Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself

by Samuel Rutherford, Terry Kulakowski

CHRIST DYING, AND DRAWING SINNERS TO HIMSELF; OR, A SURVEY OF OUR SAVIOUR IN HIS SOULSUFFERING, HIS LOVELINESS IN HIS DEATH ANDTHE EFFICACY THEREOF. IN WHICH SOME CASES OF SOUL-TROUBLE IN WEAK BELIEVERS, GROUNDS OF SUBMISSION UNDER THE ABSENCE OF CHRIST, WITH THE FLOWINGS AND HEIGHTENINGS OF FREE GRACE, ARE OPENED.

Genres: Theology

740 pages, Paperback

First published December 28, 2009

About the author

Samuel Rutherford, Scottish minister and covenanter Rutherford was born about the year 1600 near Nisbet, Scotland. Little is known of his early life. In 1627 he earned a M.A. from Edinburgh College, where he was appointed Professor of Humanity. He became minister of the church in Anwoth in 1627. It was a rural parish, and the people were scattered in farms over the hills.

His first years in Anwoth, though, were touched with sadness. His wife was ill for a year and a month, before she died in their new home. Two children also died during this period.

In 1636 Rutherford published a book defending the doctrines of grace (Calvinism) against Armininism. This put him in conflict with the Church authorities, which were dominated by the English Episcopacy. He was called before the High Court, deprived of his ministerial office, and exiled to Aberdeen. This exile was a sore trial for the beloved pastor. He felt that being separated from his congregation was unbearable. However, because of his exile, we now have many of the letters he wrote to his flock, and so the evil of his banishment has been turned into a great blessing for the church worldwide.

In 1638 the struggles between Parliament and King in England, and Presbyterianism vs. Episcopacy in Scotland culminated in momentous events for Rutherford. In the confusion of the times, he simply slipped out of Aberdeen and returned to his beloved Anwoth. But it was not for long. The Kirk (Church of Scotland) held a General Assembly that year, restoring full Presbyterianism to the land. In addition, they appointed Rutherford a Professor of Theology of St. Andrews, although he negotiated to be allowed to preach at least once a week.

The Westminster Assembly began their famous meetings in 1643, and Rutherford was one of the five Scottish commissioners invited to attend the proceedings. Although the Scots were not allowed to vote, they had an influence far exceeding their number. Rutherford is thought to have been a major influence on the Shorter Catechism.

During this period in England, Rutherford wrote his best-known work, Lex Rex, or The Law, the King. This book argued for limited government, and limitations on the current idea of the Divine Right of Kings.

When the monarchy was restored in 1660, it was clear that the author of Lex Rex would could expect trouble. When the summons came in 1661, charging him with treason, and demanding his appearance on a certain day, Rutherford refused to go. From his deathbed, he answered, "I must answer my first summons; and before you."

Reviews

[Beth Bogue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rutherford is great. The only reason I’m giving this three stars is because this is a very intricate and difficult argument against Arminianism and Antinomians, and for my little brain I found it really hard work. However, there are a lot of hidden gems in it that are so good. But if you’ve never read Rutherford, don’t start with this, and if you think this is like his letters, it isn’t.

[Andrew Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the time I spent reading this book. I have to be honest and say that I skimmed very quickly over some passages of it, which are rather tedious and repetitive arguments against Arminianism and antinomianism; as I was already convinced both of the Reformed doctrines of free grace and the Reformed teachings on the third use of the law, they weren’t all that profitable for me to read; and I am of the mind that people are not nearly as often persuaded of these truths by heavy treatises and the amassing of forceful arguments as theologians are often inclined to think. Rutherford argues his points with force and good effect, but he would have done well to hire an editor to trim things down and organize them a bit. The sections on Arminianism contain some helpful material though; Rutherford centers his argument on limited atonement over against universal atonement, and he establishes very well that there are far greater troubles regarding the character of God in the Arminian position.

But the reason I rated this book five stars has very little to do with that; it has much more to do with the content of some two or three hundred pages scattered in pockets throughout the whole work, which contain some of the most moving and imaginative descriptions of the atoning work of Christ and His eternal purposes of love that I have ever read. I don’t suppose I will ever again read this book from cover to cover; but there are certain passages that I will return to over and over again.

[Charles Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. In opposition to Antinomianism and Arminianism, Rutherford gives a lengthy exposition of John 12:27-32, in which he addresses many topics, often in a devotional, experimental/experiential manner. Perhaps his most common topic in the work is the relationship between the law and the gospel, and between grace and good works. Unfortunately the subject matter, since it is based on a chronological exposition of the source text, is not topically organized.

[Joshua Sunderland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful treatment of John 12:27-33. While not the only area Rutherford covers these subjects, it is immensely comprehensive on topics like "soul-suffering," legalism/antinomianism, and definite atonement. It is clearly a more scholastic work, but you can still clearly see Rutherford's pastoral bent in the way he writes. Highly recommend.

[Jessica]

Recommended by Rev. Rob McCurley

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot of very good material in this book, but the problem is that it really should have been divided into two different books. I say this because part of the book is a devotional study into the work of Christ, while the remainder of the book is a critique of Antinomians and Arminians. This would be okay if there were two distinct sections of the book, but, rather, these things are constantly intertwined which does not make for the best reading. Having said that, any book by Samuel Rutherford is always worth reading; I just wish that he had edited and structured it a bit better.

[Alex]

Need to put this work aside due to changing circumstances. Only read to page 32 and would love to return to it with more focus at a later time. This is a great work to meditate on the loveliness of Christ.