{t) P. 170. — 'The name of a church in the original is Ecclesia,' i.e., sx-xXriala. Cf. 1 Cor. xi. 18, and Robinson and Liddell and Scott, mib voce.
(m) p. 173. — ' If Christ himself be mine, then all is mine.' The well-known hymn, ' If God be mine ' (anonymous), is little more than a paraphrase of these sweet words of Sibbes.
{v) P. 183. — ' As if we were Solifideans.' This sect derived its name from solus, alone, diXid. fides, faith. The following quotations will illustrate Sibbes : —
' Such is first the persuasion of the solifidians, that all religion consists in believing aright, that the being of orthodox (as that is opposed to erroneous) opinions is all that is on our part required to render our condition safe, and our persons acceptable in the sight of God.' — Hammond. Works, i., p. 480.
' That we may be able to answer the Papists, who charge us with solifidianism, as if we were of this opinion, that if a man do but trust in Christ, that is, be but confidently persuaded that he will save him, and pardon him, this is sufficient, and, consequently, he that is thus persuaded need not take any farther care of his salva- tion, but may live as he list.' — Tillotson, iii., ser. 174. G.
THE SPOUSE,
'5
HER EAENEST DESIEE AFTEE CHEIST.
NOTE.
' The Spouse ' is one of two sermons published together, but independent, in 1638. The general title-page of both is given below [*] ; also the separate title of ' The Spouse ' [t]. Prefixed is an ' Epistle Dedicatory,' which will be found on the op- posite page. ' The Spouse,' though from an earlier chapter of Canticles, as being subordinate, follows ' Bowels Opened.' O.
* and t Title-pages —
TWO
SERMONS :
PREACHED
By that Faithfull and Eeverend Divine,
KiCHAKD SiBBES,
D.D. and sometimes Prea- cher to the Honourable So- ciety of Grayes-Inne ; And Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge. Printed at London by T. Cotes* and are to sold by Andr. Kembe, at his Shop at S Margarets Hill in Southwarke, 1638. On the back of this title we read, ' Imprimator [sic] Tho. Wykes. Aprill 12. 1638.'
THE
S P 0 V S E,
HER
Earnest desire after Christ her Husband.
OR,
A Sermon preached on Cant. i. Vers. 5. By that Faithfull and Reve- rend Divine, Richard Sibbes, D. D. and sometimes preacher to the Honorable Societie of Orayes-Inne ; And Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge.
PsAL. 73. 25. Whom have I in Heaven but thee ? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.
* It may be noted here that Coates was the publisher of the famous second folio of the works of Shakespeare, 1632.— G.
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL
SIE JOHN ROWLAND, KNIGHT.
Sm, — These two sermons were brought unto me for that learned and re- Hgious divine, whose name they bear ; and so far as I am able to judge, the style and spiritualness of the matter argue no less. Being earnestly re- quested to pemse them, I thought fit to commend them to the world under your name, because I know that you so well affected the author. My re- quest tinto you is, that you would be pleased to accept the dedication of them as a testimony of his sincere affection, who laboui's, and pi'ays for your good in the best things.
Your Worship's to be commanded in all Christian ser^dce,
R. T.*
* These initials E. T., probably represent Eobert Town or Towne. In the ' Non- conformist's Memorial,' (iii. 438) he is stated to have been one of the ' Ejected' of 1662, being at the time in Howorth, Yorkshire, the same it is presumable with Haworth, since rendered so renowned by the Brontes, and a little earlier by Grim- shawe. He had at a former period been Vicar of Ealand, Halifax. He died in 1663, aged about 70. Palmer adds, 'It was said that he had imbibed some unsound prin- ciples, but he was a man of good character.'" Neither Calamy, nor Palmer, nor any of the Puritan historians, enumerate writings by him. But at the end of Burrough's ' Saint's Happiness,' (4to 1660), Nathanael Brook announces the following: 'Re- assertion of grace ? Vindicice Evangelii, or the Vindication of the Gospel ; a reply to Mr Anthony Bridges [sic but Burgess is meant] Vindicice Legis, and to Mr Rutherford, by Robert Town.'— G.
THE SPODSE, HER EARNEST DESIRE AFTER
CHRIST.
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth : for thy love is better than wine.
—Cant. I. 2.
The Holy Ghost is pleased here to condescend to our infirmities ; and, that we might help ourselves in our spiritual estate by our bodies, he speaketh here of heavenly things after an earthly manner, and with a com- fortable mystery. As in other places the Holy Ghost sets out the joys of heaven by a sweet banquet, so here he sets out the union that we have with Christ by the union of the husband with the wife ; and that we might the better understand what this union is, he condescends to our weakness, that we might see that in a glass which we through our corruptions cannot otherwise discern. This book is nothing else but a plain demonstration and setting forth of the love of Christ to his church, and of the love of the church to Christ ; so familiarly and plainly, that the Jews take great scandal at it, and would not have any to read this book till they are come to the age of thirty years, lest they thereby should be tempted to incon- tinency; wherein they would seem wiser than God himself. But the Holy Ghost is pleased thus by corporeal to set out these spiiitual things, which are of a higher nature, that by thinking and tasting of the one they might be stirred up to translate their affections (which in youthful age are most strong) from the heat of natural love to spiritual things, to the things of God ; and all those who are spiritually minded (for whom chiefly the Scriptures were wi'itten) will take special comfort and instruction thereby, though others take ofience and scandal at it. So here, the union between Christ and his spouse is so familiarly and Hvehly set forth by that union which is between the husband and the wife, that, though ungodly men might take offence at it, yet the godly may be bettered by it.