ed
hand-in-hand with Jesus Christ, and was continually wrapped in the
flames of holiest love. It is said that he rose at three in the morning
to have five hours of prayer and study of the Word in preparation for
the day's work. He seemed to be always among his flock, yet was he ever
ready for the pulpit.

This minister, like his blessed Master, could be seen, early and late,
"leaping upon the mountains, and skipping upon the hills," in his
eagerness to visit his people who were scattered widely over the
country.

As he walked, his head was erect and his face heavenward; his eyes were
feasting on the glory above the sky. His musings cast him into
transports of joy in Christ. His Covenant with God exalted his soul into
sweetest familiarity with the Lord. The Holy Spirit came upon him in
great power and with superabundance of gifts.

Rutherford, having a high-keyed voice, was a poor speaker; but that did
not prevent him from holding multitudes spell-bound. They came from afar
to hear him tell of the love of Christ. He gazed upon visions of
Christ's loveliness, arose in raptures of joy as he discoursed on
Christ's glory, and seemed at times as if he would fly out of the pulpit
in his animation. He was so full of life, of power, of heaven, of glory,
and of God, that his words and thoughts and teachings were pictures,
revelations, inspirations, apocalypses, scenes in the eternal world,
glimpses of the glory of Immanuel and Immanuel's land.

Here are some of his spiritual chromos as they took color and language
from his soul:

"My one joy, next to the flower of my joys, Christ, was to preach my
sweetest, sweetest Master, and the glory of His kingdom.

"I would beg lodging, for God's sake, in hell's hottest furnace, that I
might rub souls with Christ.

"Were my blackness and Christ's beauty carded through other, His beauty
and holiness would eat up my filthiness.

"Christ's honeycombs drop honey and floods of consolation upon my soul;
my chains are gold."

When Rutherford was on his deathbed, his enemies sent for him to stand
trial for treasonable conduct. His treasonable conduct was his fearless
preaching of the Gospel and heralding the royal glory of Christ, which
included severest denunciation of the king's arrogant claim of authority
over the Church. He replied, "Tell them I have got a summons already
before a Superior Judge, and I behoove to answer my first summons; and
ere your day come, I will be where few ki