Rutherford revised (66)

66 To Robert Gordon of Knockbreck From Aberdeen 20 Sep 1636

Dear Brother, -  Grace, mercy and peace thank you to you. I am now by God's mercy come to Aberdeen, the place of my imprisonment, and settled in an honest man's house. I find the town's men cold, general and dry in their kindness, yet I find a place in the heart of many strangers. My challenges are revived again and I find old sores newly bleeding; dangerous and painful is  an ignored conscience; yet I look to the blood that is medicine for such sores. But truly I see Christianity is thought to be easier and lighter than it is, so that sometimes I think I never knew anything,  only the letters of that name, for our nature is content with a little godliness. Our 'Lord, Lord' seems to us ten 'Lord-Lords.' A little holiness in our estimation is much, because it is our own holiness, and we love to put small burdens on our soft natures and to make an easy road to heaven. And I know that it is necessary to take more pains than we do, and not to make heaven a city more easily conquered then God has made it. I am persuaded that many runners come short and will be disappointed. O how easy it is to deceive ourselves and to sleep and wish heaven would fall down in our laps! Yet despite all my Lord's frowns, I find him sweet, gracious, loving, kind, and I lack pen and words to set down the fairness, beauty and sweetness of Christ's love and the honour of this cross of Christ, which is glorious to me, though the world things shame on it. I truly think that the cross of Christ would blush and be ashamed all these thin-skinned worldly people who are so married to their status that they are ashamed of the sufferings of Christ. O the honour to be beaten and stoned with Christ and to go through a furious-faced death to life eternal! But men would have legalism instead of Christ's cross.
   Now my dear brother, do not forget Christ's prisoner, for I see very few here who kindly fear God. Grace be with you. Let my love in Christ and hearty affection be remembered to your kind wife, to your brother John, and to all friends. The Lord Jesus be with your spirit.
   Yours in his only, only Lord Jesus,  S. R it's overtaken Lisa.