Samuel Rutherford

Born around 1600 in Nisbet, Roxburghshire, Samuel Rutherford became a Scottish Presbyterian minister, theologian, and author. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, later served in the parish of Anwoth, and went on to become one of the Scottish commissioners to the Westminster Assembly in London.

Rutherford’s writing gave him a long afterlife beyond his own century. Many readers know him best through his Letters, which combine personal warmth, spiritual intensity, and steady encouragement in suffering. He also wrote Lex, Rex, a major political and theological work that argued for limits on royal power.

In his later years he was principal of St Mary’s College at St Andrews and an important figure in the church life of Scotland. He died on March 29, 1661, but his books have continued to attract readers interested in Reformed theology, pastoral counsel, and the religious history of Britain.