A57970:1225
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.
MADAM.
Having saluted you with grace & mercy from God our father & from our Lord Jesus Christ, I long both to see your La: & to hear how it goeth with you; I do remember you, & present you & your necessities to him who is able to keep you & present you blameless before his face with joy: & my prayer to our Lord is that ye may be sick of love for him who died of love for you, I mean, your Saviour Jesus: And O sweet were that sickness to be soul-sick for him! And a living death it were, to die in the fire of the love of that soul-lover, Jesus! And Madam, if ye love him ye will keep his commandments, & this is not one of the least, to lay your neck cheerfully & willingly under the yoke of Jesus Christ: For I trust your La: did first contract and bargain with the Son of God to follow him upon these terms, that by his grace ye should endure hardship & suffer affliction as the soldier of Christ: They are not worthy of Jesus who will not take a blow for their Master's sake: For our glorious peace-maker, when he came to make up the friendship betwixt God & us, God bruised him & struck him, the sinful world also did beat him and crucify him; yet he took buffets of both the parties, and honour to our Lord Jesus, he would not leave the field for all that, till he had made peace betwixt the parties. I persuade •y self, your sufferings are but like your Saviour's [yea incomparably ⟨p. 457⟩less & lighter] which are called but a bruising of his •eel. Gen. 3. 15, a wound far from the heart: Your life is hid with Christ in God, Col. 3. 3. And therefore ye cannot be robbed of it. Our Lord handleth us as fathers do their young children; they lay up jewels in a place above the reach of the short arm of bairns, else •ai•ns would put up their hands & take them down & lose them soon: So hath our Lord done with our spiritual life, Jesus Christ is the high coffer in the which our Lord hath hid our life, we children are not able to reach up our arm so high as to take down that life & lose it, it is in our Christ's hand: O, long, long may Jesus be Lord-keeper of our life! & happy are they that can with the Apostle,