Letter 247 to Janet Kennedy,
Greetings - Our Heavenly Dwelling
Loving and Dear Sister, Grace, mercy, and peace be to you. I received your letter. I know that the favour of Christ which is in you (whom the virgins** love to follow) cannot be blown away with winds, either from hell, or the foul-smelling air of this defiled world. Sit far aback from the walls of this house of disease, even the pollutions of this defiled world. Keep your taste,** your love, and hope in heaven; it is not good that your love and your Lord should be in two different countries. Up, up after your lover,** that you and He may be together. A King from heaven has sent for you: by faith he is showing you the New Jerusalem, and is taking you along in the Spirit, and showing you all the rooms for rest and dwelling in heaven.** He says, "All these are yours, this palace is for you and Christ." Indeed, if you alone were the only person chosen by God for salvation, Christ would have built that one house for you and Himself: now it is for you and many others also.
Our Journey to Heaven
Take with you on your journey** what you may carry with you. You can take your conscience, faith, hope, patience, meekness, goodness, and brotherly kindness, for these products are valuable in the high and new country you are travelling to. But the other things, which are the world's vanity and trash, since they are the house-sweepings, you would do best not to carry them with you. You found them here, so leave them here in the house. Your sun is well-turned and low; be sure you are close to the lodging-place before night comes. We go one at a time** out of this great market, until the whole town will be empty, and the two lodging-places will be filled, heaven and Hell. At length there will be nothing in the earth except empty walls and burnt ashes;** therefore it is better to leave.
The Struggle with the Powers of this World
Antichrist and his master** are working hard to fill up Hell and to seduce many. Many stars, great lights in the church are falling from heaven, causing many to be misled and seduced. They leave their faith, and sell their birthright by their hungry rooting for I know not what.** Hold onto Christ hard! Truly I esteem Christ is the best property I have. He is my companion in prison.** Having Him, even though my cross might be as heavy as ten mountains of iron, when He puts His sweet shoulder under me and it, my cross** is but a feather. I please myself in the choice of Christ; He is all my desire in heaven and earth. I rejoice that He is in heaven before me.**
Our Assurance in Christ
God send a joyful meeting** In the meantime God is sending the price of our tickets, by which I mean the taste of Christ's love, to sweeten the journey and to encourage a breathless runner. When I lose my breath, climbing up the mountain, He makes new breath.
Farewell
Now the very God of peace establish you to the day of His appearing,
Yours, in the only Lord Jesus,
Samuel Rutherford.
from Aberdeen, Sept. 9, 1637
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Rutherford was also known for his spiritual and devotional works, such as Christ Dying and drawing Sinners to Himself and his Letters. Concerning his Letters, Charles Spurgeon wrote: "When we are dead and gone let the world know that Spurgeon held Rutherford's Letters to be the nearest thing to inspiration which can be found in all the writings of mere men". Published versions of the Letters contain 365 letters and fit well with reading one per day.
Rutherford was a strong supporter of the divine right of Presbytery, the principle that the Bible calls for Presbyterian church government. Among his polemical works are Due Right of Presbyteries (1644), Lex, Rex (1644), and Free Disputation against Pretended Liberty of Conscience.
Samuel Rutherford was a Scottish Presbyterian theologian and author. He was one of the Scottish Commissioners to the Westminster Assembly.
Born in the village of Nisbet, Roxburghshire, Rutherford was educated at Edinburgh University, where he became in 1623 Regent of Humanity (Professor of Latin). In 1627 he was settled as minister of Anwoth in Galloway, from where he was banished to Aberdeen for nonconformity. His patron in Galloway was John Gordon, 1st Viscount of Kenmure. On the re-establishment of Presbytery in 1638 he was made Professor of Divinity at St. Andrews, and in 1651 Rector of St. Mary's College there. At the Restoration he was deprived of all his offices.
Rutherford's political book Lex, Rex (meaning "the law [and] the king" or "the law [is] king") presented a theory of limited government and constitutionalism. It was an explicit refutation of the doctrine of "Rex Lex" or "the king is the law." Rutherford was also known for his spiritual and devotional works, such as Christ Dying and drawing Sinners to Himself and his Letters.