Letters in Two Parts, Part 1 · LETTER 195 – LETTER 196
To FULWOOD Younger. (195)
Much honoured Sir
GRace, mercy & peace be to you: Upon the report of this worthy bearer concerning you, I thought good to spea… a wo…d to you: It is enough for acquaintance that we are one in Christ: My earnest desire to you is, that ye would in the fear of God, compare your inch & hand-breadth of time with vaste Eternity, & your thoughts of this now fair, blooming and green world, with the thoughts ye shall have of it, when corruption & worms shall make their houses in your eyeholes, & shall eat your flesh & make that body dry bones; if ye doe so, I know then, that your light of this world's vanity shall be more clear then now it is: And I am perswaded ye shall then think, that mens labours for this clay-idol are to be laughed at: Therefore come near and take a view of that transparent beauty that is in Christ, which would busie the love of ten thousand millions of world's & Angels, & hold them all at work: Surely I am grieved that men will not spend their whole love upon that royal & princely Welbeloved, that High & lofty One: For it is cursed love that runneth another way then upon him. And for my self, if I had ten loves & ten souls, O how glad would I be if he would break in upon me & take possession of them all! Woe, woe is me, that He & I are so far asunder! I hope we shall be in one countrey & one house together: truly pain of love-sickness for Jesus, maketh me to think it long, long, long to the dawning of that day. Oh that he would cut short years & moneths & hours, & overleap Time, that we might meet! And for this truth, Sir, that ye profess, I avow before the world of men & Angels, that it is the way & onelyonly way to our countrey, the rest are by-wayes; & that what I suffer for, is the apple of Christ's eye, even his honour as Law-giver & King of his Church. I think death too little ere I forsook it. Doe not, Sir, I beseech you in the Lord, make Christ's court thinner by drawing back from him, it is …oo thin already; for I dare pledge my heaven upon it, he shall win this plea, & the fools that plea against him shall lose the wager which is their part of salvation, except they take better heed to their wayes. Sir, free grace that we give no hire for, is a jewel our Lord giveth to few: Stand fast in the hope ye are called unto: Our Master will rend the clouds & will be upon us quic…ly, & clear our cause, & bring us all out in our black's & white's: Clean, clean garments in the Bridegroom's eye, are of great worth: Step over this hand-breadth of world's glory, in to our Lord's new world of grace, & ye will laugh at the feathers that children are chasing in the air. I ve…ly judge that this Inne…, men are building their nest in, is not worth a drink of cold water. It is a rainny and smoky house, b…st we come out of it, lest we be choked with the smoke thereof. O that my adversaries knew how sweet my sighs for Christ are, & what it were for a sinner to lay his head between Christ's breasts, & to be over head & ears in Christ's love! Alas, I cannot cause paper speak the height & breadth & depth of it! I have not a ballance to weigh my Lord Jesus's worth, heaven, ten heavens would not be the beam of a ballance, to weigh him in. I must give over praising of him, Angels see but little of him: O if that fair one, would take off the mask off his fair face, that I might see him▪ a kiss of him through his mask is half a heaven. O day, dawn! O time, run fast! O Bridegroom, post, post fast that we may meet! O hea vens, cleave in two, that, that bright face & head may set it self through the clouds! O that the corn were ripe & this world prepared for his hook! Sir, be pleased to remember a prisoner's bonds. Grace be with you.
Aberd. July. 10. 1637, Yours in his sweet Lord Iesus, S. R.
To Mr HUGH MC KAILL. (196)
My very dear Brother.
YE know, that men may take their sweet fill of the sowre Law in Grace's ground & betwixt the Mediator's breasts, and this is sinners safest way; for there is a bed for wearied sinners to rest them in, in the new Covenant, though no bed of Christ's making to sleep in: The Law shall never be my doomster by Christ's grace, if I get no more good of it: I shall finde a sore enough doom in the Gospel to humble & to cast me down: It is [I grant] a good rough friend to follow a traitour to the bar & to back him till he come to Christ: We may blame our selves who cause the Law to crave well paid debt, to scar us away from Jesus & dispute about a righteousness of our own, a world in the moon, a chim…rd, & a night-dream, that pride is Father & mother to: There cannot be a more humble soul then a beleever, it is no pride for a drowning man to catch hold of a rock. I rejoyce that the wheels of this confused world, are rolled & cogged & driven according as our Lord will: Out of whatever ai…th the wind blow, it will blow us on our Lord: No wind can blow our sailes over-board; because Christ's skill, & the honour of his wisdom are empawned & laid down at the stake for the sea-passengers, that he shall put them safe off his hand on the shore, in his father's known bounds, our native homeground. My dear Brother, scar not at the cross of Christ: It is not seen yet, what Christ will doe for you, when it cometh to the worst: He will keep his grace till ye be at a strait, & then bring forth the decreed birth for your salvation: Ye are an arrow of his own making, let him shoot you against a wall of brass, your point shall keep whole. I cannot for multitude of letters & distractions of friends prepare what I would for the times: I have not one hour of spare time, suppose the day were fourtie hours long. Remember me in prayer: Grace be with you.
Aberd. Sept. 5. 1637. Your in his sweet Lord Iesus. S. R,