as the night-watch waiteth for the we to wonder at his love, since the morning; he will not tarry, go up to day of his death was such a sorrowyour watch tower, and come not ful day to him, even the day when down but by prayer, and faith, and his mother the kirk crowned him hope, wait on: when the sea is full, with thorns, and he had many it will ebb again; and so soon as the against him, and compeared his wicked are come to the top of their alone in the open fields against pride, and are waxed high and them all; yet he delights with us to mighty, then is their change ap- remember that day: let us love him, proaching; they that believe make and be glad and rejoice in his salnot haste. Remember Zion, forget vation. I am confident that you her not; for her enemies are many, shall see the Son of God that day, for the nations are gathered to- and I dare in his name invite you to gether against her; But they know his banquet: many a time you have not the thoughts of the Lord, nei- been well entertained in his house, ther understand they his counsel; for and he charges not upon his friends, he shall gather them as the sheaves nor chides them for too great kindinto the floor; arise and thresh, Oness; yet I speak not this to make daughter of Zion,' Micah iv. 12, 13. you leave off to pray for me, who Behold, God hath gathered his ene- have nothing of myself, but in so mies together as sheaves to the far as daily I receive from him, who threshing; let us stay and rest upon is made of his Father a runningthese promises. Now again I trust over fountain, at which I and others in our Lord, you shall by faith may come with thirsty souls, and fill sustain yourself and comfort your-our vessels: long hath this well been self in your Lord, and be strong standing open to us; Lord Jesus, in his power; for you are in the lock it not up again upon us. I am beaten and common way to heaven, sorry for our desolate kirk; yet I when you are under our Lord's dare not but trust, so long as there crosses; you have reason to rejoice be any of God's lost money here, he in it more than in a crown of gold, and rejoice and be glad to bear the reproaches of Christ. I rest recommending you and yours, for ever, to the grace and mercy of God. Anwoth, Feb. 11. 1631. Your's in Christ, shall not blow out the candle. Lord make fair candlesticks in his house, and remove the blind lights. I have been this time by-past thinking much of the incoming of the kirk of the Jews; pray for them: when they were in their Lord's house, at S. R. their Father's elbow, they were longing for the incoming of their little sister, the kirk of the Gentiles. They said to their Lord, Cant. viii. ver. 8. We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts; what shall we do for our sister in the day when You are not unacquainted with the she is spoken for? Let us give them day of our communion; I entreat a meeting. What shall we do for therefore the aid of your prayers our elder sister the Jews? Lord Jefor that great work, which is one of sus give them breasts. That were a our feast-days, wherein our Well- glad day, to see us and them both beloved Jesus rejoiceth, and is mer- set down at one table, and Christ at ry with his friends: good cause have the head of the table. Then would LETTER V. For MARION MACNAUGHT. Well-beloved in the Lord, our Lord come shortly with his fair Bishops are dealing for a general guard, to hold his great court. Dear assembly: A. R. hath confirmed the sister, be patient for the Lord's news also, and says, he spoke with sake, under the wrongs that you Sir William Alexander, who is to suffer of the wicked: your Lord come down with his prince's warshall make you see your desire on rant for that effect. I am desired your enemies; some of them shall in the received letter, to acquaint be cut off, Job xv. ver. 33. They the best affected about me with that shall shake off their unripe grapes storm; therefore, I entreat you and, as the vine, and cast off their flower charge you in the Lord's name, as the olive: God shall make them pray; but not communicate this to like unripe sour grapes shaken off any while I see you, My heart is the tree with the blast of God's broken at the remembrance of it, wrath; and therefore pity them, and and it was my fear, and answereth pray for them: others of them must to my last letter except one, that remain to exercise you; God hath I wrote unto you. Dearly beloved, said of them, Let the tares grow be not casten down, but let us, as up while harvest,' Mat. xiii. It the Lord's doves, take us to our proves you to be your Lord's wheat. wings. For other armour we have Be patient, Christ went to heaven none, and flee into the hole of the with many a wrong; his visage and Rock. It is true, A. R. says, the countenance was all marred more worthiest men in England are bathan the sons of men; you may not nished and silenced, about the numbe above your Master; many a ber of sixteen or seventeen choice black stroke received innocent Je- gospel-preachers, and the persecusus,. and he received no mends, but tion is already begun: howbeit I referred them all to the great court- do not write this unto you with a day, when all things shall be right-dry face, yet I am confident in the ed. I desire to hear from you with- Lord's strength, Christ and his side in a day or two, if Mr. Robert re shall overcome; and you shall be main in his purpose, to come and assured, the kirk were not a kirk, help us; God shall give you joy of if it were not so: as our dear Husyour children. I pray for them, by band in wooing his kirk received their names; I bless you from the many a black stroke, so his bride, the Lord, your husband and chil-in wooing him gets many blows, and dren. Grace, grace and mercy be in this wooing there are strokes multiplied upon you. upon both sides; let it be so, the devil will not make the marriage go S. R. back, neither can he tear the contract, the end shall be mercy: yet notwithstanding of all this, we have no warrant of God to leave off all lawful means. I have been writing to you the counsels and draughts Well-beloved sister, of men against the kirk; but they My love in Christ remembered. I know not, as Micah says, the counhave received a letter from Edin-sel of Jehovah. The great men of burgh, certainly informing me, that the world may make ready the fiery the English service, and the organs, furnace for Zion? but trow ye, and King James' Psalms, are to be that they can cause the fire to imposed upon our kirk, and the burn? No, he that made the fire, I Your's in the Lord for ever, Anwoth, May 7, 1631. LETTER VI. For MARION MACNAUGHT. LETTER VII. To MARION MACNAUGHT. trust, shall not say Amen to their decreets I trust in my Lord, God hath not subscribed their bill, and their conclusions have not yet past I HAVE not time this day to write to our Great King's seal: therefore, if ye think good, address yourself you; but God knowing my present state, and necessities of my calling, first to the Lord, and then to A. I hope will spare my mother's life R. anent the business that you for a time, for the which I have know. I am most unkindly handled cause to thank my Lord. I entreat by the presbytery; and as if I had been a stranger and not a member you be not cast down, for that which I wrote before to you, anent the of that seat, to sit in judgment planting of a minister in your town. with them, I was summoned, by Believe, and you shall see the saltheir order, as a witness against B. vation of God. I write this, because A. but they have got no advantage when you suffer, my heart suffereth in that matter. Other particulars with you. I do believe, your soul you shall hear, God willing, at meet-shall have joy, in your labours and ing Anent the matter betwixt holy desires for that work. you and J. E. I remember it to Anwoth, Grace Your's ever in Christ, S.R. මමෙම LETTER VIII. To MARION MACNAUGHT. God: I entreat you in the Lord, be "pon you, and your husband, and your children. submissive to his will; for the higher that their pride mount up, they are the nearer a fall: the Lord will more and more discover that man. Let your husband, in all matters of judgment, take Christ's part for the defence of the poor, and needy, and oppressed, for the maintainance of equity and justice My dearest love in Christ rememin the town; and take you no fear, bered to you; know that Mr. Abhe shall take your part, and then raham shewed me that there is to be you are strong enough. What? a meeting of the Bishops at Edinhowbeit you receive indignities for burgh shortly; the causes are known your Lord's sake, let it be so; to themselves; it is our part to when he shall put his holy hand up hold up our hands for Zion. Howto your face in heaven, and dry beit it is reported they came sad your face, and wipe the tears from from court. It is our Lord's wisyour eyes, judge ye if ye will not dom that his kirk should ever hang have cause then to rejoice. Anent other particulars, if you would speak breaketh not, being hanged upon by a thread, and yet the thread with me, appoint any of the first three Him, who is the sure Nail in Dadays of the next week in Carleton vid's house, Isa. xxii. ver. 22. upon when Carleton is at home, and ac- whom all the vessels, great and quaint me with your desires; and small, do hang: and the Nail (God remember me to God, and my be thanked) neither crooketh, nor dearest affection to your husband, can be broken; Jesus, that Flower of and for Zion's sake hold not your Jesse, set without hands, getteth peace. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you, and your hus-many a blast and yet withers not, band, and children. Your's in the Lord, Anwoth, Jan. 2, 1631. because he is his Father's noble Rose, casting a sweet smell through heaven and earth, and must grow; S. R and in the same garden with him ་ grow the saints, God's fair and beau-, cause you come up out of your tiful lillies, under wind and rain, and graves, and bring you unto the land all sun-burned, and yet life remain- of Israel' These promises are not eth at the root; keep within his wind, but the breast of our Beloved garden, and you shall grow with Christ, which we must suck, and them, till the great Husbandman, draw comfort out of. We have our dear Master-gardener come, and cause to pity those poor creatures, transplant you from the lower part that stand out against Christ, and of his vineyard up to the higher, to the building of his house: silly men, the very heart of his garden, above they have but a feckless and silly the wrongs of the rain, sun, or wind; heaven, nothing but meat and cloth, and then wait upon the times of the and laugh a day or two in the world, blowing of the sweet South and and then in a moment go down to North wind of his gracious Spirit, the grave. And they shall not be that may make you cast a sweet able to hinder Christ's building; he smell in your Beloved's nostrils; and that is Master of the work will lead bid your Beloved come down to his stones to the wall over their belly, garden, and eat of his pleasant And for that present tumult, that fruits, Cant. iv. ver. 16. and he will the children of this world fraise, come. You will get no more but anent the planting of your town with this, until you come up to the Well- a pastor, believe and stay upon head, where you shall put up your God (as you still shame us all in hand, and take down the apples of believing) go forward in the strength the tree of life, and eat under the of the Lord, and from my Lord I shadow of that Tree; these apples say, before whom I stand, have your are sweeter up beside the Tree, than eyes upon none but the Lord of ar they are down here, in this piece of mies; and the Lord shall either let a clay prison-house. I have no joy you see what you long to see, or but in the thoughts of these times. then fulfil your joy more abundantly Doubt not of your Lord's part, and another way. You and yours, and the spouse's part, she shall be in the children of God whom you care good ease. That word shall stand, for in that town, shall have as much Hos. iv. 5. I shall be as the dew of the Son of God's supper, cut and to Israel, he shall grow up as the laid down upon your trenchers, be lily; and cast out his roots as Le- he who he will that carveth, as shall banon." Ver. 6. His branches feed you to eternal life: and be not shall spread, his beauty shall be as cast down for all that is done, your the olive-tree, and his smell as Le- reward is laid up with God. I hope banon, Isa. xi. ver. 12. Christ shall to see you laugh and leap for joy. set up his colours, and his ensign Will the temple be built without din for the nations, and shall gather to- and tumult? No, God's stones of gether the outcasts of Israel, Ezek. his house in Germany are laid with Xxxvii. 11. Then the Lord said to blood; and the Son of God no me, Son of man, these dead bones sooner begins to chop and hew stones are the whole house of Israel; be with his hammer, but as soon the hold they say, Our bones are dried, sword is drawn. If the work were our hope is lost, we are cut off for of men, the world would set their our parts. Ver. 12. Therefore shoulders to yours; but in Christ's prophesy unto them, and say, Thus work, two or three must fight against saith the Lord God, Behold, O my a presbytery (though his own court) people, I will open your graves, and and a city: this proveth that it is Your's in my sweet Master Jesus Christ, LETTER IX. For MARION MACNAUGHT, Christ's errand, and therefore that whom my soul in Christ blesseth ; it shall thrive; let them lay iron and intreat them by the mercies of chains cross over the door, stay and God, and the bowels of Jesus Christ, believe, and wait, while the Lion of to covenant with Jesus Christ to be the tribe of Judah come; and he his, and to make up the bond of that comes from heaven clothed with friendship betwixt their souls and the rainbow, and hath the little book their Christ, that they may have acin his hand, when he takes a grip of quaintance in heaven, and a friend their chains, he will lay the door at God's right hand; such a friend upon the broad side, and come in, at court is much worth. Now I and go up to the pulpit, and take take my leave of you, praying my the man with him whom he hath Christ, and your Christ, to fulfil our chosen for his work: therefore let joy, and more graces and blessings me hear from you, whether you be from our sweet Lord Jesus to your in heaviness, or rejoicing under hope, soul, your husband's and children, that I may take part of your grief, than ever I wrote of letters of A, and bear it with you, and get part B, C, to you. Grace, grace be of your joy, which is to me also as with you. my own joy. And as to what are your fears, anent the health or life of your dear children, lay it upon Christ's shoulders, let him bear all ; loose your grips of them all, and when your dear Lord pulleth, let them go with faith and joy: it is a tried faith, to kiss a Lord that is taking from you. Let them be care- My love in Christ remembered. ful, during the short time that they You are not ignorant what our Lord are here, to run, and get a grip of in his love-visitation hath been doing the prize; Christ is standing in the with your soul, even letting you see end of their way, holding up the a little sight of that dark trance you garland of endless glory to their must go through ere you come to eyes, and is crying, run fast, and glory. Your life hath been near come and receive; happy are they, the grave, and you was at the door, if their breath serve them to run, and you found the door shut fast; and not to weary, while their Lord your dear Christ thinking it not time with his own dear hand put the to open these gates to you, while crown upon their head. It is not you have fought some longer in his long days, but good days, that make camp: and therefore he willeth you the life glorious and happy; and our to put on your armour again, and dear Lord is gracious to us, who to take no truce with the devil, or shorteneth, and hath made the way to glory shorter than it was: so that the crown that Noah did fight for five hundred years, children may now obtain it in fifteen years. And heaven is in some sort better for us now, than it was to Noah: for the man Christ is there now, who was not come in the flesh in Noah's days. You shall shew this to your children, this present world; you are little obliged to any of the two: but I rejoice in this, that when any of the two comes to suit your soul in marriage, you have an answer in readiness to tell them. You are too long a coming: I have many a year since promised my soul to another, even to my dearest Lord Jesus, to whom I must be true; and therefore you |