Letters in Two Parts, Part 1 · LETTER 12 – LETTER 13
To the right honourable & Christian Lady, my Lady KENMURE. (12)
MADAM.
UPon the offered opportunity of this worthy bearer I could not omit to answer the heads of your letter. 1. I think not much to set down in paper some good things anent Christ, that sealed and holy thing, & to feed my soul with raw wishes to be one with Christ; for a wish is but broken & half-love, but verily to obey this, come & see: is a harder matter. but oh I have rather smoak then fire, & guessings rather then reall assurances of him: I have little or nothing to say, that I am as one who hath found favour in his eyes; but ther is some pining & mismannered hunger, that maketh me miscall and nickname Christ as a changed Lord, but alace it is ill flitten. I can not bel…eve without a pledge, I cannot take Gods word without a Caution; as if Christ had lost and sold his credit, and were not in my books responsall and law-biding, but this is my way, for his way is, Ephes. 1: 13. after that ye beleeved ye were sealed, with the holy spirit of promise. 2. Ye write that I am filled with knowledge, and stand not in need of these warnings, but certainly my light is dim, when it cometh to handy-grips: and how many have full coffers & yet empty bellies: light and the saving use of light, are far different. O What need have I to have the ashes blowen away from my Dying-out fire! I may be a book-man, and be an Idiot & stark fool in Christs way, learning will not beguile Christ, the Bible beguiled the Pharasees, & so may I be misted: Therefore as night watches hold one another waking, by speaking to one another, so have we need to hold one another on foot; sleep stealeth away the light of watching, even the light that reproveth sleeping. I doubt not but moe should fetch heaven, if they beleeved not heaven to be at the next door: the worlds negative holiness, no adulterer, no murderer, no thief, no Cousiner, maketh men beleeve they are already glorified saints: but the, 6. Chap. to the, Heb: may affright us all, when we hear that men may take of the gifts, and common graces of the holy spirit, and a taste of the powers of the life to come, to hell with them: here is reprobate silver which yet seemeth to have the Kings Image, and superscription upon it. 3. I finde you complaining of your self, & it becometh a sinner so to doe, I am not against you in that, sense of death, is a sib friend, & and of kin and blood to life, the more sense, the more life, the more sense of sin, the lesse sin. I would love my pain, & sorness, & my wounds, howbeit these should bereave me of my nights sleep, better then my wounds without pain. O how sweet a thing is it, to give Christ his handfull of broken armes, & legs, & disjointed bones. 4. Be not afraid for little grace, Christ soweth his livingseed, & he will not lose his seed: if he have the guiding of my stock, and state, it shall not miscarry. Our spilt works, losses, deadness, coldness, wretchedness; are the ground which the good husband-man laboureth. 5. Ye write that his compassions faile not, notwithstanding that your service to Christ miscarrieth: To the which I answer: God forbid that there were buying, and selling, and blocking for as good again, betwixt Christ and us; for then free grace might goe play it, and a Saviour sing dumb, and Christ goe and sleep: but we goe to heaven with light shoulders, and all the bairn-time, and the vessels great and small that we have, are fastned upon the sure nail, Isa 23: 24. the onelyonly danger is, that we give grace more a doe then God giveth it, that is, by turning his grace into wantonness. 6. Ye write few see your guiltiness, and ye cannot be free with many, as with me: I Answer: blessed be God, Christ & we are not heard before men's courts, it is at home betwixt him and us, that pleas are taken away: Grace be with you.
Aberd. Yours in his sweet Lord Iesus, S. R.
To the right honourable & Christian Lady, my Lady KENMURE. (13)
MADAM.
GRace, mercy and peace be to your La: God be thanked ye are yet in possession of Christ & that sweet childe: I pray God the former may be sure heritage, & the latter a loan for your comfort; while he doe good to his poor afflicted, withered mount Sion: & who knoweth but our Lord hath comforts laid up in store for her & you. I am perswaded Christ hath bought you by, the devil, & hell, & sin, that they have no claime to you; & that is a rich & unvaluable mercy. Long since, ye were half challenging deaths cold kindness, in being so slow and swier to come and loose a tired prisoner: but ye stand in need of all the erosses, losses, changes, & sad hearts that befell you since that time: Christ knoweth the body of sin unsubdued; will take them all & more: we know that Paul had need of the devils service, to buffet him, & far more we. But my dear & honourable Lady, spend your sand-glasse well: I am sure ye have law to raise 2 suspension against all, that devils, men, friends, world, losses, hell, or sin can decree against you: it's good your crosses will but convey you to heavens gates: In …an they not goe, the gate shall be closed on them, when ye shall be admitted to the throne. Time standeth not still, eternity is hard at our door. O what is laid up for you! Therefore harden your face against the wind, & the Lamb your husband is making ready for you, the bridegroom would fain have that day, as gladly as your Honour would wish to have it, he hath not forgotten you. I have heard a rumour of the Prelats purpose to banish me, but let it come if God so will, the other side of the sea is my fathers ground aswell as this side: I ow bowing to God but no servil bowing to crosses, I have been but too soft in that: I am comforted that I am perswaded fully that Christ is halfer with me in this well-born and honest crosse, & if he claime right to the best half of my troubles, (as I know he doeth to the whole;) I shall remit it over to Christ, what I shall doe in this case: I know certainly my Lord Jesus will not marre nor spill my sufferings, he hath use for them in his house. O what it worketh on me, to remember that a stranger who cometh not in by the door, shall build hay & stuble upon the golden foundation I la…d amongst that people in Anwoth: but I know providence looketh not asquint but looketh straight out, & thorow all mens darknesse: O that I could wait upon the Lord: I had but one eye, one joy, one delight, even to preach Christ, & my mothers sons were angry at me, & have put out the poor mans one eye, and what have I behinde? I am sure this sowre world hath lost my heart deservedly, but oh that there were a d…es-man to lay his hand upon us both, & determine upon my part of it. Alace that innocent and lovely truth should be sold, my tears are but little worth, but yet for this thing I weep, I weep: alace that my fair & lovely Lord Jesus should be miskent in his own house, it reckoneth little of five hundred the like of me: Yet the water goeth not over faiths breath, yet our King liveth: I write the prisoners blessing, the good will, & long lasting Kindnesse, with the comforts of the very God of peace be to your La: & to your sweet childe, grace, grace be with you.
Aberd. Sep. 7. 1637 Your honours at all obedience in his sweet Lord Iesus, S. R.