Letters of Samuel Rutherford: (Third Edition)Rutherford, Samuel
Religion
Letters of Samuel Rutherford: (Third Edition)
Rutherford, Samuel
Rutherford, Samuel, 1600?-1661 -- Correspondence
They are happy for evermore who are over head and ears in the love of
Christ, and know no sickness but love-sickness for Christ, and feel no
pain but the pain of an absent and hidden Well-beloved. We run our
souls out of breath and tire them, in coursing and galloping after our
night-dreams (such are the rovings of our miscarrying hearts), to get
some created good thing in this life, and on this side of death. We
would fain stay and spin out a heaven to ourselves, on this side of
the water; but sorrow, want, changes, crosses, and sin, are both woof
and warp in that ill-spun web. Oh, how sweet and dear are those
thoughts that are still upon the things which are above! and how happy
are they who are longing to have little sand in their glass, and to
have time's thread cut, and can cry to Christ, "Lord Jesus, have over;
come and fetch the dreary[182] passenger!" I wish that our thoughts
were more frequently than they are upon our country. Oh, but heaven
casteth a sweet smell afar off to those who have spiritual smelling!
God hath made many fair flowers; but the fairest of them all is
heaven, and the Flower of all flowers is Christ. Oh! why do we not fly
up to that lovely One? Alas that there is such a scarcity of love, and
of lovers, to Christ amongst us all! Fie, fie, upon us, who love fair
things, as fair gold, fair houses, fair lands, fair pleasures, fair
honours, and fair persons, and do not pine and melt away with love to
Christ! Oh! would to God I had more love for His sake! O for as much
as would lie betwixt me and heaven, for His sake! O for as much as
would go round about the earth, and over the heaven, yea, the heaven
of heavens, and ten thousand worlds, that I might let all out upon
fair, fair, only fair Christ! But, alas! I have nothing for Him, yet
He hath much for me. It is no gain to Christ that He getteth my
little, feckless span-length and hand-breadth of love.
[182] Sorrowful.
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