Letters in Two Parts, Part 1 · LETTER 17 – LETTER 21
To the right honourable my Lord LOWDON. (17)
MY very noble & honourable Lord, Grace, mercy and peace be to you, I make bold to write to your Lo: that you may know the honourable cause ye are graced to prosesse, is Christs own truth. Ye are many wayes blessed of God, who hath taken upon you, to come out to the strects, with Christ on your fore-head; when so many are ashamed of him, and hide him (as it were) under their cloak, as if he were a stolen Christ. If this faithless generation, (and especially the Nobles of this Kingdom,) thought not Christ dear wares, and Religion expensive, hazardous, and dangerous, they would not slip from his cause as they doe and stand looking on, with their hands folded behinde their back; when lowns are running away with the spoile of Sion on their back, and the boards of the Son of Gods tabernacle. Law and Justice are to be had to any, especially for money, & moyen; but Christ can get no law, good cheap nor dear. It were the glory and honour of you who are the Nobles of this land, to plead for your wronged bridegroom, and his oppressed Spouse, as far as zeal & standing law will goe with you. Your ordinary logicke from the event (that it will doe no good) to the cause (and therefore silence, is best, till the Lord put to his own hand) it is not (with reverence of your Lo: Learning) worth a straw: Events are Gods, let us doe, and not plead against Gods Office, let him sit at his own helme who moderateth all events. It is not a good course to complain that we cannot get a providence of gold, when our lasiness, cold zeal, temporizing, and faithless fearfulness spilleth good providence. Your Lo: will pardon me, I am not of that minde, that tumults or armes is the way to put Christ on his throne, or that Christ will be served & truth vindicated onelyonly with the arme of flesh and blood: nay, Christ doeth his turn with lesse din then with garments rolled in blood. But I would, the zeal of God were in the Nobles, to doe their part for Christ: and I must be pardoned to write to your Lo: this: I dow not, I dare not but speak to others, what God hath done to the soul of his poor, afflicted, exiled prisoner: his comfort is more then I ever knew before, he hath sealed the honourable cause I now suffer for, & I shall not beleeve that Christ will put his Amen & ring upon an imagination: he hath made all his promises good to me, and hath filled up all the blanks with his own hand: I would not exchange my bonds with the plaistered joy of this whole world. It hath pleased him to make a sinner the like of me, an ordinary banquetter in his house of wine, with that royall Princely one Christ Jesus. O what weighing! O what telling is in his love! how sweet must he be, when that black and Burdensome tree, his own crosse, is so perfumed with joy and gladness! O for help to lift him up by praises, on his royall throne! I seek no more but that his name may be spread abroad in me, that meekle good may be spoken of Christ on my behalf: this being done, my losses, place, stipend, credit, case, and Liberty, shall all be made up to my full contentment, and joy of heart. I will be confident your Lo: Will goe on in the strength of the Lord and keep Christ & avouch him, that he may read your name publikly before men & Angels. I wil entreat your Lo: to exhort & encourage that Nobleman your Chief to doe the same: but I am woe, many of you finde a new wisdom, which deserveth nor such a name; it were better that men should see, that their wisdom be holy & their holiness wise: I must be bold to desire your Lo: To adde to your former favours to me (for the which your Lo: hath a prisoners blessing & prayers) this, that ye would be pleased to befriend my brother, now suffering for the same cause. For he is to dwell nigh your Lo: Bounds; your Lo: word & countenance may help him. Thus recommending your Lo: to the saving grace & tender mercy of Christ Jesus our Lord. I rest.
Aberd. March. 9. 1637. Your Lo: obliged Servant in Christ, S. R.
To Mr. WILLIAM DALGLISH, Minister of the Gospel. (18)
Reverend & Dear Brother,
GRace, mercy & peace be to you: I am well, my Lord Jesus is Kinder to me then ever he was, it pleaseth him to dine & sup with his afflicted prisoner, a King feasteth me, and his spiknard casteth a sweet smell. Put Christs love to the triall and put upon it burdens, & then it will appear love indeed: we employ not his love, & therefore we know it not. I verily count more of the sufferings of my Lord, then of this worlds lustred & overguilded glory: I dare not say but my Lord Jesus hath fully recompensed my sadness, with his joyes: my losses, with his own presence: I finde it a sweet & rich thing to exchange my sorrows with Christs joyes, my afflictions with that sweet peace I have with himself. Brother this is his own truth I now suffer for, he hath sealed my sufferings with his own comforts; & I know he will not put his seal upon blank paper; his seals are not dumb, nor delusive, to confirm imaginations & lyes. Goe on my dear Brother in the strength of the Lord, not fearing man that is a worm, or the son of man that will die. Providence hath a thousand keys to open a thousand sundry doors, for the deliverance of his own, when it is even come to a conclamatum est: Let us be faithfull and care for our own part, which is to doe & suffer for him, & lay Christs part on himself, & leave it there: duties are ours, events are the Lord's: when our faith goeth to medle with events & to hold a court (if I may so speak) upon Gods providence (and begineth to say, how wilt Thou do this, & that?) we lose ground: we have nothing to doe there, it is our part to, let the Almighty exerce his own office, and stir his own helme: there is nothing left to us but to see how we may be approved of him, and how we may roll the weight of our weak souls (in weldoing) upon him who is God Omnipotent: and when, what we thus essay, miscarrieth; it shall neither be our sin nor cross. Brother, remember the Lord's word to Peter, Simon, lovest thou me? Feed my sheep: no greater testimony of our love to Christ can be, then to feed painfully and faithfully his lambs. I am in no better neighbourhood with the Ministers here then before; they cannot endure that any speak of me, or to me: thus I am in the mean time silent, (which is my greatest grief.) Dr Barron hath often disputed with me, especially about Arminian-controversies, and for the Ceremonies: three yokings laid him by, and I have not been troubled with him since: now he hath appointed a dispute before witnesses; I trust Christ and truth shall doe for themselves. I hope Brother ye will help my people, and write to me what ye hear the Bishop is to doe to them: Grace be with you.
Aberd. Your Brother in bonds. S. R.
To Mr HUGH MC KAILL, Minister of the Gospel. (19)
Reverend & Dear Brother.
I bless you for your Letter: he is come down as rain upon the mowen grasse, he hath revived my withered root, and he is as the dew of herbs, I am most secure in this prison, salvation is for walls in it, and what think ye of these walls? he maketh the dry plant to bud as the lilie, and to blossome as Lebanon. the great husband man's blessing cometh down upon the plants of righteousness, who may say this (my dear Brother) if I, his poor exiled stranger, & prisoner may not say it? Howbeit all the world should be silent I cannot hold my peace. O how many black counts hath Christ and I rounded over together, in the house of my pilgrimage! and how sat a portion hath he given to a hungry soul? I had rather have Christs four-hours, then have dinner and Supper both in one from any other; his dealing, and the way of his judgements passe finding out: No preaching, no book; no learning could give me that, which I behooved to come and get in this Town, but what of all this, if I were not misted, confounded, and astonished how to be thankfull, and how to get him praised for evermore? And which is more, he hath been pleased to pain me with his love, and my pain groweth through want of reall possession. Some have written to me that I am possibly too joyfull of the cross, but my joy over-leapeth the cross, it is bounded and terminat upon Christ: I know the sun will over-cloud & eclipse, and I shall again be put to walk in the shaddow, but Christ must be welcome to come and goe as he thinketh meet; yet he would be more welcome to me I trow, to come then goe, & I hope he pitieth and pardoneth me, in casting apples to me, at such a fainting time as this, holy and blessed is his name. It was not my flattering of Christ, that drew a kiss from his mouth, but he would send me as a spie into this wilderness of suffering, to see the land, and to try the foord, and I cannot make a lye of Christs cross; I can report nothing but good both of him, & it, lest others should faint. I hope when a change cometh, to cast anchor at midnight upon the rock (which he hath taught me to know in this day light) whether I may run, when I must say my lesson without book, & beleeve in the dark. I am sure it is sin to tarrow of Christs good meat, & not to eat when he saith, eat O welbeloved &, drink abundantly. If he bear me on his back, or carry me in his armes over this water, I hope for grace to set down both my feet on dry ground, when the way is better: but this is slippery ground, my Lord thought good I should goe by an hold, & lean on my welbeloved's shoulder: it's good to be ever taking from him. I desire he may get the fruit of praises for dâting, and thus dandling me upon his knee, & I may give my bond of thankfulness; sobeing I have Christ's back-bond again for my relief, that I shall be strengthned by his powerfull grace, to pay my vowes to him. But truly I finde we have the advantage of the brae upon our enemies, we are more then conquerours through him who hath loved us, & they know not wherein our strength lieth. Pray for me, grace be with you.
Aberd. Your Brother in Christ, S. R.
To my Lady Boyd. (20)
MADAM.
GRace, mercy & peace be unto you: the Lord hath brought me to Aberd: where I see God in few. This town hath been advised upon of purpose for me: It consisteth either of Papists, or men of Gallio's naughtie faith, it is counted wisdom in the most, not to countenance a confined Minister, but I finde Christ neither strange nor unkind; for I have found many faces smile upon me since I came hither. I am heavie and sad, considering what is betwixt the Lord & my soul, which none seeth but he. I finde men have mistaken me, it would be no art (as I now see) to spin small, and make hypocrisie, seem a goodly web, and to goe through the mercat as a saint among men, & yet steal quietly to hell, without observation: So easie is it to deceive men. I have disputed whether or noe I ever knew any thing of Christianity, save the letters of that name: Men see but as men, and they call ten twenty, and twenty, an hundred, but O to be approved of God in the heart, & in sincerity, is not an ordinary mercy: my neglects while I had a pulpit, & other things whereof I am ashamed to speak, meet me now, so, as God maketh an honest cross, my daily sorrow, and for fear of scandal and stumbling, I must hide this day of the law's pleading: I know not, if this court kept within my soul, be fenced in Christ's name. If certainty of salvation were to be bought, God knoweth, if I had ten earths, I would not prig with God. like a fool, I beleeved, under suffering for Christ, that I my self should keep the key of Christ's treasures, and take out comforts, when I listed, and eat, and be fat: But I see now, a sufferer for Christ, will be made to know himself, and will be holden at the door, as well as another poor sinner; and will be fain to eat with the bairns, and to take the by-board, and glad so: my blessing on the cross of Christ, that hath made me see this. Oh if we could take pains for the Kingdom of heaven, but we sit down upon some ordinary markes of God's children; thinking we have as much as will seperat us from a Reprobat, and thereupon we tak the play, and cry Holy-day: & thus the devil casteth water on our fire, & blunteth our zeal and care: but I see heaven is not at the next door: & I see howbeit my challenges be many; I suffer for Christ, & dare hazard my salvation upon it, for some times my Lord cometh with a fair hour, & O but his love be sweet, delightfull, & comfortable! half a kiss is sweet, but our doting love will not be content of a right to Christ, unless we get posfession; like the man who will not be content of rights to bought land, except he get also the ridges, and acers laid upon his back, to carry home with him. However it be, Christ is wise, and we are fools; to be browden and fond of a pawne in the loof of our hand: living on trust by faith, may well content us. Madam I know your La: knoweth this, and that made me bold to write of it, that others might reap some what by my bonds for the truth, for I should desire, and I aime at this, to have my lord well spoken of and honoured, howbeit he should make nothing of me, but a bridge over a water. Thus recommending your La: your son, and children to his grace, who hath honoured you with a name and room among the living in Jerusalem, and wishing Grace to be with your La: I rest.
Aberd. Your La: in his sweetest Lord Iesus S. R.
To Mr. DAVID DICKSON, (21)
Reverend & Dear Brother.
GRace, mercy and peace be unto you: I finde great men, especially old friends skar to speak for me, but my kingly & Royall Master biddeth me try his moyen to the uttermost, & I shall finde a friend at hand: I still depend on him, his court is as before, the prisoner is welcome to him, the black crabbed tree of my Lord's cross hath made Christ and my soul very entire, he is my song in the night: I am often laid in the dust with challenges and apprehensions of his anger, and then if a mountain of iron were laid upon me, I cannot be heavier: and with much wrestling I win in to the Kings house of wine, and for the most part my life is joy, and such joy through his comforts, as I have been afraid to shame my self, and to cry out, for I can scarce bear what I get: Christ giveth me a measure heaped up, pressed down, and running over: and beleeve it, his love paineth me more then prison and banishment. I cannot get a gate of Christ's love, had I known what he was keeping for me, I would never have been so faint-hearted. In my heaviest times when all is lost, the memory of his love maketh me think Christ's gloomes are but for the fashion: I seek no more but a vent to my wine, I am smothered and ready to burst for want of a vent. Think not much of persecution, it is before you, but it is not as men conceive of it, my suggared-cross forceth me to say this to you, ye shall have wailed meat, the sick bairn is often times the spilt ba…rn, ye shall command all the house. I hope ye help a tired prisoner to pray and praise, had I but the annuell of annuell to give to my Lord Jesus, it should ease my pain; but Alace I have nothing to pay, he will get nothing of poor me, but I am woe I have not room enough in my heart for such a stranger. I am not cast down to goe further North, I have good cause to work for my Master, for I am well paid before the hand, I am not behinde, howbeit I should not get one smile more, till my feet be up within the Kings dininghall. I have gone through yours upon the Covenant, it hath edified my soul and refreshed an hungry man, I judge it sharp, sweet, quick, and profound: take me at my word, I fear it get no lodging in Scotland. The Brethren of Ireland write not to me; chide with them for that, I am sure that I may give you and them a commission (and I will bide by it) that you tell my beloved, I am sick of love. I hope in God to leave some of my rust, and superfluites in Aberd: I cannot get an house in this town wherein to leave drink-silver in my Master's name, save, one onelyonly, there is no sale for Christ in the North, he is like to lie long on my hand ere any accept him. Grace be with you.
Aberd. Yours in his sweet Lord Iesus. S. R.