Samuel Rutherford

“ We often draw our joy home to ourselves, and make Christ a babe to play ourselves with, and feed our foolish sense with: were we thankful, and refer all our sense to praising you would not get so many hungry meals. But what is the matter? Wherefore are we bidden rejoice and be glad? The Kirk speaks her words with a warrant, wherefore rejoice: know ye no better? Have not ye good cause to rejoice? Is not the Lamb's marriage come? Then nothing more feeds the soul of the godly with delight nor this, that the marriage-day is come and at hand. ”

“ We read of very few of John, faults; he fell twice into idolatry, very in considerately taking the angel to be more nor an angel he directing his worship to God, as he supposed; his heart being too much addicted to admire and reverence a creature, he slips when he doats so much on instruments; humility can steal in on our hearts in the heat of love, and Satan can beguile us with it. Idolatry comes in upon John with a sweet disguise, he welcomed it as God's worship. Our hearts and Satan do work to other's hands ”

“ God, if we bow a knee to it, that smells of idolatry. Although our worship be directed to God, we have a jealous Husband: of ye but the knee to a creature, and say it is to Christ, it is as if a wife should prostrate herself to a strange lover, and then say, God knows my heart is towards my husband: Idolatry may be idolatry, altho' men intend not idolatry, in worshipping the creature. They who say John intended to worship the angel, have not well considered the place: John directed both his inward-worship and his knee-worship to God, and took the angel to be God ”

“ When the day is fair and the spirit slows, and the wind is in the west, we can all then sing and rejoice, and believe: If God would each hour of the day come and take his children on his knees and lay their head in his bosom. ”

“ If they say, much more cause have we to say so that God's word is faithful and true: all the messes of the supper are for us; his flesh is meat indeed to us, and his blood is drink indeed to us. Say ye, will not all men, as well a angels, say so? Do any deny God's word and savings to be true? It will be thought men for shame will not give God the lie in his face. ”

“ Our Lord begins and works upon the will and the heart, and changes it, and lets us see the excellency of our new Husband and Lord, and when we make ourselves ready, we follow on to the smell of his garments. If God draw and ye stand still if God blow upon you, and strike and work, and cast you down, and yet ye are as hard as a rock or a stone under his hand you have not made yourself ready ”

“ It is something worth indeed, that the poor widow, the Kirk, has married so right a husband: For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof Psal. xxiv I Ye need not fear scant nor that Christ will scale house; The marriage is come It is not simply he glorified in heaven but the time when God will make good all his promises to his Kirk in Christ. Saw ye was not this marriage of the Lamb before? Yea was not Christ his Kirk's husband and well-beloved from the beginning? ”

“ That which is written by God is sure a concluded thing. The saints' happiness is not, He said is add she died; God has-booked your heaven and your happiness if ye be called to the Lamb's marriage supper.— As the wicked man's hell is booked and written of God, and sealed up among his treasures, so vengeance is laid up for him, Deut. ”

“ That answers your question. Sinners are like a number of men swiming in the sea, betwixt life and death. Christ and his merits are like a strong boat, and a man holding out both his arms, drawing them in one by one, saying. ”

“ Angels will have none of God's glory. All that have gifts or light, should labour to see that our Lord get his glory. When that beast suffered mer to fall down on their knees to give him the worship and titles that was due only to Christ, we may know by that what spirit was in him. The man that is nearest to God would have all glory given only to God, God and we must not be halvers in his glory. Papists say, they give glory to God but images must have a bow by the way. Is it not our part to keep good neighbourhood with God to keep his marches? Grace may well satisfy us glory is a high mass ”

“ Temptations are at our elbow. Satan, in Job's days came before the Lord to accuse the man: think ye not the devil is as bold as ever he was? And this ye that he dare not come to the communion-table? When Judas was at the table with Christ, Satan goes in with a sop. ”

“ He has a tongue that is sweeter than all tongues; an honest merchant who made the first block and it stroke with you for a penny more, will not beguile you: and when all is done, the devil and the world cannot over bid our Lord Jesus Christ. Can they bid more nor heaven of Christ or God? Many, after they have given away their hand to Christ, in covenant the world ravishes them, are ever Christ can come to claim them again.
The Lamb's Wise hath made herself ready. It is not said, The Lamb made himself ready; there is no stop of the marriage or Christ's side of it ”

“ It is fory music in heaven that wants praising of him who sits on the throne. Our Lord gets often deaf nuts from us in our spiritual joy: We take joy as a breakfast, to chear up our foolish sense, and sit down upon our joy. ”

“ Our Lord has our hearts in his hand, as a man's way is before the fire to wring and work it as he pleaseth, and to let the stamp on the man's heart; he puts on the stamp as the wax receiveith it, a stone would not receive it. The man blows the trumpet but all the sound come from the man's breath: the ship sails; the pilot fills not the sails, but it is the wind that fills the sails. ”

“ Indeed in general, we say God's word is true, but when it comes to practice, we stand not to give him the lie in his face Like archers, who set their eye upon the mark. and when all is done, the bow it breaks and the arrow falls at their foot.— Whilst conference keeps in general, and is a hundred miles from the word, we say the word is good, but when the word is near to command us, and to controul our lusts, and deny our wills: when we do as Jeroboam's conscience, that slipt the shackles, when Gods word was like, as he did think to deprive him of his kingdom. ”

“ Alas. when sinners would would be at Christ, he never holds out fire and sword to chase them away: that is but Satan's fire and sword that fears you. I love that yet the better, that the Devil opposes it; but I say tho Christ gloom on you, as on the woman of Cannan yet go forward, they are sweet coals that burn a soul flightening to be at Christ: that fire will never be your dend. When want of preparation holds a man from Christ it is of the Devil Men take Christ to be proud when it is themselves; they are proud and will not go to Christ till they can give him a meeting and buy mercy. ”

“ When we say, Even so I take him, it is with borrowed hand; faith is not ours, it is the gift of God, to put on the fine linen. All this says we are unworthy of Christ: if ye were worthy, slain Christ would not be your husband. Christ is a Saviour and Redeemer from head to foot, all made up of free grace, giving his blood, merits and righteousness to his Kirk for stark-nought. Men shape a sort of a Christ of their own making not Christ but an idol, a Christ that will not ken a man, except they get a meeting of holiness and righteousness in them, that is a Christ of your own making ”

“ And be said unto me These are the true sayings of God Angels has got a taste of Christ at the beginning and have learned something that they had never known, if men had not fallen; and though they be but beholders, and eat not of the supper, as we do, yet when Christ's meat is on the table, it casts a good smell, and they delight to learn something sore of Christ which they knew not before. ”

“ They bade the Benjaminites a a dance take their daughter by force; and to they play their conscience a slip. Sin can go out at one door, when conscience boasts it; and comes slipping in again with a new garment; it being that same sin in Pilate, he put murder from himself ”

“ It is God's free gift in Christ, when all is on Christ's charges and expences. The fine linen is Christ's righteousness imputed so saints, a web of Christ's own making, it cost him dear or ever it came on our backs ”

“ That man cared not how he came; he took no care of a wedding-garment. he had not so much as a hungring for Christ, the beggar's warrant as you have heard. But let us reason thus, If that ye grant, ye are unprepared, and that ye want much that ye should have; ye think it is death to go to Christ: I say, it is death to hide away, and the greatest death of the two. A man chased by his enemies on death and life has but two ways to flee to, either to the fire or to the water: if he be wise, he will take himself to the water, where he may swim, and not to the fire ”

“ In the persons; none are called but the Bridegroom's friends, who ere come of Christ's own house, and native of kin to him; strangers and bastards to the house get but a word: And from this is that calling that is to the saints a calling by their names, as when God called Abraham, who said, Here am I The friends of the Bridegroom hear a voice upon their hearts, as if God had called then by their names; the rest are called, but they obey not the King. They hear a voice founding in the air a afar off. ”

“ But let men wash idolatry with all the holy water of Rome. it ha ay black skin. Many go farther on in idolatry than John did. Saul would not kill David himself and does not mind the matter and event of it nay but he gives him over into the Philistines' hands. Sin, especially gross sins, have a bloody black face, that men must put on a mask before they kiss them. Men stink to beguile their own conscience by challenging of some circumstances. ”

“ The marriage-supper of the Lamb. Gospel-promises and mercies are called a marriage-supper. God calls no brass and gold he calls blessedness in Christ a supper and a marriage-supper; wherein are all pleasures that can delight hearing and tasting for music and good chear; it is a supper after which meek men got rest and the night's sleep, for the saints have many a hungry dinner in this world.Pleasures, the husk that the swiny feed on, the devil's draff The pleasures of sin for a season, Heb. ”

“ A father leaves an inheritance to be divided equally among his sons; ilk one has no more ado but to prove that he is a son, then he falls to his part of the inheritance. We err oftentimes in our applying either promises or threatning: You make a question of God's part of Christ died for you, and loved you ”

“ Lewase that ye move not the Lord to take the gift from the ministers. The devil can cast wild fire into people's zeal and cause them make a God of a man in whom there is not much stuff, if he were fisted. Is comfort bound to any man's tongue above another? ”

“ God is witness that ministers desire to but you fair off their hand, and to send you o Christ, they are but the bridegroom' friends, carrying your love- tters from your Husband: but carry it who will, I leave off the comparing of ministers with mysteries lest you provoke God o blow out the poor pan's candle. You know blownout candle will have an ill smell. They out carry the trumpet. the Spirit blows; doat got on any man. Would you have an object to waste your love on? There is one Christ Jesus, dont your fill or him Love and better love him, till ye be wearied of loving him. ”

“ So when we have given our names to our husband Christ, it is not honesty to fall in love with other lover again; to marry two is vile falsehood. Are ye content that Christ get your first love. and to go with him before another? ”

“ So swearing is good enough to many, if they swear the truth. Men would sain have God's law beguiled. If vanity of apparel lose the name of pride, and commend this, that it is called the fashion, it is thought good enough. ”

“ And many, on the other hand having that, there must be a preparation for the marriage; they must not come to Christ in their sin and guilt, and not knowing but he is angry; especially after a great out-cast, ye will stand afar off from Christ, and not seek after him at all because ye are not prepared. The Lamb's wife doth make herself ready. ”

“ The have much, oil and labour the long summer day: but here is their blessedness, they know of a hearty meal of meat at night, and rest in the bosom of their well-beloved Christ. After this supper there is no such toil and trouble as is after dinner; men have no rest but are weary and laden till Christ and they meet; they are ay under Satan's yoke till Christ loose them Hab. ”

“ Lean but to Christ, and then complain not, but presume your fill on him providing you think yourself unworthy of him It is not presumption to take a grip of Christ's naked sword, tho' it should cut your hand. ”

“ After his ascension to heaven, he comes another journey, by his Spirit, in his ministers, who preach the gospel: so as Paul saith, you are betrothed to a new husband. 3dly, He will come again at the last day, and compleat the marriage. I suspect a hasty marriage to be a sudden vengeance. men and women fly to Christ, and flock to ordinances, to eat and drink with him, or ever he woo them: many come to take Christ, and have another husband at home the world, your lusts ”