[Colonel Gilbert Ker was a leading man among the Covenanters. He was one of the officers of the west country army, and adhered with great zeal to the Western Remonstrance, sent by that army to the Committee of Estates, which, among other things, condemned the treaty with the King, accused many of the Committee of Estates of covetousness and oppression, and opposed the invasion of England, or forcing a king upon that kingdom. In the year 1655 he was named Justice of Peace for Roxburghshire, but declined to accept; stating as his reasons, that he considered the employment sinful, not allowed by the word of God, contrary to the Solemn League and Covenant, and an encroachment on the liberty
of Christ’s church.
At the restoration of Charles II., when those concerned in the Western Remonstrance were particularly marked out for the vengeance of the Government, he left the country, but was allowed by the Privy Council to return in the beginning of the year 1671. He must have died previous to October 5, 1677; for at that date Mr. James Row, merchant in Edin- burgh, his son-in-law, presents a petition to the Privy Council, praying that he might obtain the remission of a fine of five hundred merks, imposed on the deceased Colonel Gilbert Ker upon account of a conventicle, and for the payment of which the petitioner had become cautioner. This fine was remitted. ]
Much Honoured and Truly Worthy,—I hope I shall not need to show you that you are in greater danger from yourself, and your own spirit (which should be watched over, that your actings for God may be clean, spiritual, purely for God, for the Prince of the kings of the earth), than you can be in danger from your enemies. Oh how hard is it to get the intentions so cut off from and raised above the creature, as to be without mixture of creature and fleshly interest, and to have the soul, in heavenly actings, only, only eyeing Himself, and acting from love to God, revealed to us in Jesus Christ! You will find yourself, your delights, your solid glory (far above the air and breathings of mouths, and the thin, short, poor ap- plauses of men), before you in God. All the creatures, all the swords, all the hosts in Britain, and in this poor globe of the habitable world, are but under Him single symbols making no number; the product being nothing but painted men, and painted swords in a board, without influence from Him. And oh what of God is in Gideon’s sword, when it is “The sword of the Lord!”
of Christ’s church.
At the restoration of Charles II., when those concerned in the Western Remonstrance were particularly marked out for the vengeance of the Government, he left the country, but was allowed by the Privy Council to return in the beginning of the year 1671. He must have died previous to October 5, 1677; for at that date Mr. James Row, merchant in Edin- burgh, his son-in-law, presents a petition to the Privy Council, praying that he might obtain the remission of a fine of five hundred merks, imposed on the deceased Colonel Gilbert Ker upon account of a conventicle, and for the payment of which the petitioner had become cautioner. This fine was remitted. ]
Much Honoured and Truly Worthy,—I hope I shall not need to show you that you are in greater danger from yourself, and your own spirit (which should be watched over, that your actings for God may be clean, spiritual, purely for God, for the Prince of the kings of the earth), than you can be in danger from your enemies. Oh how hard is it to get the intentions so cut off from and raised above the creature, as to be without mixture of creature and fleshly interest, and to have the soul, in heavenly actings, only, only eyeing Himself, and acting from love to God, revealed to us in Jesus Christ! You will find yourself, your delights, your solid glory (far above the air and breathings of mouths, and the thin, short, poor ap- plauses of men), before you in God. All the creatures, all the swords, all the hosts in Britain, and in this poor globe of the habitable world, are but under Him single symbols making no number; the product being nothing but painted men, and painted swords in a board, without influence from Him. And oh what of God is in Gideon’s sword, when it is “The sword of the Lord!”
I wish a sword from heaven to you, and orders from heaven to you to go out; and as much impatience of a heavenly will as to say, and stay by it, “I will not, I shall not go out, unless You go with me.” I do not wan to be rash in judging; but I am a stranger to the mind of Christ, if our enemies, who have unjustly invaded us, be not now in the camp of those that make war with the Lamb. But the Lamb shall overcome them in time; for He is the Lord of lords, and King of kings, and they who are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful. And though you and I see only the dark side of God’s workings this day towards Britain, yet the fair, beautiful, and desirable close of it must be the confederacy of the nations of the world with Britain’s Lord of armies. And let me die in the comforts of the faith of this, that a throne will be set up for Christ in this island of Britain (which is, and will be, a garden more fruitful of trees of righteousness, and which pays and will pay more thousands to the Lord of the vineyard than is paid in thrice the lands of Great Britain upon earth), and there can be neither Papist, Bishop, evil man, nor Sectary, who dares draw a sword against Him that sitts upon the throne.
Sir, I shall wish a pure army, so far as may be, that the shout of a King who has many crowns may be among you; and that you may fight in faith, and prevail with God first. Think it your glory to have a sword to act, and suffer, and die (if it please Him), so you may add anything to the declarative glory of Christ, the Plant of Renown, Immanuel, God with us. Happy and thrice blessed are they by whose actings, or blood, or pain, or loss, the diadems and rubies of His highest and most glorious crown (whose you are) shall glister and shine in this quarter of the habitable world. Though He need not Gilbert Ker, nor his sword, yet this honour you have with His redeemed soldiers, to call Christ High Lord-General, from whom you hope for pay and all arrears well reckoned. Go on, worthy Sir, in the courage of faith, following the Lamb. Do not speed unbelievingly; but in hope and silence keep the watch-tower, and look out. He will come in His own time; His salvation will not delay. He will place salvation in Britain’s Zion for Israel’s glory.
Sir, I shall wish a pure army, so far as may be, that the shout of a King who has many crowns may be among you; and that you may fight in faith, and prevail with God first. Think it your glory to have a sword to act, and suffer, and die (if it please Him), so you may add anything to the declarative glory of Christ, the Plant of Renown, Immanuel, God with us. Happy and thrice blessed are they by whose actings, or blood, or pain, or loss, the diadems and rubies of His highest and most glorious crown (whose you are) shall glister and shine in this quarter of the habitable world. Though He need not Gilbert Ker, nor his sword, yet this honour you have with His redeemed soldiers, to call Christ High Lord-General, from whom you hope for pay and all arrears well reckoned. Go on, worthy Sir, in the courage of faith, following the Lamb. Do not speed unbelievingly; but in hope and silence keep the watch-tower, and look out. He will come in His own time; His salvation will not delay. He will place salvation in Britain’s Zion for Israel’s glory.
I am yours, in his sweet Lord Jesus, S. R.
No comments:
Post a Comment