Letters in Two Parts, Part 1 · LETTER 47 – LETTER 49
To MARGARET BALANTINE. (47)
MISTRESS.
GRace, mercy & peace be unto you: It is more then time that I should have written to you, but it is yet good time, if I could help your soul to mend your pace, & to goe more swiftly to your heavenly countrey; for truly ye have need to make all haste, because the inch of your day that remaineth will quickly slip away, for whether we sleep or wake our glass runneth, the tide bideth no man: Beware of a beguile in the matter of your salvation: woe, woe for evermore to them that lose that prize, for what is behinde when the soul is once lost; but that sinners warme their bits of clay-houses at a fire of their own kindling for a day or two, which doeth rather suffocat with it's smoke then warme them, & at length they lie down in sorrow & are clothed with everlasting shame. I would seek no further measure of faith to begin withall, then to beleeve really, & stedfastly the doctrine of God's Justice, his all-devouring wrath & everlasting burning, where sinners are burnt soul & body in a river & great lake of fire & brimstone: Then they would wish no more goods but the thousand part of a cold fountain well to coole their tongue, they would then buy death with enduring of pain & torment for as many yeers, as God hath created drops of rain since the creation: but there is no market in buying or selling life or death there. Oh alas the greatest part of this world run to the place of that torment rejoycing & dancing, eating, drinking & sleeping! my counsel to you is, that ye start in time to be after Christ; for if ye goe quickly, Christ is not far before you: Ye shall overtake him. O Lord God, what is so needfull as this, salvation, salvation: Fie upon this condemned & foolish world that will give so little for salvation. Oh, if there were a free market of salvation proclaimed in that day when the trumpet of God shall awake the dead, how many buyers would be then? God send me no more happiness but that salvation which the blinde world [to their eternall woe] letteth slip through their fingers: Therefore look if ye can give out your money [as Isa: speaketh 55: 2.] for bread, & lay Christ & his blood in wodset for heaven: It is a dry & hungry bairn's-part of goods, that Esau's are hunting for here: I see thousands following the chase and in the pursuit of such things, while in the mean time they lose the blessing, & when all is done they have caught nothing to rost for supper, but lie down hungry; & besides they goe to their bed [when they die] without a candle, for God saith to them, Isa: 50: 21. This shall ye have at my ha…d, ye shall lie down in sorrow: And truly this is as ill made a bed to lie upon, as one could wish; for he cannot sleep soundly nor rest sweetly who hath sorrow for his pillow. Rouze, rouze up therefore your soul, & spier how Christ and your soul met together: I am sure they never got Christ who were not once sick at the yolk of the heart for him: too too many whole souls think they have met with Christ who had never a wearied night for the want of him: But alas, what richer are men that they dreamed the last night they had much gold, & when they awoke in the morning they found it was but a dream? what are all the sinners in the world in that day when heaven & earth shall goe up in a flame of fire, but a number of beguiled dreamers? every one shall say of his hunting & his conquest. Behold it was a dream, every man in that day will tell his dream. I beseeeh you in the Lord Jesus, beware, beware of unsound work in the matter of your salvation, ye may not, ye cannot, ye dow not want Christ: then after this day conveen all your lovers before your soul, & give them their leave, & strike hands with Christ, that there after there may be no happiness to you but Christ, no hunting for any thing but Christ, no bed at night (when death cometh) but Christ; Christ, Christ, who but Christ. I know this much of Christ. He is not ill to befound, not Lordly of his love; woe had been my part of it for evermore, if Christ had made a dainty of himself to me; but God be thanked, I gave nothing for Christ; & now I protest before men & Angels Christ cannot be exchanged. Christ cannot be sold, Christ cannot be weighed: Where would Angels or all the world finde a ballance to weigh him in? All lovers blush when ye stand beside Christ, woe upon all love but the love of Christ. Hunger, hunger for evermore be upon all heavens but Christ. Shame, shame for evermore be upon all glory but Christ's glory. I cry death, death upon all lifes but the life of Christ. O what is it that holdeth us asunder! O that once we could have a fair meeting. Thus recommending Christ to you, and you to him for evermore: I rest. Grace be with you.
Aberd. 1637. Yours in his sweet Lord Iesus. S. R.
To JONET KENNEDY. (48)
Loving & Dear Sister.
GRace, mercy and peace be unto you: I received your letter: I know the savour of Christ in you (that the virgins love to follow) cannot be blowen away with winds either from hell, or the evil smelled air of this polluted world: Sir for aback from the walls of this pest-house, even the pollutions of this defiling world. Keep your taste, your love and hope in heaven, it's not good your love & your Lord should be in two sundry countreys. Up, up after your lover, that ye & he may be together. A King from heaven hath sent for you, by faith he sheweth you the new Jerusalem, & taketh you alongst in the Spirit thorow all the ease-rooms, & dwellinghouses in heaven, & saith, All these are thine, this palace is for thee & Christ, & if ye onelyonly had been the chosen of God, Christ would have built that one house for you and himself: Now, it is for you & many also: take with you in your journey what ye may carry with you, your conscience, faith, hope, patience, meekness, goodness, brotherly kindness; for such wares as these are of great price in the high & new countrey whether ye goe: As for other things, that are but the world's vanity & trash, since they are but the house-sweepings, ye shall doe best not to carry them with you, ye found them here, leave them here, and let them keep the house. Your Sun is well turned, & low: be nigh your lodging against night. We goe, one & one, out of this great market, till the town be empty, & the two lodgings Heaven & Hell be filled: At length there will be nothing in the earth but room walls & burnt ashes, & therefore it is best to make away. Antichrist & his Master are busie to plenish Hell, & to seduce many; & Stars, great church-lights, are falling from heaven, & many are missed & seduced & make up with their faith, & sell their birth-right, by their hungry hunting for, I know not what: Fasten your grips fast upon Christ, I verily esteem him the best aught that I have: He is my second in prison, having him, though my cross were as heavie as ten mountains of iron, when he putteth his sweet shoulder under me & it, my cross is but a feather. I please my self in the choice of Christ, he is my waile in heaven & earth, I rejoyce that he is in heaven before me, God send a joyfull meeting; & in the mean time the traveller's charges for the way, I mean a burden of Christ's love to sweeten the journey, & to encourage a breathless runner, for when I lose breath climbing up the mountain, he maketh new breath. Now, the very God of peace establish you to the day of his appearance.
Aberd. Sept. 9▪ 1637. Your… in his onelyonly Lord Iesus, S. R.
To MARGARET REID. (49)
My very Dear & worthy Si…er,
GRace, mercy, & peace be to you: Ye are truly blessed of the Lord, however a lowre world gloom upon you, if ye continue in the faith, grounded & settled & be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, it is good, there is a heaven, & it is not a night dream or a fancy: It is a wonder that men deny not that there is a heaven, as they deny there is a way to it, but of mens making: You have learned of Christ that there is a heaven; contend for it, & contend for Christ; bear well & submissivily the hard cross of this step-mother world, that God will not have to be yours. I confess, it is hard, & I would I were able to ease you of your burthen; But beleeve me, this world, [which the Lord will not have to be yours] is but the dross, the refuse & scum of God's creation, the portion of the Lord's poor hired servants; the moveables, not the heritage; a hard bone casten to the dogs holden out of the new Jerusalem, whereupon they rather break their teeth then satisfie their appetite: It is your father's blessing, & Christ's birth-right, that our Lord is keeping for you; & I perswade you, your seed also shall inherit the earth (if that be good for them) for that i… promised to them, & God's bond is as good and better then if men would give every one of them a bond for thousand thousands. Ere ye was born, cross…s in number, measure & weight were written for you, & your Lord will lead you thorow them: make Christ sure, & the blessings of the earth shall be at Christ's back. I see many professors for the fashion follow on, but they are professors of glass; I would cause a little knock of persecution ding them in twenty pieces, & so the world should laugh at the sheards: Therefore make fast work, see that Christ lay the ground-stone of your profession, for wind & rain & speats will not wash away his building: his works have no shorter date then to stand for evermore. I should twe…ty times have perished in my affliction if I had not leaned my weak back & laid my pressing burthen both upon the stone, the foundation-stone, the corner-stone laid in Zion: & I desire never to rise off this stone. Now the very God of peace confirm & establish you unto the day of the blessed appearance of Christ Jesus. God be with you.
Aberd. Yours in his dearest Lord Iesus, S. R.