Letters in Two Parts, Part 1 · LETTER 171
To my Lord CRAIGHALL. [171]
My Lord.
I Received Mr Ls letter with your Lo: & his learned thoughts in the matter of Ceremonies: I ow respect to the man's learning, for that I hear him opposite to Arminian Heresies: but [with reverence of that worthy man] I wonder to hear such popish-like expression as he hath in his letter, as, Your Lo: may spare doubtings when the King & Church have agreed in the settling of such orders, & the Church's direction in things indifferent & circumstantial [as if Indifferent & Circumstantial were all one] should be the rule of every private Christian. I onelyonly viewed the papers in two hour, space, the bearer hasting me to write. I finde the worthy man not so seen in this controversie, as some turbulent men of our countrey, as he calleth refusers of conformity: And let me say it, I am more confirmed in non-conformity, when I see such a great … it play the agēt so slenderly; but I will lay the blame on the weakness of the cause, not on the meanness of Mr Ls. learning. I have ever been & stil I am confident that Britain cannot answer one argument a scandalo, & I longed much to hear Mr L. speak to the cause, & I would say, if some ordinary Divine had answered as Mr L. doeth, that he understood not the nature of a Scandal: but I dare not vilifie, that worthyman so. I am now upon the heat of some other employment, I shall, but God willing, answer this to the satisfying of any not prejudged. I will not say that every one is acquaint with the reason in my letter from God's presence & bright shining face in suffering for this cause, Aristotle never knew the medium of the clusion, & Christ saith few know it. See Rev. 2. 17. I am sure a conscience standinginaw of the Almighty, & fearing to make a little hole in the bottom for fear of under-water, is a strong medium to hold off an erroneous conclusion in the least wing or lith of sweet, sweet Truth, that concerneth the royal Prerogative of our Kingly & highest Lord Jesus: And my witness is in heaven, I saw neither pleasure nor profit nor honour to hook me or catch me in entring in prison for Christ, but the wind on my face for the present: & if I had loved to sleep in a whole skin with the ease & present delight that I saw on this side of sun & moon, I should have lived at ease in good hopes to fare as well as others. The Lord knoweth, I preferred preaching of Christ & still doe, to any thing next to Christ himself, & their new Canons took my one, my one joy from me, which was to me as the poor man's one eye that had no moe, & alas, there is little lodging in their heart for pity or mercy, to pluck out a poor man's one eye for a thing indifferent, id est, for knots of straws & things [as they mean] off the way to heaven. I desire not that my name take journey & goe a pilgrim to Cambridge, for fear I come in the ears of Authority: I am sufficiently burnt already. In the mean time be pleased to try if the Bishop of St Andrewes, & Glasgow, Galloway's Ordinary, will be pleased to abate from the heat of their wrath and let me goe to my charge. Few know the heart of a prisoner, yet I hope the Lord shall hew his own glory out of as knotty timber as I am. Keep Christ, my dear & worthy Lord: pretended paper-arguments from angering the mother-Church that can reel & nod & stagger, are not of such weight as peace with the father & husband: let the wife gloom, I care not, if the husband laugh, Remember my service to my Lord your father, & Mother, & your Lady. Grace be with you.
Aberd. Jan. 24. 1637. Yours at all obodience in Christ, S, R.