19
A
LETTER
FROM
Mr ALEXANDER PEDEN,
To the Prisoners in Dunnottar Castle,
July 1685.
Dear Friends,
I long to hear from you, how you spend your time, and how the grace of God grows in your hearts. I know ye and other of the Lord’s people, by reason of the present trial, have got up a fashion of complaining upon Christ, but I defy you to speak an ill word of him, unless ye wrong him. Speak as you can, and spare not; only I request that your expressions of Christ be suitable to your experience of him. If ye think Christ’s house be bare and ill-provided, and harder than ye looked for, assure yourselves Christ minds only to diet you, and not to hunger you; our steward knows when to spend and when to spare. Christ knows well whether heaping or straiking agrees best with our narrow vessels, for both are alike to him; sparing will not enrich him, nor will spending impoverish him. He thinks it ill won that is holden of his people. Grace and glory comes out of Christ's lucky hand. Our vessels are feckless and contain little; his fulness is most straitened when it wants a vent. It is easy for Christ to be holden busy in dividing the fulness of his Father’ house to his poor friends; he delights not to keep mercy over-night. He is the easiest merchant ever the people of God yoked with; if he be pleased with
