incomplete4 #aea4 ,ravel2 disorderly twisting of threads4 #aif4 ,reckon2 consider of importance4 #bcj1 #bcc4 ,red1 ,adj41 in the phrase1 red hunger1 intensive4 #bac4 --,red war1 and red wet1 means soaked in wet4 ,redd up2 to clear up1 settle4 #cd1 #ch1 #dh1 #acf1 etc4 ,refreshful2 full of refreshment4 #ccc4 ,registrate2 to register1 to protest4 #he1 #bdi4 --,see note4 ,repair2 make amends to4 #cab4 ,resemble2 to represent4 #c4 ,respective2 to each individual4 #acf4 --,is this ,sibbs' meaning1 ,every saint has something lovely and respective in him 7on #b ,cor4 i4 #a78 ,but1 also1 ,sibbs uses it for respectful3 ,dependency is always very respective4 ,and so ,ferguson on ,col4 iii4 #bb3 ,servants respective to their masters4 --,see ,disrespective4 ,letters #cba1 #cfj4 ,responsal2 solvent1 able to pay4 #bca4 ,rest2 in the ,latin sense1 remains4 #bdd4 ,reverence2 q4d4 rendering homage1 power4 #cj1 #dc1 #bcc1 #bih4 --,i will not be in your reverence was a phrase for1 ,i will not submit to your dictation4 ,reversion2 the right held by some one to the future possession of an estate4 #adh4 ,rid 7see ,redd72 annihilate4 ,participle1 put away4 #acc4 ,ridable2 can be crossed on horseback4 #afj4 ,rifle2 same as ruffle4 #aeh4 ,rift2 a rent1 crack4 #bda1 #bhd4 --,verb1 to vomit1 or come back with violent retching4 #gb4 --,rifty2 broken1 full of rents4 #abj4 ,right1 ,verb2 to put right4 #aif4 ,rights2 title-deeds4 #gg4 ,rink2 the ring1 or race-course4 #abb1 #bgf1 #bhf4 ,ripe2 to examine and search carefully4 ,connected with rip up4 #bjc4 ,rive2 rend1 tear2 break up4 #af1 #ej1 #gb1 etc4 ,rooftree2 the beam that runs across the roof1 and supports the rafters4 #bgj4 ,room2 place4 #bb1 etc4 ,round2 whisper or sing in the ear4 7,german1 raunen47 #bic4 ,roup2 set up to sale by action4 #cg1 #aca1 #aii1 etc4 ,rovers2 at rovers1 at random4 #ahb4 ,roving2 wandering through excitement of mind1 raving4 #afa4 ,rub2 trouble4 #cbc4 ,rue2 to repent1 be sorry1 #aae4 --,rue upon2 take pity4 #ba1 #fi1 #ahf1 etc4 ,run by2 run past4 #bbf4 ,rush2 to push forward with violence4 #bgj4 --,see note4 ,sad2 settled1 solid1 real4 #fb1 #ge1 #ii1 #afc1 #aia1 #bjc4 --,it is from old ,english set1 settled down4 ,wickliffe's ,bible1 ,rom4 xv4 #a3 ,we that are sadder men 7stronger74 ,pilkington on ,neh4 iv43 ,a good builder digs down to the sad earth4 ,salt2 bitter1 unpleasant1 sarcastic4 #aae4 --,in his ,christ ,dying1 p4 #fij1 he says3 ,a violent death hath a salter bite4 ,sanded2 driven on the sands4 #bag4 ,scad2 the red tinge of a burn4 ,scadded and burnt in the furnace 7,rutherford's ,cov4 of ,life1 p4 #fi74 ,the tinge given by reflected light4 #bia4 ,it is connected with scald4 ,scaur1 or scar2 to boggle1 take fright4 #gj1 #aai1 #ahc1 etc4 ,school-heads2 worldly wise4 #ccg4 ,second1 ,noun and ,verb2 one who helps4 --,often used by ,lord ,kenmure in ,last ,speeches4 #b1 #ia1 #bdg4 ,seen-in2 experienced in a matter4 #hf4 ,set2 it becomes1 #bfj2 disposed1 #abj4 --,set to2 engage1 set about4 #aaj1 #ade1 #agi1 #bce4 ,set-rent2 full rent4 ,shake2 to push aside1 push out4 ,shell of a balance2 the scale4 #bfh4 ,short2 in temper hasty1 rash4 #aec4 --,shortly2 forthwith4 #bdi4 --,short-dated2 lasting only a short time4 #aif4 ,shute2 sometimes written shoot2 to push in1 shove back4 #bj1 #bi1 #aeh1 #afc4 --,satan shutes in his teeth1 occurs in ,rutherford's ,christ ,dying4 ,sib2 nearly related to4 #ajf1 #bab1 #bde1 etc4 --,we behoved to be as sib as brethren4 ,sermon4 ,sicht1 or sight1 a ,verb2 to examine narrowly1 q4d4 by close sight4 #ab4 ,it occurs in ,row's ,history often4 ,sicker2 strong4 #ajg4 ,silly2 poor1 frail1 pitiful4 #bg1 #ahd4 ,silver1 or siller2 money4 #bed4 ,sing2 in the phrase1 ,sing dumb1 be reduced to silence4 #abh4 ,singly2 with a single mind4 #hc4 ,sink2 a common sewer4 #bgb1 #bgf4 ,sit with2 to endure in patient silence4 #eb1 #fc4 ,submit to4 #dc4 ,treat with carelessness4 ,skaill2 disperse1 scatter4 #afj1 #aij1 #bda1 etc4 ,skaith2 harm4 #bhe4 ,skaur4 --,see ,scaur4 ,skink2 formally renounce1 or bid farewell to4 #he1 #hh4 --,in ,a4,s41 the ,verb is to give drink2 in ,german1 schenken1 to give4 ,it is q4d4 take leave by giving a present1 or by drinking a farewell4 ,slot2 a moveable bolt2 bar4 #bi1 #dg1 #dh4 ,sned2 to prune1 lop off1 make tidy4 #bih4 ,solacious2 full of cheer1 or comfort4 #aje4 ,soldiers-stately2 in ,letter #fc4 ,it might have been noticed that old editions make this one word equivalent to a spirit becoming a soldier2 like ,milton's timely-happy spirits4 ,joseph ,alleine's ,life has1 holy-taking rhetoric4 ,others point thus1 ,your soldier's stately spirit4 ,so1 heavenly-wise4 #aia4 ,some4 #fd1 #bad4 ,for somewhat4 ,sometimes2 properly some-time2 on former days1 once on a time4 #bh1 etc4 --,in our ,version of the ,bible1 ,eph4 ii4 #c2 #a ,pet4 iii4 #bj4 ,soon-saddled2 hasty in temper4 #ahi4 --,little time taken to get on the saddle4 ,soul-couper2 a jobber in souls4 #ccj4 --,see ,coup4 ,souple2 same as supple4 #acb4 ,spaits4 --,see ,speat4 ,sparing2 niggardly4 #bbb4 ,spark2 to squirt out4 #afc4 ,sparkle2 to spark out1 scatter sparks4 #bfc4 --,chaucer speaks of the shepherd seeking his sparkeland sheep1 i4e4 scattered4 ,speat1 or spait2 a flood1 overflowing stream4 #cg1 #bdh1 #bhe4 7,gaelic1 speid71 a river-flood4 ,speed2 to come speed is to succeed4 ,speir1 or speer2 ask questions at4 --,speer out1 search out by questions4 #ahj4 ,spelk2 to truss1 support by splinters4 #ajg1 #abh4 7,saxon word47 ,spill2 spoil1 mar1 or injure4 #bb1 #caj1 etc4 --,so ,ps4 lxiii4 #i1 in ,rous' version2 a child spoiled by indulgence4 ,spring2 a tune1 sprightly air4 #aha1 #ahb1 #bad4 ,spunk2 a spark4 #bae4 ,stalks4 ,in ,letter #ag1 to keep the stalks1 is the reading of some old editions2 but in another ,letter1 #aid1 keep the stakes4 ,if the former1 the sense is1 to get only the withered stalks to keep1 ,song ii4 #ad specially2 if the latter1 get what they deposited4 ,stand upon2 require the help of4 #ha4 ,standing drink4 #agg4--,like the stirrup-cup handed to a friend as he stood at the door4 ,startle2 ran up and down in excitement1 as cattle do in hot weather2 act extravagantly4 #fi1 #ge1 #ahb1 #beh4 ,starts4 ,at starts2 fitfully4 #g1 #bic4 --,start to the gate4 --,see ,gate4 ,state2 the mode of putting or stating a question4 #bad1 #bde1 #bgh1 #ccc1 #cei4 --,stated2 set down4 #cei4 ,sted2 a place1 a foundation for a house1 a site4 #ah4 ,so used by ,gawin ,douglas4 --,stedable1 q4d4 able to furnish a foundation2 available1 serviceable4 #agj1 #beb4 ,stent2 to fix at a certain rate1 and no more4 #bdi4 ,in ,fullerton's ,turtle ,dove3 ,he stented twice on the horologue4 ,still2 always1 ever4 #hg1 #ajh1 #acc1 #bhe4 ,in our metre version of the ,psalms it occurs1 e4g4 ,ps4 ciii4 #i1 ,keep ,his anger still4 ,stob2 a stake sharpened at the end4 #bdj4 ,stock of cards2 a pack of4 #aid4 ,stoop2 to make a stoop is to bow low4 #bhg4 ,stop-hole2 anything to fill up a hole4 #bci4 ,stot2 a rebound4 #bdi4 --,to keep stots2 keep pace with1 to rebound regularly4 #bcf4 ,stound2 a stroke that suddenly over-powers and produces faintness4 #afg4 ,stoup2 a stake1 post1 prop4 #hd1 #aif4 ,suit2 urge a suit1 woo1 solicit4 #ai1 #bf1 #cg1 #cee1 etc4 ,sundry2 separate4 #bdg4 --,sunder1 part from1 the ,verb4 #bfd4 ,sure2 surely4 #cei1 etc4 ,suspension2 an act in law1 suspending final execution of a sentence4 #bcj4 ,swatter2 to move1 or toss about1 as a duck in the water4 #agh4 --,r4 ,blair 7see ,life by ,row7 uses it in a poem1-- ,out of the dreary vale of tears ,my soul hath swattered out4 ,rollock 7,lect4 xxxviii473 ,he swatters and swims4 ,swear one's self bare2 swear that you have given up everything4 #bhe4 ,sweer2 lazy1 reluctant4 #agh1 #bcj1 #bhe4 ,tack2 stitch1 hold1 tie4 #bge4 ,also1 possession by lease4 #bhd4 ,tailzie2 a ,scotch law term for entail or charter of entail4 #cb4 ,take up house2 enter on housekeeping4 #bej4 --,i take myself4 #ih4 --,i retract my word4 ,taken up with2 occupied with4 #ahe4 ,taking2 that is1 attractive4 #cje4 ,south's sermons has it4 ,tarrow2 to be pettish at1 reluctant4 #bc1 #aah4 ,tell2 count up4 #he1 #afg1 #bda1 #bdi1 #bfe4 --,telling2 something to mark down4 #bji4 ,testificate2 certificate1 testimony to character4 #adi4 ,that2 often for so2 e4g4 that much4 #da1 #ei1 #he1 #bic4 ,then2 in that case4 #bd1 #ci1 #bbj1 #bch1 #bda4 --,or then2 if that be not so1 otherwise4 #dc1 #df1 #gb1 #cbc4 ,thereanent2 regarding this4 #aaj4 ,thereaway2 to or in that quarter4 #acc4 ,therefor2 on account of this4 #cd4 --,see note4 ,thick2 a crowd or throng4 #bji1 #bbe1 #bea4 --,adjective2 very familiar with one4 #id1 #abh4 ,thieves'-hole2 a prison4 #agh4 ,thin4 #bbc4 --,thin-skinned2 soft4 #bef4 ,think long4 #af1 #bjg1 #acc1 #aea1 etc4 --,see ,long4 --,it is still common to write1 ,i think long after you4 ,threap2 to assert vehemently1 over and over4 #he4 ,thring2 to push in by force4 #adg1 #bbf1 #bhb4 ,throng2 the multitude and the busy part4 #bjf4 --,thronging2 crowding in4 #ahj1 #bjf4 ,through other2 one thing blended with the other1 promiscuously4 #bbf1 etc4 ,tig2 dally1 toy with4 #dh4 --,also a civil sort of begging1 when a new-married person brought his cart to the house of friends1 that they might put in something to his store4 ,timeous2 early1 seasonable1 opportune4 #ahj1 #bab1 #bge4 --,so ,knox uses it2 and our metre version of ,psalms1 cxix4 #adh4 ,tine2 to lose4 #ahb1 #bbf1 etc4 ,to2 used for in comparison of1 in the phrase1 little to4 #cfa4 ,tocher2 a marriage dowry4 ,tocher-good4 #bfe1 #bhe4 ,toom2 quite empty2 nothing in it4 #ach1 #agh1 #ahh1 etc4 ,topic-maxim2 a maxim for general use4 #bei1 #bfj4 ,tops2 to be on one's tops1 to assault or oppose4 #bca4 --,to tope is to oppose4 ,he has continued all his days on tops with ,god1 and will not make peace with ,him4 ,durham ,sermon #ed1 ,isa4 liii4 ,totch2 a push4 #ahc4 --,see note4 ,touches2 to keep touches1 #aba1 an ,english phrase for the exact performance of an engagement4 ,towe2 rope made of tow1 a hauser4 #aif4 ,train2 to draw1 entice4 #cj4 --,it is ,french1 triner4 ,trance2 passage4 ,latin1 transitus4 #bf4 ,tree2 for the wood of a tree4 #bbe4 --,as in sermon on ,rev4 xix4 ,trindle2 same as trundle4 #ajg4 ,truant2 pretended1 like boys' pretences for play4 #aha4 ,tryst2 to appoint a meeting at a certain place and time4 ,noun and ,verb4 #agf1 etc4 ,turnpike2 stair that winds4 #cjj4 ,tutor2 to discipline4 #bhb4 ,twin2 to separate4 #hb4 --,it is q4d4 to make into two4 ,unco2 uncommon1 strange4 ,same originally as uncouth1 and so written very often4 --,noun2 ,unconess2 #agi4 ,undercote1 or undercoat2 fester under the skin 7coat is cutis1 skin74 #ff1 #hb1 #aea1 #bhd4 --,calderwood in his ,history uses this word1 v4 #feh4 ,under-tools2 lesser tools4 #caa4 ,under-water2 bilge-water4 #hb1 #hf1 #bjc1 #bhd4 ,unfriend2 less than friendly4 #agh4 ,unheartsome2 sad4 #bgg4 ,unlaw2 transgress the law2 also1 to fine for transgressing the law4 #bja4 ,unrid1 or unred4 #acc4 --,it is q4d4 unred-up2 the boundaries not fixed4 --,in ,a4,s41 unrid is disorderly4 ,upsun2 the sun above the horizon4 ,uptaking2 as a ,noun1 apprehension1 #ef1 #bge2 as an ,adjective1 exhilarating1 or exalting1 #baj4 ,vaccane1 or vacanse2 vacation1 holidays4 #hd4 ,vively2 in a lively manner1 to the life4 #d4 ,voyage2 journey4 #bbf4 --,the ,french voyage1 from via4 ,wad-fee2 the sum paid in hiring1 as a pledge of the person being engaged4 --,wad is a pledge4 --,see ,wed4 ,wadset2 to pledge in mortgage1 alienate by reversion4 #gi1 #aia1 #bja1 #bjf1 etc4 --,noun1 the money paid in hiring as a pledge of engagement4 #ahb4 ,wager2 something hazarded4 #bbj4 ,a pledge4 #agj4 ,wair'd1 or wared4 --,see ,ware4 ,wale2 to choose 7,noun and ,verb71 select out of other articles4 #ci1 #aib1 etc4 ,walkings2 weights of a clock4 #aii4 --,possibly the waggings of the pendulum1 though some say it is the striking of the hour that waukens up4 ,it is connected with motions4 #bib1 #cdb4 ,wandhand2 the hand that holds the rod1 or whip1 as the hand that guided the horse was the working hand4 #ahf4 ,want2 to be destitute of4 #ie4 ,ward2 guard4 #bed4 ,ware2 to expend1 use4 #cg1 #ajd1 #bja1 #bbh1 etc4 ,warmly2 heart-warming4 #bbg4 ,washen2 washed or whitened1 with fair appearance4 #afg4 ,waster1 ,adj42 prodigal1 wasteful4 #bbf4 ,watch-glass2 hour-glass4 #bgf4 ,watered2 plated over4 #bjf1 #bhj4 --,the watering will go off and leave nothing but dross is a sentence in a sermon on ,zech4 xiii4 #g4 ,wed2 a pledge or fee4 ,written also wad4 --,our wedding is a derivative1 signifying the security or pledge given by the parties4 ,weight1 or wecht2 to put on a weight or burden1 depress4 #aae1 #aei4 ,in one of his sermons he says1 ,death did not weight the martyrs4 --,to bear weight1 #bdi1 is to stand the weighing4 ,well2 a ,noun for weal1 welfare4 #gb1 #bjb4 --,well is me2 it is good for me4 #abj1 #bbb1 #bej1 #beg1 etc4 --,wellcome2 come in an honest way4 #afb1 #ahb4 ,well-wared2 well laid out4 #ajd4 --,well deserved4 #bjc4 ,wersh2 saltless1 insipid4 #ahb4 ,while1 or whill2 till4 #ab1 #bd1 #dd1 etc4 ,whiles2 at times4 #ajb1 #ahb4 ,white2 the white is the mark aimed at1 the bull's eye4 #aid4 ,whiten4 #bhg4 ,like a stick from which the bark is stript4 ,whitsunday2 term day4 #ba4 ,who but he8 a non-such4 #bc4 --,see note4 ,why but8 why object although8 #bie4 ,win2 reach1 attain to4 #ba1 #cj4 --,win away2 to escape from4 #f4 ,wind in2 get your way into4 #big4 ,windlestrae or windlestraw2 from ,windel1 to hoist about4 ,used in plaiting4 ,a withered stalk of dog's-tail grass2 metaphorically1 a mere trifle4 #fc1 #aij1 #aib1 #bab4 --,in the ,life of ,pringle of ,greenknow1 a place is mentioned called ,the ,windlestraw ,law4 ,so ,durham on ,job1 p4 #bhe4 ,wit2 to know4 ,noun2 wisdom1 intelligence4 #ahd1 #bhb4 --,wit's head2 a wiseacre4 #bcb1 #bce1 #bci1 #bdi1 #beh4 ,wo1 an ,adjective2 sorrowful4 #aaf1 #agh1 #aif4 --,generally written wae by ,scotch writers4 ,wombful2 bellyful4 #bbe4 ,won goods2 goods already got and secured4 #abh4 ,work on2 it causes care4 #bcj4 ,wrack2 ruin1 wreck4 #bhd4 ,wring2 squeeze out water2 as ,judges vi4 #cj4 #cjj4 ,writ2 a writing in law4 #ei1 #bhe1 #cei4 --,in write2 by written paper4 #cei4 ,yoke2 yoke for work2 set to1 press in4 #id1 #aai1 #aha1 #bjb4 --,noun1 yoking1 a setting to1 contest1 onset4 #aag4 ,he yoked to the ,jews early 7sermon on ,heb4 xii4 #a74 ,so ,durham on ,isa4 liii4 #h4 ,yonder2 far off in the distance4 #bde4 --,the yonder end4 #ecb ,apothecary in ,edinburgh4 ,see ,livingstone's ,charact4 #ecc ,in a sermon at ,kirkcudbright on ,rev4 xix4 #aa1 he introduces the courtiers saying to ,daniel1 ,what need ye make all the fields ado with your prayers8 ,,note4 ,there are some words1 such as ,ease-rooms and ,heaven-name1 that seem to be ,rutherford's own coining4 ,but these are very few4 ,on the other hand1 there is in these ,letters what was a characteristic of the style of the times1 viz4 the use of synonymous words1 side by side4 ,thus we have niffer and exchange2 feast and banquet2 unco and strange2 ,i dow not1 ,i cannot2 pledge and pawn2 wale and choose2 and many more4 ,so ,knox speaks of let and hindrance2 gauge and pledge4 ,zachary ,boyd speaks of reekie smoke2 kindly and natural2 bag and baggage4 ,in a ,number of the ,athenum1 ,march #ahgc1 no less than twenty instances of this sort1 in ,hamlet alone1 are given from ,shakespeare4 ,,appendix4 ,,editions ,,of ,,rutherford',s ,,letters4 ,row1 in his ,history of the ,kirk of ,scotland 7p4 #cif71 wrote in #afej regarding these ,letters3--,sundry have whole books full of them1 whilk1 if they were printed1 ,i am confident1 through the ,lord's rich mercy and blessing1 would not fail to do much good4 ,this was written fourteen years before any attempt had been made at collecting them for publication4 ,i4 ,the ,first ,edition appeared in #affd1 in duodecimo4 ,the place of publication is not given on the title-page1 these being days of persecution2 but it is known to have been ,rotterdam1 in ,holland1 under the superintending care of ,mr4 ,m',ward1 who was once ,rutherford's amanuensis4 ,it is divided into two parts1 the one containing #bae ,letters1 the other1 #ga4 ,it has a long recommendatory ,preface1 containing matter that is of no great interest to us now2 but it preserves one weighty saying of this man of ,god on his deathbed4 ,when he was on the threshold of glory1 ready to receive the immortal crown1 he said1 ',now my tabernacle is weak1 and ,i would think it a more glorious way of going home1 to lay down my life for the cause1 at the ,cross of ,edinburgh or ,st4 ,andrews2 but ,i submit to my ,master's will4' ,here is the original title-page3-- 7,first ,edition7 ,,joshua ,,redivivus4 ,,or1 ,mr4 ,rutherford's ,letters1 ,divided in two ,parts4 ,the ,first1 ,containing those which were written from ,aberdeen1 where he was confined by a sentence of the ,high ,commission2 drawn forth against him1 partly upon the account of his declining them1 partly upon the account of his ,non-,conformity4 ,the ,second1 ,containing some which were written from ,anwoth before he was by the ,prelates' ,persecution thrust from his ministry2 others upon diverse occasions afterward1 from ,st4 ,andrews1 ,london1 c4 ,now published for the use of all the people of ,god1 but more particularly for those who now are or afterward may be put to ,suffering1 for ,christ and ,his cause4 ,by a ,wellwisher to the ,work ,people of ,god4 ,john xvi4 #b4 ,they shall put you out of the synagogues2 yea1 the time cometh1 that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth ,god service4 ,v4 #c4 ,and these things will they do1 because they have not known the ,father1 nor me4 #b ,thess4 i4 #f4 ,seeing it is a righteous thing with ,god1 to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you2 ,v4 #g4 ,and to you who are troubled rest with us2 when the ,lord ,jesus shall be revealed from heaven1 with ,his mighty angels1 c4 ,printed in the ,year c,ic ,icc ,,lxiiii ,by some mistake in reading the numeral letters1 booksellers' catalogues have spoken of editions in #affb and #affc2 but there were none such4 ,such a mistake might easily occur in writing the numerals4 ,in a ,manuscript of the ,letters 7kindly forwarded to the ,editor by ,rev4 ,a4 ,b4 ,grosart1 ,kinross71 the date of the ,first ,edition is written thus3 c,i ,ic2 ,,liiii4 ,here there is1 beyond doubt1 a mistake2 the ,x is omitted from ,,lxiiii42 for the ,,ms4 is merely a copy of the ,first ,edition4 ,it copies out the title-page in full1 and then appends this note3 ,intended to be wryten from the printed book1 by the wryter1 for particular use1 and for several reasons unnecessary to be inserted4 ,some of the ,testimonies of the ,martyrs are appended1 as they appeared in the ,cloud of ,witnesses afterwards4 ,there are now and then marginal notes1 all of which are simply hints as to what the ,letter contains1 thus3 ,cause of ,rutherford's confinement2 ,comfort for the servants of ,god and for ministers4 ,the existence1 however1 of such a ,,ms41 copied with such pains from a printed volume1 tells the high esteem in which the ,letters were held4 ,we may note one small matter4 ,in this ,,ms4 the name ,bethaia 7so written in all the printed editions7 is given ,bethia2 showing that the name was so written at that time also1 as it is always now4 #b4 ,the ,second ,edition4--,it appeared in #afga1 an exact reprint of the first1 with the same title-page1 etc4 ,but it is very inaccurate2 e4g4 there are ten obvious misspellings of common words in the two first pages1 not to speak of bad punctuation1 which is a fault common to all the early editions4 #c4 ,the ,third ,edition1 in #afge1 retains the original title-page1 except that it has1 ,in ,three ,parts1 and ,the ,second and ,third4 ,this last ,part contains sixty-eight additional ,letters4 ,this edition is the one which subsequent editors follow4 ,it omits the original ,preface to the ,christian ,reader1 and has only four introductory pages1 two of which are the advertisement about the lost ,,ms4 of ,rutherford on ,isaiah4 ,it has a long ,postscript1 in which we cannot say there is much that is important4 #d4 ,the ,edition of #afib4 #e4 ,the ,edition of #agji4 ,edinburgh4 #f4 ,the ,edition of #agbd4 ,edinburgh4 #abmo4 ,printed by ,t4 ,lumsden and ,j4 ,ritchie1 and sold at their printing-house in the ,fish ,market1 and by ,john ,paton and ,james ,thomson1 booksellers in the ,parliament ,closs2 and sold at ,glasgow by ,john ,robertson1 ,james and ,john ,browns1 and ,mrs4 ,brown1 booksellers4 #agbd4 ,it is marked ,the ,fifth ,edition4 ,if this means the fifth of those editions that contain the ,three ,parts1 then our list is not complete4 ,but it seems as if the editor had overlooked one of the earlier editions2 and if so1 this is the sixth4 #g4 ,the ,edition of #agch4 ,edinburgh4 ,marked ,sixth ,edition4 #h4 ,the ,edition of #agfa4 ,edinburgh4 ,in two vols4 #i4 ,the ,edition of #agfe4 ,glasgow4 ,a good edition4 ,it has the author's ,testimony and ,dying ,words1 as well as the original ,preface of the earliest edition4 ,it is marked ,ninth ,edition4 #aj4 ,the ,edition of #aghc4 ,glasgow4 ,marked ,tenth ,edition4 #hvo4 ,printed by ,john ,bryce4 7,the ,eleventh ,edition we have not seen1 but it may be that of #agif47 #aa4 ,the ,edition of #ahjb4 ,aberdeen4 ,marked ,twelfth ,edition4 #ab4 ,the ,edition of #ahji4 ,edinburgh4 ,marked ,thirteenth ,edition4 #ac4 ,another in #ahah1 ,one hundred and fifty-two ,religious ,letters1 to which is added a ,testimony to the ,covenanted ,work of ,reformation between #afch and #afdi4 ,octavo4 #ad4 ,another in #ahba4 ,with a brief notice of the author4 #ae4 ,the ,london ,religious ,tract ,society's ,edition1 first published in #ahbd4 ,it is properly only a selection of sixty ,letters1 with extracts from many others4 ,it has ,contents prefixed to each ,letter4 #af4 ,another1 #ahbd4 ,glasgow4 ,with brief notice of the author4 #ag4 ,the ,edition of #ahbe4 ,one of ,collins' ,select ,christian ,authors4 ,it passed through three editions4 ,it has a doctrinal ,preface by ,thomas ,erskine1 ,esq41 and gives about one half of the ,letters4 ,it has not retained all the peculiar phraseology of the original2 but it gives some account of his life1 and appends his ,last ,words1 and his ,testimony to the ,covenanted ,work of ,reformation4 ,kenmure is misspelt ,kenmuir in the edition of #ahbe1 but corrected in the next4 #ah4 ,the ,edition of #ahcj4 ,glasgow4 #ai4 ,another in #ahcd4 #bj4 ,the ,edition of #ahcf4 ,london3 ,baisler4 ,edited by ,rev4 ,charles ,thomson4 ,in two vols4 ,it has valuable explanatory notes1 and the ,letters are1 for the most part1 arranged chronologically1--a great improvement on the ,three ,parts of so many former editions4 #ba4 ,the ,edition of #ahci4 #bb4 ,the ,edition of #ahdf4 ,aberdeen3 ,king4 ,this edition is in double columns4 #bc4 ,the ,edition of #ahdh4 ,edinburgh3 ,whyte and ,kennedy4 ,with historical and biographical notices1 by ,rev4 ,james ,anderson4 ,the ,letters1 so far1 chronologically arranged1 and ten additional ,letters given4 ,contents also1 and indices2 and a ,sketch of ,rutherford's ,life4 #bd4 ,the ,edition of #aheg4 ,london3 ,collingridge4 ,edited by ,rev4 ,d4 ,a4 ,doubdney4 ,it has the long ,original ,preface of #affd1 and the ,postscript of #afge2 also a synopsis of each ,letter4 ,but it is not accurate1 especially as to proper names4 #be4 ,the ,edition of #ahfc4 ,in two vols4 ,it contains ,letters #bij1 #cbe1 #cbg1 #ccf1 #ccg1 #cdj1 #cdc1 #cee1 #cef1 #cfe1 not found in any previous edition but that of #ahdh2 as well as #bhc and #cjg1 added since then4 ,there are #cfe in all2 one for each day of the year1 if any one chooses4 #bf4 ,an ,edition in octavo1 by ,rev4 ,j4 ,m',ewan1 ,edinburgh1--a reprint of the old4 #ahfg4 #bg4 ,extracts4--,there have been abridgments in the form of ,extracts1 from time to time4 ,we might give as samples1 ,jo4 ,wesley's ,extracts 7an edition in #ahbe72 ,john ,brown of ,haddington's ,pleasant and ,practical ,hints1 selected from the ,letters2 and recently1 ,last ,words of ,s4 ,r41 in verse1 by ,a4 ,r4 ,c41 with some of his sweet sayings4 ,a variety of such have appeared4 #bh4 ,edition #ahge4 ,by ,dr4 ,thomas ,smith4 ,preface by ,dr4 ,duff4 #bi4 ,foreign ,editions4--#a4 ,there is an ,american ,edition2 a reprint1 by ,carter1 ,new ,york1 of the ,edition of #ahdh4--b4 ,a ,dutch translation appeared at ,flushing in #afgc4 ,the translation made by ,mr4 ,koelman1 minister of ,sluys1 with a brief ,life4 ,of this there have been frequent reprints2 that of #aged is in three vols4 octavo2 another in #ahee1--;a new translation in double columns1 published at ,grave4--#c4 ,there is also a ,german translation 7see ,mission of ,inquiry to the ,jews1 #ahci1 ch4 v472 but we are not able to give any account of it4 #cj4 ,this present ,edition1 #ahia4 ,edinburgh3 ,oliphant1 ,anderson1 ,ferrier4 ,reprinted #ahid4 ,,sample ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,orthography4 7,letter ,,cccli47 ,sir ,i would ere now have writtin to you had ,i not knowin yor health weaker and weaker could scairclie permitt you to hear4 ,i neid not speak4 ,the way you know and have preached to others the skill off the ,gijd and the glorie of the hom beyond death ,and qn he sayes com and sie it will be yor gaine to obey and goe out and meett the brydgroom ,what accessioun is mad to the higher hos off his kingdom sould not be our lose though it be a reall losse to the church of ,god ,bot we count on way and the ,lord counts anoyr way ,he is jnffallible and the onlie wyse ,god and needs non of us ,had ,he needed ,mosses and the prophetts ther staying in the ,bodie he could hav taken an oyr way ,who dar bid you cast your thoughts bak on wyff or children when he hath said ,leav yam to me and com up hither or who cane perswad you to die or liv as iff that wer abritarie to us and not his alon who hath determined the number off yor moneths4 ,if so it seem good to him follow your forrunner and ,gyd4 ,it is ane unknowen land to you who was never ther beffor bot the land is good and the company befor the thron desyreable and he who sittes on the throne is alon a sufficient heavin4 ,grac be with you ,st ,andrews #ae jun4 #afeh4 ,yours in the ,lord ,s ,r ,from a ,,ms4 vol4 belonging to ,mr4 ,lamb1 ,dundee4 ,,last ,,words4 ,mrs4 ,a4 ,r4 ,cousin1 wife of ,rev4 ,w4 ,cousin1 ,free ,church minister of ,melrose1 has woven into a delightful poem many of ,samuel ,rutherford's most remarkable utterances4 ,this piece has become almost a household hymn1 known over all our country1 and in ,america no less4 ,it is entitled sometimes by its first line1 ,the sands of time are sinking1 and sometimes1 ,the ,last ,words of ,s4 ,r41 though it takes in many of his sayings1 besides his deathbed words4 ,the sands of time are sinking1 ,letters #gi1 #adg4 ,the dawn of ,heaven breaks1 ,the summer morn ,i've sighed for1 ,the fair sweet morn awakes3 ,dark1 dark hath been the midnight1 ,but dayspring is at hand1 ,and glory--glory dwelleth ,letter #cbc4 ,in ,immanuel's land4 ,oh6 well it is for ever1 ,oh6 well for evermore1 ,letter #d4 ,my nest hung in no forest ,of all this death-doom'd shore3 ,yea1 let the vain world vanish1 ,as from the ship the strand1 ,while glory--glory dwelleth ,in ,immanuel's land4 ,there the ,red ,rose of ,sharon ,letters #aha1 #cba4 ,unfolds its heartsome bloom1 ,and fills the air of ,heaven ,with ravishing perfume3-- ,oh6 to behold it blossom1 ,while by its fragrance fann'd ,where glory--glory dwelleth ,in ,immanuel's land4 ,the ,king there in ,his beauty1 ,letters #afe1 #bhd1 ,without a veil1 is seen3 #bia1 #cah4 ,it were a well-spent journey1 ,though seven deaths lay between4 ,the ,lamb1 with ,his fair army1 ,doth on ,mount ,zion stand1 ,and glory--glory dwelleth ,in ,immanuel's land4 ,oh6 ,christ ,he is the ,fountain1 ,the deep sweet well of love6 ,the streams on earth ,i've tasted1 ,letters #bhh1 #cag4 ,more deep ,i'll drink above3 ,there1 to an ocean fulness1 ,his mercy doth expand1 ,and glory--glory dwelleth ,in ,immanuel's land4 ,e'en ,anwoth was not heaven-- ,e'en preaching was not ,christ2 ,letters #hf1 #if1 ,and in my sea-beat prison #bbe1 #cce4 ,my ,lord and ,i held tryst3 ,and aye my murkiest storm-cloud ,was by a rainbow spann'd1 ,caught from the glory dwelling ,in ,immanuel's land4 ,but that ,he built a heaven ,of ,his surpassing love1 ,a little ,new ,jerusalem1 ,like to the one above1-- ,letter #bcc4 ,lord1 take me o'er the water1 ,had been my loud demand1 ,take me to love's own country1 ,unto ,immanuel's land4 ,but flowers need night's cool darkness ,the moonlight and the dew2 ,so ,christ1 from one who loved it1 ,his shining oft withdrew2 ,letter #bcd4 ,and then for cause of absence1 ,my troubled soul ,i scann'd-- ,but glory1 shadeless1 shineth ,in ,immanuel's land4 ,the little birds of ,anwoth ,i used to count them blest1-- ,now1 beside happier altars ,i go to build my nest3 ,letters #ib1 #afg1 ,o'er these there broods no silence1 #bjf4 ,no graves around them stand1 ,for glory1 deathless1 dwelleth ,in ,immanuel's land4 ,fair ,anwoth by the ,solway1 ,to me thou still art dear6 ,e'en from the verge of ,heaven ,letter #bbe4 ,i drop for thee a tear4 ,oh6 if one soul from ,anwoth ,meet me at ,god's right hand1 ,my ,heaven will be two ,heavens1 ,in ,immanuel's land4 ,i have wrestled on towards ,heaven1 ',gainst storm1 and wind1 and tide3-- ,now1 like a weary traveller1 ,letters #bge1 #cbf4 ,that leaneth on his guide1 ,amid the shades of evening1 ,while sinks life's ling'ring sand1 ,i hail the glory dawning ,from ,immanuel's land4 ,deep waters cross'd life's pathway1 ,the hedge of thorns was sharp2 ,letter #acg4 ,now these lie all behind me-- ,oh6 for a well-tuned harp6 ,deathbed1 p4 #ba4 ,oh6 to join ,halleluiah ,with yon triumphant band1 ,who sing1 where glory dwelleth1 ,in ,immanuel's land4 ,with mercy and with judgment ,my web of time ,he wove1 ,and aye the dews of sorrow ,letters #bde1 #bie1 ,were lustred with ,his love4 #bih4 ,i'll bless the hand that guided1 ,i'll bless the heart that plann'd1 ,when throned where glory dwelleth ,in ,immanuel's land4 ,soon shall the cup of glory ,wash down earth's bitterest woes1 ,soon shall the desert-briar ,letters #bj1 #bie4 ,break into ,eden's rose3 ,the curse shall change to blessing-- ,the name on earth that's bann'd1 ,rev4 ii4 #ag4 ,be graven on the white stone ,in ,immanuel's land4 ,oh6 ,i am my ,belovd's1 ,and my ,beloved is mine6 ,he brings a poor vile sinner ,letters #gf1 #aaf1 ,into ,his ,house of wine4 #aai1 #adh4 ,i stand upon ,his merit1 ,i know no other stand1 ,not e'en where glory dwelleth ,in ,immanuel's land4 ,i shall sleep sound in ,jesus1 ,fill'd with ,his likeness rise1 ,to live and to adore ,him1 ,to see ,him with these eyes4 ',tween me and resurrection ,page #ba of ,life4 ,but ,paradise doth stand2 ,then--then for glory dwelling ,in ,immanuel's land6 ,the ,bride eyes not her garment1 ,but her dear ,bridegroom's face2 ,i will not gaze at glory1 ,letters #ba1 #afh4 ,but on my ,king of ,grace-- ,not at the crown ,he gifteth1 ,but on ,his piercd hand3 ,the ,lamb is all the glory ,of ,immanuel's land4 ,i have borne scorn and hatred1 ,i have borne wrong and shame1 ,earth's proud ones have reproach'd me1 ,for ,christ's thrice blessed name3-- ,where ,god ,his seal set fairest ,they've stamp'd their foulest brand2 ,but judgment shines like noonday ,in ,immanuel's land4 ,they've summoned me before them1 ,but there ,i may not come1-- ,my ,lord says1 ,come up hither1 ,my ,lord says1 ,welcome ,home6 ,my kingly ,king1 at ,his white throne1 ,deathbed saying4 ,my presence doth command1 ,where glory--glory dwelleth ,in ,immanuel's land4 ,,morrison ,,and ,,gibb1 ,,printers1 ,,edinburgh ,oliphant1 ,anderson1 ,ferrier's ,publications4 ,,library ,,edition ,,of ,m',,cheyne',s ',,memoir4' ,demy #hvo1 cloth extra1 with additional matter and newly-engraved ,portrait and facsimiles of ,writing1 price #es41 ,,memoir ,,and ,,remains ,,of ,rev4 ,,robert ,,murray ,m',,cheyne1 ,,minister ,,of ,,st4 ,,peter',s ,,church1 ,,dundee4 ,,by ,,rev4 ,,andrew ,a4 ,,bonar1 ,d4,d4 ',how admirable an edition is this6 the best five-shilling octavo you ever saw4 ,and it is made richer than of old by new matter from the venerable editor's pen4'--,expository ,times4 ',among the many ideas which are rapidly bringing ,messrs4 ,oliphant1 ,anderson1 ,ferrier to the front rank among publishers1 none strikes me as more happy than the beautiful editions they are issuing of religious classics4 ,the latest is ,dr4 ,andrew ,bonar's famous ,memoir and ,remains of ,robert ,murray ,m',cheyne4 ,i happen to have the first edition in two small black volumes4 ,it was issued in #ahdd1 and the circulation must have considerably exceeded a hundred thousand4 ,but no copy is so good to use as the latest1 which is a model book in every way1--binding1 paper1 and type1--and which is enriched by additional notes from the pen of the revered author4 ,it will rank as a standard edition of an immortal book4'--,the ,british ,weekly4 ',this issue of a book which has been so widely valued as to take the rank of an ,evangelical classic is enriched with facsimiles of ,m',cheyne's handwriting1 while the venerable author has introduced some additional information on certain points4 ,we wish the book a fresh career of usefulness in its new form4'--,critical ,review4 ,edinburgh ,london3 ,,oliphant ,,anderson ,,ferrier4 ,and all ,booksellers4 ,a ,,cloud ,,of ,,witnesses4 ,new ,edition1 demy #hvo1 cloth extra1 with numerous ,illustrations1 and facsimile of original ,title and ,frontispiece1 price #es41 ,a ,cloud of ,witnesses3 ,for the ,royal ,prerogatives of ,jesus ,christ2 being the ,last ,speeches and ,testimonies of those who have suffered for the ,truth in ,scotland since the year #afhj4 ,reprinted from the ,original ,editions1 with ,explanatory and ,historical ,notes4 ,by the ,rev4 ,john ,h4 ,thomson4 ,,edinburgh ,,london3 ,,oliphant ,,anderson ,,ferrier4 ,and all ,booksellers4 ,the ,scots ,worthies4 ,by ,,john ,,howie of ,lochgoin4 ,revised from the ,author's ,original ,edition by the ,rev4 ,w4 ,h4 ,,carslaw1 ,m4,a4 ,the ,landscapes and ,ornaments by various artists1 engraved under the superintendence of ,mr4 ,williamson2 the ,historical ,portraits by ,mr4 ,hector ,chalmers1 engraved by ,messrs ,schenck ,m',farlane4 ,new edition1 demy #hvo1 cloth extra1 with upwards of #aej ,illustrations1 price #es4 ,the popularity of this book1 long established1 will certainly suffer no diminution from the manner in which it is presented to the reading public in this illustrated edition4 ,it is a handsome volume1 attractively bound1 and beautifully printed2 and the illustrations1 equally appropriate and effective1 at once stimulate and gratify historical interest--supplying indeed a ',national ,portrait ,gallery' of no small value and extent4 ,great care1 too1 has been bestowed upon the letterpress1 the work of revision having been performed by a scholar who loves and knows the subject2 and altogether the work seems to be nearly as fine an edition of the ,scots ,worthies as could be desired4--,daily ,review4 ,the well-known house or ,messrs ,oliphant1 ,anderson1 ,ferrier1 of ,edinburgh1 has republished the ,rev4 ,w4 ,h4 ,carslaw's edition of the ,scots ,worthies1 and1 in so doing1 has put within the reach of everybody one of the most interesting and useful books in ,scottish literature4 ,more than one hundred years have elapsed since ,john ,howie issued the first edition of the famous book4 ,no man was better fitted for the task of embalming the worthies of the ,scottish ,covenant in the memories of his fellow-men1 for he was a staunch ,cameronian2 his ancestors had suffered in the interests of the ,church of ,christ in ,scotland2 his home was the centre of the district in which many of the most tragic scenes of ,scottish martyrology occurred2 and1 besides strict adherence to truth1 he had a literary power which awakes surprise and admiration4 ,the book was a household one in the ,presbyterian homes in ,scotland in its quaint early garb4 ,an edition was issued with notes by the late ,william ,m',gavin4 author of ',the ,protestant2' and other editions have followed4 ,mr4 ,carslaw's has already established itself in public favour1 and well it may4 ,it has all the quaintness of the original volume in a condensed form4 ,it abounds in illustrations of well-executed views of ,covenanter localities1 from the ,communion stones of ,irongray to ,dunnottar2 of ,scottish palaces1 ,falkland1 ,holyrood1 etc42 of ,scottish abbeys and churches--indeed it might almost be called an illustrated ,gazetteer of ,scotland4 ,it likewise contains views of places in ,england1 ,ireland1 and the ,continent connected with ,covenanting story1 such as ,westminster1 ,rotterdam1 and ,londonderry4 ,it gives1 moreover1 a gallery of portraits1 from ,george ,wishart to ,robert ,traill2 from ,mary ,queen of ,scots to ,william ,,iii42 and from ,archbishop ,sharpe to ,claverhouse4 ,it is in every way elegantly and quaintly got up1 the illustrations having old-fashioned elaborately-decorated borders4 ,we know of no book more calculated to quicken the pulse of modern ,protestantism1 or to give in an attractively biographical form the history of the ,church of ,scotland through the lives1 and doings1 and deaths of her noblest sons4 ,we therefore commend it to all who wish to remember the days of former generations1 or to understand the glorious work done for ,scotland in his chief book by the old farmer of ,lochgoin4--,christian ,leader4 ,the ,scots ,worthies4 ,by ,john ,howie of ,lochgoin4 ,an illustrated edition1 revised from the author's original edition1 by the ,rev4 ,w4 ,h4 ,carslaw1 ,m4,a4--,we are glad to see this reprint of our ,scottish ,acta ,sanctorum4 ,it is one of the books that1 lying on cottage shelves1 and conned over on cottars' ,sabbath nights1 has helped to make ,scotchmen what they are4 ,it will be a sad day for ,scotland when she forgets the men whose deeds are so simply and so quaintly recorded by one who had himself the blood of the ,covenant in his veins1 and whose fathers resisted unto blood4 ,though this edition is inexpensive1 the illustrations are admirably executed4 ,we counsel those who have not the book in their libraries1 so place it there1 and put it in the way of their children4--,u4 ,p4 ,record4 ,,first ,,series4 ,post #hvo1 #bhh pages1 cloth gilt1 price #bs4 #f;d4 ,,bunyan ,,characters ,,lectures ,,delivered ,,in ,,st4 ,,george',s ,,free ,,church ,,edinburgh3 ,,by ,,alexander ,,whyte1 ,d4,d4 ,,contents4 ,i4 ,,introductory4 ,,ii4 ,,evangelist4 ,,iii4 ,,obstinate4 ,,iv4 ,,pliable4 ,v4 ,,help4 ,,vi4 ,,mr4 ,,worldly-,,wiseman4 ,,vii4 ,,goodwill4 ,,viii4 ,,the ,,interpreter4 ,,ix4 ,,passion4 ,x4 ,,patience4 ,,xi4 ,,simple1 ,,sloth1 ,,and ,,presumption4 ,,xii4 ,,the ,,three ,,shining ,,ones ,,at ,,the ,,cross4 ,,xiii4 ,,formalist ,,and ,,hypocrisy4 ,,xiv4 ,,timorous ,,and ,,mistrust4 ,,xv4 ,,prudence4 ,,xvi4 ,,charity4 ,,xvii4 ,,shame4 ,,xviii4 ,,talkative4 ,,xix4 ,,judge ,,hate-,,good4 ,,xx4 ,,faithful ,,in ,,vanity ,,fair4 ,,xxi4 ,,by-,,ends4 ,,xxii4 ,,giant ,,despair4 ,,xxiii4 ,,knowledge1 ,a ,,shepherd4 ,,xxiv4 ,,experience1 ,a ,,shepherd4 ,,xxv4 ,,watchful1 ,a ,,shepherd4 ,,xxvi4 ,,sincere1 ,a ,,shepherd4 ,edinburgh ,london3 ,,oliphant ,,anderson ,,ferrier4 ,and all ,booksellers4