Joshua Redivivus, or Mr. Rutherford's Letters

I Answer, to love God for himself as the last end, & also for his benefits as incitements & motives to love him, may stand well together, as a son loveth his mother because she is his mother, howbeit she be poor, & he loveth her for an apple also: I hope ye will not say that benefits are the only reason & bottom of your love; it seemeth there is a better foundation for it: Always if a hole be in it, sow it up shortly. 3. Ye feel not such mourning in Christ's absence as ye would. I Answer, that the regenerate mourn at all times, & all in alike measure for his absence, I deny: There are different degrees of mourning less or more, as they have less or more love to him & less or more sense of his absence: But, 1. Some they must have. 2. Sometimes they miss not the Lord, & then they cannot mourn, howbeit it is not long so: At least it is not always so. 3. Ye challenge your self that some truths find more credit with you then others: Ye do well, for God is true in the least as well as in the greatest, & he must be so to you: Ye must not call him true in the one page of the leaf, & false in the other, for our Lord in all his writings never contradicted himself yet, although the best of the regenerate have slipped here, always labour ye to hold your feet. 4. Comparing the estate of one truly regenerate [whose heart is a temple to the Holy Ghost] & yours [which is full of uncleanness & corruption] ye stand dumb & discouraged & dare not sometimes call Christ heartsomely your own. I Answer, the best regenerate have their defilements & [if I may speak so] their draff-poke that will •log behind them all their days, & was la as they will, there will be filth in their bosom: But let not this put you from the well. 2. I Answer, albeit there be some ⟨p. 114⟩ounce weights of carnality & some squint look, or eye in our neck to an idol, yet love in it's own measure may be sound; for glory must purify & perfect our love, it will never till then be absolutely pure: yet if the idol reign & have the yolk of the heart & the keys of the house, & Christ only be made an underling to run errands, all is not right; therefore examine well. 3. There is a two fold discouragement: one of unbelief to conclude & make doubting the conclusion for a mote in your eye, & a by-look to an idol, this is ill. There is another discouragement of sorrow for sin, when ye find a by-look to an idol:

I Answer, to love God for himself as the last end, & also for his benefits as incitements & motives to love him, may stand well together, as a son loveth his mother because she is his mother, howbeit she be poor, & he loveth her for an apple also: I hope ye will not say that benefits are the onely reason & bottom of your love; it seemeth there is a better foundation for it: Alwayes if a hole be in it, sow it up shortly. 3. Ye feel not such mourning in Christ's absence as ye would. I Answer, that the regenerat mourn at all times, & all in alike measure for his absence, I deny: There are different degrees of mourning less or more, as they have less or more love to him & less or more sense of his absence: But, 1. Some they must have. 2. Sometimes they miss not the Lord, & then they cannot mourn, howbeit it is not long so: At least it is not alwayes so. 3. Ye challenge your self that some truthes finde more credit whith you then others: Ye doe well, for God is true in the least as well as in the greatest, & he must be so to you: Ye must not call him true in the one page of the leaf, & false in the other, for our Lord in all his writtings never contradicted himself yet, although the best of the regenerat have slipped here, alwayes labour ye to hold your feet. 4. Comparing the estate of one truly regenerat [whose heart is a temple to the Holy Ghost] & yours [which is full of uncleanness & corruption] ye stand dumb & discouraged & dare not sometimes call Christ heartsomely your own. I Answer, the best regenerat have their defilements & [if I may speak so] their draff-poke that will log behinde them all their dayes, & was la as they will, there will be filth in their bosom: But let not this put you from the well. 2. I Answer, albeit there be some