31 Days with Samuel Rutherford

There are two volumes of Letters of Samuel Rutherford numbering 365 unique entries. Almost two-thirds were written during his eighteen month exile at Aberdeen in the North of Scotland. What is before you are certain extracts of these letters, divided up into 31 days of devotional thoughts. You will notice that Rutherford's entries are almost epistolarian in from. He reflects in his own way, the pastoral heart of a true servant of Christ, and never shrinks back from displaying his own struggles and triumphs to his readers.

The Puritan Richard Baxter once said of these letters, "Hold off [do not count] the Bible, and such a book as this the world never saw."

Rutherford died as he lived, loving Christ with a passion that few have known on this earth. In his last moments on this earth he was gripped with a singular rapture and elevation of spirit. To quote Andrew Thompson in his biography on the author, "On repeated occasions he cried aloud, 'Oh for a well-tuned harp!' as if he already heard the sound of the radiant worshippers, and yearned with a holy impatience to join them in their "heavenly symphonies and sweet societies."

He passed from this world to the next on the morning of March 20, 1661, his last words being, "Glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel's land!" His earthly remains are buried in the St. Andrews Church Kirk-yard.
For the inspiration of this devotional, I am indebted to Hembert Westley's work titled, A New Epistle: Being the Wise and Beautiful Counsel of that Saintly Man, Samuel Rutherford, to all Those in Doubt, in Affliction, and in Peril of their Souls. The pagination, formatting, slight update, and archaic word explanation are mine. The rest belongs to Samuel Rutherford. I hope you enjoy these devotional thoughts as much as I did.