Piety is a word we don’t use very much today. It means devotion to God – and, specifically, to the true and living God who makes Himself known as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And because this true and living God is absolutely just and absolutely holy (and because, by nature, we are sinners), our devotion to Him must begin with a Mediator – One who can bridge the gap between unholy people and this Holy God.
That Mediator is Jesus Christ – the God-man; and the Bible – the Word of God – presents Jesus Christ to us in the most glowing terms: He is the Altogether Lovely One; the fairest among 10,000 – the most beautiful of all Beings. He’s the Pearl of Great Price. He is full of grace and truth. The good news is that He becomes our Husband when we respond to the Gospel – the good news that He gave Himself to deliver men, women, boys and girls from sin and death, and the good news that He promises and guarantees everlasting life to those who commit themselves to Him in faith and who follow Him faithfully as their Lord. And we love Him, because He first loved us.
True piety is devotion to God that grows out of love for Christ. Love for a very lovely and very wonderful Savior.
In the entire history of the Christian Church, I don’t think that kind of piety has been demonstrated any more beautifully and richly than by a man named Samuel Rutherford.
Samuel Rutherford was born into a farming family in the year 1600 in Scotland. Even in his boyhood, he demonstrated sensitivity to the things of God. Following his training for the ministry, in 1627 he was ordained and installed as pastor of a congregation in Anwoth, in southwest Scotland. For nine years he carried out a pastoral ministry that was a model of the piety and service of a truly godly minister. Here’s a description from someone who knew Rutherford as a man who truly gave himself for the eternal good of others:
"He rises at three in the morning and at that early hour meets his God in prayer and meditation - and has (time) for study besides. He takes occasional days for catechizing (that is, to teach people the Christian faith in a systematic way). He never fails to be found at the sick-beds of his (congregation members). People say of him, ‘He is always praying, always preaching, always visiting the sick, always catechizing, always writing, and studying.”
But it was love for Christ that – more than anything else – marked the life and service of Samuel Rutherford. The same writer continued:
"He was known to fall asleep at night talking of Christ, and even to speak of him during his sleep. Indeed, (he) himself speaks of his dreams being of Christ."
An English businessman who was familiar with many of the ministers in Rutherford’s day made this observation in his own quaint way:
"I…heard a well-favored proper old man with a long beard, and that man showed me all my heart. Then…I heard a sweet, majestic-looking man and he showed me the majesty of God. After him, I heard a little fair man, and he showed me the loveliness of Christ."
That “fair man” was Samuel Rutherford; and that man of the past – the 17th century, to be exact -is the subject of our program today. The Bible speaks of those who are “dead, but still speak” – that is, their lives and ministries should continue to minister to us and shouldn’t be forgotten.
Samuel Rutherford, who lived between 1600 and 1661 shouldn’t be forgotten! While he’s known for his writings about Christian doctrine, his biblical development of the subjects of both church and civil government (His views of civil government strongly influenced the formation of our American Republic), Samuel Rutherford is best known for his devotion to Christ and his unmatched expressions of love for Christ. That devotion is preserved for us particularly in 365 letters that he composed – most of them while he was suffering imprisonment for the sake of the Gospel. Those letters have been called “the most remarkable series of devotional letters” in the history of the Protestant Reformation. I couldn’t agree more.
Later in the program, you’ll hear how you can get some of Samuel Rutherford’s devotional writings for yourself.
I have two guests today who will whet your appetite for Samuel Rutherford and his piety. Both are Scots: One lives in Scotland and the other here in the United States. Matthew Vogan is a trustee of the Scottish Reformation Society and manager of the Reformation Scotland Trust – which mines the riches of past spiritual wisdom and makes those riches available to the 21st-century church. We’re glad to have him Matthew with us today via Skype. Jim Campbell is a minister of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church who lives in Connecticut – and who’s always glad to tell people about all things Scottish! You may have never heard of Samuel Rutherford before, but, by the end of the program, you’ll be as captivated by Samuel Rutherford as they are. And, more than that, you’ll be captivated by the One Samuel Rutherford loved, served, and worshipped: Jesus Christ
Matthew Vogan and Jim Campbell – welcome to A Visit to the Pastor’s Study….
Here’s the full program:
Yours in the Altogether Lovely One,
Pastor Bill