Letters in Two Parts, Part 1 · LETTER 200 – LETTER 201
To a Gentle woman upon the death of her husband. [200]
MISTRESS.
GRace, mercy & peace be to you: I cannot but rejoyce, and withall be grieved at your case: It hath pleased the Lord to remove your husband, [my friend, & this Kirk's faithfull professor] soon to his rest; but shall we be sorry, that our losse is his gain, seeing his Lord would want his company no longer; think not much of short summonds, for seeing he walked with his Lord in his life & desired that Christ should be magnified in him at his death, ye ought to be silent and satisfied: When Christ cometh for his own, he runneth fast; mercy, mercy to the saints goeth not at leisure; love, love in our Redeemer is not slow, & withall he is homely with you, who cometh at his own hand to your house and intrometeth as a friend with any thing that is yours: I think he would fain borrow & lend with you. Now he shall meet with the solacious company, the fair flock and blessed bairn-time of the first-born, banquetting at the marriage-supper of the Lamb. It is mercy that the poor wand. i…g sheep get a dike-fide in this storn i… day, and a lecking ship a safe harbrie, & a sea-sick passenger a sound and soft bed a shore. Wrath, wrath, wrath from the Lord i… coming upon this land that he hath left behinde him: know therefore that your Lord Jesus his wounds, are the wounds of a lover, and that he will have compassion upon a sad hearted servant and that Christ hath said, he will have the husband's room in your heart, he loved you in your first husband's time, and he is but wooeing you still, give him heart and chair, house and all; he will not be made companion with any other, love is full of Jealousies, he will have all your love, and who should get it but He? I know ye allow it upon him, there are comforts both sweet & satisfying, laid up for you, wait on, first Christ, he is an honest debter. Now for mine own case, I think some poor body would be glad of a dâted prisoner's leavings, I have no scarcitie of Christ's love, he hath wasted moe comforts upon his poor banished servant, then would have refreshed many souls: my burden was once so heavie that one cunce weight would have casten the ballance & broken my back, but Christ said, hold, hold to my sorrow, & hath wiped a bluchered face, which was foul with weeping. I may joyfully go… my Lord's errands with wages in my hands; deferred hopes need not to make me dead swier [as we use to say] my crosse is both my crosse & my reward, Oh that men would sound his high praises! I love Christ's worst reproaches, his glooms, his crosse, better then all this world's plastered glory, my heart is not longing to be back again from Christ's countrey, it' a sweet soil I a… co…e to I, [if any in the world] have good cause to speak much good of him. O Hell were a good cheap price to buy him a…! Oh if all the three Kingdoms were witnesses to …y pained, pained soul, overcome & wounded with Christ's love! I thank you most kindly, my dear Sister, for your love & render care to my brother, I will think my self obliged to you if ye continue his friend, he is more to me then a brother now, being engaged to suffer for so honourable a master and cause. pray for Christ's prisoner, and Grace, grace be with you.
Aberd. March. 7. 16…6. Yours in his sweet Lord Iesus. S. R.
To His reverend & dear Brother Mr JOHN NEVAY. (201)
My reverend & dear Brother.
GRace, mercy & peace be to you: I have exceeding many …w…ite to, else I would be kinder in paper. I rejoyce that my sweet Master hath any to oack him: Thick, thick may my royal Kings Court be: O that his Kingdom, might grow! It were my joy to have his house full of guests. Except that I have some cloudy dayes for the most part I have a King's life with Christ, he is all perfumed with the powders of th… marchant, he hath a King's face & a King'… smell, his chariot wherein be carrieth his poor prisoneri of the wood of Lebanon, it is paved with love, is not that soft ground to walk or lie on? I think better of Christ then ever I did, my thoughts of his love grow & swell on me, I never write to any of him so much as I have felt. Oh if If could write a book of Christ & of his love! Suppose I were made white ashes & burnt for this same truth that men count but as knots of straws, it were my gain, if my ashes could proclaim the worth, excellency & love of my Lord Jesus: There is much telling in Christ, I give over the weighing of him, Heaven would not be the beam of a ballance to weigh him in. What eyes be on me, or what wind of tongues be on me, I care not: Let me stand in this stage in the fools coat & act a fools part to the rest of this nation: If I can set my welbeloved on high & witness fair for him, a fig for their Hosanna: If I can roll my self in a lap of Christ's garment, I will …e there & laugh at the thoughts of dying bits of clay. Brother, we have cause to weep for our harlot-mother, her husband is sending her to Rome's brothell-house, which is the gate she liketh well: Yet I perswade you, there shall be a fair after-growth for Christ in Scotland, & this Church shall sing the Bridegroom's welcome-home again to his own house: The worms shall eat them first ere they cause Christ take good-night at Scotland. I am here assaulted with the Doctors gun, but I bless the father of lights they draw not blood of truth. I finde no lodging in the heart of natural men, who are cold friends to my Master: I pray you, Remember my love to that Gentleman A. C. My heart is knit to him, because he & I have one Master. Remember my bands, & present my service to my Lord & my Lady: I wish Christ may be dearer to them, then to many of their place. Grace be with you.
Aberd. July. 5. 1637. Yours in his sweet Lord Iesus. S. R.