CXVIU MEMOIR OF EICHABD SIBBES, D.D.
his brother Norman, to spend an evening with Admiral Blake at his country house at Knowle.' * Instead of Alleine let us go with Sibbes, and instead of Admiral Blake at Knowle, let the visit be to John Pym, or to Lady Mary Vere, or to Sir Robert and Lady Brooke, or any of those great and true families, whose heads
' bore, without abuse,
The grand old name of gentleman,'
and ' feared God,' and were ' lovers of all good men.' Suppose Colonel Hutchinson and the Puritan Admiral to be also guests. There would be the simple meal, — the Bible would be brought in, — ^there would be prayer, — there would be conversation such as Christians love, and which they can only have when in ' their own company,' — there would probably be discourse, in logical forms, on some of the mysteries of Christian truth, — of course, there would be reasonings over some ' case of conscience.' Dr Gouge would be apt to get prosy, in discussing the opinions of Fragosa, Talet, Sayrus, and Boderiques, or of Doctors XJrsinus or Lobetius ; Master Davenport would interpose a ' why ' or ' how ;' and Richard Sibbes would close with some sweet words from John or the Lord himself, modestly confirming his own elucidations of them from Bernard, or with a quaint saying from Luther, or a wise apophthegm from Augustine. Then there would be a flow of grace- ful and varied talk, not only on politics (' Petition of Right,' and so on), but on books, pictures, gardening, or the last scientific experi- ments of the ' Oxford Society;' and the tall-browed statesman, and the great sailor, ' would affect a droll concern to prove before the ministers, by the aptness and abundance of their Latin quotations, that in becoming ' leader in the House ' and admiral, they had not forfeited their claim to be considered good classics.' You could not find better types of the winning, yet stately Christian gentle- man, than among such Puritan circles ; and where will you match their ' fair ladyes V We have confirmation of the 'visits' and of their results in the several ' epistles ' and * dedications ' of his posthu- mous writings. Each of these records personal intercourse and kind- nesses, and the tenderest cherishing of his memory. He was a fre- quent guest with the Earls of Manchester and' Warwick, and Ladies Anne and Susanna, their Countesses, Lord Say and Seal, Lord Roberts^ Baron Truro, and Lady Lucie his consort, but most of all with the Brooks and Veres, with whom he lived on the most familiar terms. The 'dedications' and 'epistles' will be found in their respective
* Joseph Alleine: liis Companions and Times, pp. 131-2; and Hepworfh Dixon'a Life of JUake, p. 2G7. I accommodate, rather than quote from Stanford's picturesque and masterly work.
MEMOIR OF RICHARD SIBBES, D.D. CXIX
places ; but, as it reflects interesting light and mutual honour on both, I must introduce in full the ' epistle dedicatory' of the ' Foun- tain Sealed,' to ' the truly noble and much honoured lady, the Lady Elizabeth Brooke, wife to Sir Robert Brooke,' and also glean a few biographic sentences from others. The 'epistle' to Lady Brooke, one of the most remarkable women of England, at a period when there were many such, is as follows : — ■
To the truly noble and much honoured lady, the Lady Elizabeth Brooke, wife to Sir Robert Brooke. ' Madam, — Besides that deserved interest your Ladyship held in the affections and esteem of this worthy man more than any friend alive, which might entitle you to all that may call him author, this small piece of his acknowledge th a more special propriety unto your Ladyship. For though his tongue was as the pen of a ready writer in the hand of Christ, who guided him, yet your Ladj'ship's hand and pen was in this his scribe and amanuensis, whilst he dictated a first draught of it in private, with intention for the public. In which labour, both of humility and love, youi' Ladj'- ship did that honour unto him which Baruch, though great and noble, did but receive in the like transcribing the words of Jeremiah from his mouth, wherein yet your Lad3'ship did indeed but write the story of your own life, which hath been long exactly framed to the rules herem prescribed. We, therefore, that are intrusted in the publishing of it, deem it but an act of justice in us to retm-n it thus to your Ladyship, unto whom it owes even its first birth, that so, wherever this little treatise shall come, there also this that you have done may be told and recorded for a memorial of you. And we could not but esteem it also an addition of honour to the work, that no less than a lady's hand, so pious and so much honoured, brought it forth into the world, although in itself it deserveth as much as any other this blessed womb did bear. The Lord, in way of recompense, write all the holy contents of it yet more fully and abundantly in your ladyship's heart, and aU the lineaments of the image of Jesus Christ, and seal up all unto you by his blessed Spirit, with joy and peace, to the day of redemption. — Madam, we are your Ladyship's devoted, Thos. Goodwin.