LETTER LV. To Mrs. GILLESPIE Dear Sister, putation for godliness and learning: for he knoweth the weight of these mercies would crush you and break I having heard how the Lord hath you; and as there is no searching visited you, in removing the child out of his understanding, so he hath Archibald; I hope ye see the sett-skill to know what providence will ing down of the weight of your con- make Christ dearest to you; and let fidence and affection upon any cre- not your heart say, It is an ill wailed ated thing, whether husband or dispensation. Sure Christ, who hath child, is a deceiving thing; and that seven eyes, had before him the good the creature is not able to bear the of a living husband and children for weight, but sinketh down to very Margaret Murray, and the good of nothing under your confidence: and a removed husband and children therefore ye are Christ's debtor for translated to glory; now he hath all providences of this kind, even in opened his decree to you, say, Christ that he buildeth an hedge of thorns hath made me for a wise and graciin your way for so ye see his gra-ous choice, and I have not one word cious intention is to save you (if I to say to the contrary. Let not may say so) whether ye will or not. your heart charge any thing, nor It is a rich mercy, that the Lord unbelief libel injuries upon Christ; Christ will be Master of your will because he will not let you alone, and of your delights, and that his nor give you leave to play the idolaway is so fair, for landing of hus-tress with such as have not that band and children before-hand in right to your love that Christ hath. the country whitherto ye are jour-I should wish at the reading of this neying. No matter how little ye be engaged to the world, since ye have such experience of cross dealing in it; had ye been a child of the house, the world would have dealt more warmly with its own: there is less of you out of heaven, that the child is there, and the husband is there, but much more that your Head Kinsman and Redeemer doth fetch home such as are in danger to be lost and from this time forward fetch not your comforts from such broken cisterns and dry wells; if the Lord pull at the rest, ye must not be the creature that shall hold when he draweth. Truly, to me your case is more comfortable, than if the fireside were well plenished with ten children: the Lord saw ye was able, by his grace to bear the loss of husband and child; and that ye are that weak and tender as not to be able to stand under the mercy of a gracious husband ving and flourishing in esteen with authority, and in re : that ye may fall down and make a surrender of those that are gone, and those that are yet alive, to him: and for you, let him have all; and wait for himself, for he will come and will not tarry : live by faith, and the peace of God guard your heart; he cannot die whose ye are. My wife suffers with you, and remembereth her love to you. Your brother in Christ, St. Andrews, Aug. 1659. LETTER LVI. S. R. To the worthy and much honoured Colonel Much honoured and truly worthy, than ye can be in danger from your ful of trees of righteousness, and enemies O how hard is it, to get payeth and shall pay more thouthe intentions so cut off from, and sands to the Lord of the vineyard, raised above the creature, as to be han is paid in thrice the bounds of without mixture of creature and Great Britain upon earth) and then carnal interest, and to have the sou! here can be neither Papist, Prelate, in heavenly actings, only eyeing Malignant, nor Sectary, who dare himself, and acting from love to iraw a sword against him that sitGod, revealed to us in Jesus Christ! reth upon the throne. Sir, I shall Ye will find yourself. your delights wish a clean army, so far as may your solid glory (far above the air be, that the shout of a King, who and breathings of mouths and the hath many crowns, may be among thin, short poor applauses of men) you; and that ye may fight in faith, before you in God. All the crea- and prevail with God first. Think tures, all the swords, all the host it your glory, to have a sword to in Britain, and in this poor globe of act, and suffer and die (if it please the habitable world, are but under him) so being ye may add any thing him single cyphers making no num-to the declarative glory of Christ, ber, the product being nothing but the Plant of renown Immanuel, painted men, and painted swords in God with us: happy and thrice a brod, without influence from him: blessed are they by whose actings, and, O what a God is in Gideon's or blood, or pain, or loss, the diasword, when it is the sword of the dems and rubies of his highest and Lord! I wish a sword from heaven glorious crown (whose ye are) shall to you, and orders from heaven to glister and shine in this quarter of you to go out, and as much peremp-the habitable world: though he toriness of a heavenly will, as to need not Gilbert Ker nor his say and abide by it, I will not Isword; yet this honour have ye shall not go out unless thou goest with his redeemed soldiers, to call with me.' I desire not to be rash in Christ high Lord-general, of whom -judging; but I am a stranger to the ye hope for pay, and all arrears mind of Christ, if our adversaries, well told. Go on, worthy Sir, in who have unjustly invaded us, be the courage of faith, following the not now in the camp of those that Lamb: make not haste unbelievingmake war with the Lamb: but the ly; but in hope and silence keep Lamb shall overcome them at length; the watch-tower and look out; he for he is the Lord of lords, and will come in his own time, his salKing of kings, and they who are vation shall not tarry, he shall place with him are called, and chosen, and salvation in Britain's Zion for Isfaithful, and though ye and I see rael's glory. His good-will who but the dark side of God's dispen-dwelt in the bush and it burnt not, sations this day towards Britain, yet be your's, and with you. the fair, beautiful and desirable close of it must be the confederacy of the nations of the world with Britain's Lord of armies. And let me die in the comforts of the faith of this, that a throne shall be set up for Christ in this island of B itain (which -is and shall be a garden more fruit I am Your's, in his sweet Lord Jesus. S. R. LETTER LVII. To the worthy and much honoured Colonel you. Your friend and servant in his sweet Lord Jesus. S. R. len; and dare say, it is a better and a more comfortable dispensation, than if the Lord had given us the vicMuch honoured and worthy Sir, tory, and the necks of the reproachWHAT I wrote to you before, I ers of the way of God, because he spake not upon any private war- hath done it: for, 1. More blood, rant: I am where I was; Crom- blasphemies, cruelty, treachery, must well and his army (I shall not be upon the accounts of the men, say, but there may be and are seve- whose land the Lord forbid us to ral sober and godly among them, invade. 2. Victory is such a burwho have either joined through mis-dening and weighty mercy, that information, or have gone alongst we have not strength to bear it with the rest in the simplicity of as yet. 3. That was not the artheir hearts, not knowing any thing) my, nor Gideon's three hundred, fight in an unjust cause, against the by whom he is to save us: we must Lord's secret ones; and now, to have one of our Lord's carving. 4. the trampling of the worship of God Our enemies on both sides are not and persecuting the people of God enough hardened, nor we enough in England and Ireland, he hath mortified to multitude, valour and brought upon his score the blood of creatures. Grace, grace be with the people of God in Scotland. I entreat you, dear Sir, as ye desire to be serviceable to Jesus Christ, whose free grace prevented you, St. Andrews, Sept. 5th. 1650. when ye were his enemy, go on without fainting, equally eschewing all mixtures with Sectaries and Malignants; neither of the two shall ever be instrumental to save the Lord's people, or build his house; and without prophesying, or speaking further than he, whose I am, and IT is considerable, that the Lord whom I desire to serve in the gos-may, and often doth call to a work, pel of his Son, shall warrant, I de- and yet hide himself and try the sire to hope, and to believe, there is faith of his own; if I conceive aright, a glory and a majesty of the Prince the Lord hath called you to act of the kings of the earth, that against that enemy; and the withshall shine and appear in Great Bri- drawers of their sword, in my weak tain, which shall darken all the glo-apprehension, add their zeal unto, ry of men, confound Sectaries and and take upon them the guilt of that Malignants; and rejoice the spirits unjust invasion of this land made by of the followers of the Lamb, and Cromwell's army, and of the blood dazzle the eyes of the beholders. of the Lord's people in this kingSir, I suppose that God is to gather dom; since the sword, put into the malignants and Sectaries, ere all be hand of his children, is to execute done, as sheaves in a barn-floor; and wrath and vengeance upon evilto bid the daughter of Zion arise doers: the Lord's time of appear. and thresh: I hope ye will mix with ing for his broken land is reserved none of them: I am abundantly sa- to the breathings of the Spirit of tisfied, that our army through the the Lord, such as came upon Gisinful miscarriage of men, hath fal- beon and Samson, and that is an act LETTER LVIII. To the worthy and much honoured Colonel Much honoured and worthy Sir, if your graves, and buried bones: but look not for the Lord's coming the higher way only, for he may come the lower way. O how little of God do we see and how mysterious is he! Christ known is amongst the greatest secrets of God. Keep yourself of princely and royal sovereignty in remove the cloud that is over you) God. Ye are, Sir, to lay hold on if authority would concur, were to opportunities of providence, and to be desired; but it can hardly be exwait for him; as for your particular pected: however, in the way of duty, treating by yourselves with the in- and in the silence of faith go on; vaders of our land, I have no mind ye perish, ye are the first of the to it, and do look upon their way as creation with whom the Lord hath a carrying on of the mystery of ini- taken that dispensation. I should quity (for Babylon is a seat of many humbly desire you, Sir, to look to names) Sir, let this controversy stand that, Dying, and behold we live; undecided till the second appearance killed all the day long, and yet more of Jesus Christ, and our appeal lye than conquerors.' There shall be before the throne undiscussed till the heat and warmness of life in that day; I hope to lye down in the grave in the faith of the justness of our cause. I speak nothing of the maintaining the greatness of men, not subordinate to the Prince of the kings of the earth. I judge that the blood of the witnesses of Jesus is found upon the skirts of this so- in the love of God, and in order to ciety, as well as in Babylon's skirts; that as far in obedience and subI believe the way of the Lord is jection to the king (whose salvation Colonel Gilbert Ker's strength and and true happiness my soul desireth) glory; and I should be content to and to every ordinance of man for want my part of him, (which is the Lord's sake, and to the fundaconfess, precious and dear in Christ) mental laws of this kingdom, as so he be spent in the service of him, your Lord requireth. Sir, ye are who will anon make inquisition for in the hearts and prayers of the the blood of the truly godly, which Lord's people in this kingdom, and these men have shed, after fair in the other two; the Lord hath warning that they were the godly of said, There is a blessing in the clusScotland. Worthy Sir, believe, ter of grapes, destroy it not. Grace, faint not, set your shoulder under grace be upon the head of him that the glory of Jesus, that is misprised is separated from his brethren; and in Scotland, and give a testimony the good-will of him that dwelt in for him; he hath many names in the bush be with you. Scotland, who shall walk with him in white. This despised covenant shall ruin Malignants, Sectaries, and Atheists yet a little while, and behold he cometh, and walketh in the greatness of his strength, and his garments dyed with blood. Oh for the sad and terrible day of the Lord upon England, their ships of Tarshish, their fenced cities, &c.I KNOW not why the people of God because of a broken covenant! A should not take notice of the bonds conference with the enemy, not to of any who have blood in readiness hinder acting, (0 that the Lord to be let out for his cause: and I would thereby, or some other way judge it was not of that you, Your servant in his sweet Lord Jesus, Perth Nov. 23. 1750. LETTER LIX. S. R. To the worthy and much honoured Colonel Much honoured and worthy Sir, ye died not in the undecided contro-hath raised the riches of the glory versy which the Lord of the whole of so much grace above the circle earth hath with the men whom he of the heaven of heavens, out of hath sent against us Dear and very nothings; and contrived his much honoured in the Lord, let me thoughts of love, so that lumps of entreat you to be far from the glorified clay should stand before thoughts of leaving this land: I see him, for all ages, the burdens and ord hath loaden debtors of free, eternally free it, and find it that the covered the whole land with a cloud grace. Sir, ye cannot in his anger; but though I have count of the rents of your so great been tempted to the like, I had rainheritance of glory. Grace be ther be in Scotland, beside angry with you. Jesus Christ, knowing he mindeth no evil to us, than in any Eden or garden in the earth. If we can re main united with the Lord's rem nant in the land, he layeth up wrath cast the Your servant in his own Lord Jesus. Edin. May 18, 1651. S. R. මම් මමම** LETTER LX. GILBERT KER. Hab. ii. verses 3, 4, Much honoured and 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 and blood, doing and suffering for all sorts of adversaries in Britain. To the much honoured and truly worthy Colonel Though I never see the glory of his glistering sword in Britain, I would be solaced in the innocent thoughts (far from revenge) that the saints shall dip their feet in the blood of the slain of the Lord. And truly, Sir, I suppose, ye cannot but come to these thoughts and weak desires before the Hearer of prayers, for Resisting unto blood is as little as ye think of and value yourself: for me, if I could mind little for that precious and neveryou in your bonds, I purpose not enough exalted Redeemer, who, to stand to the account ye give, or when ye were a-buying gave blood thoughts ye have of yourself; though somewhat dearer than ye gave for I knew ye are not a whit more or him, even the blood of God, Acts I know a man, who, upon less before him (who weigheth his xx 28. own according to the weight of im- the receipt of a letter, that ye were puted righteousness) for my appre-killed, and the people of God dehensions. Christ cannot mistake stroyed,wished, that he might be you, men may; and the calculation quickly under the wall of the higher and esteem of free grace maketh palace, from under the dint of the you to be what you are 1 hope to storm, and who longed to have the see you an everlastingly obliged weather-beaten and crazy bark safedebtor to him, whom ye shall praise, ly landed in that harbour of eternal What further service but never pay and truly ye have quietness. no riches but that debt; and I know Christ hath for you, I know not; it ye love to be engaged to Jesus is enough, that in your captivity ye Christ, the most excellent of credi-offer your service to Christ: but, if tors. Much joy and sweetness may I see any thing, it looks like a merI see the nobles and ye have in standing written in his ciful defeat book: I desire to do it myself, and the state falling off from Christ, and I would have you also highly to the night coming upon the prophets, esteem the design of Christ, who which we would pray to prevent : |