my guiltiness sanctification. I long for his two slain witnesses killed, much for that day, when I will be because they prophesied! If we holy: O what spots are yet un- could so importune and solicit God, washen! O that I could change the our buried Lord and his two buried skin of the leopard and the moor, witnesses should rise again: earth, and niffer it with some of Christ's and clay, and stone will not bear fairness! were my blackness and down Christ and the gospel in Christ's beauty carded through Scotland. I know not, if I will see other (as we use to speak) his the second temple, and the glory o beauty and holiness would eat up it; but the Lord hath deceived me, my filthiness: but oh, I have not if it be not to be reared up again. casten old Adam's hue and colour I would wish to give Christ his welyet! I trow the best of us hath a come home again: my blessing, my smell yet of the old loathsome body joy, my glory and love be on the of sin and guilt iness: happy are they home-comer. I find no better use for evermore, who can employ Christ, of suffering, than that Christ's winand set his blocid and death on work, nowing putteth chaff and corn in the to make clean work, to God, of foul saints to sundry places, and dissouls. I know, it is our sin that covereth our dross from his gold, would have sanctification on the so as corruption and grace are so sunny-side of the hill, and holiness seen, that Christ saith in the furwith nothing but summer, and no nace, That is mine, and this is crosses at all. Sir hath made us as yours: thy scum and the grounds, tender, as if we were made of pa- thy stomach against the persecutors, per or glass. I ana often thinking, thy impatience, thy unbelief, thy what I would think of Christ and quarrelling, these are thine; and burning quick together, of Christ faith, on-waiting, love, joy, courage, and torturing, and hot melted lead are mine. O let me die one of poured in at my mou th and navel; Christ's on-waiters, and one of his yet I have some weak experience attendants! I know your heart and (but very weak indee 1) that sup- Christ are married together, it were pose Christ and hell's to.tments were not good to make a divorce. Rue married together, and if there were not of that meeting and marriage no finding of Christ at all, except with such a husband. Pray for me I went to hell's furnace, that there, his prisoner. Grace, grace be with and in no other place, I could meet you. with him; I trow, if I were as I have been since I was his prisoner, I would beg lodging for God's sake in hell's hottest furnace, that I might rub souls with Christ. But God be thanked, I shall find him in a better lodging: we get Christ better cheap than so: when he is rouped to us, Your's in his sweet Lord Jesus, Aberdeen, 1637. LETTER CLXXXII. To Mr. HUGH MACKAIL. S. R. be to you. we get him but with a shower of GRACE, mercy and peace summer-troubles in this life, as sweet I received your letter, I bless you and as soft to believers as a May- for it: my dry root would take more dew. I would have you and r øyself dew and summer-rain than it gethelping Christ mystical to weep for teth, were it not Christ will have his wife; and O that we could n tourn dryness and deadness in us to work for Christ buried in Scotland, and upon; if there were no timber to work upon, art would die and never bargains betwixt Christ and the sons be seen; I see grace hath a field to of men. I would I could be hum. play upon, and to course up and ble, and go with a low sail; I would down in our wants; so that I am I had desires with wings, and runoften thanking God, not for guilti- ning upon wheels; swift and active, ness, but for guiltiness for Christ and speedy, in longing for Christ's to whet and sharpen his grace upon; honour; but I know my Lord is I am half content to have boils for as wise here, as I can be thirsty; my Lord Jesus's plaisters. Sick- and infinitely more zealous of his ness hath this advantage, that it honour, than I can be hungry for draweth our sweet Physician's hand, the manifestation of it to men and and his holy and soft fingers, to angels; but oh that my Lord would touch our withered and leper skins: take my desires off my hand, and a it is a blessed fever that fetcheth thousand fold more unto them, and Christ to the bed-side. I think my sow spiritual inclinations upon them, Lord's How dost thou with it, sick for the coming of Christ's kingdom body? is worth all my pained nights; to the sons of men! that they might surely, I have no more for Christ, be higher, and deeper, and longer, but emptiness and want; take or and broader; for my longest mealeave, he will get me no otherwise; sures are too short for Christ, my I must sell myself, and my wants depth is ebb, and the breadth of my to him, but I have no price to give affections to Christ, narrowed and for him; if he would put a fair and pinched. O for an engine and a real seal upon his love to me, and wit, to prescribe ways to men, how bestow upon me a larger share of Christ might be all, in all the world! Christ's love, which I would fainest wit is here behind affection, and afbe in hands with of any thing, I fection behind obligation. O how except not heaven itself, I should little can 1 give to Christ, and how go on sighing and singing under his much hath he given me! Oh that I cross; but the worst is, many take could sing grace's praises, and love's me for some body, because the wind praises! seeing I was like a fool, bloweth upon a withered prisoner; soliciting the law, and making mobut the truth is, I am both lean yen to the law's court for mercy, and thin in that, wherein many be- and found challenges that way; but lieve I abound. I would, if bar-now I deny that judge's power; for tering were in my power, niffer joy I am grace's man: I hold not worth with Christ's love and faith; and in-a drink of water of the law, or of stead of the hot sun shine, be con- any lord, but Jesus: and till I betent to walk under a cloudy shadow thought me of this, I was slain with with more grief and sadness, to have doubtings, and fears, and terrors. more faith, and a fair occasion of set- I praise the new court, and the new ting forth and commending Christ, Landlord, and the new salvation, and to make that lovely One, that fair purchased in Jesus his name, and One, that sweetest and dearest Lord at his instance. Let the old man, if Jesus, market-sweet for many ears, he please, go make his moan to the and hearts in Scotland; and if it law, and seek acquaintance therewere in my power to roup Christ away, because he is condemned in to the three kingdoms, and withal that court; I hope the new man, to persuade buyers to come, and and I, and Christ together shall to take such sweet wares as Christ; not be heard: and this is the more I would think to have many sweet soft and the more easy way for me Your's in his sweet Lord Jesus. Aberdeen, July 8, 1697. LETTER CLXXXIII. S. R. To ALEXANDER GORDON, of Garlock. and for my cross together; seeing man to swim to a rock, nor for a Christ singeth my welcome-home, ship-broken soul, to run himself aand taketh me in and maketh short shore upon Christ. Suppose once I counts and short work of reckoning be guilty, need force I cannot, I do betwixt me and my Judge. I must not go by Christ: we take in good be Christ's man, and his tenant, and part that pride, that beggars beg subject to his court; I am sure, suf- from the richer; and who is so poor fering for Christ could not be borne as we? and who is so rich as He otherwise; but I give my hand and who selleth fine gold? Rev. iii. 18. my faith to all who would suffer for I see, then, it is our best, let guiltiChrist; they shall be well handled, ness plead what it listeth, that we and fare well in the same way, that have no mean under the covering have found the cross easy and light. of heaven, but to creep in lowly Grace be with you. and submissively with our wants to Christ; I have also cause to give his cross a good name and report, O how worthy is Christ of my feckless and light suffering! and how hath he deserved it at my hands, that for his honour and glory, I should lay my back under seven hells' pains in one, if he call me to that! But alas! my soul is like a GRACE, mercy and peace be to you. ship, run on ground through ebbIf Christ were as I am, that time ness of water; I am sanded, and could work upon him to alter him, my love is sanded; I find not how or that the morrow could bring a to bring it on float again; it is so new day to him, or bring a new cold and dead, that I see not how mind to him, as it is to me a new day, to bring it to a flame: fy, fy upon I could not keep a house or a cove- the meeting that my love hath nant with him but I find Christ given Christ, wo, wo is me, I have to be Christ, and that he is far, far, a lover Christ, and yet I want love even infinite heavens height above for him; I have a lovely and desiramen; and that is all our happiness. ble Lord, who is love-worthy, and sinners can do nothing, but make who beggeth my love and heart, wounds, that Christ may heal them: and I have nothing to give him. and make depths that he may pay Dear brother, come further in on them; and make falls, that he may Christ, and see a new treasure in raise them; and make deaths, that him: come in, and look down, and he may quicken them; and spin out see angels' wonder, and heaven and and dig hells for themselves, that earth's wonder of love, sweetness, he may ransom them. Now I will majesty and exellency in him. I bless the Lord, that ever there was forget you not: pray for me, that such a thing as the free grace of our Lord would be pleased to send God, and a free ransom given for me among you again, fraughted and sold souls: only alas, guiltiness mak-full of Christ. Grace, grace be with eth me ashamed to apply Christ, you. : and to think it pride in me, to put out my unclean and withered hand Your's in his sweet Lord Jesus, to such a Saviour! But it is neither Aberdeen, 1637. shame nor pride, for a drowning S. R. LETTER CLXXXIV. TO JOHN BELL, Elder. My very loving Friend, peace be to you. a number like the sand of the sea, but a handful and a remnant, as God's word saith, what cause have we to shake ourselves out of our GRACE, mercy and I have very often and long expect-selves, and to ask our poor soul, ed your letter: but if ye be well in Whether goest thou? where shalt soul and body, I am the less solici- thou lodge at night? where are thy tous. I beseech you in the Lord charters and writs of thy heavenly Jesus to mind your country above; inheritance? I have known a man and now, when old age, the twilight turn a key in a door, and lock it going before the darkness of the by many men leap over, as they grave, and the falling low of your think, and leap in. O see! see that sun before your night, is now come ye give not your salvation a wrong upon you, advise with Christ, ere cast, and think all is well, and leave ye put your foot in the ship, and your soul loose and uncertain: look turn your back on this life. Many to your building, and to your ground: are beguiled with this, that they stone, and what signs of Christ are are free of scandalous and crying in you, and set this world behind abominations; but the tree that your back. It is time, now in the bringeth not forth good fruit, is for evening, to cease from your ordinthe fire; the man that is not born ary work, and high time to know of again, cannot enter into the king- your lodging at night; it is your dom of God: common honesty will salvation that is in dependance, and not take men to heaven: alas that that is a great and weighty business, men should think they ever met though many make light of the matwith Christ, who had never a sick ter. Now, the Lord enable you by night, through the terrors of God his grace to work it out. in their souls, or a sore heart for sin. I know the Lord hath given you light, and the knowledge of his will; but that is not all, neither will that do your turn. I wish you an awakened soul, and that ye beguile not yourself, in the matter of your salvation. My dear brother, search yourself with the candle of God, GRACE, mercy and peace be to you. and try if the life of God and Christ So often as I think on our case, in be in you; salvation is not casten our soldier's night watch, and of our to every man's door; many are car- fighting life in the fields, while we ried over sea and land, to a far are here, I am forced to say, priscountry in a ship, while as they oners in a dungeon, condemned by sleep much of the way; but men a judge to want the light of the sun are not landed at heaven sleeping: and moon and candle till their dying the righteous are scarcely saved; day, are no more, nay not so much and many run as fast as either you to be pitied as we are; for they are or I, who miss the prize and the weary of their life, they hate their crown: God send me salvation, and prison; but we fall to, in our prison, save me from a disappointment, and where we see little, to drink ourI seek no more. Men think it but selves drunk with the night plea a stride, or step over to heaven; sures of our weak dreams; and we but when so few are saved, even of long for no better life than this : Your lawful and loving Pastor, Aberdeen, 1697. LETTER CLXXXV. S. R. To WILLIAM GORDON of Robertoun. Dear Brother, gospel, is the usury they would be but at the blast of the last trumpet, and the shout of the arch-angel, at; so when the trial cometh, they when God shall take down the quit the stock for the interest, and shepherd's tent of this fading world, lose all. Happy are they, who can we shall not have so much as a keep Christ by himself alone, and drink of water, of all the dreams keep him clean and whole, till God that we now build on. Alas! that come and count with them. I know, the sharp and bitter blasts on face in your hard and heavy trials long and sides, which meet us in this life, since, ye thought well and highly have not learned us mortification, of Christ; but truly no cross should and made us dead to this world! be old to us; we should not for. we buy our own sorrow, and we pay get them, because years are come dear for it, when we spend out our betwixt us and them, and cast them love, our joy, our desires, our con. by hand, as we do old clothes; we fidence, upon a handful of snow and may make a cross, old in time, new ice, that time will melt away to in use, and as fruitful, as in the benothing, and go thirsty out of the ginning of it. God is where and drunken inns, when all is done: what he was, seven years ago, whatalas that we inquire not for the ever change be in us. I speak not clear fountain: but are so foolish, this, as if I thought ye had forgotas to drink foul, muddy and rotten ten what God did to have your love waters, even till our bed time; and long since; but that ye may awake then in the resurrection, when we yourself, in this sleepy age, and shall be awakened, our yesternight's remember fruitfully of Christ's first sour drink and swinish dregs shall wooing and suiting of your love, rift up upon us; and sick, sick shall both with fire and water; and try many a soul be then; I know no if he got his answer, or if ye be yet wholesome fountain but one; to give him it; for I find in my.. know not a thing worth the buying, self that water runneth not faster but heaven. And my own mind is, through a sieve, than our warnings if comparison were made betwixt slip from us; for I have lost and Christ and heaven, I would sell hea- casten by-hand manysummonses, the ven with my blessing, to buy Christ. Lord hath sent me; and therefore Oh if I could raise the market for the Lord hath given me double Christ, and heighten the market a charges, that I trust in God, shall pound for a penny, and cry up not rive me. I bless his great name, Christ in men's estimation, ten thou-who is no niggard in holding in sand talents more than men think crosses upon me, but spendeth large. of him! but they are shaping him,ly his rods, that he may save me and crying him down, to valuing from this perishing world. How him at their unworthy halfpenny; plentiful God is in means of this or else exchanging and bartering kind, is esteemed by many, one of Christ with the miserable old fallen God's unkind mercies; but Christ's house of this vain world: or then cross is neither a cruel nor an unthey lend him out upon interest, kind mercy, but the love-token of and play the usurers with Christ: a father. I am sure, a lover chasbecause they profess him, and give ing us for our well, and to have our out before men, that Christ is their love, should not be run away from, treasure and stock; and in the mean or fled from. God send me no time, praise of men, and a name, and worse mercy, than the sanctified ease, and the summer-sun of the cross of Christ portendeth; and I |