To a Christian Gentlewoman. (2•5)

GRace, mercy & peace be to you: Though not acquaint∣ed, yet at the desire of a Christian brother, I thought good to write a line unto you, intreating you in the Lord Jesus under your trials, to keep an ear open to Christ, who can speak for himself, howbeit your visitations and your own sense should dream hard things of his love and favour: Our Lord never getteth so kinde a look of us, nor our love in such a degree, nor our faith in such a Page  413 measure of stedfastness, as he getteth out of the furnace of our tempting fears & sharp trials. I verily beleeve [& too sad proofs in me, say no less] that if our Lord would grind our whorish lust in powder, the very old ashes of our corruption should take life again, and live and hold us under so much bond∣age that may humble us & make us sad, till we be in that coun∣trey where we shall need no Physick at all. O what violent means doth our Lord use to gain us to him, as if indeed we were a prize worthy his fighting for! And be sure if leading would doe the turn, he would not use pulling of hair and drawing: But the best of us will bide a strong pull of our Lord's right arm ere we follow him: Yet I say not this as if our Lord alwayes measured afflictions by so many ounce weights answer∣able to the grain weights of our guiltiness: I know he doeth in many [and possibly in you] seek nothing so much as faith that can endure summer and winter in their extremity. O how precious to the Lord is faith and love, that when thresh∣ed, beaten, and chased away, and boasted [as it were] by God himself, doeth yet look warm-like, love-like, kind∣like, and life-like home-over to Christ, & would be in at him, ill & well as it may be! Think not much that your husband or the dearest to you in the world, proveth to have the bowels & mercy of the Ostrich, hard & rigourous & cruel: For Psal. 27. 10. The Lord taketh up such fallen ones as these. I could not wish a more sweet life nor more satisfying expressions of kind∣ness till I be up at that Prince of kindness, then the Lord's saints finde when the Lord taketh up mens refuse & lodgeth this world's out-lawes whom no man seeketh after: His breath is never so hot, his love casteth never such a flame, as when this world and these who should be the helpers of our joy, cast water on our coal: It is a sweet thing to see them cast out, & God take in, & to see them throw us away as the refuse of men, & God take us up as his jewels & his treasure: Often he maketh gold of dross, as once he made the cast-away stone, the stone rejected by the builders, the head of the corner. The Princes of this world would not have our Lord Jesus a pinning in the wall or to have any place in the building, but the Lord Page  414 made him the Master-stone of power & place. God be thanked that this world hath not power to cry us down so many pounds, as rulers cry down light gold, or light silver: We shall stand for as much as our master-coiner Christ, whose coin, arms & stamp we bear, will have us: Christ hath no miscarrying ballance. Thank your Lord, who chaseth your love through two King∣doms & followeth you & it over sea, to have you for himself, as he speaketh Hos. 3. For God layeth up his saints as the waile & the choice of all the world for himself, & this is like Christ & his love. O what in heaven or out of heaven is comparable to the smell of Christ's garments! Nay, suppose our Lord would manifest his art, & make ten thousand heavens of good & glori∣ous things, & of new joyes devised out of the deep of infinite wisdom, he could not make the like of Christ, for Christ is God, & God cannot be made: & therefore let us hold us with Christ, howbeit we might have our waile & will of an host of lovers, as many as three heavens could contain. O that he & we were together! O when Christ & ye shall meet about the outmost march & borders of time & the entry into eternity, ye shall see heaven in his face at the first look, & salvation & glory sitting in his countenance & betwixt his eyes! Faint not, the miles to heaven are but few & short: he is making a green bed [as the word speaketh Cant. 1.] of love for himself & you: There are many heads lying in Christ's bosom, but there is room for yours among the rest: And therefore goe on & let hope goe before you: Sin not in your trials, & the victory is yours: pray, wrestle & beleeve, & ye shall overcome & pre∣vail with God as Iacob did: No windle-straws, no bits of clay, no temptations which are of no longer life then an hour, will then be able to withstand you, when once ye have prevailed with God. Help me with your prayers, that it would please the Lord to give me house-room again, to speak of his righte∣onsness in the great congregation, if it may seem good in his sight. Grace, grace be with you.