The Letters of Samuel Rutherford Quotes

“You must learn to make your evils your great good; and to spin comforts, peace, joy, communion with Christ, out of your troubles, which are Christ's wooers, sent to speak for you from Himself.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford

“If ye were not Christ's wheat, appointed to be bread in His house, He would not grind you.”
― Samuel Rutherford, Letters of Samuel Rutherford

“every man's Judgment cometh from the Lord. And be glad that it is so, for Christ is the clerk of your process, and will see that all go right; and”
― Samuel Rutherford, Letters of Samuel Rutherford

“The cross of Christ is the sweetest burden that I ever bear; it is such a burden as wings to a bird or sails to a ship, to carry me forward to my harbor.”
― Samuel Rutherford, Letters of Samuel Rutherford

“All, all for evermore to be Christ’s! What further trials are before me I know not, but I know that Christ will have a saved soul of me, over on the other side of the water, on the yonder side of crosses, and beyond men’s wrongs.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“I cry, ‘Down with me; down, down with all the excellency of the world; and up, up with Christ!”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“In the meantime, I am pained with His love, because I want real possession. When Christ cometh, He stayeth not long. But certainly the blowing of His breath upon a poor soul is heaven upon earth; and when the wind turneth into the north, and He goeth away, I die, till the wind change into the west, and he visit his prisoner. But He holdeth me not often at His door. I am richly repaid for suffering for Him.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“I wish it were in my power, after this day, to cry down all love but the love of Christ, and to cry down all gods but Christ, all saviours but Christ, all well beloveds but Christ, and all soul-suitors and love-beggars but Christ.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“Fy, fy’ upon us! that we have love lying rusting beside us or, which is worse, wasting upon some loathsome objects, and that Christ should lie His lone.[20”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“If you knew particularly what to do, it were not a spiritual exercise.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford

“There is none like Him; I would not exchange one smile of His lovely face with kingdoms.”
― Samuel Rutherford, Letters of Samuel Rutherford

“But His infinite wisdom thinketh and decreeth the contrary; and though we cannot see a reason for it, yet He hath a most just reason.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“Temptations that I supposed to be stricken dead and laid upon their back rise again and revive upon me; yea, I see that, while I live, temptations will not die.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“A good supper and kind entertainment maketh the guest love the inn the better. Yet sometimes Christ hath an”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“Soul conviction, if alone, without remorse and grief, is not enough; therefore lend it a tear, if you are able to obtain it.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“answer (a) The best regenerate have their defilements, that will clog behind them all their days; and wash as they will, there will be filth in their bosom. But let not this put you from the well.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“Hence I draw this conclusion: that to think matters betwixt Christ and us go back for want of heaped measure, is a piece of old Adam’s pride, who would either be at legal payment or nothing.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“especially now, let Him not want[66] lodging in your houses, nor lie in the fields when He”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“The Father’s love lieth all upon Him. O if all mankind would fetch all their love and lay it upon Him!”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“Alas! it is neither easy nor ordinary to believe and to be saved.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“They had never a sick night for sin; conversion came to them in a night-dream. In a word, hell will be empty at the Day of Judgment, and heaven pang[62] full!”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“But O that I could raise Him the height of heaven, and the breadth and length of ten heavens, in the estimation of all His young lovers! for we have all shapen Christ but too narrow and too short, and formed conceptions of His love, in our conceit, very unworthy of it. O that men were taken and catched with His beauty and fairness! they would give over playing with idols, in which there is not half room for the love of one soul to expatiate itself. And man’s love is but heart-hungered in gnawing upon bare bones, and sucking at dry breasts.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“but seeing a piece of suffering is carved to every one of us, less or more, as Infinite Wisdom hath thought good, our part is to harden and habituate our soft and thin-skinned nature to endure fire and water, devils, lions, men, losses, wo[44] hearts as those that are looked upon by God, angels, men, and devils.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“It is Christianity to be sincere, unfeigned honest, and upright-hearted before God; and to live and serve God, supposing there was not one man nor woman in all the world dwelling beside you, to eye you. Any little grace that you have, see that it be sound and true.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“2. Growth in grace should be cared for above all things; and falling from our first love mourned for.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“2. By abstinence, and giving days to God.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“That my grace and gifts bring forth little or no thankfulness.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“That I have not been careful of gaining others to Christ.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“11. Nothing more moveth me, and burdeneth my soul, than that I could never, in my prosperity, so wrestle in prayer with God, nor be so dead to the world, so hungry and sick of love for Christ, so heavenly-minded, as when ten stone-weight of a heavy cross was upon me.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters

“That I have not more boldly contradicted the enemies speaking against the truth, either in public church-meetings, or at tables, or ordinary conference.”
― Samuel Rutherford, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford: Excerpts from Thirty Important Letters