A57970:1176
Joshua Redivivus, or Mr. Rutherford's Letters
Joshua redivivus, or, Mr. Rutherford's letters divided into two parts, the first, containing these which were written from Aberdeen, where he was confined by a sentence of the high commission ... partly on account of his non-conformance : the second, containing some which were written from Anwoth ... / now published for the use of all the people of God ... by a well-wisher to the work & people of God.Joshua redivivus, or, Mr. Rutherfoord's letters divided into two parts, the first, containing these which were written from Aberdeen, where he was confined by a sentence of the high commission ... partly on account of his non-conformance : the second, containing some which were written from Anwoth ... / now published for the use of all the people of God ... by a wellwisher to the work & people of God.
Rotterdam? : s.n., 1664
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.
To JOHN KENNEDY. (6.)
My loving & most affectionate brother in Christ.
My loving & most affectionat brother in Christ.
I Salute you with grace, mercy & peace from God our father, & from our Lord Jesus Christ. I promised to write to you, & although late enough, yet now I make it good. I heard with grief, of your great danger of perishing by the sea, but of your merciful deliverance with joy. Sure I am, Brother, Satan will leave no stone unrolled [as the proverb is] to roll you off your rock, or at least to shake & unsettle you: For at that same time, the mouths of wicked men were opened in hard speeches against you by land, & the Prince of the power of the air was angry with ⟨p. 432⟩you by sea: See then how much ye are obliged to that malicious murderer, who would beat you with two rods at one time, but blessed be God, his arm is short: If the sea & winds would have obeyed him, ye had never come to land: Thank your God who saith: Rev. 1, 18. I have the keys of hell and of death. Deut, 32, 39. I kill and I make alive. 1, Sam. 2, 6. The Lord bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up. If Satan were Jailer and had the keys of Death & or the Grave, they should be stored with moe prisoners. Ye were knocking at these black gates and ye found the doors shut, and we do all welcome you back again: I trust ye know it is not for nothing, that ye are sent to us again: The Lord knew ye had forgotten something that was necessary for your journey, that your armour was not as yet thick enough against the stroke of death: Now in the strength of Jesus, dispatch your business: that debt is not forgiven, but fristed: Death hath not bidden you fare-well, but hath only left you for a short season: End your journey ere the night come upon you, have all in readiness against the time that ye must sail through that black & impetuous Jordan, & Jesus, Jesus who knoweth both these depths & the rocks & all the coasts, be your Pilot: That last tide will not wait for you one moment: if ye forget any thing, when your sea is full & your foot in that ship, there is no returning again to fetch it: What ye do amiss in your life to day, ye may amend it to morrow: for as many suns as God maketh to arise upon you, ye have as many new lives: but ye can die but once, & if ye mar or spill that business, ye cannot come back to mend that piece of work again: No man sinneth twice in dying ill: As we die but once, so we die but ill or well once.