* The ' learned bishop ' is Eobert Abbot, Bisliop of Salisbur^y, and the reference is to liis ' Defence of the Keformed Catholick of W. Perkins against Dr W. Bishop.' 4to, 1611.
t A Key of Heaven : the Lord's Prayer opened, and so applied, that a Christian may learn how to pray, and to procure all things which may make for the glory of God, and the good of himself, and of his neighbour. Containing likewise such doctrines of faith and goodness, as may be very useful to all that desire to live godlj in Christ Jesus. The second edition, enlarged by the author. Mat. vii. 7, Aek, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened nuto you. Oratio justi davis coeli. London : Printed by Thomas Harper, for Ben- jamin Fisher, and arc to be sold at the sign of the Talbot in Aldersgate Street. 1633. This ' Key ' has b(>(Mi crroiieously included among Sibbes's own writings, e.g., Brook f Lives of Puritans, ii. 420), and oven in Dr Bliss's Sale-Catalogue.
MEMOIB OP RICHAED SIBBES, D.D. IxXXvil
mendation,' whicli is in itself an Essay on Prayer, of rare value. Scudder was a contemporary of Sibbes in Cambridge, of Christ's Church. Afterwards he became successively minister at Drayton, in Oxfordshire, and at CoUingbom-Dukcs, in Wiltshire. In the year 1643, he was chosen one of the 'Assembly of Divines,' and was exem- plary in his attendance. His books are pre-eminently scriptural and practical, and there are occasional similes and scraps of out- of-the-way incidents of a quaint beauty and appositeness. It is easy to understand that such a man would be dear to Richard Sibbes.* Thus he writes : —
To be much in persuading those that be favourites of some gi'cat person, to use that interest for theh best advantage, were an endeavour somewhat needless, considering natural self-love inclineth men in such cases to be sensible enough of their own good. Yet so dull is our apprehension of matters that are of an higher nature, that though we have the car of God always open unto us, and free access to the throne of grace through Christ who appeareth in heaven for us, carrying our names in his breast, yet we need stirring up to improve this blessed liberty, though the whole world be not worth this one prerogative, that we can boldly call God Father. This dis- proportion of om* carriage ariseth in part from Satan's malice, who laboureth to keep us in darkness, that we beheve not, or mind not our best privileges, which if we did, how glorious would dhr lives appear ! how comfortably and fi'uitfully should we walk ! what honour should God have by us ! what Bweet sacrifice from us ! how should we overlook all opposite power ! But now by reason we are prone to believe Satan, and the lies of our own heart ; and ready to call truth itself into question, as if these things were too good to be true, no mar\^el if we pass our days so deadly. For what use of an hidden and locked up treasure, if we use not this key of prayer to fetch from thence for all our need ? What benefit of all the precious promises made in Christ unto us, unless we allege them unto God, and with a re- verend boldness bind him with his own word, which he can no more deny, than cease to be God ? If we took these things to heart, God shoukl hear oftener from us, we would be more in heaven than we are, seeing we should bring as much grace and comfort from God as we coukl bring faith to grasp and carry away.
Besides this fore -mentioned mindlessness of our privileges, since the fall the soul naturally loveth to spend and scatter itself about these present Bcnsible things, and cannot without some strife gather itself together, and tix upon heavenly things. Now this talking with God requireth an actual bent of the mind, and carrieth up the whole soul into heaven, and exerciseth, as all the parts, so all the graces of the soul, faith especially, prayer being nothing else but the flame of faith. And Satan knowing that when we send up our desires to God, it is to fetch supply against him, troubleth the soul, weak of itself, with a workl of distractions. Where he cannot corrupt the doctrine of prayer (as in popery) with heresies and superstitious foUies, there he laboureth to hinder the exercise of it. Wherein we should be so far from being discouraged, that we sbould reason rather that must needs be an excellent duty which is so irksome to the flesh, and which the devil so eagerly sets against. This should encourage us to this exercise, whereia * Scudder. Consult Brook's 'Lives of the Puritans,' ii, 504, sej.
IxXXviii MEMOIR OF EICHAED SIBBES, D.D.
lieth all our strength, that if in spite of Satan's annoyance and our own in- disposition, we will set upon this duty, we shall find ourselves by little and little more raised up to heaven, and our hearts more and more enlarged, God rewarding the use of that little grace we find at the first, with increase of strength and comfort. To him that hath (in the exercise of that he hath) shall be given more. We should labour not to be ignorant of Satan's en- terprises, who besides his diverting our minds from prayer, and disturbing us in it, laboureth by all means to draw us to some sin, the conscience whereof will stop our mouths, and stifle our prayers, and shake our confi- dence, and eclipse our comfort ; which he oft aimeth more at than the sin itself unto which he tempteth us. We should labour therefore to pre- serve ourselves in such a state of soul, wherein we might have boldness mth God, and wherein this gainful trading with him might not be hindered.