Lady Boyd, whose maiden name was Christian Hamilton, was the daughter
of a distinguished lawyer and inherited his abilities and strength of
character. She was a trusted friend of many of the leading ministers of
the Church of Scotland in her day. When she died the whole Scottish
Parliament suspended its sitting to attend her funeral. See also
letters LVII, LXII and LXV.
MADAM, -- Grace, mercy and peace be unto you. The Lord has brought me to
Aberdeen, where I see God in few. This town has been advised upon of
purpose for me; it consisteth either of Papists, or men of Gallio's
naughty faith. It is counted wisdom, in the most, not to countenance a
confined minister; but I find Christ neither strange nor unkind; for I
have found many faces smile upon me since I came hither. I am heavy and
sad, considering what is betwixt the Lord and my soul, which none seeth
but He. I find men have mistaken me; it would be no art (as I now see)
to spin small and make hypocrisy a goodly web, and to go through the
market as a saint among men, and yet steal quietly to hell, without
observation: so easy is it to deceive men. I have disputed whether or
no I ever knew anything of Christianity, save the letters of that name.
Men see but as men, and they call ten twenty and twenty an hundred; but
O! to be approved of God in the heart and in sincerity is not an
ordinary mercy. My neglects while I had a pulpit, and other things
whereof I am ashamed to speak, meet me now, so as God maketh an honest
cross my daily sorrow. Like a fool, I believed, under suffering for
Christ, that I myself should keep the key of Christ's treasures, and
take out comforts when I listed, and eat and be fat: but I see now a
sufferer for Christ will be made to know himself, and will be holden at
the door as well as another poor sinner, and will be fain to eat with
the bairns, and to take the by-board, and glad to do so. My blessing on
the cross of Christ that has made me see this! Oh! if we could take
pains for the kingdom of heaven! But we sit down upon some ordinary
marks of God's children, thinking we have as much as will separate us
from a reprobate; and thereupon we take the play and cry, 'Holiday!'
and thus the devil casteth water on our fire, and blunteth our zeal and
care. But I see heaven is not at the door; and I see, howbeit my
challenges be many, I suffer for Christ, and dare hazard my salvation
upon it; for sometimes my Lord cometh with a fair hour and O! but His
love be sweet, delightful, and comfortable.
Madam, I know your Ladyship knoweth this, and that made me bold to
write of it, that others might reap somewhat by my bonds for the truth;
for I should desire, and I aim at this, to have my Lord well spoken of,
and honored, howbeit He should make nothing of me but a bridge over a
water.
Thus recommending your Ladyship, your son and children, to His grace,
who has honored you with a name and room among the living in Jerusalem,
and wishing grace to be with your Ladyship.
ABERDEEN
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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.