Letters in Two Parts, Part 1 · LETTER 197 – LETTER 199
To his Reverend & Dear Brother Mr DAVID DICKSON. (197)
My Reverend & Dear Brother.
I Fear ye have never known me well: If ye saw my innerside, it is possible ye would pitie me, but ye would hardly give me either love or respect: Men mistake me the whole length of the heavens: My sins prevaile over me & the terrors of their guiltiness: I am put often to ask, if Christ & I did ever shake hands together in earnest, I mean not that my feast-dayes are quite gone; but I am made of extremities: I pray God ye never have the woefull & driery experience of a closed mouth; for then ye shall judge the sparrows that may sing in the Church of Irwin, blessed birds: But my soul hath been refreshed & watered, when I hear of your courage & zeal for your never-enough-praised, praised Master, in that ye put the men of God, chased out of Ireland, to work: O if I could confirm you! I dare say in God's presence, That this shall never hasten your suffering, but shall be David Dickson's feast and speaking joy, that while he had time and leisure, he put many to work, to lift up Iesus, his sweet Master, high in the skies. O man of God, goe on, goe on, be valiant for that plant of renown, for that chief among ten thousands, for that Prince of the Kings of the earth: It is but little that I know of God, yet this I dare write, Christ shall be glorified in David Dickson, howbeit Scotland be not gathered: I am pained, pained, that I have not more to give my sweet bridegroom: His comforts to me are not dealt with a niggard's hand, but I would fain learn not to idolize comfort, sense, joy, and sweet felt-presence: All these are but creatures, and nothing but the kingly robe, the Gold-ring and the Bracelets of the Bridegroom: The Bridegroom himself is better then all the ornaments that are about him. Now, I would not so much have these, as God him s…l…, & to be swallowed up of love to Christ: I see in delighting in a communion with Christ, we may make moe Gods then one…, but however, all was but bai…ns-play between Christ & me till now: If one would have sworn unto me, I would not have beleeved, what may be found in Christ: I hope ye pitie my pain that much in my prison, as to help me your self, & to cause others help me a Dyvour, a sinfull wretched Dy your to pay some of my debts of praise to my great King: Let my God be judge & witness, if my soul would not have sweet ease & comfort, to have many hearts confirmed in Christ, & enlarged with his love, & many tongues set on work to set on high my Royal & princely welbeloved. O that my sufferings could pay tribute to such a King! I have given over wondering at his love: for Christ hath manifested a piece of art upon me, that I never revealed to any living: He hath gotten fair and rich employment, & sweet sale, & a goodly market for his honourable calling of showing mercy, on me the chief of sinners: Every one knoweth not so well as I doe, my woefully oftenbroken covenants: My sins against light working in the very act of sinning, hath been met with admirable mercy: But Alas! He will get nothing back again but wretched unthankfulness! I am sure, if Christ pitie any thing in me, next to my sin, it is pain of love for an armfull & soul-full of himself, in faith, love & begun fruition: My sorrow is, that I cannot get Christ lifted off the dust in Scotland, & set on high above all the skies & heaven of heavens.
Aberd. May. 1. 1637. Yours in his sweet Lord Iesus. S. R.
To His Reverend & dear Brother Mr JOHN LIVINGSTONE. (198)
My Reverend & dear Brother
GRace, mercy & peace be to you: I long to hear from you, & to be refreshed with the comforts of the bride of our Lord Jesus in Ireland: I suffer with you in grief, for the dash that your desires to be at N. E: have received of late: But if our Lord, who hath skill to bring up his children, had not seen it your best, it should not have befallen you: Hold your peace & stay your selves upon the holy one of Israel: hearken what he saith in crossing of your desires, he will speak peace to his people. I am here removed from my flock, & silenced & confined in Aberden, for the testimony of Jesus: And I have been confined in spirit also with desertions & challenges: I gave in a bill of quarrels & complaints of unkindness against Christ, who seemed to cast me over the dike of the vineyard as a dry tree, & separated me from the Lord's inheritance: But high, high & loud praises be to our royal crowned King in Zion, that he hath not burnt the dry branch: I shall yet live & see his glory. Your Mother-church for her whoredom is like to be cast off: The bairns may break their heart to see such chiding betwixt the husband & the wife. Our Clergie is upon a Reconciliation with the Lutherians, & the Doctors are writing books, & drawing up a Common Confession at the Councel's command: Our Service-book is proclaimed with sound of trumpet: The night is fallen down upon the P'rophets: Scotland's day of visitation is come: It is time for the bride to weep, while Christ is a saying, He will chuse another wife: But our skie will clear again: The dry branch of cut-down Lebanon will bud again & be glorious, & they shall yet plant vines upon our mountains. Now, My dear Brother, I write to you for this end, that ye may help me to praise, and seek help of others with you that God may be glorified in my bonds. My Lord, Jesus hath taken the withered dry stranger & his broken-in-heart prisoner, in to his house of wine: O! O, If ye & all Scotland, & all our brethren with you, knew how I am feasted! Christ's hon… combs drop comforts: He dineth with his prisoner, & the King's spikenard casteth a smell: The Devil cannot get it denied, but we suffer for the apple of Christ's eye, his royal prerogatives as King & Law-giver: Let us not fear or faint, He will have his Gospel once again rouped in Scotland, & have the matter going to voices, to see who will say, let Christ be crowned King in Scotland: It is true, Antichrist stirreth his tail, but I love a rumbling & raging Devil in the kirk […nc… the Church militant cannot, or may not want a Devil to trouble her] rather then a subtile or sleeping Devil: Christ never yet go… a bride without stroke of sword: It is now nigh the bridegroom's entring in to his chamber, let us awake & goe in with him: I bear your name to Christ's door: I pray you, Dear Brother, forget me not: Let me hear from you by Letter, & I charge you, smother not Christ's bounty towards me: I write what I have found of him in the house of my pilgrimage. Remember my love to all our brethren & sisters there. The keeper of the vineyard watch for his besieged city & for you.
Aberd. Feb. 7. 1637. Your brother & fellow sufferer, S. R.
To Mr EPHRAIM MELVIN. (199)
Reverend & dear Brother.
I Received your letter & am contented with all my heart that our acquaintance in our Lord continue. I am wrestling as I dow, up the mount with Christ's cross: My second is kinde & able to help. As for your questions, because of my manifold distractions, & letters to multitudes, I have not time to answer them: What shall be said in common for that, shall be imparted to you; for I am upon these questions: therefore spare me a little; for the Service-book would take a great time… but I think, Sicut deosculatio religio sà imaginis aut etiam el… mentorum, est in se idololatria externa, etsi intentio deosculandi tota quanta in actu est, feratur in Deum foreign, it a geniculatio coram pane, quando nempe ex instituto totus homo externus & internus ver sar… debeat circa elementaria signa, est adoratio relativa, & adoratio… sius panis. Ratio: Intentio adorandi objectum materiale, non est de essentiâ externae adorationis, ut pate… i… deosculatione religio sà. Sic geniculatio coram imagine Babylonicâ, est externa adoratio imaginis, etsitr…s pueri mente intendissent adorare Iehovam. Sic qui ex metu solo, aut spe pretij aut inanis gloria, geniculatur coram aureo vitulo Ieroboami (quod ab ipso rege, qui nullà religione induct…s, sed libidine domin…ndi tantum, vitulumerexit, factitatum esse, textus satis luculenter clamat) adorat vitulum externâ adoratione, esto quod putaret vitulum esse meram creaturam, & honore nullo dignum: quia geniculatio, sive nos nolum…s sive volumus, ex instituto Dei & naturae, in actu religioso, est symbolum religiosae adorationis: Ergo sicut panis signat corpus Christi etsi absit actus omnis nostrae intentionis, sic religiosae geniculatio sublatâ omni intentione humanâ, est externae adoratio paniscoram quo adoramus, ut coram signo vicario & repraesentativo Dei: Thus recommending you to God's tender mercy, I desire that ye would remember me to God: sanctification shall settle you most in the truth. Grace be with you.
Aberd. 1637. Your Brother in Christ Iesus, S. R.