Letters in Two Parts, Part 2 · LETTER 61
[To the much honoured & truely worthy, Collonel G. KER. Habakuk 2: 3, 4. (61.)
Much honoured & worthy Sir.
YOur chains now shine as much for Christ, the cause being his, as your sword was made famous in acting for that cause: And blessed are such as can willingly tender to Christ both action & blood, doing & suffering: Resisting unto blood is little for that precious & never-enough exalted Redeemer, who when ye were a buying, gave blood somewhat dearer then ye gave for him, even the blood of God, Act. 20: 28. I know a man who upon the receit of a letter that ye were killed, & the people of God destroyed, wished that he might be quickly under the wall of the higher palace, from under the dint of the storm, & who longed to have the weather-beaten & crazie bark safely landed in that harbour of eternall quietnesse. What further service Christ hath for you I know not, it is enough, in that your captivity ye offer your service to Christ; but if I see any thing it looks like a mercifull defeat. I see the Nobles & the State falling off from Christ, & the night coming upon the Prophets, which we would pray to prevent, because it is a rare thing to see a fallen star win ever up again to the firmament to shine: And what if this be the thick darkness going before the break of day. Sure, Sir, the Sun shall rise upon Scotland; but if I shall see it, or how near it is to day, I leave that to him, even unto Iehovah, who creats upon every dwelling in mount Sion, & upon her assemblies a cloud, & a smoke by day, & the shining of a flaming fire by night. But, Sir, the wildernesse shall rejoyce & blossom as a rose, & happy he, who hath a bone or an arm, to put the Crown upon the head of our highest King, whose chariot is paved with love: were there ten thousand millions of heavens created above these highest heavens, & again & as many above them, & as many above them, till Angels were wearied with counting, it were but too low a seat to fix the princely throne of that Lord Jesus [whose ye are] above them all: Created heavens are too low a seat of majesty for him. Since then there is none equal to your master & Prince, who hath chosen out for you amongst many sufferings for sin, that onelyonly crosse, which cometh nearest in liknesse to his own crosse, watered with consolations, take courage, & comfort your self in him who hath chosen you to glory hereafter & to a conformity with him here: we fools would have a crosse of our own chusing, & would have our gall & wormwood sugared, our fire cold, & our death & grave warmed with heat of life; but he who hath brought many children to glory & lost none, is our best Tutour. I wish when I am sick that he may be keeper & comforter. I judge it a blessed fall, that we are forfaited Heirs, broken & out of credit, & that Christ is become a Tutour in the place of Freewill, & that we are no more our own. I am broken & wasted with the wrath that is on the land, & have been much tempted with a designe to have a Passe from Christ, which if I had, I would not stay to be a witnesse of our defection for no mans intreatie; but I know it is my softnesse & weakness who would ever be ashore when a fit of sea-sickness cometh on; Though I know I shall come soon-enough to that desireable countrey, & shall not be displaced, none shall take my lodging. Sir, many eyes are upon you, & the Godly are exceedingly refreshed that ye listen not to the wayes of many about you, who with fair words make marchandise of souls. Sir, if the way you are in be not the way of Christ, then woe to me, for I am eternally lost; but truly, the Lord Christ's dealing with with Col: Gilbert Ker hath proven to me that the new restament & the covenant of grace is a piece, that a solemne meeting and assembly of all created Angels, joyne all their wits together, could not have devised: fince Sir, ye payed nothing for the change that Christ made, & ye will take that debt of free grace to heaven with you, [for what was Christ Jesus indebted to you more then to all your kindred & name?] Therefore since ye are made his own, follow no other way. What is my salvation though I should lay it in pawne, [It is but a poor pledge] that this, this onelyonly is the way; but Christ is surety himself that it is the way, the fore-runner went before you, and he is safely landed, & there is a fair company before you of such as have come out of great tribulation, and have washed their garments, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb; to whom these promises are now performed, he that overcomes shall eat of the tree of life, that is in the midst of the Paradise of God, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall therebe any more pain: He that siteth on the throne shall dwell among them; they shall hunger no more neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat; for the lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall take them unto the living fountains of waters. I may, Sir, possibly keep you from better work: The God of peace th…t brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the eternall covenant, make you perfect.
St. Andrews. Jan. 7. 1651. Yours in Iesus Christ. S. R.