LETTER LIII. is no other thing than, It is not yet time to build the house of the Lord and for that cause, many For the right honourable my Lady BOYD. Madam, GRACE mercy and peace be to you: houses, great and fair in the land, I received your letter on May 19th. are laid desolate. Multitudes of We are here debating, with much Anabaptists, Antinomians, Familists, contention of disputes, for the just Separatists are here; the best of measures of the Lord's temple. the people are the Independent way: It pleaseth God, that sometimes as for myself, I know no more, if enemies hinder the building of the there be a sound Christian (setting Lord's house: but now friends, even aside some yea, not a few learned, gracious men (so I conceive of some zealous and faithful ministers, them) do not a little hinder the whom I have met with) at London, work: Thomas Goodwin, Jeremiah (though I doubt not but there are Burroughs, and some others, four many) than if I were in Spain; or five, who are for the Independ-which maketh me bless God, that ent way, stand in our way, and the communion of saints, how ceare mighty opposites to presbyte-sirable soever, yet is not the thing, rial government We have carried even that great thing Christ and through some propositions for the remission of sins. If Jesus were scripture-right of presbytery; espe- uncouth, as his members are here, I cially in the church of Jerusalem, should be in a sad and heavy condiAct ii. iv. v. vi xv. and the church tion. The house of Peers are rotof Ephesus, and are going on upon ten men, and hate our commissionother grounds of truth; and by the ers and our cause both: the life that way have proven, that ordination is, is in the house of commons, and of pastors belongeth not to a sin- many of them also have their religle congregation, but to a college gion to choose. The sorrows of a of presbyters, whose it is to lay travailing woman are come on the hands upon Timothy, and others, land: our army is lying about York, 1 Tim. iv. 14. 1 Tim. v. 17. Acts and have blocked up them of Newxiii. 1, 2, 3 Acts viii. 5, 6. We castle, and six thousand papists and are to prove, That one single con- malignants, with Mr. Thomas Sydgregation hath not power to excom- serf, and some Scottish prelates; municate, which is opposed, not and if God deliver them into their only by Independent men, but by hands (considering how strong the many others: the truth is, we have parliament's armies are, how many many and grieved spirits with the victories God hath given them since work; and for my part, I often they entered into covenant with him, despair of the reformation of this and how weak the king is) it may land, which saw never any thing, be thought the land is near a deli but the high places of their fa- verance; but I rather desire it, than thers, and the remnants of Baby- believe it. We offered this day to lon's pollutions; and except that, the assembly a part of a Directory not by might, nor by power, but for worship. to shoulder out the Serby the Spirit of the Lord; I should vice Book; it is taken into considethink, God hath not yet thought ration by the assembly. Your son it time for England's deliverance: Lindsay is well, I receive letters for the truth is, the best of them from him almost every week. almo t have said, An half reformation is very fair at the first; which Your's at all obedience in God, London, May 25th. S. R. LIV. For the right honourable Lady, my Lady Madam, I believe he will burn the briers and the thorns that come against him. I desire to remember your Ladyship to God, but little can I do that way: his everlasting good-will be with you. Your's in the Lord Jesus, LETTER LV. S. R. For the right honourable and Christian Lady, We are now I AM a little moved at your infirmity of body and health; I hope it is to you a real warning: And if in this life only we had hope, we should be St. Andrews, 24th July. of all men the most miserable. Sure the huge generations of the seekers of the face of Jacob's God must be in a life above the things that are now much taking with us; such as to see the sun, to enjoy this life in health, and some good worldly ac- GRACE, mercy, and peace be to you. commodations too: and if we be The Lord is gracious, who keeps making that sure, it is our wisdom. your Ladyship in the furnace, when The times would make any that love many put out their hand to iniquity the Lord sick, and faint, to consider one way or other. how iniquity abounds, and how dull shouldering and casting down one we are in observing sins in ourselves, another in the dark, and the godly and how quick-sighted to find them hidden from the godly. We make out in others, and what bondage we our own chains heavier, by joining are in; and yet very often, when we with the Lord's enemies; hence new complain of times, we are secretly sufferings to all, that dare not say a slandering the Lord's work and wise confederacy to those to whom this government of the world, and raising people say a confederacy, nor fear a hard report of him; He is good, their fear. As that is my exercise and does good, and all his ways are now, who am not very far from being equal. Madam, I have been to some my alone though I know in whom I others (oh if I could to myself) hold-have believed, at least I should know ing out some more of this, to read in this place; so I am afraid that the and study God well, and make the godly there comply with these deserious thoughts of a God-head and clared enemies of God; it will be a God-head in Christ, the work, and our strength to walk between enethe only work, all the day. Oh we mies and malignants on either side; are little with God! and do all with- this is the day of Jacob's trouble, out God! we sleep and wake with- yet these dry bones can and must out him ; we eat, we speak, we live. I know not if I shall see it, journey, we go about worldly busi but I hope to take this quietness ness. and our calling without God! and silence of faith, in the most of and, considering what deadness is the noises of the alarm for war, to upon the hearts of many, it were the grave with me, that the Lord good that some did not pray with shall build upon the church of Britout God, and preach and praise, and ain, and Ireland, a palace of silver, read and confer of God, without inclosed with boards of cedar. Dear God. It is universally complained madam, faint not, the night is almost of, that there is a strange deadness gone; for the vision is yet for an upon the land, and on the hearts of appointed time, but at the end it his people: Oh if we could help it! shall speak, and not lie; though it but he that waters every moment tarry, wait for it, because it will his garden of red wine, must help it, surely come, and not tarry. Madam, weary not; none can out-bid your | poral and spiritual deliverance may lodging in heaven; there is more come both together; and that he shall given for it by him, who hath because us feel, both the one way and spoken it for Jane Campbell, and the other, the good of his reign who taken it for her, than any can offer; shortly comes to the throne, Psal. the ransom of blood standeth. My lxxii. 6. 'He shall come down like wife remembereth her respects to rain upon the mown grass; as showyour Ladyship. The child is well; ers that water the earth.' ver. 7. Mrs. Gillespie is well, we hear, but In his days shall the righteous not here. Grace, grace be with you. flourish; and abundance of peace, Your's in his own Lord Jesus Christ, so long as the moon endureth.' St. Andrews, Jan. 28th 1653. ver. 12. He shall deliver the needy when he crieth, and the poor also, and him that hath no helper. ver. 14. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence; and precious shall their blood be in his sight. And though we cannot pray home a sweet season that way, yet Christ must bring summer with him, when he cometh. ver. 16. ප LETTER LVI. S. R. To the honourable and truly worthy Colonel Much honoured in the Lord, How it is with you, may appear by your letters to some with us. But it is the complaint of not a few of Their shall be an handful of corn such, who were in Christ before me, in the earth upon the top of the that most of us inhabit and dwell in mountains, the fruit thereof shall a parched land. The people of the shake like Lebanon. I know not if Lord are like a land not rained up- I apply prophecies as I would, rather on: though some dare not deny but than as they are; when the one Shepthis is the garden of the Beloved, herd is set over them, even he who and the vineyard that the Lord doth shall stand, O how much do we lye keep, and water every moment; yet and feed in the strength of the Lord, O where are the sometimes quick-the isles (and this the greatest of ening breathings and influences from them) who wait for his law, are to beaven that have refreshed his hid- look for that, Ezek. xxxiv. 26. den ones? The causes of his with- And I will make them, and the drawings are unknown to us; one places round about my hill, a blessthing cannot be denied, but that ing, and I will cause the showers to ways of high sovereignty, and do- come down in his season.' minion of grace, are far out of the there shall be showers of blessing; And sight of angels and men; yea, and how desirable must every drop of so above the fixed way of free such a shower be? And Hosea xiv. promises, such as, This do, and he 5. I will be as the dew to Israel, shall breathe and blow upon his he shall grow as the lily, and cast garden, as he hath put forth a de- forth his roots as Lebanon. ver. 6. claration to his hidden ones in Scot- His branches shall spread, and land, that smarting, wrestlings, pray-his beauty shall be as the olive-tree, ings, complaining, gracious missing, and his smell as Lebanon.' And Isa. cannot earn the visits from on high, lv. 13. Instead of the thorn shall nor fetch down showers upon the come up the fir tree, and instead of desert. It may be, when we are the brier shall come up the myrtle saying in our graves, Our bones are tree: and it shall be to the Lord dry, and our hope gone, that tem- for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.' Isa. xli feeds among the lillies, when his 19. 'I will plant in the wilderness spikenard casts a smell, when he the cedar, the shittah tree, and the knocks and withdraws, and is no oil tree.' Isa. xliv. 3. 'I will pour where to be found. O how little water upon him that is thirsty, and a portion of God do we see! how floods upon the dry ground; I will little study we God! how rarely pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and read we God, or are versed in my blessing upon their offspring.' the lively apprehensions of that And it shall be no lost labour, nor great unknown All in All, the fruitless husbandry. ver. 6. They glorious God-head, and the Godshall spring as among the grass, as head revealed in Christ! We dwell willows by the water-courses. But far from the well, and complain but when this shall be in Scotland, (and dryly of our dryness and dulness; it must be) is better to believe than we are rather dry than thirsty. prophesy, and quitely to hope and Sir, There may be artificial pride sit still (for that is yet our strength) in this humility; but for me, I than quarrel with him, that the wheels neither know what he is, nor his of his chariot move leisurly. Son's name, nor where he dwells: Yet this can hardly say any thing I hear a report of Christ great to us, who do so much please our enough, and that is all. Ọ what selves in our deadness, and are al- is nearness to him! what is that, to most gone from godly thirst and be in God, to dwell in God! what missing too, being half-satisfied with a house must that be, 1 John iv. our witheredness; no doubt we have 13. How far are some from their marred his influences, and have not house and home? how ill acquaint seconded nor smiled upon his actings with the rooms, mansions, safety and upon us, nor have we been much of sweetness of holy security to be his strain, who, Psal. cxix. doth found in God! O what estrangeeight times breathe out that suit, ment! what wandering! what frequicken me, quicken me. So much quent conversing with self and the are we desirous to be acted upon creature! Is not here the bed by the Lord as blocks and stones; shorter than that a man can stretch' and so prodigal are we of his mo- himself on it? and the covering tions, as if they were no better to be narrower than that he can wrap husbanded: but it is good, that it himself in it? Isa. xxviii. 20. When is not in our power to blast and un- shall we attain to a living in only, do his breathings; but his wind only God! and be estranged from bloweth where he listeth. Could all the poor created nothings, the we but learn, and cast a quiet spirit painted shadow-beings of yesterunder the dewings and showrings of day, which an hour and less behim, that every moment watereth fore creation were dark waste nehis vineyard, how happy and blessed gatives, and empty nothings, and were we? we neither open, nor do we should so have been for eternity, discern his knocking, nor feel his had the Lord suffered them to lye hand put in through the key-hole, there forever? It is He, the great nor can we give any spiritual ac- He, who sitteth upon the circle of count of the walkings and motions the earth (of the world) and the inof Christ, when he stands behind habitants thereof are as grasshoppers; the wall, when he comes skipping that stretcheth out the heavens as over the mountains, when he comes a curtain, and spreadeth them out as to his garden and feasts, when he a tent to dwell in; that bringeth the princes to nothing, and maketh the It is believed by some, that the projudges of the earth as vanity, Isa. xl. testing party hath quite given over 22, 23. And He the only He, and the cause: I hope it is not so; but there is no He beside him, Isa. the Lord shall be yet victorious in xliii. 10. 11 Isa, xlv. 5. Men or his most dispised ones. Our darkangels, they are not any of them an ness is great and thick, and there is he to him: but a living, breathing, much deadness; yet the Lord shall dying nothing is man at his best, a be our light. Thus recommending sick clay vanity; and the angel to you to his grace, whose ye are, Ì him but a more excellent, living, and am understanding nothing; yet we live at a distance from him, and we die St. Andrews, April 2, 1658. and wither, when we are out of God: oh if we knew how nothing we are without him Sir, We desire to mind your bonds, and are cheered and refreshed that we hear of any of his manifestations, and his out that abideth in you so Your brother in the Lord, LETTER LVIII: To Mr. JOHN SCOT at Oxname. S. R. goings, which are prepared as the FAINT not, but be strong in the morning to you. We hope, nor Lord, and in the power of his might; need we desire you not to faint, I look on it as a rich mercy, that the and are confident that the anointing Lord is with you, strengening you to quicken fainters, to warm and warn teacheth you, much: wait upon the speaking-vi- any that are cold or dead, or who sion; behold he cometh, behold his deaden others. Believe it, it will be reward is with him, and his work your peace in the end; the times are before him. The only wise God sad, yet I persuade myself the visstrengthen you with all might acion will not tarry, but will speak. cording to his glorious power, unto The Lord will loose our captiveall patience and long-suffering with bonds; O blessed he, though alone, joyfulness. who is found fast and constant, for the desirable interest of Christ. My humble advice would be, that you see to the placing of the deacon and the ruling elder, or to any thing that may weaken the discipline; our second book of discipline would be heeded, sessions purged. Oh! catechising and personal visiting, and I saw from C K a testimony of speaking to them sigillatim, concernyour presbytery against toleration, ing their interest in Christ, and a in which you have been instrumen-state of conversion, is little in practal; the Lord give strength to do tice. The practice of family-fasts more. I think it both rare and is scarce known to be an ordinance Your's at all observance in the Lord Jesus, St. Andrews, July, 1653. LETTER LVII. To Mr. JOHN SCOT at Oxname. Reverend and dear brother, S. R necessary, and would account it a of God, It were good you would great mercy, if there were an addi- confer with godly brethren in prition of a postcript from divers min-vate, concering the promoting of isters and elders, out of all the shires godliness, concerning Christian conof Scotland; it is really the mind of ference, and praying together, worall the godly and tender in this land. shipping of God in families, and |