To Mr. William Dalglish, Minister of the Gospel — Letter 18
Reverend and dear brother.
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you. I am well; my Lord Jesus is kinder to me than ever he was. It pleases him to dine and sup with his afflicted prisoner; a king feasts me, and his spikenard casts a sweet smell. Put Christ's love to the trial and put upon it burdens, and then it will appear love indeed. We employ not his love, and therefore we know it not. I verily count more of the sufferings of my Lord than of this world's lustrous and over-gilded glory. I dare not say but my Lord Jesus has fully recompensed my sadness with his joys, my losses with his own presence. I find it a sweet and rich thing to exchange my sorrows with Christ's joys, my afflictions with that sweet peace I have with himself. Brother, this is his own truth I now suffer for; he has sealed my sufferings with his own comforts, and I know he will not put his seal upon blank paper. His seals are not dumb nor delusive, to confirm imaginations and lies. Go on, my dear brother, in the strength of the Lord, not fearing man who is a worm, or the son of man who will die. Providence has a thousand keys to open a thousand sundry doors for the deliverance of his own, when it is even come to a final conclusion. Let us be faithful and care for our own part, which is to do and suffer for him, and lay Christ's part on himself and leave it there. Duties are ours; events are the Lord's. When our faith goes to meddle with events and to hold a court (if I may so speak) upon God's providence, and begins to say, 'how will you do this and that?' — we lose ground. We have nothing to do there. It is our part to let the Almighty exercise his own office and stir his own helm. There is nothing left to us but to see how we may be approved of him, and how we may roll the weight of our weak souls (in well-doing) upon him who is God Omnipotent. And when what we thus attempt miscarries, it shall neither be our sin nor our cross. Brother, remember the Lord's word to Peter: 'Simon, do you love me? Feed my sheep.' No greater testimony of our love to Christ can be than to feed painfully and faithfully his lambs. I am in no better neighborhood with the ministers here than before; they cannot endure that any speak of me or to me. Thus I am in the mean time silent, which is my greatest grief. Doctor Barron has often disputed with me, especially about Arminian controversies and about the ceremonies. Three encounters laid him aside, and I have not been troubled with him since. Now he has appointed a dispute before witnesses; I trust Christ and truth shall do for themselves. I hope, brother, you will help my people, and write to me what you hear the bishop is to do to them. Grace be with you.
Aberdeen. Your brother in bonds, S. R.
