Letters in Two Parts, Part 1 · LETTER 51
To JOHN STUART. Provest of Ayr, now in Ireland. (51)
Much honoured Sir.
GRace, mercy & peace be unto you: I long to hear from you, being now removed from my flock & the prisoner of Christ at Aberd: I would not have you to think it strange that your journey to New-England hath gotten such a dash: It indeed hath made my heart heavie, yet I know it is no dumb providence but a speaking one, whereby our Lord speaketh his minde to you, though for the present ye doe not well understand what he saith, however it be, he who sitteth upon the floods hath showen you his marvellous kindness in the great depths: I know your loss is great & your hope is gone far against you; But I entreat you, Sir, expound aright our Lord's laying an hinderance is the way: I perswade my self your heart aimeth at the footsteps of the flock, to feed beside the shepherds tents, & to dwell beside him whom your soul loveth, & that it is your desire to remain in the wilderness where the woman is kept from the Dragon, & this being your desire, remember that a poor prisoner of Christ said it to you, that, That miscarried journey is with childe to you of mercy & consolation: and shall bring forth a fair birth, and the Lord shall be midwife to the birth: wait on, he that beleeveth maketh not haste, Isa: 28. 16. I hope ye have been asking what the Lord meaneth & what further may be his will in reference to your return: my dear Brother, let God make of you what he will, he will end all with consolation, & shall make glory out of your sufferings, & would ye wish better work: this water was in your way to heaven & written in your Lord's book, ye behooved to cross it: & therefore kisse his wise & unerring providence: Let not the censures of men, who see but the out side of things [& scarce well that] abate your courage & rejoycing in the Lord, howb…it your faith seeth but the black side of providence, yet it hath a better side. & God shall let you see it. Learn to beleeve Christ better then his strokes, himself & his promises better then his gloomes: dashes & disappointments, are not Canonick scripture; fighting for the promised land, seemed to cry to God's promise, thoulyest. If our Lord rideupon a straw, his horse shall neither stumble nor fall, Rom. 8. 28. For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, Ergo shipwrak, losses &c: work together for the good of them that love God: Hence I inferre that losses, disappointments, ill tongues, losse of friends, houses or countrey, are God's work men set on work, to work out good to you out of every thing that befalleth you, let not the Lord's dealing seem harsh, rough, ot unfatherly, because it is unpleasant; when the Lord's blessed will bloweth cross your desires, it is best in humility to strike saile to him, and to be willing to be led any way our Lord pleaseth: it is a point of denial of your self, to be as if ye had not a will, but had made a free disposition of it to God & had sold it over to him; & to make use of his will for your own, is both true holiness & your ease & peace: ye know not what the Lord is working out of this, but ye shall know it hereafter & what I write to you I write to your …ife, I compassionat her case; but intreat her not to fear or faint, this journey is a part of her wilderness to heaven & the promised land, and there are sewer miles behinde, it is neerer the dawning of the day to her, then when she went out of Scotland: I would be glad to hear that ye & she have comfort & courage in the Lord. Now as concerning our Kirk: Our Service-book is ordained by open proclamation & sound of trumpet to be read in all the Kirks of this Kingdom: Our Prelats are to meet this monethmonth for It & our Canons, & for a Reconciliation betwixt us & the Lutherians. The Professors of Aberden-Universitie are charged to draw up the Articles of an Uniform Confession: But Reconciliation with Popery is intended; this is the day of Jacob's Visitation, the wayes of Zion mourn, our gold is become dim, the sun is gone down upon our Prophets, a dry wind, but neither to fan nor to cleanse is coming upon this land & all our ill is coming from the multiplied transgressions of this land and from the friends & lovers of Babel amongst us, Jer: 31: 35. The violence done to me & my flesh be upon thee Babylon shall the inhabitants of Zion say & my blood upon the inhabitants of Caldea shall Ierusalem say. Now for my self, I was three dayes before the High Comission, & accused of treason preached against our King: A Minister being witness went well nigh to swear it: God hath saved me from their malice. 1. They have deprived me of my Ministery. 2. Silenced me, that I exercise no part of the Ministeriall function within this Kingdom, under the pain of Rebellion. 3. Confined my person within the town of Aberden, where I finde the Ministers working for my confine ment in Caithnesse or Orknay far from them; because some people here (willing to be edified) resort to me. At my first entry I had heavie challenges within me, & a court fenced [but I hope not in Christ's name] wherein it was asserted that my Lord would have no more of my service & was tired of me: And like a fool I summoned Christ also for unkindness, my soul fainted & I refused comfort & said, what ailed Christ at me, for I desired to be faithfull in his house? thus in my rovings & mistakings my Lord Jesus bestowed mercy on me, who am less then the least of all saints. I lay upon the dust & bought a plea from Satan against Christ, & he was content to sell it, but at length Christ did show himself friends with me & in mercy pardoned & past my part of it, & onelyonly complained, that a court should be holden in his bounds without his own allowance; now I passe from my compearance, & as if Christ had done the fault he hath made the mends & returned to my soul; so that now his poor prisoner feedeth on the feast of love: my adversaries know not what a courtier I am now with my Royall King, for whose crown I now suffer, it i… but our soft & lazie flesh that hath raised an ill report of the cross of Christ. O sweeet, sweet is his yoke! Christ's chains are of pure gold, sufferings for him are perfumed: I would not give my weeping for the laughing of all the fourteen Prelats, I would not exchange my sadness with the world's joy. O lovely, lovely Jesus, how sweet must thy kisses be when thy cross smelleth so sweetly! O if all the three Kingdoms had part of my love-feasts, & of the comforts of a dated prisoner. Dear Brother I charge you to praise for me & seek help of our acquaintance there, to help me to praise: Why should I smother Christ's honesty to me: my heart is taken up with this, that my silence and sufferings may preach; I beseech you in the bowels of Christ to help me to praise: Remember my love in Christ to your wife, to Mr Blair & Mr Livingston, & Mr Cuninghame, let me hear from you for I am anxious what to doe: If I saw a call for New-England, I would follow it. Grace be with you.
Aberd. 1637. Yours in our Lord Iesus, S. R.