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his lodging at night, and ly in the fields. I recommend Christ and his love to your feeking, and yourself to the tender mercy and rich grace of our Lord. Remember my love in Chrift to your wife: I defire her to learn to make her foul's anchor fast upon Chrift himself few are faved. Let her confider, what joy the fmiles of God in Chrift will be, and what the love-kifles of fweet, sweet Jefus, and a welcome home to the new Jerufalem, from Christ's own mouth, will be to her foul, when Chrift shall fold together the clay-tent of her body, and lay it by his hand for a time, fill the fair morning of the general refurrection. I avouch before God, man and angel, that I have not feen, nor can imagine a lover to be comparable to lovely Jefus; I would not exchange or niffer him with ten heavens: if heaven could be without him, what could we do there? Grace, grace be with you.

Aberc. 637.

Your foul's eternal well-wisher, S. R.

147. To CASSINCARRIE.

Much honoured Sir,

Race, mercy and peace be to you. I have been too long in I writing to you. I am confident ye have learned to prize Chrift, and his love and favour, more than ordinary professors, who fcarce fee Chrift with half an eye, because their fight is taken up with eyeing and liking the beauty of this over-gilded world, that promifeth fair to all its lovers, but in the push of a trial, when need is, can give nothing but a fair beguile. I know ye are not ignorant, that men come not to this world, as fome do to a market, to fee and be feen; or as fome come to behold a May game, and only to behold, and to go home again: ye came hither to treat with God, and to tryft with him in his Chrift, for falvation to your foul, and to feek reconciliation with an angry wrathful God, in a covenant of peace made to you in Chrift; and this is more than an ordinary sport, or the play, that the greatest part of the world give their heart unto: and therefore, worthy Sir, I pray you by the falvation of your foul, and by the mercy of God, and your compearance before Chrift, do this in fad earnest, and let not falvation be your by work, or your holy-days task only, or a work by the way; for men think, that this may be done in three days fpace on a feather-bed, when death and they are fallen in hands. together, and that with a word or two they shall make their foulmatters right; alas ! this is to fit loose and unfure in the matters of our falvation; nay, feeking of this world, and the glory of it, is but an odd and by-errand that we may flip, fo being we make falvation fure. Oh when will men learn to be that heavenly wife as to divorce from, and free their foul of all idol-lovers, and make Christ the only, only One, and trim and make ready their lamps,

while they have time and day! How foon will this house skail, and the inns where the poor foul lodgeth fall to the earth! how foon will fome few years pafs away, and then when the day is ended, and this life's leafe expired, what have men of world's glory, but dreams and thoughts? O how blessed a thing is it to labour for Christ, and to make him fure! know and try in time your holding of him, and the rights and charters of heaven, and upon what terms ye have Chrift and the gospel, and what Chrift is worth in your estimation, and how lightly ye efteem of other things, and how dearly of Chrift! I am fure, if ye fee him in his beauty and glory, ye fhall fee him to be all things, and that incomparable jewel of gold that ye fhould feek, howbeit ye fhould fell, wadfet and forfeit your few years portion of this life's joy. O happy foul for evermore, who can rightly compare this life with that long lasting life to come, and can balance the weighty glory of the one, with the light golden vanity of the other! The day of the Lord is now near hand, and all men fhall come out in their blacks and whites, as they are there shall be no borrowed lying colours in that day, when Chrift fhall be called Chrift, and no longer nick-named. Now men borrow Chrift and his white colour, and the luftre and fairding of Christianity; but how many counterfeit masks will be burnt in the day of God, in the fire, that fhall burn the earth and the works that are in it? and howbeit Christ have the hardest part of it now, yet, in the prefence of my Lord, whom I ferve in the Spirit, I would not piffer or exchange Chrift's prifon, bonds and chains, with the gold chains and lordly rents, and smiling and hap py like heavens of the men of this world. I am far from thoughts of repenting, because of my loffes and bonds for Chrift. I wish all my adverfaries were as I am, except my bonds. Worthy, worthy, worthy for evermore is Chrift, for whom we should suffer pains like hell's pains; far more the fhort hell that the faints of God have in this life. Sir, I wish your foul may be more acquainted with the fweetness of Chrift. Grace, grace be with you. Yours in his only Lord and Mafter, S. R

Aberd. 1637.

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148. To his Parishioners at Anwoth.

Dearly beloved in our Lord,

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and from our

Lord Jefus Chrift be multiplied upon you. I long exceedingly to hear of your on-going and advancement in your journey to the kingdom of God: my only joy out of heaven is to hear that the feed of God fown among you is growing and coming to an harvest; for I ceafed not, while I was among you, in season and out of season (according to the measure of grace given unta me) to warn and stir up your minds: and I am free from the

blood

223 blood of all men; for I have communicated to you the whole counfel of God. And I now again charge and warn you, in the great and dreadful name, and in the fovereign authority of the King of kings and Lord of lords; and I befeech you alfo by the mercies of God, and by the bowels of Chrift, by your appearance before Chrift Jefus our Lord, by all the plagues that are written in God's book, by your part of the holy city, the new Jerusalem, that ye keep the truth of God, as I delivered it to you before many witnesses, in the fight of God and his holy angels; for now the last days are come and coming, when many forfake Christ Jefus, and he faith to you, Will ye also leave me? Remember that I forewarned you to forbear the dishonouring of the Lord's bleffed name, in fwearing, blafpheming, curfing, and the profaning of the Lord's fabbath; willing you to give that day from morning to night to praying, praifing, hearing of the word, conferring, and speaking not your own words, but God's words; thinking and meditating on God's nature, word and works: and that every day at morning and at night (at least) ye fhould fanctify the Lord by praying in your houses, publickly in the hearing of all; that ye fhould in any fort forbear the receiving of the Lord's Supper, but after the form that I delivered it to you, according to the example of Christ our Lord; that is, that ye fhould fit as banqueters at one table with our King, and eat and drink, and divide the elements one to another; the timber and ftones of the church walls fhall bear witness, that my foul was refreshed with the comforts of God in that fupper and that croffing in baptifm was unlawful, and against Christ's ordinance; and that no day (befides the fabbath, which is of his own appointment) fhould be kept holy, and fanctified with preaching and the public worship of God, for the memory of Chrift's birth, death, refurrection and afcenfion; feeing fuch days fo obferved are unlawful, will-worship, and not warranted in Chrift's word: and that every thing in God's worship, not warranted by Christ's testament and word, was unlawful: and alfo, that idolatry, worshipping of God before hallowed creatures, and adoring of Chrift, by kneeling before bread and wine, was unlawful: and that ye fhould be humble, fober, modeft, forbearing pride, envy, malice wrath, hatred, contention, debate, lying, flandering, ftealing, and defrauding your neighbours in grafs, corn or cattle, in buying or felling, borrow. ing or lending, taking or giving, in bargains or covenants: and that ye fhould work with your own hands, and be content with that which God hath given you that ye fhould study to know God and his will, and keep in mind the doctrine of the catechifm, which I taught you carefully, and fpeak of it in your houses and in the fields, when ye ly down at night, and when ye rife in the morning :

Epift. 148. morning: that ye fhould believe in the Son of God, and obey his commandments, and learn to make your accounts in time with your Judge; because death and judgment are before you. And if ye have no penury and want of that word, which I delivered to you in abundance; yea, (to God's honour I fpeak it, without arrogating any thing to myfelf, who am but a poor empty man) ye had as much of the word, in nine years while I was among you, as fome others have had in many; mourn for your loss of time, and repent. My foul pitieth you, that you should fuck dry breasts, and be put to draw at dry wells. O that ye would eftcem highly of the Lamb of God, your Well-beloved Christ Jefus, whofe virtues and praises I preached unto you with joy, and which he did countenance and accompany with fome power; and that ye would call to mind the many fair days and glorious feafts in our Lord's house of wine, that ye and I have had with Christ Jefus ! But if there be any among you that take liberty to fin, because I am removed from amongst you, and forget that word of truth which ye heard, and turn the grace of God into wantonnefs; I here under my hand, in the name of Chrift my Lord, write to fuch perfons all the plagues of God, and the curfes that ever I preached in the pulpit of Anwoth against the children of disobedience: and, as the Lord liveth, the Lord Jefus fhall make good what I write unto you. Therefore, dearly beloved, fulfil my joy; fear the great and dreadful name of the Lord; feek God with me. Scotland's judgment fleepeth not; awake and repent: the fword of the Lord fhall go from the north to the fouth, from the east to the weft, and through all the corners of the land; and that fword fhall be drunk with your blood amongst the firft: and I shall stand up as a witness against you, if ye do not amend your ways and your doings, and turn to the Lord with all your heart. I beseech you alfo, my dearly beloved in the Lord, my joy and my crown, offend not at the fufferings of me, the prifoner of Jesus Christ; I am filled with joy and with the comforts of God. Upon my falvation, I know and am perfuaded, it is for God's truth, and the honour of my King and royal Prince, Jefus, I now fuffer: and howbeit this town be my prifon, yet Chrift hath made it my palace, a garden of pleasures, a field and orchard of delights. I know likewife, albeit I be in bonds, that yet the word of God is not in bonds; my spirit alfo is in free ward. Sweet, fweet have his comforts been to my foul; my pen, tongue and heart have not words to exprefs the kindness, love and mercy of my Well-beloved to me, in this houfe of my pilgrimage. I charge you to fear and love Christ, and to feek a house not made with hands, but your Father's house above. This laughing and white fkinned world beguileth

you; and if ye feek it more than God, it fhall play you a flip, to the endless forrow of your heart. Alas, I could not make many

of

of you to fall in love with Chrift, howbeit I endeavoured to speak much good of him, and to commend him to you (which as it was your fin, fo it is my forrow): yet once again fuffer me to exhort, befeech and obft you in the Lord, to think of his love, and to be. delighted with him, who is altogether lovely: I give you the word of a King, ye fhall not repent it. Ye are in my prayers night and day, I cannot forget you: I do not eat, I do not drink, but I pray for you all I intréat you all, and every one of you, to pray for me. Grace, grace be with you.

I

::

Aberd. Sept. 23. 1637.

Mistress,

Your lawful and loving

Paftor, S. R.

149. To the Lady CARDONES S.

:

Befeech you in the Lord Jefus, make every day more and more, of Chrift; and try your growth in the grace of God, and what new ground ye win daily on corruption: for travellers are day by day either advancing farther on, and nearer home; or else they go not right about to compass their journey. I think still the better and better of Chrift: alas, I know not where to fet him, I would fo fain have him high! I cannot fet heavens above heavens, till I were tired with numbering, and fet him upon the higheft step and ftory of the highest of them all but I wish I could make him great through the world, fuppofe my lofs, and pain, and fhame were fet under the foles of his feet, that he might stand upon me. I request you faint not, because this world and ye are at yea and nay, and because this is not a home that laugheth upon you; the wife Lord, who knoweth you, will have it fo, becaufe he cafteth a net for your love, to catch it and gather it in to himself: therefore bear patiently the lofs of children, and burdens, and other difcontentments, either within or without the houfe; your Lord in them is feeking you, and feek ye him. Let none be your love and choice, and the flower of your delights, but your Lord Jefus. Set not your heart upon the world, fince God hath not made it your portion; for it will not fall you to get two portions, and to laugh twice, and to be happy twice, and to have an upper heaven and an under heaven too: Christ our Lord and his faints were not fo; and therefore let go your grip of this life, and of the good things of it. I hope your heaven groweth not hereaway. Learn daily both to poffefs and mifs Christ, in his fecret Bridegroom fmiles; he muft go and come, because his infinite wisdom thinketh it beft for you: we will be together one day; we fhall not need to borrow light from fun, moon or candle; there fhall be no complaints on either fide in heaven; there fhall be none there, but he and we, the Bridegroom and the bride: devi!

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