To Mr J.G.
Complaining of Darkness — Christ’s Fulness of Grace
London. Jan. 30th, 1646.
Rev. and Dear Brother,
I do esteem nothing out of heaven, and next to a Communion with Jesus Christ, more than to be in the hearts and prayers of the saints; I know he feedeth there amongst the lilies till the day break, but I am at a low ebb, as to any sensible Communion with Christ; yea as low as my soul can be, and do scarce know where I am; and do now make it a question, if any can go to Him, who dwelleth in light inaccessible, through nothing but darkness? Surely, all that come to heaven have a stock in Christ, but I know salvation of others, and to know Christ to be the honey-comb, the rose of Sharon, the paradise of Eden of the saints and first-born written in heaven, and not to see afar the borders of that good land.
But what shall I say? Either this is the Lord making grace a new creation, where there is pure nothing and sinful nothing to work upon; or I am gone. I should count my soul engaged to yourself, and others there with you, if you would but carry to Christ for me a letter of cyphers; for I know not how to make language of my condition, only showing that I have need of His love for I know, many fair and washed ones stand now in white before the throne, who were once as black as I am. If Christ pass His word to wash a sinner, it is less to Him than a word to make fair angels of black devils; only let the art of free grace be engaged. I have no one to become surety, nor doth a mediator, such as He is in all perfection, need a mediator, but what I need He knoweth; only, it is His depth of wisdom to let some pass millions of miles over score in debt, that they may stand between the winning and the losing, in need of more than ordinary free grace.
Christ hath been multiplying grace by mercy above these five thousand years; and the latterborn heirs have so much greater guiltiness, that Christ hath passed more experiments and multiplied essays of heart-love on others, by misbelieving, after it is past all question, many hundreds of ages, that Christ is the undeniable and now uncontroverted treasurer of multiplied redemptions; so now He is saying, the more of the disease there is, the more of the physicians art, of grace and tenderness, there must be; only I know, no sinner can put infinite grace to it, so that the mediator shall have difficulty or much ado, to save this or that man; millions of hells of sinners cannot come near to exhaust infinite grace.
— Samuel Rutherford.
To the Professors of Christ and His Truth in Ireland
The Importance of Making Our Profession Sure—and of Self-denial
Aberdeen. Feb. 4th, 1638.
Two special things ye are to mind. (1) To try and make sure your profession; that ye carry not empty lamps. Alas, security, security is the bane and the wreck of the most part of the world! Oh, how many professors go with a golden lustre, and gold-like before men, who are but base metal! Consider how fair before the wind some do ply with upsails and white, even to the nick of illumination, “and tasting of the heavenly gift, and a share and part of the Holy Ghost; and the tasting of the good Word of God, and the powers of the world to come,” Heb. 6, 5. And yet this is but a false aick of renovation, and in a short time such quickly broken upon the rocks, and never fetch the harbour, but are sanded in the bottom of hell. O make your heaven sure, and try how ye come by conversion; that it be not stolen goods, in a white and well-lustred profession! A white skin over old wounds! making an undercutting conscience. False under-water, not seen, is dangerous, and that is a leak at the bottom of an enlightened conscience, often falling and sinning against light. Wo, wo is me, that the Holy Profession of Christ is made a stage garment by many to bring home a vain fame; and Christ is made to serve men’s ends; this is, as it were, to stop an oven with a king’s robes.
Know. (2) Except men martyr and slay the body of sin, in sanctified self-denial they shall never be Christ’s martyrs and faithful witnesses. Oh that I could be master of that house-idol, my self, my own, mine, my own will, wit, credit and ease! How blessed were I; Oh but we have need to be redeemed from ourselves rather than from the devil and the world! Learn to put out yourselves, and to put in Christ for yourselves.
— Samuel Rutherford.
To The Lady Larigie Mistress,
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you. I exhort you in the Lord, to go on in your journey to heaven, and to be content with such fare by the way as Christ and His followers have had before you, for they had always the wind on their faces; and the Lord hath not changed the way to us, for our ease, but will have us following our sweet guide. Alas, how doth sin clog us in our journey, and retard us! What fools are we to have a by-good, or any other love, or match to our souls, beside Christ! It were best for us, like ill bairns (who are best heard at home) to seek our own home, and to sell our hopes of this little clay idol of the earth, where we are neither well summered nor well wintered.
O that our souls would fall so at odds with the Love of this world as to think of it as a traveller doth of a drink of water, which is not any part of his treasure, but goeth away with the using; for ten miles journey maketh that drink to him as nothing! Oh that we had as soon done with this world, and could as quickly dispatch the love of it! But as a child cannot hold two apples in his little hand, but the one putteth the other out of its room, so neither can we be masters and lords of two loves. Blessed were we, if we could make ourselves masters of that invaluable treasure, the love of Christ; or rather, suffer ourselves to be mastered and subdued to Christ’s love, so that Christ were our all things, and all other things our nothings, and the refuse of our delights.
O let us be ready for shipping against the time our Lord’s wind and tide calls us! Death is the last thief, that shall come without din or noise of feet, and take our souls away, and we shall take our leave of time, and face eternity; and our Lord shall lay together the two sides of this earthly tabernacle, and fold us, and lay us by, as a man layeth by clothes at night, and put the one half of us in an house of clay, the dark grave. And the other half of us in heaven or hell. Seek to be found of your Lord in peace, and put your soul in order, for Christ will not give a nail-breadth of time to our little sand-glass. Pray for Zion, and for me his prisoner, that he would be pleased to bring me amongst you again, full of Christ, and freighted and laden with the blessing of his gospel.
Grace, grace be with you,
Samuel Rutherford.
To William Halliday
The Importance of Giving Diligence to Make Our Salvation Sure
Aberdeen.
Loving Friend,
I received your letter; I wish you to take pains for salvation. Mistaken grace, and somewhat like conversion, which is not conversion, is the saddest and most doleful thing in the world; make sure of salvation, and lay the foundation sure, for many are beguiled. Put a low price upon this world’s clay, put a high price upon Christ, temptations will come, but if they be made welcome by you, you have the best of it! Be jealous over yourself and your own heart, and keep touches with God; let him not have a faint and feeble soldier of you; fear not to back Christ, for He will conquer and overcome.
Let no man stare at Christ, for I have no quarrels against His cross; He and His cross are two good guests, and worth the lodging — men would fain have Christ cheap, but the market will not come down; acquaint yourself with prayer; make Christ your captain and your armour; make conscience of sinning when no eye seeth you. Grace be with you.
— Samuel Rutherford.