Live on Christ’s Love
“In Samuel Rutherford, we find a rare combination of the precise mind of a theologian but also the passionate heart of a poet. When you read his descriptions of Christ, when you read his descriptions of the love of Christ for His Church and His Church for Him, his imagery reminds me of the Song of Solomon.”
― Dr. John Snyder, Puritan: All of Life to the Glory of God
Samuel Rutherford (1600—1661) was a Puritan pastor, author, and theologian. Rutherford was educated first at Jedborough, then at the University of Edinburgh. He pastored at Anwoth in Scotland, where it was said of him that “he was always praying, always preaching, always visiting the sick, always catechising, always writing and studying.”
Some of his last words were, “I shall live and adore Christ; glory to my Redeemer forever. Glory, glory dwelleth in Emmanuel’s land.” To his fellow ministers he said, “Dear brethren, do all for Christ. Pray for Christ. Preach for Christ. Beware of men-pleasing.” With his death, Scotland lost one of its greatest theologians, powerful preachers, devotional writers, and political thinkers.
We will never fully grasp the incomparable, unmerited, everlasting love of Christ for us on this side of heaven. Yet we cannot read or meditate on it enough. Rutherford penned these words in The Loveliness of Christ:
O, what a fair One, what an only One, what an excellent, lovely, ravishing One is Jesus. Put the beauty of ten thousand thousand worlds of paradises, like the garden of Eden in one, put all trees, all flowers, all smells, all colors, all tastes, all joys, all sweetness, all loveliness, in one . . . And yet it would be less to that fair and dearest Well-beloved Christ, than one drop of rain to the whole seas, rivers, lakes, and fountains of ten thousand earths.
Every day we may see some new thing in Christ. His love has neither brim nor bottom. How blessed are we to enjoy this invaluable treasure, the love of Christ; or rather allow ourselves to be mastered and subdued in his love, so that Christ is our all, and all other things are nothing. O that we might be ready for the time our Lord's wind and tide call for us!
There are infinite plies in his love that the saint will never be able to unfold. I urge upon you a nearer and growing communion with Christ. There are curtains to be drawn back in Christ that we have never seen. There are new foldings of love in him. Dig deep, sweat, labour, and take pains for him, and set by as much time in the day for him as you can; he will be won with labour. Live on Christ's love.
Christ's love is so kingly, that it will not wait until tomorrow, it must have a throne all alone in your soul. It is our folly to divide our narrow and little love. It is best to give it all to Christ. Lay no more on the earthly, than it can carry. Lay your soul and your weights upon God; make him your only and best-beloved. Your errand in this life is to make sure an eternity of glory for your soul, and to match your soul with Christ. Your love, if it could be more than all the love of angels in one, would be Christ's due. Look up to him and love him. O, love and live!
We hope these words serve to stir your heart toward Jesus. Meditate on His love today. Seek Him, commune with Him, give Him everything—all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your strength, and all of your might. Let every area of your life be His and His alone.