To the Honourable and Truly Noble Lady, the Viscountess of Kenmure — Letter 7
Madam.
Grace, mercy, and peace be to your ladyship. I long to hear from you. I am here waiting if a good wind long looked for shall at length blow in Christ's sails in this land. But I wonder if Jesus is not content to suffer more yet in his members and cause and beauty of his house, rather than he should not be avenged upon this land. I hear many worthy men (who see more in the Lord's dealing than I can take up with my dim sight) are of a contrary mind, and do believe the Lord is coming home again to his house in Scotland. I hope he is on his journey that way, yet I look not but that he shall feed this land with their own blood before he establish his throne among us. I know your honor is not looking after things here; you have no great cause to think that your stock and principal is under the roof of these visible heavens. And I hope you would think yourself a beguiled and cheated soul if it were so. I would be sorry to counsel your ladyship to make a covenant with time and this life, but rather desire you to hold in fair generalities, and far off from this ill-founded heaven that is on this side of the water. It speaks something when our Lord blows the bloom off our foolish hopes in this life, and lops the branches of our worldly joys nearly to the root, on purpose that they should not thrive. Lord, destroy my fool's heaven in this life, that I may be saved forever. A forfeiture of the saints' part of the yoke and marrow of short-laughing, worldly happiness is not such a real evil as our blinded eyes conceive. I am thinking long now for some deliverance, more than before, but I know I am in an error. It is possible I am not come to that measure of trial that the Lord is seeking in his work. If my friends in Galloway would effectually work for my deliverance, I would exceedingly rejoice. But I know not but the Lord has a way of which he will be the only reaper of praises. Let me know with the bearer how the child is. The Lord be his father and tutor, and your only comforter. There is nothing here where I am but profanity and atheism. Grace, grace be with your ladyship.
Aberdeen, February 13, 1637. Your ladyship's at all obliged obedience in Christ, S. R.
