* Hartley Coleridge. Poems, ii. p. 387 (edition 1851).
MEMOIR OF RICHARD SIBBES, D.D. liriY
iheir own worldly ends ? A wounded spirit will part with anything. Most of the gainful points of popery, as confession, satisfaction, merit, purga- tory, &c., spring from hence, but they are physicians of no ralue, or rather tormentors than physicians at all. It is a greater blessing to he delivered from " the sting of these scorpions" than ice are thankful for. Spiritual tyranny is the greatest tyranny, and then especially when it is where most mercy should be shewed ; yet even there some, like cruel surgeons, delight in making long cures, to serve themselves upon the misery of others. It bringeth men under a terrible curse, " when they will not remember to shew mercy, but persecute the poor and needy man, that they might even slay the broken in heart," Ps. cix. 16.
' Likewise, to such as raise temporal advantage to themselves out of the spiritual misery of others, join such as raise estates by betraying the church, and are unfaithful in the trust committed 'unto them, when the children
SHALL CRY FOR THE BREAD OF LIFE, AND THERE IS NONE TO GIVE THEM,
bringing thus vpon the jjeople of God that heavy judgment of a sphitual famine, starving Christ in his members. Shall we so requite so good a Saviour, who counteth the love and mercy shewed in "feeding his lambs," John xxi. 15, as shewed to himself?
' Last of all, they cany themselves very unkindly towards Chi'ist, who stumble at this his low stooping unto us in his government and ordinances, that are ashamed of the simplicity of the gospel , that count preaching foolishness.
' They, out of the pride of their heart, think they may do well enough without the help of the word and sacraments, and think Christ took not state enough upon him, and therefore they will mend the matter WITH their own devices, whereby they may give the better content to flesh and blood, as in popery.'*
Elsewhere, in his most eloquent sermon entitled ' The Saint's Safety in Evil Times,' he thus fearlessly speaks : —
* I beseech you consider, what hui't have we ever had by the " Reforma- tion " of religion ? Hath it come naked unto us ? Hath it not been attended with peace and prosperity? Hath God been " a barren wilder- ness to us?" Jer. ii. 31. Hath not God been a wall of fii-e about us? which if he had not been, it is not the water that compasseth our island could have kept us.f
Once more, in the ' Ungodly 's Misery,' also ' preached ' at this period, we have these plain-spoken words : —
' What is the gospel but salvation and redemption by Christ alone ? Therefore, Rome's church is an apostate church, and may well be styled an adulteress and a whore, because she is fallen from her husband Christ Jesus. And what may we think of those that would bring light and dark- ness, Christ and Antichrist, the ark and Dagon, together, that would re- concile us, as if it were no great matter ?' |
Still again, in his exceeding precious sermons on Canticles, he strikes high, even right at the prelates, on their neglect of abounding error : —
* Thus,' says he, ' popery gi-ew up by degrees, till it overspread the
* ' Bruised Reed,' page 78. J ' Ungodly's Misery,' p. 388.
t ' Saint's Safety,' page 312.
hx MEMOIR OF RICHAED SIBBES, D.D.
church, whilst the watchmen that should have kept others awake fell asleep THEMSELVES. And thu3 wc answcr the papists when they quarrel with us about the beginning of their errors. They ask of us when such and such an heresy began ; we answer, that those that should have observed THEM WERE ASLEEP. Popery is a " mystery," that crept into the church by degrees under glorious pretences. Their errors had modest beginnings.' *
These two words, ' glorious pretences,' must have been treasured up by Laud. They reappear in his ' Answers ' to the ' Charges ' acjainst him, as I shall notice anon.
These were fiery words, and given to the world in print, the former in 'The Bruised Reed,' in 1629-30, the latter in 'The Saint's Safety,' in 1632-3, they could not fail to rouse the pri- mate. Almost immediately upon his appointment to the preacher- ship of Gray's Inn, Laud had sought to have him deprived and silenced ; for tidings had reached him of the Trinity lecture- ship and the evangelical, ' soul-fatting ' (good old Bolton's word) preaching there. But Lord Keeper Finch had interfered to de- feat his machinations, a right good service by not the best of men I fear, which he did not forget to plead when he stood at the bar of the House. Thus did he bring it up, the little quarto contain- ing the full ' speech ' b.eing now before me : — ' I hope for my affec- tion in religion no man doubteth me. What my education was, and under whom I lived for many yeares, is well knowne. I lived neere thirty years in the society of Gray s Inne ; and if one (that was a reverend preacher there in my time. Doctor Sibs) were now living, he were able to give testimony to this House that when a party ill-affected in religion sought to tyre and weary him out, he had his chiefest encouragement and help from me.' Let the erring Lord Keeper have the benefit of this redeeming trait.