Rutherford Revised (213)

213. To Robert Lennox of Disdove  From Aberdeen 1637

Dear brother,- Grace, mercy and peace be to you. I beg you in the Lord Jesus to make fast and sure work of eternal life. Do not sow rotten seed: every man's work will speak for itself as to what seed has been. Oh, how many I see who sow to the flesh! Alas, what a crop will that be when the Lord will put in his hook to reap this world that is white and ripe for judgement!
   I recommend to you holiness and sanctification, and that you keep yourself clean from this present evil world. We delight to tell our own dreams and to flatter our own flesh with the hope that we have. It would be wise of us to be free, plain, honest and sharp with our own souls, and to instruct them to brew better.that they may drink well when time melts away like snow in a hot summer. Oh, how hard a thing it is to get a soul to give up all things on this side of death and doomsday. We say that we are moving and going from this world; but our heart does not move one foot from its place. Alas, I see few heavenly hungered souls, that have nothing on the earth except their body of clay going upend down this earth because their soul and the powers of it are up in heaven and there their hearts live, desire, enjoy, rejoice. Oh, men's souls have no wings; and therefore, night and day they keep to their nest, and do not know Christ. Sir, take yourself to your one thing, to Christ, that you may know the taste of His sweetness and excellency; and tell your love not to long for this world, for it will not do your business on that day when nothing will do you good except God's favour. Build on Christ some good choice and sure work; for when your soul has been active many years, and has sent and wandered through the creatures you will come home again before the wind. They are not good, at least not the soul's good. It is the infinite Godhead who must deal with the sharpness of your hunger for happiness, otherwise your desires will not be satisfied.: and if He should throw ten worlds into your desires, all would fall through, and your soul would still cry, 'Red hunger! Black hunger!' But I am sure there is enough for you in Christ even if you had seven souls and seven desires in you. 
   Oh, if I could make my Lord Jesus suitable for sale, lovely, desirable and fair to all the world, to both Jew and Gentile. Oh, I would give up my part of heaven if He would take my tongue to be His instrument, to proclaim Christ in His whole qualities of love, virtue, grace, sweetness and matchless glory to the hearts of Jews and Gentiles! But who is sufficient for these things? Oh, for the help of angels' tongues to make Christ sweet to see and pleasant o many thousands! Oh, how little does the world see of Him and how far they are from loving Him seeing there is so much loveliness, beauty and sweetness in Christ that no created eve did ever yet see! I wish that all me knew His glory and that I should put many to enter in at the Bridegroom's room door to see His beauty and to take a part of His high and deep and broad and boundless love. Oh, let all the world come near and see Christ and they will see more than I can tell abut Him! Oh if I had a pledge to put down for a seafull of His love! That I could have so much of Christ as would satisfy a longing for Him, or rather increase it until it was in full possession! I know that we will meet and I rejoice in that.
   Sir, stand secure in the truth that Christ you have received. Do not give in to any winds but ride then out and let Christ be your anchor and the only One you will look to see in peace. Pray for me His prisoner that the Lord would send me among you to feed His people.
   Grace, grace be with you.
      Yours in his sweet Lord Jesus,  S.R.