This moved this godly minister, my Christian friend, to take pains in this useful argument, as appeareth in this treatise, which is written by him in a clear, quick, and famihar style ; and for the matter and manner of handling, soUd, judicious, and scholar-like ; and which may commend it the more, it is written by one that, besides faithfulness and iruitfulness in his ministry, hath been a good proficient in the school of temptation him- self, and therefore the fitter, as a skilful watchman, to give warning and aim to others ; for there be spiritual exercises of ministers more for others than for themselves. If by this he shall attain, in some measure, what he intended, God shall have the glory, thou the benefit, and he the encourage- ment to make public some other labours. — Farewell in the Lord,
RiCHAKD SiBBES.
These ' epistles ' and ' prefaces ' shew the cordial relations sus- tained by Sibbes towards liis fellow-divines and contemporaries ; and down to a late period, the booksellers found it a profitable advertisement to say of a book, ' Recommended by Dr Sibbes.' -f*
* Qu. ' sins ?'— Ed.
t ' Recommended by Dr Sibbes.' Tbc various books of Preston are usually thus advertised ; and those of Burroughs, Hooker, and Cotton as ' approved by Dr Sibbes,' Eglesfield and Colo in their book-lists supply various examples.
MEMOIR OF EICHARD SIBBES, D.D. OB
CHAPTER X.
SIBBES VICAR OF TRINITY, CAilBRIDGE — PEACE-MAKER.
Presentation to Vicarage of Trinity by the King — Another relaxation of ' order' of Gray's Inn — Lord Keeper Williams — 'Tender Conscience' — 'Consolatory Letter' — Thomas Goodwin — 'Summer visits' — Earls of Manchester and Warwick — Truro and Say and Seal — Brooks and Veres — Thurston — ' Mother and brethren .'
From the manner in which Sibbes escaped the practical effects of the ' High Commission ' and ' Star-Chamber ' decisions, in strik- ing contrast with Davenport and Hooker, and others of the fugitives to Holland and New England, and from the fearless way in which he continued to preach the same sentiments, it is evident that he must have personally commanded the weightiest regard, and secured influence that could not be disregarded. In 1627, he passed D.D. Tn 1633 (shortly after the overthrow of the ' Feoffees ' scheme, which makes it the more memorable), he was presented by the king, Charles I., on its resignation by Thomas Goodwin, who scarcely held it a year,* to ' the vicarage of the holy and undivided Trinity, in the town of Cambridge.' We have the fact in the ' Foedera : —
* Ricardus Sibbes, clericus, in Sacra Theologia Professor, habet con- similes Literas Patentes de pz'esentatione ad Vicariam sanctse et individuae Trinitatis in Villa Cantabrigiae, Diocesis Eliensis, per resignationem ultimi Incumbentis ibidem jam vacantem, et ad nostram presentationem pleno jure spectantem ; et deriguntur hae Literas Reverendo in Christo Patri Domino Francisco Eliensi Episcopo. Teste Rege apud Westmonasterium, vicesimo primo die Novembris 1633.' \
This ' presentation ' speaks much for Sibbes ; for at this date Laud was filling every place with men of his own kind. We have not the means of determining by what influence this appointment was obtained. One tells us Goodwin resigned ' in favour of Sibbes,' but that could scarcely be, inasmuch as he at the same time resigned all his offices and honours in the University. Besides, the difficulty is only removed back a stage ; how did it come about that a Puritan resigned and another stepped into his place ? It may be that it was a tacit recompence for the former injustice of ' outing ' him from his lectureship of Trinity and his fellowship ; but it is more probable that on the ' Feoffees' ' decision, the powerful friends of the preacher at Gray's Inn interfered in such a way as to let the primate under- stand that they, at any rate, were not to be trifled with ; and that then he secured, or at least did not hinder, this ' presentation.'
But there is the further difficulty of the ' order ' of Gray's Inn, that their preacher was not only to be continually resident, but
* Eymer's Foedera, xis., 440, No. 81, ed. 1732. t ■f^*'^-. xix., 586.
CXU MEMOIE OF RICHABD SIBBES, D.D.
likewise to have no other ecclesiastical preferment. As Sibbes actually accepted and acted as vicar, the ' order ' must once more have been relaxed in his favour. Indeed, I suspect that ' order ' ■was originally passed for a personal object and from a personal reason. The immediate predecessor of Sibbes was a Mr Fenton, — in all likelihood, though no Christian name appears in the ' Order- Books ' of Gray's Inn, the same with Roger Fenton, D.D., who was a great pluralist, and who died 16th January 1615-16. He held the prebend, rectory, and vicarage of St Pancras, and the rectory of St Stephen's, Walbrook, and also the vicarage of Chig- well, Esfc-ex, till his death. Probably he neglected his duties as preacher at Gray's Inn. Hence the check put upon his successor.* For one so faithful in the discharge of his office, and who was regarded by all as a personal friend, there would be no great diffi- culty in making arrangements, in order to his accepting the ' pre- sentation,' and still continuing the honoured preacher of Gray's Inn.