Rutherford Revised (296)

296. To the much honoured Peter Stirling   From St. Andrews 6 Mar 1640

Much honoured and worthy sir,- I received yours, and can only be ashamed mistaken love has brought me into favour and account in the heart of God's children, especially of another nation. I should not make a lie of the grace of God, if I should think I have little share of it myself. Oh, how much better it would be for me to stand in the counting table of many for a halfpenny, and to be counted a liker, rather than a lover of Christ! If I was weighed, vanity would bear down the scale, as having weight in he balance above me, unless my lovely Saviour should throw in beside me some of His borrowed worth. Alas, oh, if I were sincerely writing down this explanation, which may be (and I fear  is) subtle and deceiving pride! I wish I could love something of heaven's worth, in you and all your kind. Oh how happy would I be, if I could regain and conquer back from the creature my sold and lost love, that I might lay it on heaven's Jewel, ever, ever looking Flower of the highest garden, even my soul redeeming and never enough prized Lord Jesus! Oh that He would wash my love, and put it on the Mediator's wheel, and refine from its dross and tin, that I might give to that Lord, so love worthy, with all my love! Oh, if I could set a lease of thousands of years, and a suspension of my part of heaven's glory, and postpone until a far day, my desired salvation, so being that I could, in his lower kitchen and undervault of His creation, be feasted with His love, and I might be a footstool to His glory before men and angels! Oh, if He would let out heaven's fountain on withered me, dry and sapless me! If I was only sick of love for His love. And oh, how would the sickness delight me! How sweet would that easing and refreshing pain be to my soul!
   I will be glad to be a witness to see the kingdom's of the world become Christ's. I would stay out of heaven many years to see the victorious triumphing Lord act the prophesied part of His soul conquering love, in taking into His kingdom the greater sister, the church of he Jews, who sometime courted our Well-Beloved for her little sister (Sol 8:8); to see Him set up as a flag and banner of love, to the ends of the world.And truly we are to believe His wrath is ripe for the land of graven images, and for the falling of that millstone into the middle of the sea. Grace be with you.
    Yours, in his sweet Lord Jesus,  S.R.