THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. Princeton, N. J- BX 8915 .R87 183A Rutherford, Samuel, 1600?- ' 1661. Letters of the Rev. Samuel Rutherford with an SELECT CHRISTIAN AUTHORS, wiTi: IMRODUCTORr ESSAYS. N^- 18. ^0^^'.r^\^- '^ e^ 3LISHEDBYWTI.LTAM OOLLINS GLASGOW LETTERS OF THE V REV. SAMUEL RUTHERFORD, LATE PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY AT ST. ANDREWS. WITH AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY, BY THOMAS ERSKINE, Es^. ADVOCATE. FOURTH EDITION. GLASGOW. PRINTED FOR WILLIAM COLLINS; OLIVER & BOYD, WM. WHYTE & CO. AND \VM. OLIPHANT, EDINBURGH; W. F. WAKEMAN, AND WM. CURRY, JUN. & CO. DUBLIN ; WHITTAKER, TREACHER, & ARNOT ; HAMILTON, ADAMS, & CO. AND 5IMPKIN & MARSHALL, LONDON. M.DCCC.XXXIV. Fruited by W. Collins & Co. Glasgow. Vh. INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. To understand the doctrines of the Bible aright, it is of the greatest importance to form just ideas of what is meant by the word " salvation," as many of the practical errors into which men have fallen on the subject of Christianity, have arisen from a mis- conception of this term : some supposing it to refer merely to the pardon of sin, and others to an unde- fined happiness in a future state. To assist our inquiries into this most interesting subject, it is of importance to examine the different passages of Scripture in which this term is used, and to compare it with other terms which are frequently employed as synonymous with it. In Scripture, the term salvation, with its gram- matical branches, is applied to the bodies as well as to the souls of men. When applied to the body, it varies in its meaning according to the state or condition of those who are the subjects of it. These conditions are chiefly two; namely, first, a state of danger arising from causes external to the body, such as shipwreck, war, or famine ; and, secondly, a state of danger arising from disease within the body. VI First, When the term salvation is applied to per- sons in a state of danger from external causes, it means an external act, corresponding to the nature of the danger by which the cause of the danger is re- moved, and security restored. Thus, in the descrip- tion of the shipwreck, given in the 27th chapter of the Acts, the word ffw^w, is used to signify deliver- ance from the danger of the sea : " And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken aw^ay." " Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers. Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved." And in the following chapter, verse 1st, the word translated escaped, is derived from the same root. In the Septuagint, the same word is applied to those who have escaped from battle. When our Lord, in the agony of his soul, prays that the bitter cup of suffering might pass from him, he uses the same word: " Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say ? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour." Jude applies it to the deliverance from the land of Egypt : " I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not." In these cases, salvation means simply such a change upon the ex- ternal circumstances in which the body is placed, that danger is removed, and safety recovered. No change is produced on the body itself, but only on its situation with regard to other things. Secondly, When this term is applied to the case of persons labouring under disease, it signifies an Vll internal operation, suited also to the evil which it remedies, by which the inward principle of the ma- lady is counteracted, and the bodily organs restored to healthful exercise. This is the most common use of the word in the New Testament, when it refers to the body. In this sense it occurs in most of the narratives of our Lord's miraculous cures, and is rendered in our translation by vavious English phrases, such as " made whole :"— " For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, 1 shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about ; and when he saw her, he said. Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and be- sought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment : and as many as touched him were made whole." " Healed:"—" They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed." " He shall do well :"— " Then said his disciples. Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well." In these cases, salvation does not mean a change upon circumstances external to the body, but upon the internal condition of the body itself. The distinction between these two classes of cases is obvious. In both, an external agent is supposed to apply the remedy; but the operation of this agent differs according to the nature of the evil. In the first class, it is directed to the external circumstances in which the body is placed ; in the second, it is di- rected to the body itself. Vlll We frequently see these two kinds of salvation conjoined : thus, a man is imprisoned on suspicion of a crime, aad in consequence of the unhealthiness of the place is seized with the jail fever — at last he is acquitted, and his liberation is followed by restored health. Here the one salvation is the effect of the other, and is indeed the only thing which could make the other valuable. Take another instance : a man loses his»health from the use of improper food — a benevolent person, by supplying him with proper food, restores his health. Here the external evil is un- wholesome food, and the internal is disease. There are also two kinds of salvation, corresponding to these two evils, the one of which, however, is en- tirely subservient to the other. The change of food is made simply for the purpose of restoring health ; and if this effect does not follow, nothing has been accomplished which can properly be called salvation — the whole plan has failed. Salvation then properly refers to the ultimate object in the series. If a man is simply in danger of being lost by shipwreck, his ultimate object is to be safe on dry land : but if the fear of his danger has deprived him of his reason, then the recovery of his mental health becomes the ultimate object, and the salvation from shipwreck becomes merely a step to the salvation of his reason. So, if a man has the disease of cancer, he may be de- livered from the cancer by the knife : but then the salvation from the cancer is subservient to the salva- tion of his health ; and unless this consequence fol- lows, the object has failed. The minuteness of these observations may seem tedious; but we have been led to them from the per- IX suasion, that a greater attention to the analogy which subsists between the treatment of the body under danger or disease, and the gospel scheme of salva- tion, would very much increase the accuracy of our ideas on religious subjects. Salvation from bodily disease is frequently expressed by the word " life." '' Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man beheved the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way." — " And he besought him greatly, saying. My little daughter lieth at the point of death : I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed ; and she shall live." In which last instance, " she shall live," is used as explanatory of " that she may be healed." Life in these cases evidently signifies the full exercise of the animal faculties, and when it fol- lows sickness, is synonymous with a confirmed cure. This same salvation is also expressed by the term " loosing," or freeing from the bondage of pain : " And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath- day?" We now proceed to consider the import of the term salvation when applied to the soul. Salvation, when applied to the soul, refers also to two kinds of evils, which, though different in their nature, are yet always conjoined; the one being external to the soul, the other internal — the first consisting in the sentence of God against the soul on account of dis- obedience, the second consistino- in the diseased and depraved state of the soul itself. The first of these evils, namely, the sentence of A3 God against the soul on account of disobedience, consists in an eternal exclusion from the family and favour of God. The second evil, namely, the dis- eased state of the soul itself, consists in that disposi- tion which leads to disobedience. Salvation from the first of these evils, may be termed a judicial ac- quittal. Salvation from the second, a recovery of spiritual health. In order to understand and adore the wisdom of God in redemption, it is necessary to understand the way in which these two kinds of salvation are con- nected, for they are never disjoined. Now there are two ways in which things may be conjoined; namely, by arbitrary connection, and by natural connection. As an instance of the first, we may take the obli- gation under which a man lies to take certain oaths, when he is intrusted with certain offices under gov- ernment. There is no natural or necessary connec- tion between these two things, the connection arises out of law or usage : the man may take the oaths without getting the office. As instances of the se- cond, we may take the connection which subsists be- tween a man's being a father, and having a kindness for his children, or between a man's receiving a favour and feeling gratitude. It may here be argued with justice, that as God is the God of nature, every connection which he ap- points becomes a natural connection. This is not denied, and all that is meant here by natural connec- tion, is such a relation between two things, that to our minds the existence of the one appears indispen- sable to the existence of the other, or at least that the existence of the one appears to us, in the ordi- XI nary course of things, to lead to the existence of the other. Let us now take a short view of the gospel sys- tem, that we may perceive hoio the two kinds of salvation therein revealed are connected, that is, how pardon through a Saviour is connected with the re- covery of spiritual health, and also that we may per- ceive which of the two is the ultimate object in God's dealings with men. o The Bible informs us that man has fallen from God's favour, and from his own natural happiness, by having a will diflPerent from God's will, and by ac- quiring a character and pursuing a conduct opposite to God's character and conduct. Mere pardon to a creature in this situation would be comparatively of small consequence, because his unhappiness arose necessarily out of his character; and, therefore, un- less his character were changed, his unhappiness re- mained the same. The enjoyments of God's family were things contrary to his corrupted taste and choice, and, therefore, his free admission into them could be no blessing to him. In order to his happiness, the restoration of his lost privileges must be accompanied by a restoration of the capacity to enjoy them. For this reason, when God invited his rebellious crea- tures to return to his favour and family, he did it in such a way, that the soul which truly accepted of the invitation, imbibed, at the same time, the principles of a new character. There is a difference between the body and the mind which should here be taken notice of. The body may be perfectly capable of enjoyment, and yet at the same time perfectly miserable, in consequence xu of being precluded from the means of enjoyment. Thus, a man in a perfect state of health may be made urhappy by being fettered in a noisome dungeon, where he is debarred from the exercise of those ani- mal faculties, the gratification of which constitutes animal enjoyment. But we cannot apply this rea- soning to the mind. A perfectly healthful state of mind, according to the appointment of Him who changeth not, is inseparably connected with mental enjoyment. The happiness of God arises neces- sarily out of his character; and the mental health of intelligent creatures, which is in fact nothing more nor less than a resemblance to the character of God, must also be inseparably connected with happiness. So that perfect mental health is not simply the ca- pacity for enjoyment ; it may perhaps more properly be said to constitute enjoyment itself. The same, or similar causes, must produce the same or similar effects ; and if the character of God is the cause of his happiness, a similar character (with reverence be it spoken) must produce a similar happiness. And this happiness can be produced by no other character, for that would be to suppose that opposite causes could produce the same effects. If this be so, it follows, that a restoration to spi- ritual health, or conformity to the divine character, is the ultimate object of God in his dealings with the children of men. Whatever else God hath done with regard to men, has been subsidiary, and with a view to this ; even the unspeakable work of Christ, and pardon freely offered through his cross, have been but means to a farther end ; and that end is, that the adopted children of the family of God might Xlll be conformed to the likeness of their elder Brother — that they might resemble him in character, and thus enter into his joy. This is spiritual health ; and it is acquired by the blessing of God upon the reception and faithful use of the means which he hath appointed and made known to us in the history of his mercy through a Saviour. Free offer of par- don through the Son of God, is termed salvation, just in the same way that a medicine is, in common language, called a cure ; that is, they do not strictly constitute salvation — they only produce it. Before entering on the consideration of those passages which confirm this view of the subject, we shall endeavour to make our meaning more distinctly understood. It must be remembered always, that the love of God with the whole heart, is not only the sum of all that duty which is positively enjoined on us by the divine law, under an awful penalty, but also, that it is the only principle which can produce or maintain spiritual health. Our failure, therefore, in obedience to this law of love, not only exposes us to the penalty de- nounced against disobedience, but also plants in our souls the seeds of disease. Let us suppose that the inhabitants of any district were liable to an epidemic disorder, which, from the partial derangement accompanying it, naturally unfitted its victims for the exercise of civil rights; and that there were, in the neighbourhood, certain salubrious springs, which had the virtue of counter- acting the tendency to disease in those who used them, the waters of which were very palatable to those who were in health, but very disagreeable to those who were infected. Let us suppose, farther, XIV that the government, anxious for the well-being of the people, should enact a law, binding every indivi- dual to drink these waters at fixed periods, under the penalty of forfeiting all civil rights and immuni- ties in case of disobedience ; thus adding the sanc- tion of law to the constitution of nature. In these circumstances, it is evident that disobedience would be attended by two distinct consequences : first, by disqualification for holding any office in the state, as the legal penalty of disobedience; and, secondly, by a disease (from not using the antidote) which would of itself naturally unfit the subject of it from hold- ing any office, even were he not excluded by law, and which would also oppose its own cure, by pro- ducing a strong repugnance to the only medicine which could remove it. Their natural repugnance to the waters would also be strengthened by irrita- tion against the government under whose condemna- tion they lay, and by the persuasion that obedience could now be of no use, because the penalty was already incurred. In this supposed case, we see obedience, health, and the enjoyment of civil privileges, united both by law and nature on the one side ; and disobedience, civil disqualifications, and disease, as closely united on the other. We see also, that this disease can only be removed by a return to obedience, and that this obedience can only be produced by some motive powerful enough to overcome the distaste for the remedy. As health, and the enjoyment of civil pri- vileges, were, from the outset, inseparably connected in the mind of the government, and as the law was made simply for the purpose of giving an additional XV motive for using the necessary means of preserving health, so, if the malady should become generally prevalent, (the original connection between health and civil privileges still subsisting, and being itself the real ground of the present disqualifications,) the views of government would become primarily directed to those means by which the people might be induced to return to the use of that remedy which could alone restore health, and fit them for the exercise of those privileges for which they had disqualified themselves both by law and nature. The reason of this is ob- vious; because the removal of the legal disqualifica- tions could be of no possible use whilst the disease continued, except in so far as it acted as a motive with the diseased outlaws for applying the remedy, both by showing them that the road to preferment was now set open, if they were only fit for it, and also by manifesting the kindly disposition of government, and thus exciting them to gratitude and obedience. Although it is perhaps impossible to make out a perfect analogy between the things of the visible and invisible worlds, yet there appear to us to be some circumstances, in this case, which bear very much on the relation which, according to the Bible, subsists between God and man. The rights and immunities of God's family consist in possessing the favour of God, in approaching to him at all times as our Father, in enjoying what he enjoys, in rejoicing to see his will accomplished through the wide range of his dominions, and in being ourselves made instruments in accomplishing it. The only character which is capable of enjoying these privileges, or indeed of considering them in XVI the light of privileges, must be one which is in some measure conformed to God's character. This then is spiritual health, which evidently can only be de- rived from, or maintained by a love, a predominant love, to God in his true character. But as man, from the constitution of his nature, was liable to choose differently from God's choice, and thus to fall into spiritual disease, it pleased the divine wisdom to point out, in the form of an express law, the only source of spiritual health, saying, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart ;" and to sanction it by the penalty of exclusion, in case of disobedience, and the promise of divine privileges, in case of obedience. Thus we see here also, obedience, spiritual health, and heavenly immunities, united by nature, as well as by positive law, on the one side; and disobedi- ence, spiritual disease, and forfeiture, on the other. Man disobeyed the commandment, he loved other things better than God; and thus subjected himself to the legal penalty, and at the same time was af- fected with that spiritual disease which disqualified him from being a member of God's family, even sup- posing that there had been no legal exclusion what- ever. When the mercy of God purposed to deliver man from this state of misery into which he had precipi- tated himself, it became his object to bring him back to spiritual health, and thus to make him partake of heavenly happiness. But the source of health still continued the same; an intelligent being could only become like God, by loving God in his true charac- ter. It became necessary, then, that some manifes- tation of the divine holiness and justice should be xvu made, so interwoven with motives to gratitude, that he who beheved the history of it, shoukl be con- strahied to love, not only the mercy of God, but even that awful and pure sanctity which cannot look upon iniquity. We naturally esteem, and even love, perfect jus- tice, except in those cases where its condemning sen- tence falls upon ourselves. At the same time, if justice is compromised, even in our own favour, our gratitude is necessarily mingled with a degree of contempt or disesteem ; so that it is the union of kindness and justice, in their highest degrees, which alone can attract perfect reverential love. Now, supposing that such a manifestation of the character of God had been made, as that his mercy had seemed to overlook sanctity, and throw it into the shade, by affixing no stigma to transgression, our love could not have been accompanied by perfect reverence— and moreover, what is principally to be attended to, this love could not have the effect of healing our spiritual disease, because, not being at- tracted by the full and true character of God, it could not produce in us a resemblance to that true character, which is the main object to be accom- plished. This supposition is, of course, merely made for the sake of the argument, for it is absurd to suppose that God should manifest himself other- wise than in his true character. A manifestation of unmixed justice in the divine character must have been still more inefficacious. It could have attracted no love, and, of course, no re- semblance; it could only have confirmed the sen- tence of condemnation, and thus have strengthened XVIU our enmity and despair, even whilst it might have compelled our respect. In order to produce real spiritual health, the divine manifestation must be such, as to excite within our hearts a perfect complacency in all and each of the perfections of God: it must lead us to adopt his loves and hatreds, so to speak; it must exhibit sin to us, not only as fearful from its consequences, but as hateful in itself, and revolting to every feeling of affection and gratitude. This manifestation of himself hath God made in the gospel of his Son. In that gospel, he makes the fullest and freest offers of pardon and favour ; but it is through the blood of atonement. God became man, and dwelt amongst us : he took upon himself our nature, and the judicial sentence under which we lay on account of transgression. He showed the evil of sin, and the power of justice, by suffering the just for the unjust. The infinity of Godhead gave weight and dignity unspeakable to the sacrifice. He showed a love unmeasured, in that, when the autho- rity of the divine law required full satisfaction, he hesitated not to give himself a ransom for sinners. In this wondrous work, justice magnifies mercy, and mercy magnifies justice. The greatness of the sac- rifice demonstrates the extent both of the divine abhorrence for sin, and of the divine love for sinners. When we sin against this Saviour, or forget him, we must feel that it is the basest ingratitude, it is trampHng on that blood that was shed for us. The gospel farther assures us, that the same God is ever present, with these same feelings towards us, with these same feelings towards sin — that he orders XIX every event, and appoints every duty — that he offers us his Hstcning ear, and his enabling Spirit, in all difficulties — and that he points us to a rest beyond the grave, where our resemblance to him shall be completed, and his joy shall be ours. In this manifestation of the Divine character, the attributes of justice and mercy form a combination so amiable and so resplendent, that whilst our affec- tions and esteem are chained to it, our very concep- tion faints under it. We can here love perfect jus- tice, because we are not under its condemnation ; we can here adore perfect mercy, because it is unmixed with weakness or partiality. Sin, even in the ab- stract, is associated in our minds with sentiments of abhorrence as well as fear ; and holiness, with senti- ments of affection as well as hope. A growing resemblance to the character thus glo- riously manifested, is the necessary consequence of our love for it. This is a law of our nature. The leading objects of our thoughts and affections con- stitute the moulds, as it were, into which our minds are cast, and from which they derive their form and character. This fact ought to make us most watch- ful over the motions of our hearts ; for it is only by a constant contemplation of the true character of God, and by cherishing and exercising those affec- tions and desires which arise out of this contempla- tion, that the divine image is renewed in our souls. We are not to expect any mechanical or extraneous impression separate from that which the truth makes ; for it is by the truth alone, known and believed, that the Holy Spirit operates in accomplishing that sanctifying work, which is itself salvation. When XX the soul, therefore, leaving God, chooses created thmgs for its chief objects, these things become the moulds which impart to it their own fleeting charac- ter, and imprint on it their own superscription of vanity and death. When this connection between loving an object and resembling it is considered, we can have no dif- ficulty in discerning why faith in the gospel history is required in order to salvation. We cannot love that which we do not believe, and we cannot resem- ble that which we do not love. Hence it is, that faith becomes a matter of such vital consequence. It is the very foundation of the whole Christian character, the very root of the tree. If salvation had consisted simply in the removal of the judicial penalty denounced against sin — if this had been the sole scope of the work of Christ, it would have been unnecessary to have revealed the gospel history to men, or to have required their be- lief of it; because the atonement being made, their belief could neither add to it nor take from it.. But when salvation is considered to express the renewed health of the soul, and when heaven and hell are considered as the names of opposite characters, ne- cessarily connected, by the very nature of things, with certain happy or miserable consequences; and thus, when the revealed law of God is considered as explaining and declaring the particulars of a consti- tution which was originally mixed up with the ele- ments of our being, rather than as enacting a new one — then we see the importance of faith, because it is the only medium through which the perfections of the divine character can possibly make any impres- XXI sion on our minds ; and unless our minds be so im- pressed as to excite our love, we cannot become like God, or, in other words, our spiritual health cannot be restored nor improved. We are not called upon to believe any thing for the mere sake of believing it, any more than we are called on to take a medi- cine for the mere sake of taking it; we are called on to believe the truth on account of the healing influ- ence that it has upon the mind, as we are called on to take a medicine on account of its influence on our bodily health. It follows from this, that what is called doctrinal instruction, w^hen properly applied, is really the most practical. No one would be considered as a prac- tical physician, who merely recommended his patients to be in good health, and painted the advantages of a good appetite, of bodily ease and vigour, whilst at the same time he did not apply the remedies which might lead to these effects. So, likewise, he is not a practical teacher of religion, who contents himself with exhorting his hearers to be in spiritual health, and to exhibit in their lives and conversations those Christian virtues which are the symptoms of spiritual health, whilst he does not anxiously and constantly, at the same time, inculcate upon them that view of the divine character in Jesus Christ, which contains in itself means of powerful operation to renew and purify the mind, and which God himself has re- vealed as the appointed medicine for healing the dis- eases of the soul, and restoring it to health and vi- gour. It is possible that a physician, either of souls or of bodies, may so be engrossed with the beauty of his theory, that he may forget that application of xxu it from which it derives its sole importance ; but this error is not greater than the error of those who should dream of restoring health, without the appli- cation of any means, or by such as are contrary to the obvious principles of the science which they pro- fess. Besides, although we can form a very accurate notion of what bodily health is, it is impossible for us to do this with regard to spiritual health, without comprehending, according to the measure of our ca- pacities, the state and character of that Eternal Mind, who is the pattern, as he is the source, of all spiritual perfection. And this view cannot be taken, without entering into, and understanding, the dealings of God with men, in the mission of Jesus Christ, which is represented in the Bible as by far the most strik- ing and important manifestation of the divine char- acter with which the world has been favoured. So that it is a delusion to call upon men, or direct them to acquire spiritual health, unless at the same time the nature of this health is shown to them, by de- lineating the purposes of the life and death of Him, in whom alone we can find " the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person." Neither mental nor bodily health can be gained without the use of the appropriate means. The means of bodily health are to be discovered by hu- man experiment and science ; but the means of spi- ritual health are contained in the gospel. Thus, the mercy of God in Christ, and his holy abhorrence of sin, manifested in perfect concord with mercy, con- stitute the spiritual medicine; and the object and result of its application is salvation or healing. XXUl But although this renewal of spiritual health in man be the great object of the Gospel, yet in itself it afFords no ground of confidence before God; that is, it is no foundation on which we can rest our hope for pardon or acceptance with him ; both because it is imperfect in itself, and because, even if it were perfect, it could not atone for past transgression. The only confidence which it is calculated to give, is analogous to that confidence which a man feels when he finds his bodily health improving by the use of a particular regimen : he is satisfied of the advantage of the system, and he perseveres in it with alacrity. The ground of our hope before God continues the same, and this ground is the sacrifice of Christ for the sins of the world. The mercy and the justice manifested in this fact, are, and con- tinue for ever to be, the only food which can confirm and increase that spiritual health which they first gave. The moment that the soul begins to feed on any other food than this, the moment that it takes any thing else for its chief joy, or hope, or confi- dence — that very moment the health of the soul declines, the disease of sin gathers strength, and disorders the whole frame of the soul; withdraws the affections and faculties from the pursuit of those things which are eternal, and points them to passing shadows ; relaxes all the energies of the spiritual life ; displaces true joy, and hope, and peace, and substi- tutes in their room a joy that inebriates, and a hope that dies, and a peace that blindfolds, whilst it con- ducts to ruin. He who withdraws from the sacri- fice of Christ, and places confidence in the spiritual health to which he has already attained, is like the XXIV man who would refuse his necessary food, and dream of supportmg his life out of that stock of life which he had already enjoyed. " My beloved brethren," says the apostle, " be ye steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know, that your labour in the Lord is not in vain." This work con- sists in living under an ever-present sense of what God hath done for sinners, in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Faith means the conviction of the reality of things which we do not see. Now, in order that this conviction be of any use to us, it must be present with us. A man cannot be said to be under a con- viction, unless it is upon his mind. If a man is con- vinced that particular precautions are necessary for his health, he will take these precautions : but as soon as he forgets the necessity, his precautions vanish. Thus, forgetfulness comes often to the same thing as an opposite conviction. The belief of the morning, if it be confined to the morning, will do us no good through the day. He that believes is saved, not he who has believed. The sole object of Christian belief is to produce the Christian character; and unless this is done, nothing is done. Good bodily health has a value in itself, ind»epen- dently of the good digestion and good nourishment which produced it; so also spiritual health has a value in itself, independently of the correct beHef which produced it. Li both cases, the effects are the objects of ultimate importance ; but then they cannot exist without their causes, and when the causes cease to operate, the effects must also cease. To resemble God is the great matter; but we cannot resemble him XXV without loving him ; and we cannot love him in his true character, without believing in his true charac- ter.* T. E. In the CHARACTER and writings of the Rev. Samuel Rutherford, the precedmg remarks are most powerfully illustrated. He constantly presents the " blood of sprinkling " as the only eflPectual balm for the wounded conscience ; but it is, that the con- science thus pacified might be purged *^ from dead works to serve the living God." He constantly rests on the sacrifice of Christ for removing the guilt and condemnation of sin ; but it is that being deli- vered from the spirit of bondage and fear, he might serve God " in newness of spirit." He constantly looks to the perfect righteousness of Christ, as the sure ground of his acceptance with God ; but he no less looks to the perfection of Christ, that, by the transforming influence of such a contemplation, he might *' be changed into the same image." He con- stantly directs his view to the glory and blessedness of those heavenly mansions, which Christ has gone to prepare for his people ; but it is that having this hope in him, he might be prepared for these blessed mansions, " by purifying himself, even as Christ is pure." While few have cherished a more cordial and unshaken faith in the obedience and death of Christ, as the sole foundation of their hope for pardon and acceptance with God, few have more fully manifested * The preceding remarks were furnished by Mr. Erskine for this edition of Mr. Rutherford's Letters j those which follow were furnished by another hand. XXVI the genuine and unfailing fruits of such a faith in the hohness and purity of their lives. Few have equalled him in their steady adherence to truth in the midst of persecution and suffering — or in greater devotion to the will of God, in every thing he con- sidered his duty, with such a fearless disregard of consequences — or in cherishing with greater care and tenderness, a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man — or in making the work of personal sanctification more the business of their lives — or in labouring more abundantly to teach others the way of salvation, and extend the interests of pure and un defiled religion. In his life no less than in his writings, he afforded a noble vindication of the doc- trines of grace being doctrines according to godliness. " Holiness to the Lord," was the inscription which he endeavoured to write on every affection of his heart, and on every action of his life ; and knowing this to be the indispensable preparation for heaven, in his precious, and spiritual, and edifying Letters, he constantly breathes no less after purity than peace. In obedience to the apostolic injunction, his great endeavour was to keep himself " in the love of God ;" and it was by maintaining in his soul a rejoicing sense of this love, and of peace and reconciliation with God, that he was enabled to offer the hourly and ever-burn- ing incense of a heart devoted in all its affections to Him, as the God of his redemption, Edinburgh, January^ 1825. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR OF THIS EDITION. Eminent as the name of Samuel Rutherford has been, and dear as his memory must ever be to those who know how to value an unshrinkhig pro- fession in the hour of trial and difficulty, no excuse can be necessary for this attempt to make his Letters more generally known, than the experience of the Editor of this selection proved them to be, even in that country, whose church history is illustrated by the account of this good man's unswerving testimony to the " faith once delivered to the saints," at a period when many were called upon to seal such testimony with their blood. But, to those who are acquainted with, and partial to his Letters in their original form, some apology may be requisite for the alterations of phraseology, and omission of many pas- sages in those which have been selected and are now oftered to the public, as exhibiting most strongly, and enforcing most persuasively, the doctrines and prin- ciples which have distinguished the pure church of Christ, and animated her members in every age ; but B 2 XXVIU whose solidity and lustre are most conspicuously manifest in the hour of persecution and trial. We are aware how strong those feelings are, which consecrate the very peculiarities of a favourite teacher, and that the language — however quaint or antiquated, in which spiritual truths were first pre- sented to the mind, or which spoke consolation to the wounded spirit — becomes so endeared to us, that any alteration of it seems to rob the maxim of wis- dom, or the word of comfort, of some portion of its strength or sweetness : yet we think that even those (the number of whom is now comparatively small) who have been nurtured by the writings of this highly spiritual man, will not deny, that their obso- lete phraseology, the frequent reiteration of the same ideas, and such turns both of thought and expression, as in the present day appear extravagant, (and which, as his Biographer observes, have been " jested on by the profane wits of the age,") are calculated to deter general readers from their perusal, and actu- ally have rendered this " mine of spiritual wealth," as it has been aptly designated by the venerable Richard Cecil, a hidden treasure to many who would highly prize the gold, could they obtain it separated from the dross which encumbers it. The object, therefore, assiduously kept in view by the Editor of the present selection, has been to free these valuable Letters from the objections above enumerated, with- out depriving them of any of their characteristic vi- gour and vivacity : and a comparison with the origi- nals will show, that nothing essential to the indivi- duality of the style has been sacrificed to a fastidious delicacy, and nothing tending to edification omitted. XXIX The necessity of conversion — the danger of delusion — the importance of " making thorough work " of that great business of our lives — the alone sufiBciency of Christ's sacrifice for our justification — our accep- tance with Him, and reception of " His fulness," through faith in that sufficient sacrifice — entire de- pendence upon Christ as the Alpha and Omega, the Author and Finisher of our faith, in whom, spirit- ually as well as naturally, we " live, and move, and have our being ;" — these are the points dwelt upon in the Letters, and set forth with all the power re- sulting from the deep experience of a strong and ar- dent mind. Christ for us^ with us, in us^ is the theme, however the expressions may be varied ac- cording to the circumstances of the writer, or of those whom he addressed. But the Letters will speak for themselves ; and they will speak to each of us with a force proportionate to the anxiety we feel to make our calling and election sure, knowing that " the time is short," and that " now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation." Edinburgh, January, 1825. CONTENTS. Page Memoir of the Author, 35 Address to the Christian Reader, .... 45 LETTERS. To Viscountess Kenmure, 47 — 105 The Professors of Christ and his Truth in Ireland, . ib. John Gordon of Cardoness, Elder, . . . 108 Lady Boyd, 110 Rev. William Dalglish, 112 Rev. Hugh M'Kail, 113 Lady Boyd, 114 William Halliday, 115 A Gentlewoman, after the Death of her Husband, . 116 Earlstoun, Younger, 118 Lady Kilconquhair, 121 Lady Forret, 122 Lady Earlstoun, 123 Carletoun, ib. John Gordon, Esq. at Risco, in Galloway, . . 125 Lady Halhill, 127 Lady Boyd, 128 Margaret Ballantine, 129 Margaret Reid, 131 James Bautie, 132 John Stewart, Provost of Ayr, . . . 136 — 141 Ninian Mure, 142 XXXll CONTENTS. To Jean Brown, .... Lady Busby, .... William Rigg, of Athernie, Fulk Elies, James Lindsay, Lady Largirie, .... Lady Kilconquhair, . Lady Gaitgirth, .... Mr. Matthew Mowat, Mr. John Meine, .... Robert Lennox, of Disdove, Thomas Corbet, .... Alexander Gordon, of Earlstoun, Robert Gordon, of Knockbrex, Rev. Robert Blair, Elizabeth Kennedy, Janet Kennedy, John Ewart, Bailie of Kirkcudbright, Earlstoun, the Younger, . Robert Glendinning, William Glendinning, Jean Brown, .... John Henderson, Lady Robertland, Lady Rowallan, Robert Gordon, of Knockbrex, AVilliam Livingston, . George Gillespie, John Fleming, Bailie of Leith, Mr. William Dalgleish, . Marion M'Naught, . John Gordon, at Rusco, Lady Largirie, The Laird of Cally, John Gordon, Younger of Cardoness, Mr. James Fleming, Cardoness, Senior, . Jean Brown, .... Robert Stewart, CONTENTS. XXXm Page To Lady Gaitglrth, 209 Mr. John Fergushill, 210 John Stewarl, Provost of Ayr, 213 Carsluth, 215 Cassincarrie, . . . . . . , .218 Lady Cardoness, 220 "William Gordon, at Kenmure, 222 Margaret Fullerton, 224 Robert Lennox, of Disdove, 225 John Fleming, Bailie of Leith, .... 227 Earlstoun, Younger, ...... 228 John Gordon, 229 Mr. John Fergushill, 230 Lady Cardoness, 232 William Glendinning, 234 Rev. Robert Blair, 236 Lord Craighall, 237 Patrick Carsen, 239 John Carsen, 240 Lady Boyd, ib. Lady Cardoness, Senior, 243 Mrs. Stewart, 245 Alexander Gordon, of Garloch, .... 246 John Bell, Elder, 248 William Gordon, of Robertoun, .... 249 John Clark, 251 Cardoness, Senior, 252 Cardoness, Junior, ..... 255 Carletoun, 257 The Parishioners of Kilmacolm, .... 259 John Kennedy, 265 Mr. H. Stewart and his Family, Prisoners at Dublin, 268 Mr. James Wilson, 270 Lady Boyd, 273 John Fennick, 274 Lady Fingask, 277 Mr. David Dickson, 279 Lady Boyd, 280 Mrs. Taylor, 283 b3 XXXIV CONTENTS. Page To Barbara Hamilton, 287 Mrs. Hume, 289 Baj-bara Hamilton 290 A Christian Friend, on the Death of his Wife, . . 292 A Christian Brother 294 A Christian Gentlewoman, 296 Lady Ardross, 298 Earlstoun, Senior, 300 Rev. George Gillespie, 301 Mrs. Gillespie, 303 Colonel Gilbert Ker, 305 iMarion M'Naught, 306—326 ]Mrs. Craig, ib» Mr. William Guthrie, after the Defeat at Dunbar, . 328 Rev. James Guthrie, 330 Aberdeen, 332 Appendix, 338 Some of the last Words of Mr. Rutherford, . . ib. Mr. Rutherford's Testimony, .... 343 LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. Mr. Samuel Rutherford, a gentleman by birth, having spent some time at the Grammar-school, went to the University of Edinburgh, where he was so much admired for his great talents, and one from whom great things might be expected, that in a short time, though but then very young, he was made Professor of Philosophy in that University. Some time after this he was called to be minister at Anwoth, in the shire of Galloway; which charge he entered by means of the Viscount of Kenmure, without any acknowledgment or engagement to the bishops. There he laboured with great diligence and succes4 both night and day, rising usually by three o* clock in the morning, spending the whole time in reading, praying, writing, catechising, visit- ing, and other duties belonging to the ministerial profession and employment. Here he wrote his " Exercitationes de Gratia," &c. for which he was summoned, in June 1630, be- fore the High Commission Court; but the weather was so tempestuous, as to obstruct the passage of the archbishop of St. Andrews hither, and Mr. Colvill, one of the judges, having befriended him, the diet 36 was deserted. About the same time his first wife died, after a sore sickness of thirteen months, and he himself being so ill of a fever for thirteen weeks, that he could not preach on the Sabbath-day without great difficulty. In April 1634, he was again threatened with an- other prosecution, at the instance of the bishop of Galloway, before the High Commission Court. Ac- cordingly, he was again summoned before the High Commission Court for his nonconformity, his preach- ing against the Five Articles of Perth, and the fore- mentioned book, " Exercitationes Apologeticas pro Divina Gratia ;" which book, they alleged, reflected upon the Church of Scotland. But the truth was, says a late historian,* the argument of that book cut the sinews of Arminianism, and galled the Episcopal clergy to the very quick ; and therefore bishop Sy- dreserf could endure him no longer. When he came before the Commission Court, he altogether declined them as a lawful judicatory, and would not give the chancellor (being a clergyman) and the bishops their titles, by lording of them. Yet some had the cour- age to befriend him, particularly Lord JL