and prisoner; I am in the hands me; but because beholders, that of mine enemies;, I would, honest stand on dry land, see not my sea and lawful means were essayed, for storm: the witnesses of my sad bringing me home to my charge, how cross are but strangers to my sad when Mr. A. R. and Mr. H. R. are days and nights. O that Christ restored. It concerneth you of Gal- would let me alone, and speak love loway most, to use supplications and to me, and come home to me, and addresses for this purpose, and try if bring summer with him! O that by fair means I can be brought back I might preach his beauty and glory, again. As for liberty, without I be as once I did, before my clay-tent be restored to my flock, it is little to me; removed to darkness: and that I for my silence is my greatest prison; might lift Christ off the ground, and however it be, I wait for the Lord, my branches might be watered with I hope not to rot in my sufferings; the dew of God, and my joy in his Lord give me submission to wait on; work might grow green again, and my heart is sad, that my days flee bud, and send out a flower! But away, and I do no service to the I am but a short-sighted creature, Lord in his house, now when his and my candle casteth not light afar harvest, and the souls of perishing off; he knoweth all that is done to people rèquire it; but his ways are me, how that when I had but one not like my ways, neither can I find joy, and no more, and one green him out. O that he would shine flower, that I esteemed to be my upon my darkness, and bring forth my morning light from under the thick cloud, that men have spread over me! O that the Almighty would lay my cause in a balance, and weigh me, if my soul was not taken up, when others were sleeping, how to have Christ betrothed with a bride, in that part of the land! but that day that my mouth was most unjustly and cruelly closed, the bloom fell off my branches, and my joy did cast the flower. How beit, I have been casting myself under God's feet, and wrestling to believe under a hidden and covered Lord, yet my fainting cometh before I eat, and my faith hath bowed with the fore cast, and under this almost insupportable weight; O that it break not! I dare not say that the Lord hath put out my candle, and hath casten water upon my poor coal, and broken the stakes of my tabernacle; but I have tasted bitterness, and eaten gall and wormwood, since that day my Master laid bonds upon me to speak no more. I speak not this, because the Lord is uncouth to garland, he came in one hour and dried up my flower at the root, and took away mine only eye, and mine only one crown and garland. What can I say? surely my guiltiness hath been remembered before him, and he was seeking to take down my sails, and to land the flower of my delights, and to let it lye on the coast like an old broken ship, that is no more for the sea; but I praise him for this wailed stroke, I welcome this furnace, God's wisdom made choice of it for me, and it must be best, because it was his choice. O that I may wait for him till the morning of this benighted kirk break out! This poor afflicted kirk had a fair morning; but her night came upon her before her noon-day, and she was like a traveller, forced to take house in the morning of his journey: and now her adversaries are the chief men in the land; her ways mourn, her gates languish, her children sigh for bread; and there is none to be instant with the Lord, that he would come again to his house, and dry with you. LETTER CXXVI. come the face of his weeping spouse, and form many things, and can find comfort Zion's mourners, who are tears, as Esau did; and suffer hunger waiting for him I know, he shall for truth, as Judas did; and wish make corn to grow upon the top of and desire the end of the righteous, his withered mount Zion again. Re-as Balaam did; and profess fair, member my bonds, and forget me and fight for the Lord, as Saul did; not: O that my Lord would bring and desire the saints of God to pray me again amongst you, with abund- for them, as Pharaoh and. Simon ance of the Gospel of Christ! But Magus did; and prophecy and speak O that I may set down my desires, of Christ, as Caiaphas did; and walk where my Lord biddeth me! Re-softly and mourn for fear of judgmember my love in the Lord to your ments, as Ahab did; and put away husband; God make him faithful to gross sins and idolatry, as Jehu did; Christ: and my blessing to your and hear the word of God gladly, three children. Faint not in prayer and reform their life in many things for this kirk; desire my people not according to the word, as Herod to receive a stranger, and intruder did; and say, Master to Christ, I upon my ministry; let me stand in will follow thee whither thou goest, that right and station that my Lord as the man who offered to be Christ's Jesus gave me. Grace, grace be servant, Matth. viii. and may taste of the virtues of the life to and be partaker of the wonderful gifts of the Holy Spirit, and taste of the good word of God, as the apostates, who sin against the Holy Ghost, Heb. vi. And yet all these are but like gold in clink and colour, and watered brass and base metal. These are written, that we should try I EARNESTLY desire to know the ourselves, and not rest till we be a case of your soul, and to understand step nearer Christ than sun-burnt that ye have made sure work of and withering professors can come. heaven and salvation. 1. Remem- 6. Consider, it is impossible that ber, salvation is one of Christ's dain-your idol-sins and ye can go to ties he giveth but to a few. 2. That heaven together; and that they, who it is violent sweating and striving that taketh heaven. 3. That it cost Christ's blood to purchase that house to sinners, and to set mankind down as the King's free-tenants and free-holders. 4. That many make a start towards heaven, who fall on their back, and win not up to the top of the mount; it plucketh heart and legs from them, and they set down and give it over, because the devil setteth a sweet-smelled flower to their nose this fair busked world wherewith they are bewitched, and so forget or refuse to go forward. 5. Remember, many go far on, and re. To JOHN GORDON at Rusco: Dear Brother, will not part with these, cannot indeed love Christ at the bottom, but only in word and shew, which will not do the business. 7. Remember how swiftly God's post, time, flieth away; and that your forenoon is already spent, your afternoon will come, and then your evening, and at last night, when ye cannot see to work; let your heart be set upon finishing of your journey, and summing and laying your accounts with your Lord. O how blessed shall ye be, to have a joyful welcome of your Lord at night! How blessed are they who in time take sure course with their souls! Bless his great name, by course again? for he hath had ill for what ye possess in goods and weather this long time, and could not children, ease and worldly content find law or justice for himself and ment, that he hath given you; and his truth these many years. I am seek to be like Christ in humility and sure, the wheels of this crazed and lowliness of mind; and be not great broken kirk run all upon no other and entire with the world; make it axle-tree, nor is there any other to not your god, nor your lover, that ye roll them, and cogg them, and drive trust unto, for it will deceive you. I them, but the wisdom and good recommend Christ and his love to pleasure of our Lord: and it were a you, in all things; let him have the just trick, and glorious, of neverflower of your heart and your love; sleeping providence, to bring our set a low price upon all things brethrens' darts, they have shot at but Christ, and cry down in your us, back upon their own heads; supthoughts clay and dirt, that will not pose they have two strings to their comfort you, when ye get summons bow, and can take one as another fail. to remove, and compear before your eth them, yet there are more than Judge, to answer for all the deeds three strings upon our Lord's bow; done in the body. The Lord give and besides, he cannot miss the white you wisdom in all things: I beseech that he shooteth at. I know, he you sanctify God in your speaking, shuffleth up and down in his hand, for holy and reverend is his name; the great body of heaven and earth, and be temperate and sober; com- and that kirk and commonwealth are panionry, as it is called, is a sin that in his hand, like a stock of cards, holdeth men out of heaven. I will and that he dealeth the play to the not believe, that ye will receive the mourners of Zion, and those that ministry of a stranger, who will say, Lye down that me may go over preach a new and uncouth doctrine you, at his own sovereign pleasure; to you: let my salvation stand for and I am sure, Zion's adversaries, in it, if I delivered not the plain and this play, shall not take up their own whole counsel of God to you in his stakes again. O how sweet a thing word. Read this letter to your wife, is it to trust in him! When Christ and remember my love to her, and hath sleeped out his sleep, if I may request her to take heed to do what speak so of him, who is the watchI write to you; I pray for you and man of Israel, that neither slumberyour's. Remember me in your eth nor sleepeth and his own are prayers to our Lord, that he would tried, he will arise as a strong man be pleased to send me amongst after wine, and make bare his holy you again. Grace be with you. arm, and put on vengeance as a Your lawful and loving Pastor, cloak, and deal vengeance thick and S. R. double amongst the haters of Zion. It may be, we see him sow, and send down maledictions and vengeances, as thick as drops of rain or hail upon his enemies; for our Lord oweth them a black day, and he useth duly to pay his debts; neither his friends and followers, nor his foes and adversaries shall have it to say, That he is not faithful and exact in keeping his word. I know no bar in X Aberdeen, 1637. LETTER CXXVII. To Mr. HUGH HENDERSON. WHO knoweth, but the wind may turn into the west again, upon Christ and his desolate bride in this land; ́and that Christ may get his summer کیر of the leprous strumpet, the mother and mistress of abominations in the earth, and take graven images out of the way, and come in with the Jews in troops, and agree with his old outcast and forsaken wife, and take them again to his bed of love! Grace be with you. Your's in our Master and Lord, Aberdeen, 1637. මමමමමම LETTER CXXVIII. To the Lady LARGIRIE S. R. God's way, but Scotland's guiltiness; and he can come over that impediment, and break that bar also, and then say to guilty Scotland, as he said, Ezek. xxxvi. Not for your sakes, &c. On-waiting had never yet a blessed issue; and to keep the word of God's patience, keepeth still the saints dry in the water, cold in the fire, and breathing and blood hot in the grave. What are the prisons of iron-walls and gates of brass to Christ? Not so good as feal-dykes, fortifications of straw, or old tottering walls; if he give the word, then chains will fall off the arms and legs GRACE, mercy and peace be to you. of his prisoners. God be thanked, I exhort you in the Lord, to go on that our Lord Jesus hath the tutor- in your journey to heaven: and to be ing of king and court and nobles, and content of such fare by the way, as that he can dry the gutters and the Christ and his followers have had mires in Zion, and lay causeways to before you; for they had always the the temple with the carcases of bast-wind on their faces; and our Lord ard and idol shepherds; the corn on hath not changed the way to us for the house-tops got never the husband-our ease, but will have us following man's prayers, and so is seen on it, our sweet Guide. Alas, how doth for it filleth not the hand of mowers. sin clog us in our journey, and reChrist, and truth, and innocency tard us! What fools are we, to have worketh even under the earth; and a by-good, or any other love, or verily there is hope for the righteous: match to our souls, beside Christ! It we see not what conclusions pass in were best for us, like ill children, heaven anent all the affairs of God's who are best at home, to seek our house ; we need not give hire to God own home, and to sell our hopes of to take vengeance of his enemies, for this little clay inns and idol of the justice worketh without hire. O earth, where we are neither well that the seed of hope would grow summered nor well wintered. Oh again, and come to maturity! and that our souls would so fall at odds that we could importune Christ, and with the love of this world, as to double our knocks at his gate, and think of it as a traveller doth of a cast our cries and shouts over the drink of water, which is not any part wall, that he might come out, and of his treasure, but goeth away with make our Jerusalem the praise of the the using; for ten miles journey whole earth, and give us salvation maketh that drink to him as nothing. for walls and bulwarks! If Christ O that we had as soon done with bud, and grow green, and bloom, this world, and could as quickly disand bear seed again in Scotland, and patch the love of it! But as a child his Father send him two summers in cannot hold two apples in his little one year, and bless his crop; O what hand, but the one putteth the other cause have we to rejoice in the free out of its room; so neither can we salvation of our Lord, and to set up be masters and lords of two loves; our banners in the name of our God! blessed were we, if we could make O that he would hasten the confusion ourselves masters of that invaluable treasure, the love of Christ; or rath-fer for a time here amongst our ene- Your's in his only Lord and Master, LETTER CXXIX. To EARLSTOUN, Younger, to cry like fettered men, who long Worthy and dearly beloved in our Lord, GRACE, mercy and peace be to you. I long to hear from you: I remain still a prisoner of hope, and do think it service to the Lord, to wait on still with submission, till the Lord's morning-sky break, and his summer ful prisoners, under their trials, are day dawn; for I am persuaded, it is a piece of the chief errand of our life, that God sent us, for some years, down to this earth, among devils and men, the fire-brands of the and temptations, that we in that case; years and months will |