Rutherford Revised (242)

242. To the Lady Rowallan     From Aberdeen Sept 7 1637

(Lady Rowallan, was the third wife of Sir William Mure. Covenanting conventicles me in their castle.)

Madam, - Though we are no aquaintetd, I am bold in Christ to write to your Ladyship. I rejoice in our Lord Jesus, on your behalf, that it has pleased Him, whose love to you is as old as Himself, to show the favour His love in Christ Jesus to your soul, in the revelation of His will and care for you now when so many are shut up in unbelief. Oh the sweet change you have made, in leaving the black kingdom of this world and sin, and coming over to our Bridegroom's new kingdom, to know and be taken up with the love of the beautiful Son of God! I beg you Madam, in the Lord, to now make sure work, and see that the old house is torn down, and razed to  the foundation, and that the new building of your soul be Christ's ownwork, for then neither wind nor storm will loose if or shake it apart. Many now guess at Christ; be sure it is He and only He with whom you have met .His sweet smell, His lovely voice. His fair face, His sweet working in the soul, will not lie; They will soon tell if it is indeed Christ; and I think your love to the saints says it is Him. And therefore, I say, be sure that you take Christ Himself, and take Him with His Father's blessing: His Father well allows Him to come to you. Your lines are well fallen; it could not have been better, nor so well with you, if they had not fallen in these places. In heaven or out of heaven there is nothing better, nothing so sweet and excellent as the thing you have come upon; and therefore hold to Christ. May you have joy, much joy from Him; but cheerfully take His cross with Him. Christ and His cross are not separate in this life; though Christ and His cross part at heaven's door, for there is no houseroom for crosses in heaven, One tear, one sigh, one sad heart, one fear, one loss, one thought of trouble, cannot find a home there: they are only the marks of our Lord Jesus down in this wide inn, and stormy country, on this side of death. Sorrow and the sants are not married together; or suppose it was so, heaven would make a divorce. I find that His sweet presence eats out the bitterness of sorrow and suffering. I think it is a sweet thing that Christ says of my cross, 'Half mine;' and he divides these sufferings with me, and takes the larger share to Himself; no, that I and my my whole cross are wholly Christ's. Oh, what a portion is Christ! Oh, that the saints would dig deeper in the treasures of His wisdom and excellency.
   So recommending your Ladyship to the tender mercies of our Lord, I rest your Ladyship's, in His sweet Lord Jesus,  S.R.