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Your Lordship's at all obedience
in Christ,

Aberdeen, July 8, 1637.

LETTER CCIX,

To my Lord CRAIHALL.

but I believe ye shall prove fast to to God, were lawful, if our inten Christ: to his grace I recommend tion go right. My lord, I cannot you. in this bounds dispute; but if Cambridge and Oxford, and the learning of Britain, will answer this arguS. R. ment, and the argument from active scandal, which your Lordship seemeth to stand upon, I will turn a formalist, and call myself an arrant fool, by doing what I have done, in my suffering for this truth. I do My Lord, much reverence Mr. L's learning; GRACE, mercy and peace be to but, my lord, I will answer what you. I am not only content, but I he writes in that, to pervert you exceedingly rejoice, that I find any from the truth; else repute me beof the rulers of this land, and es- side an hypocrite, an ass also: I pecially your Lordship, so to affect hope ye shall see something upon Christ and his truth, as ye dare, for that subject, if the Lord permit, his name, come to yea and nay with that no sophistry in Britain shall monarchs in their face. I hope he answer. Courtiers' arguments, for who hath enabled you for that, will the most part, are drawn from their give more, if ye shew yourself cou-own skin, and are not worth a straw ragious, and (as his word speaketh) for your conscience; a marquis' or a man in the streets for the Lord: a king's word, when ye stand bebut I pray your Lordship, give me fore Christ's tribunal, shall be lighter leave to be plain with you, as one than the wind. The Lord knoweth, who loveth both your honour and I love your true honour, and the your soul. I verily believe, there standing of your house; but I was never idolatry at Rome, never would not, your honour or house idolatry condemned in God's word were established upon sand, and hay, by the prophets, if religious kneeling and stubble. But let me, my very before a consecrate creature, stand- dear and worthy lord, most humbly ing in room of Christ crucified, in that beseech you, by the mercies of God, very act, and that for reverence of by the consolations of his Spirit, by the elements (as our act cleareth) the dear blood and wounds of your be not idolatry. Neither will your lovely Redeemer, by the salvation intention help, which is not of the of your soul, by your compearance essence of worship; for then Aaron, before the awful face of a sin-resaying, To-morrow shall be a feast venging and dreadful judge, not to for Johovah, that is, for the golden set in comparison together your calf, should not have been guilty of soul's peace, Christ's love, and his idolatry; for he intended only to kingly honour, now called in ques、 decline the lash of the people's fury, tion, with your place, honour, house, not to honour, the calf. Your intention or ease, that an inch of time will to honour Christ is nothing, seeing make out of the way. I verily bereligious kneeling by God's institu- lieve, Christ is now begging a testition doth necessarily import religi-mony of you; and is saying, And ous and Divine adoration, suppose will ye also leave me? It is possible, onr intention were both dead and the wind shall not blow so fair for sleeping; otherwise kneeling before you all your life, for coming out the image of God, directing prayer and appearing before others, to

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back and countenance Christ, the poor hungry honour! O cursed fairest among the sons of men, the pleasure! and O damnable ease, prince of the kings of the earth, bought with the loss of God! How Isa. li. 7. Fear not the reproach many shall pray for you! what a of men, neither be afraid of their sweet presence shall ye find of revilings." ver. 8. "For the moth Christ under your sufferings, if ye shall eat them up like a garment, shall lay down your honours and and the worm shall eat them like place at the feet of Christ! what wool." When the Lord shall be fair recompence of reward! I a. gin, he shall make an end, and mow vouch before the Lord, that I am down his adversaries; and they now shewing you a way how the shall lie before him like withered house of Craighall may stand on hay, and their bloom shaken off sure pillars; if ye will set it on rotthem. Consider how many thou- ten pillars, ye cruelly wrong your sands in this kingdom ye shall cause posterity; ye have the word of a to fall and stumble, if ye go with King for an hundred fold more in them; and that ye shall be out of this life (if it be good for you) and prayers of many who do stand for life everlasting also. Make not before the Lord for you and your Christ a liar, in distrusting his prohouse; and further, when the time mise. Kings of clay cannot back of your accounts cometh, and your you when you stand before him : one foot shall be within the border a straw for them and their hungry of eternity, and the eye-strings shall heaven, that standeth on this side break, and the face wax pale, and of time; a fig for the day's smile of the poor soul shall look out at the a worm. Consider who have gone windows of the house of clay, long- before you to eternity, and would ing to be out, and ye shall find have given a world for a new occayourself arraigned before the Judge sion of avouching that truth it is of quick and dead, to answer for true they call it not substantial, and your putting to your hand with the we are made a scorn to those that rest, confederate against Christ, to are at ease, for suffering these the overturning of his ark, and the things for it; but it is not time to loosing of the pins of Christ's taber- judge of our losses by the morning; nacle in this land, and shall certain- stay till the evening, and we shall ly see yourself mired in a course of count with the best of them. apostacy; then, then a king's fa- have found by experience, since the vour and your worm-eaten honour time of my imprisonment (my witshall be miserable comforters to you. ness is above) Christ sealing this The Lord hath enlightened you honourable cause with another, and with the knowledge of his will; and a nearer fellowship than ever I as the Lord liveth, they lead you knew before, and let God weigh and others to a communion with me in an even balance in this, if I great Babel, the mother of fornica- would exchange the cross of Christ tions; and God said of old, and or his truth, with the fourteen precontinueth to say the same to you, lacies, or what else a king can give. Come out of her my people, lest ye My dear lord, venture to take the be partakers of her plagues. Will wind on your face for Christ; I beye then go with them, and set up lieve if he should come from heaven your lip to the whore's golden cup, in his own person, and seek the and drink of the wine of the wrath charters of Craighall from you, and of God Almighty with them? O a dismission of your place, and ye

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and shall remain

Your's at all respectful obedience in Christ,
Aberdeen, July 8, 1687.

LETTER CCX.

To the Lady CULROSS.
Madam,

S. R

saw his face, ye would fall down at grace I recommend your Lordship, his feet, and say, Lord Jesus, it is too little for thee. If any man think it not a truth to die for, I against him I dare go to eternity with it, that this day the honour of our Lawgiver and King, in the government of his own free kingdom (who should pay tribute to no dying king) is the true state of the ques- YOUR letter came in due time to tion. My lord, be ye upon Christ's me, now a prisoner of Christ, and in side of it, and take the word of a bonds for the gospel, I am senpoor prisoner, nay the Lord Jesus tenced with deprivation and conbe surety for it, ye have incompar-finement within the town of Aberably made the wisest choice: for deen: but oh my guiltiness, the my own part I have been in this follies of my youth, the neglects in prison that I would be half ashamed my calling, and especially in not to seek more till I be up at the well speaking more for the kingdom, head. Few know in this world the crown, and sceptre of my royal and sweetness of Christ's breath, the princely King Jesus, do so stare me excellency of his love, which hath in the face, that I apprehend danneither brim nor bottom; the world ger in that which is a crown of rehath raised a slander upon the cross joicing to the dear saints of God! of Christ, because they love to go This, before my compearance, which to heaven by dry land, and love not was three several days, did trouble sea storms; but I write it under my me, and burdeneth me more now; hand (and would say more, if possi-howbeit Christ, and, in him God bly a reader would not deem it reconciled, met me with open arms, hypocrisy) my obligation to Christ and trysted me, precisely at the for the smell of his garments, for entry of the door of the chancelhis love kisses, these thirty weeks, lor's hall, and assisted me to answer standeth so great, that I should, and so, as the advantage that is, is not I desire also to choose to suspend theirs, but Christ's. Alas! that is my salvation, to have many tongues no cause of wondering, that I am loosed in my behalf to praise him; thus borne down with challenges; and suppose in person I never en- for the world hath mistaken me, tered within the gates of the new and no man knoweth what guiltiJerusalem, yet so being Christ may ness is in me, so well as these two, be set on high, and I had the liberty who keep my eyes now waking, and to cast my love and praises for ever my heart heavy, I mean, my heart over the wall to Christ, I would be and conscience, and my Lord, who silent and content. But O he is more is greater than my heart. Shew than my narrow praises! O time, your brother, that I desire him, time, flee swiftly, that our communion with Jesus may be perfected! I wish your Lordship would urge Mr. L. to give his mind in the cere monies, and be pleased to let me see it as quickly as can be, and it shall be answered. To his rich

while he is on the watch tower, to plead with his mother, and to plead with this land, and spare not to cry, for my sweet Lord Jesus his fair crown, that the interdicted and forbidden lords are plucking off his royal head. If I were free of chal

and

Your Ladyship's in his sweet Lord Jesus, Edin. July 30, 1686.

LETTER CCXI.

S. R.

To ALEXANDER GORDON of Earlstoun. Much honoured Sir,

lenges and a high commission with- be in love with. I know, Christ in my soul, I would not give a straw shall make Aberdeen my garden of to go to my Father's house, through delights. I am fully persuaded that ten deaths, for the truth and cause Scotland shall eat Ezekiel's book, of my lovely, lovely one, Jesus! but that is written within and without, I walk in heaviness now. If ye love lamentation, and mourning, me, and Christ in me, my dear La- woe, Ezek. ii. 10. but the saints dy, 7, pray, pray for this only, that shall get a drink of the well that bygones betwixt my Lord and me, goeth through the streets of the may be bygones and that he would new Jerusalem, to put it down. pass from the summons of his high Thus, hoping ye will think upon commission, and seek nothing from the poor prisoner of Christ, I pray, me, but what he will do for me, Grace, grace be with you. and work in me. If your Ladyship knew me, as I do myself, ye would say, Poor soul, no marvel. It is not my apprehension that createth this cross to me; it is too real, and hath sad and certain grounds. But I will not believe that God will take this advantage of me when my back is at the wall: he who forbiddeth I FIND small hopes of Q's business. to add affliction to affliction, will he I intend after the council day to go do it himself? why should he pur- on to Aberdeen; the Lord is with sue a dry leaf and stubble? De me, I care not what man can do. sire him to spare me now. Also I burden no man, and I want nothe memory of the fair feast days thing; no king is better provided that Christ and I had in his ban than I am; sweet, sweet, and easy queting-house of wine, and the is the cross of my Lord: all men I scattered flock once committed to look in the face, (of whatsoever me, and now taken off my hand by rank, nobles and poor, acquainthimself, because I was not so faith-ance and strangers,) are friendly to ful in the end, as I was in the first me. My Well-beloved is some two years of my entry, when sleep kinder and more warmly than ordideparted from my eyes, because nary, and cometh and visiteth my my soul was taken up with a care soul; my chains are over-gilded for Christ's lambs; even these add with gold. Only the remembrance sorrow to my sorrow. Now my of my fair days with Christ in AnLord hath only given me this to woth, and of my dear flock, whose say, and I write it under mine own case is my heart's sorrow, is vinehand, (be ye the Lord's servant's gar to my sugared wine; yet both witness,) welcome, welcome sweet, sweet and sour feed my soul. No sweet cross of Christ: welcome, pen, no words, no engine, can exwelcome, fair, fair, lovely, royal press to you the loveliness of my King, with thine own cross: let us only, only Lord Jesus. Thus in all three go to heaven together. haste, making for my palace at ANeither care I much to go from the berdeen, I bless you, your wife, South of Scotland to the North; your eldest son, and other children. and to be Christ's prisoner amongst Grace, grace be with you. uncouth faces; a place of this king- Your's in his only, only Lord Jesus, S. R.

dom, which I have little reason to Edin. Sept. 5, 1636.

LETTER CCXII.

To ROBERT GORDON of Knockbrex.

My dearest Brother,

prayers of our mother-church, to go on as ye have worthily begun, in purging the Lord's house in this land, and pulling down the sticks of I SEE Christ thinking shame (if I Antichrist's filthy nest, this wretchmay speak so) to be in such a poor ed prelacy, and that black kingdom, man's common as mine. I burden whose wicked aims have ever been, no man; I want nothing, no face and still are, to make this fat world hath gloomed upon me since I left the only compass they would have you: God's sun and fair weather Christ and religion to sail by; and conveyeth me to my time-paradise to mount upon the man of sin, their in Aberdeen; Christ hath so hand-godfather the pope of Rome, upon somely fitted for my shoulders this the highest stair of Christ's throne, rough tree of the cross, as that it and to make a velvet church, (in hurteth me no ways. My treasure regard of parliament grandeur and is up in Christ's coffers; my com- worldly pomp, whereof always their forts are greater than ye can be- stinking breath smelleth) and put lieve; my pen shall lye for penury Christ and truth in sackcloth and of words to write of them. God prison, and to eat the bread of adknoweth, I am filled with the joy versity, and drink the water of afof the holy Ghost. Only the me- fliction: half an eye of any, not mory of you, my dearest in the misted with the darkness of Anti-, Lord, my flock and others, keepeth christian smoke, may see it thus in me under, and from being exalted above measure; Christ's sweet sauce hath this sour mixed with it; but O such a sweet and pleasant taste! find small hopes of Q's matter. Thus in haste. Remember me to your wife, and to William Gordon. Grace be with you.

Your's in his only, only Lord Jesus, Edin. Sept. 5, 1636.

LETTER CCXIII.

S. R.

this land; and now our Lord hath begun to awaken the nobles and others, to plead for borne-down Christ, and his weeping gospel. My dear and noble Lord, the eye of Christ is upon you; the eyes of many noble, many holy, many learned and worthy ones, in our neighbour churches about, are upon you. This poor church, your mother and Christ's spouse, is holding up her hands and heart to God for you, and doth beseech you with tears, to plead for her husband, his kingly sceptre, and for the liberties that her Lord and King hath given to Right honourable and very worthy Lord, her as to a free kingdom, that owGRACE, mercy and peace be to you. eth spiritual tribute to none on Hearing of your Lordship's zeal earth, as being the free-born prinand courage for Christ our Lord, cess and daughter to the King of in owning his honourable cause, I kings. This is a cause that, before am bold (and I plead pardon for it) God, his angels, the world, before to speak on paper by a line or two sun and moon, needeth not to blush. to your Lordship, since I have not O what glory and true honour is it, access any other way, beseeching to lend Christ your hand and serv your Lordship by the mercies of ice, and to be amongst the repair. God, and by the everlasting peace ers of the breaches of Zion's walls, of your soul, and by the tears and and to help to build the old waste

To my Lord LOWDON.

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