Letters in Two Parts, Part 2 · LETTER 41
To Mistress TAYLOR. (41)
MISTRESS.
GRace, mercy & peace be to you: Though I have no relation worldly or acquaintance with you, yet (upon the testimony & importunity of your Elder son now at London, where I am, but chiefily because I esteem Jesus Christ in you to be in place of all relations] I make bold in Christ to speak my poor thoughts to you concerning your Son lately fallen asleep in the Lord [who was some time under the ministery of the worthy servant of Christ, my fellow-labourer Mr Blair, and by whose ministery I hope he reaped no small advantage] I know, grace rooteth not out the affections of a mother, but putteth them on his wheel who maketh all things new, that they may be refined, therefore sorrow for a dead childe is allowed to you, though by measure & ounce-weights; the redeemed of the Lord have not a dominion or Lordship over their sorrow & other affections, to lavish out Christ's goods at their pleasure; for ye are not your own, but bought with a price, & your sorrow is not your own, nor hath he redeemed you by halves; & therefore ye are not to make Christ's cross no cross: He commandeth you to weep, & that Princely one who took up to heaven with him a man's heart, to be a compassionat high priest, became your fellow & companion on earth by weeping for the dead Ioh. 11: 35. And therefore ye are to love that cross, because it was once on Christ's shoulders before you; so that by his own practice he hath overguilded and covered your cross with the Mediator's lustre: The cup ye drink was at the lip of sweet Jesus, & he drank of it, & so it hath a smell of his breath: And I conceive ye love it not the worse that it is thus sugared, therefore drink & beleeve the resurrection of your Son's body: If one coal of hell could fall off the exalted head Iesus, Jesus the Prince of the Kings of the earth, & burn me to ashes, knowing I were a partner with Christ, & a fellow-sharer with him [though the unworthiest of men] I think I should die a lovely death in that fire, with him: The worst things of Christ, even his cross, have much of heaven from himself, & so hath your Christian sorrow, being of kin to Christ's in that kinde: If your sorrow were a Bastard, & not of Christ's house [because of the relation ye have to him in conformity with his death & sufferings] I should the more compassionat your condition; but kinde & compassionat Jesus, at every sigh ye give for the loss of your now-glorified childe [so I beleeve, as is meet] with a man's heart cryeth halfe mine. I was not a witness to his death, being called out or the Kingdom; but ye shall credit these whom I doe credit (& I dare not lye) he died comfortably: It is true he died before he did so much service to Christ on earth, as I hope & heartily desire your Son Mr Hugh [very dear to me in Jesus Christ] shall doe: But that were a reall matter of sorrow, if this were not to counterballance it, that he hath changed service-houses, but hath not changed services or master Rev. 22: 3. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God & of the Lamb shall be in it, & his servants shall serve him. What he could have don in this lower house, he is now upon that same service in the higher house, & it is all one, it is the same service & the same Master, onelyonly there is a change of conditions: And ye are not to think it a bad bargain for your beloved son, where he hath gold for copper & brass, Eternity for Time. I beleeve Christ hath taught you [for I give credit to such a witness of you as your Son Mr Hugh] not to sorrow because he died: All the knot must be, he died too soon, he died too young, he died in the morning of his life, this is all; but soveraignity must silence your thoughts: I was in your condition, I had but two children, & both are dead since I came hither: The supream and absolut former of all things giveth not an account of any of his matters: The good husband-man may pluck his roses, & gather in his lilies at midsummer, & for ought I dare say, in the beginning of the first summer-monethmonth: & he may transplant young trees out of the lower-ground to the higher, where they may have more of the sun & a more free air, at any season of the year: what is that to you or me: The goods are his own. The Creator of time & winds did a mercifull injurie [if I dare borrow the word] to nature, in landing the passenger so early. They love the sea too well, who complain of a fair wind & a desirable tide, and a speedy coming ashore, especially a coming ashore in that land where all the inhabitants have everlasting joy upon their heads: He cannot be too earely in heaven: His twelve hours were not short hours: And withall if ye consider this, had ye been at his bed-side, and should have seen Christ coming to him, ye would not, ye could not have adjourned Christ's free love, who would want him no longer: And dying in an other land where his mother could not close his eyes, is not much: who closed Mose's eyes? And who put on his winding-sheet? For ought I know, neither father nor mother nor friend, but God onelyonly: And there is as expedite, fair & easie a way betwixt Scotland & heaven, as if he had died in the very bed he was born in: The whole earth is his father's: Any corner of his father's house is good enough to die in. It may be, the living childe (I speak not of Mr. Hugh) is more grief to you then the dead: Ye are to wait on, if at any time God shall give him repentance: Christ waited as long possibly on you & me, certainly longer on me: & if he should deny repentance to him, I could say some thing to that; but I hope better things of him: It seemeth that Christ will have this world your step-dame: I love not your condition the wo…se, it may be a proof that ye are not a childe of this lower house, but a stranger: Christ seeth it not good onelyonly, but your onelyonly good, to be lead thus to heaven: & think this a favour, that he hath bestowed upon you, Free, free grace, that is, mercy without hire, ye paid nothing for it: And who can put a price upon any thing of Royal and Princely Jesus Christ? And that God hath given to you to suffer for him the spoiling of your goods, esteem it as an act of free grace also: Ye are no loser, having himself: And I perswade my self, if ye could prize Christ, nothing could be bitter. to you. Grace, grace be with you.
London: 1645. Your Brother & Wellwisher, S. R.