A57963:13
Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself
Christ dying and drawing sinners to himself, or, A survey of our Saviour in his soul-suffering, his loveliness in his death, and the efficacy thereof in which some cases of soul-trouble in week believers ... are opened ... delivered in sermons on the Evangel according to S. John Chap. XII, vers. 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 ... / by Samuel Rutherford.Christ dying and drawing sinners to himself, or, A survey of our Saviour in his soule-suffering, his lovelynesse in his death, and the efficacie thereof in which some cases of soule-trouble in weeke beleevers ... are opened ... delivered in sermons on the Evangel according to S. John Chap. XII, vers. 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 ... / by Samuel Rutherford.
London: printed by J.D. for Andrew Crooke, 1647
To the reader: TO THE JUDICIOUS AND Godly Reader.To the reader: TO THE IVDICIOVS AND Godly Reader.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The mind may be calmed a little in this, that, though to speak highly of Christ, be, in poor men, who are so low under, and unequal to so great a Province, a marring rather of his dignity, and a flattering of Christ, then a real praising of, or pointing him out in all his virtues and loveliness, in regard that the foulness of the breath of a sinner may blacken the beauty of such a transcendent and incomparable flower, that Isaiah a high, eminent, and ⟨image 3⟩Gospel-Prophet is at his wits end, at a non-plus, a stand, and giveth over the matter as a high question; Who shall declare his generation? And another, What is his name, 1and what is his Sons name, if thou canst tell? All that ever wrote, lye down under this load, and though many now a days give out, they have so much of the Lord Jesus, that they are Christed and swallowed up in his love, yet should I think it all happiness, if I could but tell Christs name, and were so deep learned as to know how they call him. In truth, in regard of any comprehensive knowledge, we but speak and write our guessings, our far-off and twi-light apprehensions of him; and, in regard of coming up to the clear vision of a Gospel-noon-day light, as we are obliged; we but cast the blind mans club, and but play (as children do with the golden covering, and silken ribbons of an Arabic Bible that they cannot read) about the borders and margin of the knowledge of Christ? O how rawly do the Needle-headed School-men writ of Christ! O how subtle and Eagle-eyed seem they to be in speculations! Grave-deep, or rather hell-deep, touching his grave-linens, what become of them, when he rose from the dead, and the chess-nut colour of his hair, and the wood of his Cross, and the three nails that wedged him to the tree, and the adoring of any thing that touched his body, either wood, iron, or nails of the holy grave? And how far from that. Cant. 8.6. Set me as a seal on thy heart, as a signet on thine arm.
The minde may bee calmed a little in this, that, though to speake highly of Christ, bee, in poore men, who are so low under, and unequall to so great a Province, a marring rather of his dignity, and a flattering of Christ, then a reall praysing of, or pointing him out in all his vertues and lovelinesse, in regard that the foulenesse of the breath of a sinner may blacken the beauty of such a transcendent and incomparable flowre, that Esaiah a high, eminent, and