Rutherford Revised (197)

197. To Mr William Dalgleish       From Aberdeen 1637

(Se  letters 117, 184)

Reverend and dear brother,- Grace mercy and peace be to you. I received your letter. I bless our high and only wise Lord who has broken the trap that men prepared for you; and I hope that now he will keep you in His house, despite the powers of hell. Who knows but that the streets of our Jerusalem will be filled with young men, and with old men and boys, and pregnant women? And that they will plant vines on the mountains of Samaria? I am sure that the wheels, movement and motions of this poor church are controlled and ruled, not according to men's wishes, but according to the good pleasure and infinite wisdom of our only wise Lord.
   I am here waiting in hope that my innocence in this honourable cause will melt the cloud that men have put over me. I know that my Lord had His own quarrels with me, and that my impurities were in need of this hot fire. But I rejoice in this, that fair truth, beautiful truth (whose glory my Lord makes clear to me more and more), keeps me company; that my weak aims to honour my Master by bringing guests to His house now grow on me with comforts; that I am not afraid to lack a witness in heaven and that it was my joy to have a crown put on Christ's head in that country. Oh, what joy I would have to see the wind turn against the enemies of the cross of Christ and to see my Lord Jesus restored with the sound of praise to His own free throne again! And to be brought among you to see the beauty of the Lord's house!
   I hope that country will not be so silly as to let men take you away from them; and that you will use ways to keep my place vacant, and to bring me back again to the people to whom I have Christ's right and is church's lawful calling. 
   Dear brother, let Christ be dearer and dearer to you. Let the conquest of souls be top and bottom, flower and blossom of your joy and desires, on this side of sun and moon. And on the day when our Lord will pull up the four poles pf this clay tent of the earth, and the last grain of sand will be at the point of falling through tour hourglass, and the Master will call the servants of the vineyard to give them their wages, you will reckon the flower of this world's glory to be like the colours of the rainbow which no-one can put into his purse and keep. Your work and pains will then smile on you.
   My Lord has led me to experience (though weak and small) that our best food here is hunger. We are only at God's side table in this lower house; we have reason to long for supper time, and the high table up in the high palace. This world deserved nothing except the outer court of our soul. Lord speed the marriage supper of the Lamb! I find it is still peace to give up on this present world as with only rejected and thrown off lover. My food and drink in it is not worth so much that I do not loathe the inns and pack up for Christ the desires which I used to send out to the worthless things of earth.
   Grace, grace be with you,
      Your affectionate brother and Christ's prisoner,  S.R.