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Containing those which were writ-Containing fome which were writ-

ten from ABERDEEN, where he
was confined by a sentence of
the High Commiffion drawn
forth against him, partly upon
the account of declining them,
partly upon the account of his
Nonconformity.

ten from ANWOTH, before he
was by the Prelates perfecution.
thruft out of his Ministry; and
others upon divers Occafions af-
terward, from ST. ANDREWS,
LONDON, &C.

TO WHICH IS ADDED,

The Author's TESTIMONY to the covenanted Work of Reformation,
between 1638 and 1649 And alfo his DYING WORDS, contain-
ing feveral Advices to fome Minifters and near Relations.

THE ELEVENTH EDITION.

GLASGOW:

PRINTED BY WILLIAM BELL,

FOR JOHN KIRK, THE PUBLISHER, CALTON,

MDCCXCVI.

BRITISH

CIBRARY

Mr. RUTHERFOORD's LIFE.

R. SAMUEL RUTHERFOORD, a gentleman by extrac

Mtion, having spent fome time at the grammar-fchool, went

to the university of Edinburgh, where he was fo much admired for his pregnancy of parts, and defervedly looked upon as one from whom great things might be expected, that in a fhort time (tho' but then very young) he was made profeffor of philosophy in that univerfity.

Some time after this he was called to be minister at Anwoth in the fhire of Galloway, unto which charge he entered by means of the then viscount of Kenmuir, without any acknowledgment or engagement to the bishops. There he laboured with great diligence and fuccefs, both night and day, rifing ufually by three o' clock in the morning, fpending the whole time in reading, praying, writing, catechising, vifiting, and other duties belonging to the minifterial profeffion and employment.

Here he wrote his exercitationes de gratia, &c. for which he was fummoned (as early as June 1630) before the high commiffion court, but the weather was fo tempestuous as to obstruct the paffage of the arch-bishop of St. Andrews hither, and Mr Colvil one of the judges having befriended him, the diet was deferted. About the fame time his firft wife died after a fore sickness of thirteen months, and he himself being fo ill of a tertian fever for thirteen weeks, that then he could not preach on the Sabbath day, without great difficulty.

Again in April 1634, he was threatened with another profecution at the inftance of the bishop of Galloway, before the high commiffion court, and neither were thefe threatenings all the reafons Mr Rutherfoord had to lay his account with suffering, and as the Lord would not hide from his faithful fervant Abraham things he was about to do, neither would he conceal from this fon of Abraham what his purposes were concerning him; for in a letter to the provoft's wife of Kirkcudbright, dated April 20, 1633, he fays, That upon the 17th and 18th of Auguft he got a full anfwer of his Lord to be a graced minifter, and a chofen arrow hid in his quiver" Accordingly the thing he looked for came upon him, for he was again fummoned before the high commiflion court for his non-conformity, his preaching against the five articles of Perth, and the fore-mentioned book exercita tiones apologetica pro divina gratia, which book they alledged did

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* See bis letters, part iii. let. 27.

reflect upon the church of Scotland, but the truth was, fays a late hiftoriant, the argument of that book did cut the finews of arminianifm, and galled the epifcopal clergy to the very quick, and fo bishop Sydreferf could endure him no longer. When he came before the commiffion court he altogether declined them as a lawful judicatory, and would not give the chancellor (being a clergyman) and the bifhops their titles by lording of them, yet fome had the courage to befriend him, particularly the lord Lorn (afterwards the famous marquis of Argyle), who did as much for him as was within his power to do; but the bishop of Galloway, threatening that if he got not his will of him, he would write to the king, it was carried against him, and upon the 27th of July 1636, he was ditcharged to exercife any part of his miniftry within the kingdom of Scotland under pain of rebellion, and ordered within fix months to confine himself within the city of Aberdeen, &c. during the king's pleasure, which fentence he obeyed, and forthwith went toward the place of his confinement.

From Aberdeen he wrote many of his famous letters, from which it is evident that the confolation of the Holy Spirit did greatly abound with him in his fufferings, yea, in one of thefe letters, he expreffes it in the ftrongest terms when he fays, "I never knew before, that his love was in fuch a measure. If he leave me, he leaves me in pain, and fick of love, and yet my fickness is my life and health. I have a fire within me, I defy all the devils in hell, and all the prelates in Scotland to caft water on it." Here he remained upwards of a year and a half, by which time he made the doctors of Aberdeen know that the puritans (as they called them) were clergymen as well as they. But upon notice that the private council had received in a declinature against the high commiffion court in the year 1638. he adventured to return back again to his flock at Anwoth, where he again took great pains, both in public and in private, amongst that people, who from all quarters reforted to his ministry, so that that whole country fide might account themfelves as his particular flock, and, it being then at the dawning of the reformation, found no fmall benefit by the gofpel, that part of the ancient prophecy being farther accomplithed, for in the wilderness fball waters break out, and fireams in the defert, Ifa. xxxv. 6.

He was before that venerable affembly held at Glasgow in 1638. and gave an account of all these his former proceedings with res fpect to his confinement, and the caufes thereof. By them he was appointed to be profeffor of divinity at St. Andrews, and colleague in the miniftry with the worthy Mr Blair, who was tranf

+ See Stevenfon's hiftory, vol. I. page 149. Rowe's history, page 295.

lated hither about the fame time. And here God did again fo fe cond this his eminent and faithful tervant, that by his indefa tigable pains both in teaching in the schools and preaching in the congregation, that St. Andrews, the feat of the arch-bishop (and by that means the nursery of all fuperftition, error and profane nefs) foon became forthwith a Lebanon out of which were taken cedars, for building the houfe of the Lord, almost through the whole land, many of whom he guided to heaven before himself (who received the fpiritual life by his miniftry), and many others did walk in that light after him.

And as he was mighty in the public parts of religion, so he was a great practifer and encourager of the private duties thereof. Thus in the year 1650. when a charge was foifted in before the general affembly at the inftance of Mr Henry Guthrie minifter at Stirling (afterward bishop of Dunkeld), against private society meetings (which were then abounding in the land), on which enfued much reafoning, the one fide yielding that a paper before drawn up by Mr Henderson should be agreed unto concerning the order to be kept in thefe meetings, &c. but Guthrie and his adherents oppofing this. Mr Rutherfoord, who was never much difpofed to speak in judicatories, threw in this fyllogifm, "What the fcriptures do warrant no affembly may difcharge; but private meetings for religious exercifes the fcriptures do warrant, Mal. va 16. Then they that feared the Lord Spake often one to another, &c, James v. 16. Confefs your fault one to another, and pray one for an other, &c. These things could not be done in public meetings, &c." And although the earl of Seaforth there prefent, and thofe of Guthrie's faction upbraided this good man for this, yet it had influence upon the majority of the members that all the oppofite party got done, was an act anent the ordering of family-worship. He was alfo one of the Scots commiflioners appointed anno 1643 to the Westminster affembly, and was very much beloved there for his unparalleled faithfulness and zeal in going about his Ma fter's business. It was during this time that he publifhed lex rex, and feveral.other learned pieces against the eraftians, anabaptifts, independents, and other fectaries that began to prevail and increafe at that time, and none ever had the courage to take up the gauntlet of defiance thrown down by this champion *.

When the principal bufinefs of this affembly was pretty well fettled, Mr Rutherfoord, on October 24. 1647. moved that it might be recorded in the fcribe's book, that the affembly had enjoyed the affiftance of the commiflioners of the church of Scotland, all

*It is reported, that when king Charles faw lex rex he said, It would fcarcely ever get an answer; nor did it ever get any, except what the parliament in 1661 gave it, when they caufed it to be burnt at the crofs of Edinburgh, by the hands of the hangman.

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