well-plenished with ten children. The Lord saw you was able, by his grace, to bear the loss of husband and child; and that you are so weak and tender, as not to be able to stand under the mercy of a gracious husband living and flourishing in esteem with authority, and in reputation for godliness and learning; for he knoweth the weight of these mercies would crush you and break you: and as there is no searching out of his understanding, so he hath skill to know what providence will make Christ dearest to you; and let not your heart say, It is an ill-chosen dispensation. Now he hath opened his decree to you, say, Christ hath made for me a wise and gracious choice, and I have not one word to say on the contrary. Let not your heart charge any thing upon Christ; because he will not let you alone, nor give you leave to play the idolatress with such as have not that right to your love that Christ hath. I should wish, at the reading of this, that you may fall down and make a surrender of those that are gone, and those that are yet alive, to him and for you, let him have all; and wait for himself, for he will come and will not tarry. Live by faith, and the peace of God guard your heart; he cannot die whose you are. My wife suffers with you, and remembereth her love to you.

Your Brother in Christ,

:

St. Andrews, August, 1659.

S. R.

To the worthy and much-honoured Colonel GILBERT KER.

Much-honoured and truly worthy,

I HOPE I shall not need to show you, that you are in greater hazard from yourself and your own spirit, which would be watched over, (that your actings for God may be clean, spiritual, purely for God, for the Prince of the kings of the earth) than you can be in danger from your enemies. O how hard is it, to get the intentions so cut off from, and raised above the creature, as to be without mixture of creature and carnal interests, and to have the soul in heavenly actings, only eyeing himself, and acting from love to God, revealed to us in Jesus Christ! You will find yourself, your delights, your solid glory (far above the thin, short, poor applauses of men) before you in God. All the creatures, all the swords, all the hosts in Britain, and in this poor globe of the habitable world, are but under him single ciphers, making no number, the product being nothing, without influence from him. And, O what of God is in Gideon's sword, when it is the sword of the Lord! I wish a sword from heaven to you, and orders from heaven to you to go out, and as much peremptoriness of a heavenly will, as to say and abide by it, "I will not, I shall not go out, except you go with me:" for he is the Lord of lords, and King of kings, and they who are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. Sir, I shall wish. a clean army, so far as may be, that the shout of a

King, who hath many crowns, may be among you; and that you may fight in faith, and prevail with God first. Think it your glory, to have a sword to act, and suffer, and die, (if it please him) so being you may add any thing to the glory of Christ, the Plant of renown. Go on, worthy Sir, in the courage of faith, following the Lamb: make not haste unbelievingly; but in hope and silence keep the watchtower and look out; he will come in his own time, his salvation shall not tarry, he shall place salvation in Britain's Zion for Israel's glory. His good-will who dwelt in the bush and it burned not, be yours,

Yours in his sweet Lord Jesus,

and with you.

I am,

St. Andrews, August 10, 1650.

S. R.

To MARION MACNAUGHT. (1.)

Well-beloved and dear Sister,

I have sent to

My love in Christ remembered. you your daughter Grissel, with Robert Gordon, who came to fetch her. I am in good hopes, that the seed of God is in her, as in one born of God, and God's seed will come to God's harvest. I have her promise, she shall be Christ's, for I have told her she may promise much in his worthy name; for he becomes caution to his Father for all such as resolve and promise to serve him. I will remember her to God. I trust you will acquaint her with good company. Remember Zion, and our necessi

ties. I bless your daughter from our Lord, and pray the Lord to give you joy and comfort of her. Remember my love to your husband, to William and to Samuel, your sons. The Lord Jesus be

with your spirit.

Yours at all power in the Lord Jesus,

Anwoth, June 6, 1624.

S. R.

To MARION MACNAUGHT. (2.)

Loving and dear Sister,

If ever you would pleasure me, entreat the Lord for me, now when I am so comfortless, and so full of heaviness, that I am not able to stand under the burden any longer. The Almighty hath doubled his stripes upon me; for my wife is so sore tormented night and day, that I have wondered why the Lord tarryeth so long: my life is bitter unto me, and I fear the Lord be against me. It is (I now know by experience) hard to keep sight of God in a storm, especially when he hides himself, for the trial of his children. If he would be pleased to remove his hand, I have a purpose to seek him more than I have done. Happy are they that can make use of their soul; I am afraid of his judgments. I bless my God, that there is a death, and a heaven; I would weary to begin again to be a Christian, so bitter is it to drink of the cup that Christ drank of, if I knew not that there is no poison in it. Pray that God would not lead my wife into temptation.

Wo is my heart that I have done so little against the kingdom of Satan in my calling; for he would fain attempt to make me blaspheme God in his face; but I believe, in the strength of Him who hath put me in his work, he shall fail in that which he seeks: I have comfort in this, that my Captain Christ hath said, I must fight and overcome the world. "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Desire Mr. Robert to remember me, if he

me."

love me. Grace, grace be with you, and all yours: remember Zion. Hold fast that which you have, that no man take the crown from you. Jesus be with your spirit.

The Lord

Yours in the Lord,

S. R.

Anwoth, Nov. 17, 1629.

To MARION MACNAUGHT. (3.)

Well-beloved and dear Sister,

My love, in the Lord Jesus, remembered: I understand that you are still under the Lord's visitation, in your former business with your enemies, which is God's dealing: for, till he take his children out of the furnace that knoweth how long they should be tried, there is no deliverance; but after the sea of trouble is gone over the souls of his children, then comes the gracious long-hoped-for ebbing, and drying up of the waters. Dear sister, do not faint; the wicked may hold the bitter cup to your head, but God mixeth it, and there is no poison in it; they