Inheriting considerable property from his father, Stuart was lavishly
generous in support of those suffering persecution for conscience'
sake. Later, owing to the ravages of plague he lost much of his money.
He joined with Blair (Letter XVI) in the frustrated attempt to emigrate
to America, which is referred to in the next letter. See also Letter
XLIX.
MUCH HONORED AND DEAREST IN CHRIST, -- Grace, mercy, and peace from God
our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, be upon you.
I expected the comfort of a letter to a prisoner from you, see now. I
am here, Sir, putting off a part of my inch of time; and when I awake
first in the morning (which is always with great heaviness and
sadness), this question is brought to my mind, 'Am I serving God or
not?' Not that I doubt of the truth of this honorable cause wherein I
am engaged; I dare venture into eternity, and before my Judge, that I
now suffer for the truth -- because that I cannot endure that my Master,
who is a freeborn King, should pay tribute to any of the shields or
potsherds of the earth. Oh that I could hold the crown upon my princely
King's head with my sinful arm, howbeit it should be struck from me in
that service, from the shoulder-blade. But my closed mouth, my dumb
Sabbaths, the memory of my communion with Christ, in many fair, fair
days in Anwoth, whereas now my Master getteth no service of my tongue
as then, has almost broken my faith in two halves. Yet in my deepest
apprehensions of His anger, I see through a cloud that I am wrong. And
beside, He has visited my soul and watered it with His comforts.
The great men, my friends that did for me, are dried up like
winter-brooks of water. All say, 'No dealing for that man; his best
will be to be gone out of the kingdom.' So I see they tire of me. But,
believe me, I am most gladly content that Christ breaketh all my idols
in pieces. It has put a new edge upon mv blunted love to Christ; I see
that He is jealous of my love, and will have all to Himself. In a word,
these six things are my burden: 1. I am not in the vineyard as others
are; it may be, because Christ thinketh me a withered tree, not worth
its room. But God forbid! 2. Woe, woe is coming upon my harlot-mother,
this apostate kirk! The time is coming when we shall wish for doves'
wings to flee and hide us. Oh, for the desolation of this land! 3. I
see my dear Master Christ going His lone (as it were) mourning in
sackcloth. His fainting friends fear that King Jesus shall lose the
field. But He must carry the day. 4. My guiltiness and the sins of
youth are come up against me, and they would come into the plea in my
sufferings, as deserving causes in God's justice; but I pray God, for
Christ's sake, that He may never give them that room. 5. Woe is me,
that I cannot get my royal, dreadful, mighty, and glorious Prince of
the kings of the earth set on high. Sir, ye may help me and pity me in
this; and bow your knee, and bless His name, and desire others to do
it, that He has been pleased, in my sufferings, to make Atheists,
Papists, and enemies about me say, 'It is like that God is with this
prisoner.' Let hell and the powers of hell (I care not) be let loose
against me to do their worst, so being that Christ, and my Father, and
His Father, be magnified in my sufferings. 6. Christ's love has pained
me: for howbeit His presence has shamed me, and drowned me in debt, yet
He often goes away when my love to Him is burning. He seemeth to look
like a proud wooer, who will not look upon a poor match that is dying
of love. I will not say He is lordly. But I know He is wise in hiding
Himself from a child and a fool, who maketh an idol and a god of one of
Christ's kisses, which is idolatry. I fear that I adore His comforts
more than Himself, and that I love the apples of life better than the
tree of life.
Sir, write to me. Commend me to your wife. Mercy be her portion.
Grace be with you.
Yours, in his dearest Lord Jesus.
ABERDEEN, 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.